In the face of Republicans losing control of both houses of Congress, Trump insisted all day Tuesday that Republicans would have won in a landslide if he were on the ballot. Not only is this not true, but the midterm election defeat was a direct result of independent voters turning against Trump because of the growing costs of products people buy, including high gas and diesel prices, and above all, his refusal to end the war against Iran. Those voting for president in 2024 represented 3 major voting bocks: about a third of voters were conservatives firmly behind Trump. They were joined by half of another third bloc made up of independent voters, including many Hispanics, who overwhelmingly voted against Kamala Harris. They expected big changes from Trump. Trump’s initial changes were well received by most voters: eliminating government wasteful aid and spending, stopping the open border policies of Biden and suppressing discrimination against whites and meritocracy in the name of diversity and enforced equality. Some of those initiatives have been blocked or limited by the establishment judiciary and others are keeping a low profile, waiting until Trump is out of office. But since Trump’s positive start, he has major some major errors: 1) Attacking Iran and setting off the most serious trade dislocation in this century, 2) Failing to rein in the Federal Reserve’s inflation of the currency, 3) Lavish deficit spending, 4) using tariffs to bully trading allies, and 5) Betraying Ukraine while lavishing praise on our greatest enemies, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin. To receive a free, one-time sample of the Brief, along with options on how to subscribe, click on Request a sample on the left.
Rep.-elect Don Leonard (D-OH) said on Wednesday that senior Democrats warned him he could lose committee assignments, see his legislative agenda blocked and face serious obstacles to reelection if he withholds support for Jeffries' bid to become House speaker.
A trust linked to the wife of Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), one of Congress's most vocal advocates for banning lawmakers from trading stocks, sold Nvidia shares near their peak, weeks before scandal engulfed the company, sending its stock plunging. The scandal also led to Jensen Huang's ouster as CEO. The sale let the trust avoid a drop of about 26% in Nvidia's share price.
Ukraine struck Russia's Omsk oil refinery in its latest long-range drone attack, in at least the third known such attack on the site of the war. Notbaly the Omsk oil refinery is the country's largest. The drones traveled over 1,800 miles to reach the Siberian refinery, and regional officials say it was subject to eight hours worth of drone waves Wednesday into the overnight hours.
Zelensky said that units on the front lines had reported several days of disruptions and in Russian-occupied territory. He also noted that operating speed limits in excess of 100 mph were preventing interception drones from reaching the speeds needed to engage Russian jet-powered one-way attack drones. And this is key. Zelensky claimed, "These are not random errors but systematic speed restrictions," adding, "For us, this primarily means a significant complication in intercepting Russian jet-powered drones."
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson announced that she and the city would back the Seattle School Board’s unanimous vote to begin legal action to block enforcement of Initiative 638, which requires separating boys and girls in K-12 sports in Washington state. Voters overwhelmingly approved the initiative in 36 of the state’s 39 counties. Critics have charged that Wilson and other Seattle Democrats are seeking to negate the popular vote after campaigning on “saving democracy.” The greater challenge, however, is the legal basis for such an action in light of recent Supreme Court rulings.
The chaos surrounding Jensen Huang unfolded rapidly after late October 2026. On October 29, The New York Times reported that U.S. intelligence viewed his close relationship with Alice Huang (no relation), a Chinese executive tied to Singapore-based Megaspeed (a major NVIDIA customer under investigation for possible diversion of advanced AI chips to China), as involving a Ministry of State Security asset.
The IRGC has hailed that it has transferred production processes from surface facilities to underground facilities, allowing the manufacturing of missiles and drones to persist even if Iran is bombarded by new attacks.
Gun rights groups and retailers are projecting a surge in firearm sales after Democrats won control of both chambers of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate in last week’s midterm elections. Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) Chairman Alan Gottlieb is warning that gun control groups are heralding the wins and will be seeking new gun control legislation and restrictions.
Colom becomes the first Democrat to hold the seat since 1978.
Jordan defeated Majority Leader Steve Scalise in the race to become the House minority leader in the next Congress.
Pollster Mark Mitchell, an adviser to Vice President JD Vance, says Susie Wiles, Trump's former chief of staff, warned him off criticizing Pfizer, which he called her old lobbying firm's "number one client."
Independent journalist Nick Monroe aired the accusations on X, citing an anonymous source who allegedly provided photographic evidence that activists had been barred from attending White House events. The photograph purports to show a White House document titled "Not Permitted List," identifying three activists allegedly barred from attending: Eden Marie Biele of the MAHA Mom Coalition, Emily Suzanne Bybee Stembridge of Moms Across America, and Alexandra Clark of Turning Point USA.
Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, fresh off his reelection win over Republican Rep. Mike Collins, led the field with 38 percent. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York was second at 17 percent, followed by former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 14 percent. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro each received 4 percent. Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore drew 3 percent, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom took 2.3 percent. Harris tied with Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin.
