• Mississippi Senate race: CNN projects Scott Colom will become the deep-red state’s first Democratic senator in over four decades and the first Black person elected to statewide office in Mississippi since the Reconstruction era. Read more here for an inside look at Colom’s historic campaign.
• White House warning: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries pushed back today on a White House warning to Democratic investigators. “That’s an outrageous statement,” he said. Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia, who will chair the House Oversight Committee, said Congress has “wide latitude to conduct investigations and oversight.”
• Hegseth impeachment latest: After a failed effort yesterday, Jeffries would not say whether Democrats will try to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth once they have the majority. But he added that Hegseth “has got to go” and Democrats are “committed to making sure that that happens.”
Updates
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Published Nov 11, 2026, 5:05 PM ET
Scott Colom will defeat GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in a major upset to become the first Democrat that voters in deep-red Mississippi have elected to the chamber in more than four decades, CNN’s Decision Desk projects.
Colom, 43, also will become the first Black person elected to statewide office in Mississippi since the Reconstruction era. His win in a Republican stronghold underscores the grim environment the GOP faced in the midterms, as voters grappled with a war overseas and high prices at home, and further expands Democrats’ incoming Senate majority.
Colom, a local district attorney, centered his campaign on affordability issues, labeling Hyde-Smith “Cindy High Prices.”
The campaign also produced one of the most attention-getting ads of the midterms by mocking a Hyde-Smith comment that there are “so many proteins to choose from” when she was asked about rising beef prices.
“Pick another protein? She done lost her damn mind,” one woman said in the video. “I’d rather pick another senator.”
As the race tightened, a parade of high-profile Democrats, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, campaigned with Colom in the final weeks of the election, and Democratic super PACs began spending money on his behalf.
President Donald Trump also traveled to the state to rally Republican voters.
Colom led Hyde-Smith in the days after the midterm elections by a razor-thin margin as vote counting continued in the state. Local officials had to vet thousands of provisional ballots cast by voters in the high turnout election.
He told CNN that voters showed that “Mississippi matters.”
Colom campaigned relentlessly as he sought to energize Black voters, who make up roughly 35% of the state’s electorate. He also worked to build a coalition that includes White, working-class Mississippians.
The win comes just a few years after Hyde-Smith blocked Colom’s nomination to the federal bench, although the Democrat had the backing of other Republicans, including Sen. Roger Wicker, Mississippi’s senior senator.
Hyde-Smith became the first female US senator from Mississippi when she was appointed in 2018 to fill a vacancy. She went on to win a special election later that year and reelection in 2020.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 5:20 PM ET
Speaker Mike Johnson defended the White House for suggesting to Democrats that investigations into the administration could amount to criminality, though he wouldn’t say what laws may allegedly being broken.
“There’s been a lot of wild accusations and suggestions of what they will do to politically target their foes,” Johnson told CNN on Wednesday.
The White House has warned the incoming chair of the House Oversight Committee that the Trump administration “will not be extorted” as it cautions against forthcoming congressional investigations. A letter signed by the White House counsel stated that threatening executive branch officials to discourage them from public service could amount to “blatant criminality.”
“I think it’s lawfare. I think there’s going to be a lot of abuse of that. I’m not sure how much of it has been done yet, but I hope that we’re wrong about that,” Johnson said.
Pressed by CNN on what law the Democrats are breaking, he did not answer.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 4:13 PM ET
GOP Rep. Jim Jordan, who was elected Tuesday to be the House Republican leader next Congress, is currently meeting with Senate GOP Leader John Thune.
As he arrived at Thune’s office, Jordan told CNN that he is, “just dropping in to say hello,” and that he is “going to congratulate [Thune] on his being elected leader and just visit for a few minutes.”
Thune was reelected as Senate GOP Leader on Tuesday.
Asked whether they would discuss prospects for Republicans passing a partisan package before the new Congress puts them in the minority, Jordan replied, “I’m sure we’ll get into some of those things, I have no idea.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Thune told reporters the meeting’s topics would “run the gamut.”
Published Nov 11, 2026, 4:04 PM ET
Rep. Kevin Kiley — an independent who left the Republican Party earlier this year — denounced GOP redistricting efforts after the party saw huge midterms losses, including his own defeat in California last week.
When Republicans, led by President Donald Trump, launched a historic mid-decade redistricting war last year, their goal was to protect their razor-thin majority in the House. Now, Democrats have taken back the House and the strategy seems to have backfired.
Kiley left the Republican Party in March as he faced a tough reelection bid after California redrew its congressional map to counter gerrymandering in Texas. Despite the pivot, Kiley lost reelection to Democrat Richard Pan in California’s 6th District last week.
The outgoing congressman on Wednesday suggested that state lawmakers in Indiana and South Carolina who refused to draw new maps ahead of the election ultimately saved Republicans from further losses.
