Monday, November 9, 2026 · Morning Edition

Today

By StaffNews Desk

Good morning. Democrats, set to take control of Congress in January, are not waiting. As lawmakers return, the party is moving to end the Iran war now, leveraging a Dec. 11 shutdown deadline, a Dec. 31 military policy cutoff and a push to impeach Pete Hegseth, whose impeachment looms over the session. Even Trump now says strikes are "highly unlikely" and that there is "no reason" to escalate — the retreat of a man cornered.

Republicans plan to ram through outstanding work before ceding power: averting a government shutdown, a farm bill, FISA reform and the National Defense Authorization Act, all in a matter of weeks.

The bosses' party is in open disarray. Republicans are "panicking" over a wrecked 2028 map, with Texas now gettable and Ohio and Iowa reverted to true swing states. House Republicans are gearing up to overhaul their leadership. The survivors come from the deepest red districts, Trump's most loyal soldiers — an even Trumpier caucus — while power concentrates upward as Stephen Miller starts as White House chief of staff.

The victors of 2026 have a long way to go before they can govern, but the results broke barriers: states elected their first transgender state lawmakers and first Latino and Black governors. Trump now concedes his deportations were "too tough" and cost him, and the voters who demanded economic relief will test whether anyone delivers. Biden said what Trump did on Jan. 6 should follow him to his grave. Meanwhile the churn grinds on: an HR professional who helped plan layoffs landed on the chopping block himself.