The Kraków killer was so far-right that he demonstrated in favor of opening all borders and welcoming all foreigners who wanted to enter Poland. He also wanted a world without weapons and without borders. A strange far-right figure who lived, acted, dressed up and painted like a woke leftist of ambiguous sexuality.
With its only route to market blocked, Qatar last month hedged its bets against future disruptions by signing two separate agreements to buy LNG from U.S. producers to diversify its portfolio. QatarEnergy signed two long-term deals with Cheniere to buy up to 4 million tons per annum of LNG from Cheniere's Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi export facilities, with deliveries expected to begin in 2031 and continue through 2054
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) may be conducting a major, unannounced military exercise that simulates surrounding and isolating Taiwan. The PRC likely aims to demonstrate that it can cut Taiwan off from air and sea during a conflict, eroding Taiwanese confidence in its ability to resist PRC aggression. Taiwanese National Security Council (NSC) Secretary-General Joseph Wu reported on November 3 that over 100 People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels were operating in the West Pacific.[1] Joseph Wu released data that appeared to show two main PLAN and CCG concentrations located between Taiwan and its principal partners, simulating isolation operations.
CISA, the FBI, and other agencies said hackers are targeting temperature controllers in grocery, healthcare, and food systems after attacks hit Europe.
Paris said it will be asking partners in Europe to back new sanctions against the Iranian entities and individuals involved in the cyberattack.
This weekend saw the Pentagon unveil details of a new initiative called "Task Force Iron Gate" - which will seek to target Iranian alternative trade routes amid the US naval mission to blockade its main ports via the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf waters.
An Aramco office building in Riyadh was damaged during a Houthi missile attack; Iran reported three oil tankers on fire in the Strait of Hormuz; US forces disabled a vessel in the Gulf of Oman amid surging regional tensions, less than a week after the US midterms.
Ukrainian long-range drones struck one of Russia’s major oil export terminals in St. Petersburg overnight on October 18, igniting a fire at the facility as a large-scale drone attack targeted energy infrastructure across the city and surrounding Leningrad region.
One data point they have seized on is the estimated approximate number of people who voted for each party in the Tuesday elections. One popular chart posted on the social media platform X shows that approximately 70 million Americans voted for Democrats, while approximately 55 million Americans voted for Republicans.
Since 2019, California has granted more than $100 million to a left-wing NGO called the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, or CHIRLA. The group has used those or other resources to fight deportations, address “hate incidents,” and craft what it calls “progressive policies.”
Houston Mayor John Whitmire has ordered the city's police to stop calling ICE on anyone who isn't arrested for a jailable offense, and says he cleared it with the Democrats who just won Texas. "SB4 is not a priority of the new statewide elected officials," Whitmire told reporters Friday, three days after Gov. Greg Abbott lost his bid for a fourth term.
Secret Service agents arrested a heavily armed illegal alien from Venezuela down the street from the White House who, according to the federal government, "heard voices in his head telling him to kill President Trump." A new report from the Department of Homeland Security said the illegal alien had an AR-15-style rifle, a MAC-10, a Glock 43X, and ammunition in his vehicle at the time of his arrest near the White House grounds.
Ukrainian Defense Forces conducted a complex overnight strike using attack drones and Navy Neptune missile systems against the Kamensky chemical plant in Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Rostov region, the General Staff announced on Saturday, Oct. 31. The precision attack ignited a finished goods warehouse and damaged four production workshops at the facility, which synthesizes solid rocket propellant for Uragan, Smerch, and Tornado-S artillery rocket systems and air-launched munitions.
As Republicans see electoral losses across the country, about 74 percent of voters said the Iran war was a “crucial or major” factor in their vote for Congress, and Democrats won 63 percent of those voters, according to NBC exit polls. Only 26 percent said the war was a “minor factor or not a factor,” 70 percent of whom voted Republican and 28 percent of whom voted Democrat.
In West Virginia, South Dakota, Kansas, Alaska, and Arkansas, voters approved measures affirming that only U.S. citizens can vote in state elections. All but Alaska’s were constitutional amendments, while Alaska’s was a ballot initiative. Voters in Ohio and Nevada approved constitutional amendments requiring photo ID to vote in person. North Carolina voters approved an amendment extending the state’s photo ID requirement, already in its constitution for in-person voting, to mail ballots. Voters in California and Colorado rejected measures that would have tightened voter ID rules. California’s Proposition 39 would have required voter ID, and Colorado’s Amendment 84 would have required an ID number for mail-in ballots.
Iodine Tablets Being Distributed Iranian Video Tells Citizens How To Survive Nuke Trump Says US 'Locked And Loaded' For Renewed Strikes Against Iran
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is weighing whether to leave the Trump administration, people familiar with the matter said, as he considers his next moves following Republicans’ midterm elections wipeout this week.