“I doubt the two sides will end this plague on our democracy anytime soon,” Kiley said. “But reasonable people of both parties should at least be working on a solution for after the next Census.”
CNN’s Amy O’Kruk and Ethan Cohen contributed reporting.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 3:41 PM ET
Rep. Lauren Boebert declined to point fingers at President Donald Trump as a drag on the GOP ticket in the midterm elections, but said that “the American people let us know that we have failed.”
The Colorado congresswoman told CNN’s Manu Raju:
Asked by Raju why the election was so close in a district that Trump won by double digits in 2024, Boebert blamed Democrats for pumping money into the race in the final days. “I think it’s gross, how much we dump into these races. And I was actually hoping to prove that seats just can’t be bought, but maybe I’ll be proven wrong,” she said.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 3:08 PM ET
The 2026 midterms are barely in the rearview mirror, but reading the tea leaves for 2028 is already underway.
A large field of Democrats is expected to join the campaign, while Republicans will need to maneuver around President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance as they angle to inherit his MAGA coalition.
See more about potential presidential contenders.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 2:55 PM ET
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said today that it was “very normal” for new members of Congress to have questions about the direction of the party’s leadership, as some progressives decline to say if they’ll vote for Hakeem Jeffries to be speaker in January.
“People just got elected from their districts. There are people that are making their voices heard,” she told CNN’s Manu Raju, arguing that newly elected Democrats are being “deliberate” about what steps the party will take to address top issues.
“I think it is completely normal for someone to show up and say, ‘What’s the agenda?’” she said, adding that new members are not elected to “come in and immediately….take orders.”
“I think it’s a totally fair and responsible thing to do. I don’t…you can’t make villains of people who just showed up two days ago and are asking good faith questions,” she continued.
Asked if she plans to support Jeffries, she responded, “the race is unopposed. Yeah.”
Published Nov 11, 2026, 2:05 PM ET
Democrats expected to lead powerful committees investigating the Trump administration in the new Congress rejected the White House’s warning of legal action, vowing to be aggressive in their agenda to probe the president and his allies.
“Give me a break. I mean, they cannot take any sort of heat at this moment,” incoming House Oversight Committee Chairman Robert Garcia told CNN on Wednesday. “What the American public wants is they want us to fight, and they want us to be in this moment where we are pushing back against someone who has tried to essentially install an authoritarian system.”
“If you have abused the American public, you should lawyer up. If you’re a corporate CEO and you’re ripping off the American people, you should lawyer up. You’ve abused, and you’re a co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein, and you’ve abused and raped women and children. You should lawyer up. And so, I think what we have to do as Democrats is not be intimidated by these actions that the president is trying to take on,” he continued.
Garcia and other Democrats who will take the reins of leadership in January have previewed probes on a wide range of targets, including members of the president’s Cabinet and family.
Incoming House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jamie Raskin called the White House’s threat “meaningless and embarrassing,” saying Democrats are “obviously undeterred and unbowed and uncowed.”
The constitutional law professor emphasized Congress’ power to conduct oversight, saying: “We have to know what’s going on in the government. We need to know what’s going on in the economy, what’s going on in the society in order to pass the laws that the American people need.”
“The fact that they are tangling with a bunch of freshmen on the oversight committee in a bunch of footnotes just reflects the fact they don’t want the American people to focus on their illegal, unconstitutional, ruinous war in Iran,” he said.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 1:48 PM ET
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is widely expected to be elected as speaker next Congress, would not say whether Democrats will try to impeach Pete Hegseth once they have the majority.
But he maintained Wednesday that the Defense secretary “has got to go” and said Democrats are “committed to making sure that that happens.”
“I’ve had a conversation with Jamie Raskin. I’ve had a conversation with Adam Smith. They’re going to be handling the accountability effort moving forward with respect to Pete Hegseth,” he told CNN of the top Democrats on the House Judiciary and Armed Services committees. “My position has not changed. Pete Hegseth has got to go.”
Jeffries also told reporters that he has spoken with some of the 11 House Democrats who missed a procedural vote last night that blocked the House from voting on impeaching Hegseth, saying he’s “talked to several. I haven’t talked to everyone.”
Pressed on whether the blame for that vote falls on House Democratic leadership, Jeffries replied: “I really don’t understand your question.”
Published Nov 11, 2026, 1:05 PM ET
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is widely expected to be elected speaker next Congress, pushed back on the White House’s warning to Democratic investigators. A White House letter states that threatening executive branch officials to discourage them from public service could amount to “blatant criminality.”
“That’s an outrageous statement. It’s factually inaccurate, it’s legally inaccurate, and it’s inaccurate in terms of the Constitution,” declared Jeffries.
“The White House has been used to a Republican Congress that’s been nothing more than a reckless rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s extreme agenda. A Democratic Congress is going to be a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch in the face of unprecedented corruption that they’ve unleashed on the American people. And if they don’t like it, consult the Constitution.”
Asked whether he’s spoken with his Democratic colleagues that missed Tuesday’s procedural vote blocking a push for impeachment of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Jeffries replied, “I’ve talked to several. I haven’t talked to everyone.”
Published Nov 11, 2026, 12:46 PM ET
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that veterans have been waiting 200 years for his proposed triumphal arch — which has been mired in legal challenges.
“And soon, we’re going to dedicate a magnificent, triumphal arc to our veterans. And that’s in honor of our great veterans and our great militaries,” Trump said during Veterans Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery.
“They’ve been waiting for it for 200 years,” he added.
Nine members of the Kennedy family sued on Tuesday to block construction of the 250-foot arch, arguing that it obstructs views of the family’s gravesites in Arlington National Cemetery as well as “the memorials of hundreds of thousands of fallen American heroes.”
The Kennedys are joining a lawsuit filed last month by Washington, DC, and Virginia. Veterans and preservationists, as well as Arlington County, have also sued to block the project.
Opponents of the arch argue it enormous scale and the location would disrupt the sightline of the row of national landmarks that includes the Lincoln Memorial, Arlington House and the Robert E. Lee Memorial, and that the towering monument will break the solemnity of funerals of Arlington National Cemetery.
The arch, which the White House has continued to promote despite the pushback, is just the latest of Trump’s construction projects to face legal hurdles.
CNN’s Aleena Fayaz contributed to this post.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 12:08 PM ET
President Donald Trump praised Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during his Veterans Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, a day after the House blocked an effort to impeach him.
“The Secretary of War, Peter Hegseth,” Trump said, which drew loud applause from the crowd.
“I had a feeling that was going to happen. He’s done a fantastic job, but he loves you and he protects you. This is all about you,” Trump said after opening his remarks by thanking those who have served.
“On Veterans Day, we reaffirm our undying gratitude to every neighbor who has answered the call of duty,” Trump said.
The White House has publicly backed Hegseth and worked behind the scenes to defeat the impeachment push from outgoing GOP Rep. Thomas Massie.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 12:02 PM ET
A day after an impeachment effort against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was foiled, the White House has warned the incoming chair of the House Oversight Committee that the Trump administration “will not be extorted,” cautioning against forthcoming congressional investigations.
Rep. Robert Garcia, the incoming chairman of the House Oversight Committee, offered a strong rebuke of the White House’s warning, saying: “It appears Donald Trump has something to hide.”
Here’s what else has been going on:
A local county election board in Mississippi has finally announced the number of provisional ballots still to count, as Hinds County — one of the state’s most populous — has taken days to go through accepting and rejecting these ballots.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there is “zero change” in the administration’s immigration policy, even after President Donald Trump indicated he would be open to a deal that allows for amnesty for some people living in the country illegally.
Senate Democrats will hold their leadership elections on December 1, according to a Senate Democratic aide. House Democrats are expected to hold their leadership elections next week.
Democrat Raymond Smith will flip North Carolina’s 3rd District, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, unseating GOP Rep. Greg Murphy, who has held the seat since 2019.
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who ran in the Republican primary in 2024, has said she will not run for president in 2028.
CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo, Michael Williams, Lauren Fox, Annie Grayer, Manu Raju, Bruna Horvath, Ethan Cohen and Katherine Koretski contributed to this reporting.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 11:38 AM ET
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there is “zero change” in the administration’s immigration policy, even after President Donald Trump indicated he would be open to a deal that allows for amnesty for some people living in the country illegally.
Mullin was pressed by Fox News Channel host Laura Ingraham Tuesday over Trump’s expressing receptiveness during an interview with “60 Minutes” to a deal with the new, Democrat-led Congress that could involve amnesty for people who have worked in the US for years while living here illegally. His comments drew criticism from immigration hardliners on the right who said it ran counter to his campaign promises.
“Can you promise our viewers, and the 77 million people who voted for President Trump, that there is no change in his immigration policy?” Ingraham asked Mullin.
The secretary responded: “Zero change. The president made that very clear. We’re still going after the worst of the worst and amnesty will never be on the table.”
Ingraham then asked how Mullin was going to keep the administration’s promise of deporting millions “if we keep hearing this inching toward, well, maybe we’ll make a deal?”
“Because I’m going to tell you, the Trump base, the people who made this reality, this administration a reality, they do not want you to let up at all,” she told Mullin.
Mullin said Trump maintains his veto control and “will not sign anything that isn’t in the right movement for this country and the Republican Party.”
Published Nov 11, 2026, 11:22 AM ET
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said she will not run for president in 2028.
During an interview with CNBC on Wednesday, Haley, who ran in the Republican primary in 2024, said:
Haley didn’t close the door on serving as a Republican delegate on the campaign trail, adding, “Whatever we have to do, I think every one of us has an obligation to try and continue those moving the ball forward.”
The former governor of South Carolina wouldn’t say who she would throw her support behind on the GOP side, but she did say that Democrats have a leg up following last week’s midterms.
“They have a very talented slate on the Democrat side. We have the possibility of a talented slate on the Republican side. The question is, which party learns the lessons going into 2028? Because American people are very smart, and they’re going to decide based on who they trust,” she said.
She also emphasized what she sees as a Republican identity crisis: “I don’t want to see a Democrat president. What I do want to see is Republicans go back to remembering who we are and what we believe in.”
“Let’s start talking about the issues and stop hating on each other. I’m all for Republicans being strong Republicans, but what Americans don’t want is the hate and the back-and-forth. They want results. We’ve got to give it to them. We owe it,” she continued.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 11:18 AM ET
A local county election board in Mississippi has finally announced the number of provisional ballots still to count as Hinds County — one of the state’s most populous — has taken days to go through accepting and rejecting these ballots.
Officials have accepted 817 ballots and rejected 1,609 affidavit ballots. Ballots were rejected for a variety of reasons including if a voter didn’t have the proper identification, voted in the wrong precinct or couldn’t be located in the poll book.
Officials will also count 67 mail-in absentee ballots that were received by Hinds County postmarked Election Day and received by November 10.
These ballots are critical to the Senate race that still remains too close to call.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 11:02 AM ET
Senate Democrats will hold their leadership elections on December 1, according to a Senate Democratic aide.
House Democrats are expected to hold their leadership elections next week.
The elections will be conducted by secret ballot.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 10:55 AM ET
Rep. Robert Garcia, the incoming chairman of the House Oversight Committee, offered a strong rebuke of the White House counsel’s letter alleging that some of the California Democrat’s forthcoming investigations may be crossing a line and even amount to illegal action.
The response comes as House Democrats are preparing to unfurl a series of investigations targeting the president, his administration and their connections to various corporations.
The work will be undertaken by several congressional committees, but the House Oversight Committee is likely to be the tip of the investigative spear for Democrats.
“The American people voted overwhelmingly for us to pass laws to root out corruption and abuse. The Trump Administration continues to weaponize the government with threats of unconstitutional attacks on Congress. We are a co-equal branch of government and will not be deterred by baseless threats from a weaponized DOJ or from the President’s lawyers,” Garcia said.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 10:44 AM ET
Democrat Raymond Smith will flip North Carolina’s 3rd district, CNN’s Decision Desk projects.
He will unseat GOP Rep. Greg Murphy, who has held the seat since 2019.
Smith took a narrow 293-vote lead Tuesday after provisional ballots were counted, and while the race is likely to end close enough that Murphy could request a recount, he conceded the race Wednesday and his chief of staff confirmed to CNN he would not call for one.
Smith is an Army veteran and educator who ran on issues like affordability and strengthening public education.
His win is part of a blue wave this midterm election cycle, with Democrats regaining control of the House of Representatives and Senate. CNN projected on election night that Roy Cooper, North Carolina’s popular former Democratic governor, would win the state’s open Senate seat.
Updated Nov 11, 2026, 10:26 AM ET
Published Nov 11, 2026, 8:56 AM ET
The White House has warned the incoming chair of the House Oversight Committee that the Trump administration “will not be extorted” as it cautions against forthcoming congressional investigations.
“The Trump Administration expects members of Congress to discharge their investigative functions within settled constitutional limits,” said the White House letter to Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia, which was obtained by CNN and dated Monday. According to a source familiar with the matter, however, Garcia has not received the letter from the White House.
The letter signed by White House counsel Will Scharf also states that threatening executive branch officials to discourage them from public service could amount to “blatant criminality.”
Scharf goes on to say that congressional investigations “must further a legitimate legislative task” and “Congress cannot employ them to exercise powers of criminal prosecution assigned to the Executive and the Judiciary.”
Garcia has vowed to take an “aggressive” oversight approach, despite Trump pushing his administration to look into Democrats who are investigating him. As the midterm results became clear last week, Garcia posted on X: “LAWYER UP.”
“The days of us not fighting back are over. This idea that we’re every single time not going to actually take on that fight is over. We’ve got to be in the fight and be aggressive,” Garcia told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” over the weekend.
The California Democrat accused Attorney General Todd Blanche of “threatening” lawmakers on the panel with investigations in an attempt to stop them from conducting oversight, adding, “they can come after us however they want. We’re not going to be intimidated.”
This post has been updated with additional information. CNN’s Annie Grayer contributed to this report.
• Mississippi Senate race: CNN projects Scott Colom will become the deep-red state’s first Democratic senator in over four decades and the first Black person elected to statewide office in Mississippi since the Reconstruction era. Read more here for an inside look at Colom’s historic campaign.
• White House warning: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries pushed back today on a White House warning to Democratic investigators. “That’s an outrageous statement,” he said. Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia, who will chair the House Oversight Committee, said Congress has “wide latitude to conduct investigations and oversight.”
• Hegseth impeachment latest: After a failed effort yesterday, Jeffries would not say whether Democrats will try to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth once they have the majority. But he added that Hegseth “has got to go” and Democrats are “committed to making sure that that happens.”
Published Nov 11, 2026, 5:05 PM ET
Scott Colom will defeat GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in a major upset to become the first Democrat that voters in deep-red Mississippi have elected to the chamber in more than four decades, CNN’s Decision Desk projects.
Colom, 43, also will become the first Black person elected to statewide office in Mississippi since the Reconstruction era. His win in a Republican stronghold underscores the grim environment the GOP faced in the midterms, as voters grappled with a war overseas and high prices at home, and further expands Democrats’ incoming Senate majority.
Colom, a local district attorney, centered his campaign on affordability issues, labeling Hyde-Smith “Cindy High Prices.”
The campaign also produced one of the most attention-getting ads of the midterms by mocking a Hyde-Smith comment that there are “so many proteins to choose from” when she was asked about rising beef prices.
“Pick another protein? She done lost her damn mind,” one woman said in the video. “I’d rather pick another senator.”
As the race tightened, a parade of high-profile Democrats, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, campaigned with Colom in the final weeks of the election, and Democratic super PACs began spending money on his behalf.
President Donald Trump also traveled to the state to rally Republican voters.
Colom led Hyde-Smith in the days after the midterm elections by a razor-thin margin as vote counting continued in the state. Local officials had to vet thousands of provisional ballots cast by voters in the high turnout election.
He told CNN that voters showed that “Mississippi matters.”
Colom campaigned relentlessly as he sought to energize Black voters, who make up roughly 35% of the state’s electorate. He also worked to build a coalition that includes White, working-class Mississippians.
The win comes just a few years after Hyde-Smith blocked Colom’s nomination to the federal bench, although the Democrat had the backing of other Republicans, including Sen. Roger Wicker, Mississippi’s senior senator.
Hyde-Smith became the first female US senator from Mississippi when she was appointed in 2018 to fill a vacancy. She went on to win a special election later that year and reelection in 2020.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 5:20 PM ET
Speaker Mike Johnson defended the White House for suggesting to Democrats that investigations into the administration could amount to criminality, though he wouldn’t say what laws may allegedly being broken.
“There’s been a lot of wild accusations and suggestions of what they will do to politically target their foes,” Johnson told CNN on Wednesday.
The White House has warned the incoming chair of the House Oversight Committee that the Trump administration “will not be extorted” as it cautions against forthcoming congressional investigations. A letter signed by the White House counsel stated that threatening executive branch officials to discourage them from public service could amount to “blatant criminality.”
“I think it’s lawfare. I think there’s going to be a lot of abuse of that. I’m not sure how much of it has been done yet, but I hope that we’re wrong about that,” Johnson said.
Pressed by CNN on what law the Democrats are breaking, he did not answer.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 4:13 PM ET
GOP Rep. Jim Jordan, who was elected Tuesday to be the House Republican leader next Congress, is currently meeting with Senate GOP Leader John Thune.
As he arrived at Thune’s office, Jordan told CNN that he is, “just dropping in to say hello,” and that he is “going to congratulate [Thune] on his being elected leader and just visit for a few minutes.”
Thune was reelected as Senate GOP Leader on Tuesday.
Asked whether they would discuss prospects for Republicans passing a partisan package before the new Congress puts them in the minority, Jordan replied, “I’m sure we’ll get into some of those things, I have no idea.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Thune told reporters the meeting’s topics would “run the gamut.”
Published Nov 11, 2026, 4:04 PM ET
Rep. Kevin Kiley — an independent who left the Republican Party earlier this year — denounced GOP redistricting efforts after the party saw huge midterms losses, including his own defeat in California last week.
When Republicans, led by President Donald Trump, launched a historic mid-decade redistricting war last year, their goal was to protect their razor-thin majority in the House. Now, Democrats have taken back the House and the strategy seems to have backfired.
Kiley left the Republican Party in March as he faced a tough reelection bid after California redrew its congressional map to counter gerrymandering in Texas. Despite the pivot, Kiley lost reelection to Democrat Richard Pan in California’s 6th District last week.
The outgoing congressman on Wednesday suggested that state lawmakers in Indiana and South Carolina who refused to draw new maps ahead of the election ultimately saved Republicans from further losses.
“I doubt the two sides will end this plague on our democracy anytime soon,” Kiley said. “But reasonable people of both parties should at least be working on a solution for after the next Census.”
CNN’s Amy O’Kruk and Ethan Cohen contributed reporting.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 3:41 PM ET
Rep. Lauren Boebert declined to point fingers at President Donald Trump as a drag on the GOP ticket in the midterm elections, but said that “the American people let us know that we have failed.”
The Colorado congresswoman told CNN’s Manu Raju:
Asked by Raju why the election was so close in a district that Trump won by double digits in 2024, Boebert blamed Democrats for pumping money into the race in the final days. “I think it’s gross, how much we dump into these races. And I was actually hoping to prove that seats just can’t be bought, but maybe I’ll be proven wrong,” she said.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 3:08 PM ET
The 2026 midterms are barely in the rearview mirror, but reading the tea leaves for 2028 is already underway.
A large field of Democrats is expected to join the campaign, while Republicans will need to maneuver around President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance as they angle to inherit his MAGA coalition.
See more about potential presidential contenders.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 2:55 PM ET
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said today that it was “very normal” for new members of Congress to have questions about the direction of the party’s leadership, as some progressives decline to say if they’ll vote for Hakeem Jeffries to be speaker in January.
“People just got elected from their districts. There are people that are making their voices heard,” she told CNN’s Manu Raju, arguing that newly elected Democrats are being “deliberate” about what steps the party will take to address top issues.
“I think it is completely normal for someone to show up and say, ‘What’s the agenda?’” she said, adding that new members are not elected to “come in and immediately….take orders.”
“I think it’s a totally fair and responsible thing to do. I don’t…you can’t make villains of people who just showed up two days ago and are asking good faith questions,” she continued.
Asked if she plans to support Jeffries, she responded, “the race is unopposed. Yeah.”
Published Nov 11, 2026, 2:05 PM ET
Democrats expected to lead powerful committees investigating the Trump administration in the new Congress rejected the White House’s warning of legal action, vowing to be aggressive in their agenda to probe the president and his allies.
“Give me a break. I mean, they cannot take any sort of heat at this moment,” incoming House Oversight Committee Chairman Robert Garcia told CNN on Wednesday. “What the American public wants is they want us to fight, and they want us to be in this moment where we are pushing back against someone who has tried to essentially install an authoritarian system.”
“If you have abused the American public, you should lawyer up. If you’re a corporate CEO and you’re ripping off the American people, you should lawyer up. You’ve abused, and you’re a co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein, and you’ve abused and raped women and children. You should lawyer up. And so, I think what we have to do as Democrats is not be intimidated by these actions that the president is trying to take on,” he continued.
Garcia and other Democrats who will take the reins of leadership in January have previewed probes on a wide range of targets, including members of the president’s Cabinet and family.
Incoming House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jamie Raskin called the White House’s threat “meaningless and embarrassing,” saying Democrats are “obviously undeterred and unbowed and uncowed.”
The constitutional law professor emphasized Congress’ power to conduct oversight, saying: “We have to know what’s going on in the government. We need to know what’s going on in the economy, what’s going on in the society in order to pass the laws that the American people need.”
“The fact that they are tangling with a bunch of freshmen on the oversight committee in a bunch of footnotes just reflects the fact they don’t want the American people to focus on their illegal, unconstitutional, ruinous war in Iran,” he said.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 1:48 PM ET
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is widely expected to be elected as speaker next Congress, would not say whether Democrats will try to impeach Pete Hegseth once they have the majority.
But he maintained Wednesday that the Defense secretary “has got to go” and said Democrats are “committed to making sure that that happens.”
“I’ve had a conversation with Jamie Raskin. I’ve had a conversation with Adam Smith. They’re going to be handling the accountability effort moving forward with respect to Pete Hegseth,” he told CNN of the top Democrats on the House Judiciary and Armed Services committees. “My position has not changed. Pete Hegseth has got to go.”
Jeffries also told reporters that he has spoken with some of the 11 House Democrats who missed a procedural vote last night that blocked the House from voting on impeaching Hegseth, saying he’s “talked to several. I haven’t talked to everyone.”
Pressed on whether the blame for that vote falls on House Democratic leadership, Jeffries replied: “I really don’t understand your question.”
Published Nov 11, 2026, 1:05 PM ET
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is widely expected to be elected speaker next Congress, pushed back on the White House’s warning to Democratic investigators. A White House letter states that threatening executive branch officials to discourage them from public service could amount to “blatant criminality.”
“That’s an outrageous statement. It’s factually inaccurate, it’s legally inaccurate, and it’s inaccurate in terms of the Constitution,” declared Jeffries.
“The White House has been used to a Republican Congress that’s been nothing more than a reckless rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s extreme agenda. A Democratic Congress is going to be a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch in the face of unprecedented corruption that they’ve unleashed on the American people. And if they don’t like it, consult the Constitution.”
Asked whether he’s spoken with his Democratic colleagues that missed Tuesday’s procedural vote blocking a push for impeachment of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Jeffries replied, “I’ve talked to several. I haven’t talked to everyone.”
Published Nov 11, 2026, 12:46 PM ET
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that veterans have been waiting 200 years for his proposed triumphal arch — which has been mired in legal challenges.
“And soon, we’re going to dedicate a magnificent, triumphal arc to our veterans. And that’s in honor of our great veterans and our great militaries,” Trump said during Veterans Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery.
“They’ve been waiting for it for 200 years,” he added.
Nine members of the Kennedy family sued on Tuesday to block construction of the 250-foot arch, arguing that it obstructs views of the family’s gravesites in Arlington National Cemetery as well as “the memorials of hundreds of thousands of fallen American heroes.”
The Kennedys are joining a lawsuit filed last month by Washington, DC, and Virginia. Veterans and preservationists, as well as Arlington County, have also sued to block the project.
Opponents of the arch argue it enormous scale and the location would disrupt the sightline of the row of national landmarks that includes the Lincoln Memorial, Arlington House and the Robert E. Lee Memorial, and that the towering monument will break the solemnity of funerals of Arlington National Cemetery.
The arch, which the White House has continued to promote despite the pushback, is just the latest of Trump’s construction projects to face legal hurdles.
CNN’s Aleena Fayaz contributed to this post.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 12:08 PM ET
President Donald Trump praised Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during his Veterans Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, a day after the House blocked an effort to impeach him.
“The Secretary of War, Peter Hegseth,” Trump said, which drew loud applause from the crowd.
“I had a feeling that was going to happen. He’s done a fantastic job, but he loves you and he protects you. This is all about you,” Trump said after opening his remarks by thanking those who have served.
“On Veterans Day, we reaffirm our undying gratitude to every neighbor who has answered the call of duty,” Trump said.
The White House has publicly backed Hegseth and worked behind the scenes to defeat the impeachment push from outgoing GOP Rep. Thomas Massie.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 12:02 PM ET
A day after an impeachment effort against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was foiled, the White House has warned the incoming chair of the House Oversight Committee that the Trump administration “will not be extorted,” cautioning against forthcoming congressional investigations.
Rep. Robert Garcia, the incoming chairman of the House Oversight Committee, offered a strong rebuke of the White House’s warning, saying: “It appears Donald Trump has something to hide.”
Here’s what else has been going on:
A local county election board in Mississippi has finally announced the number of provisional ballots still to count, as Hinds County — one of the state’s most populous — has taken days to go through accepting and rejecting these ballots.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there is “zero change” in the administration’s immigration policy, even after President Donald Trump indicated he would be open to a deal that allows for amnesty for some people living in the country illegally.
Senate Democrats will hold their leadership elections on December 1, according to a Senate Democratic aide. House Democrats are expected to hold their leadership elections next week.
Democrat Raymond Smith will flip North Carolina’s 3rd District, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, unseating GOP Rep. Greg Murphy, who has held the seat since 2019.
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who ran in the Republican primary in 2024, has said she will not run for president in 2028.
CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo, Michael Williams, Lauren Fox, Annie Grayer, Manu Raju, Bruna Horvath, Ethan Cohen and Katherine Koretski contributed to this reporting.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 11:38 AM ET
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there is “zero change” in the administration’s immigration policy, even after President Donald Trump indicated he would be open to a deal that allows for amnesty for some people living in the country illegally.
Mullin was pressed by Fox News Channel host Laura Ingraham Tuesday over Trump’s expressing receptiveness during an interview with “60 Minutes” to a deal with the new, Democrat-led Congress that could involve amnesty for people who have worked in the US for years while living here illegally. His comments drew criticism from immigration hardliners on the right who said it ran counter to his campaign promises.
“Can you promise our viewers, and the 77 million people who voted for President Trump, that there is no change in his immigration policy?” Ingraham asked Mullin.
The secretary responded: “Zero change. The president made that very clear. We’re still going after the worst of the worst and amnesty will never be on the table.”
Ingraham then asked how Mullin was going to keep the administration’s promise of deporting millions “if we keep hearing this inching toward, well, maybe we’ll make a deal?”
“Because I’m going to tell you, the Trump base, the people who made this reality, this administration a reality, they do not want you to let up at all,” she told Mullin.
Mullin said Trump maintains his veto control and “will not sign anything that isn’t in the right movement for this country and the Republican Party.”
Published Nov 11, 2026, 11:22 AM ET
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said she will not run for president in 2028.
During an interview with CNBC on Wednesday, Haley, who ran in the Republican primary in 2024, said:
Haley didn’t close the door on serving as a Republican delegate on the campaign trail, adding, “Whatever we have to do, I think every one of us has an obligation to try and continue those moving the ball forward.”
The former governor of South Carolina wouldn’t say who she would throw her support behind on the GOP side, but she did say that Democrats have a leg up following last week’s midterms.
“They have a very talented slate on the Democrat side. We have the possibility of a talented slate on the Republican side. The question is, which party learns the lessons going into 2028? Because American people are very smart, and they’re going to decide based on who they trust,” she said.
She also emphasized what she sees as a Republican identity crisis: “I don’t want to see a Democrat president. What I do want to see is Republicans go back to remembering who we are and what we believe in.”
“Let’s start talking about the issues and stop hating on each other. I’m all for Republicans being strong Republicans, but what Americans don’t want is the hate and the back-and-forth. They want results. We’ve got to give it to them. We owe it,” she continued.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 11:18 AM ET
A local county election board in Mississippi has finally announced the number of provisional ballots still to count as Hinds County — one of the state’s most populous — has taken days to go through accepting and rejecting these ballots.
Officials have accepted 817 ballots and rejected 1,609 affidavit ballots. Ballots were rejected for a variety of reasons including if a voter didn’t have the proper identification, voted in the wrong precinct or couldn’t be located in the poll book.
Officials will also count 67 mail-in absentee ballots that were received by Hinds County postmarked Election Day and received by November 10.
These ballots are critical to the Senate race that still remains too close to call.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 11:02 AM ET
Senate Democrats will hold their leadership elections on December 1, according to a Senate Democratic aide.
House Democrats are expected to hold their leadership elections next week.
The elections will be conducted by secret ballot.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 10:55 AM ET
Rep. Robert Garcia, the incoming chairman of the House Oversight Committee, offered a strong rebuke of the White House counsel’s letter alleging that some of the California Democrat’s forthcoming investigations may be crossing a line and even amount to illegal action.
The response comes as House Democrats are preparing to unfurl a series of investigations targeting the president, his administration and their connections to various corporations.
The work will be undertaken by several congressional committees, but the House Oversight Committee is likely to be the tip of the investigative spear for Democrats.
“The American people voted overwhelmingly for us to pass laws to root out corruption and abuse. The Trump Administration continues to weaponize the government with threats of unconstitutional attacks on Congress. We are a co-equal branch of government and will not be deterred by baseless threats from a weaponized DOJ or from the President’s lawyers,” Garcia said.
Published Nov 11, 2026, 10:44 AM ET
Democrat Raymond Smith will flip North Carolina’s 3rd district, CNN’s Decision Desk projects.
He will unseat GOP Rep. Greg Murphy, who has held the seat since 2019.
Smith took a narrow 293-vote lead Tuesday after provisional ballots were counted, and while the race is likely to end close enough that Murphy could request a recount, he conceded the race Wednesday and his chief of staff confirmed to CNN he would not call for one.
Smith is an Army veteran and educator who ran on issues like affordability and strengthening public education.
His win is part of a blue wave this midterm election cycle, with Democrats regaining control of the House of Representatives and Senate. CNN projected on election night that Roy Cooper, North Carolina’s popular former Democratic governor, would win the state’s open Senate seat.
Updated Nov 11, 2026, 10:26 AM ET
Published Nov 11, 2026, 8:56 AM ET
The White House has warned the incoming chair of the House Oversight Committee that the Trump administration “will not be extorted” as it cautions against forthcoming congressional investigations.
“The Trump Administration expects members of Congress to discharge their investigative functions within settled constitutional limits,” said the White House letter to Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia, which was obtained by CNN and dated Monday. According to a source familiar with the matter, however, Garcia has not received the letter from the White House.
The letter signed by White House counsel Will Scharf also states that threatening executive branch officials to discourage them from public service could amount to “blatant criminality.”
Scharf goes on to say that congressional investigations “must further a legitimate legislative task” and “Congress cannot employ them to exercise powers of criminal prosecution assigned to the Executive and the Judiciary.”
Garcia has vowed to take an “aggressive” oversight approach, despite Trump pushing his administration to look into Democrats who are investigating him. As the midterm results became clear last week, Garcia posted on X: “LAWYER UP.”
“The days of us not fighting back are over. This idea that we’re every single time not going to actually take on that fight is over. We’ve got to be in the fight and be aggressive,” Garcia told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” over the weekend.
The California Democrat accused Attorney General Todd Blanche of “threatening” lawmakers on the panel with investigations in an attempt to stop them from conducting oversight, adding, “they can come after us however they want. We’re not going to be intimidated.”
This post has been updated with additional information. CNN’s Annie Grayer contributed to this report.
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