News of the Week for Nevember 8thst, 2026
- 2026 Election
- Abortion
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Socialized Medicine
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
2026 Election
Republicans Wake Up to an Electoral Bloodbath
“Text from a GOP source: ‘Texas has officially fallen.'”
Republican Extinction
We cannot say the polling was wrong. It was right. And the most precise polling is the Exit Polling. I ran the exit polling through Claude and asked it to rank the order of voter priority. Contrary to the claims circulating on social media that it was all about Iran, the exit polling reveals that Iran was more of an accelerant to other issues.
The Voters Have Spoken: Trump Failed
You know darn well what we’re going to talk about today.
After last night
Those damned polls. They underrepresented…Dems or voters leaning the Dems’ way. Some voters must have been dodging the pollsters or concealing their views, but it doesn’t seem to have been Republicans. The public polls overstated Republican strength. They gave us little idea that Republicans were about to suffer a historic rout.
Total Disaster
The night is shaping up as a disaster for the GOP, and a comprehensive repudiation of Donald Trump. I was wrong: I thought it would be a normal midterm election, but it is shaping up as a wipeout that will approach or even equal the Obama disaster of 2010.
Election-Security Ballot Referenda Survived the Blue Wave
During a night when Republicans faced loss after loss after loss across the country, a handful of states approved ballot measures to establish voter identification laws and require proof of citizenship to vote.
The voting groups that powered the Democratic sweep
Trump’s winning 2024 coalition, including Hispanics and younger voters, swung back hard toward Democrats.
Look down the ballot. Voters rejected progressive policies.
In swing states, the same voters who punished the president put new limits on taxes and government power.
Midterm Massacre Reveals the Drawbacks of Unilateral Executive Actions
In Federalist No. 62, the author, likely James Madison, describes the advantages of dividing legislative power between the House and Senate by stating, “No law or resolution can now be passed without the concurrence, first, of a majority of the people, and then, of a majority of the States.”
Trump Thumped: From Triumph to Trouncing
Surveying the GOP casualty report this morning reminded me of that opening scene in “Patton” where Gen. Omar Bradley was assessing the beating the American Army took at Kasserine Pass.
From Washoe Warning to Republican Reckoning: The Cost of Turning Point’s Purity Test
Republicans were warned about Washoe in April. They bought Turning Point’s “more conservative than thou” fever dream anyway.
Convicted burglar elected to city council
“Nicole Mitchell secures Woodbury [MN] City Council seat following burglary conviction.”
Nithya Raman Projected to Win Los Angeles Mayor’s Race, Defeating Karen Bass
The city councilmember, who represents an industry-heavy district, ran an insurgent progressive campaign against the city’s Democratic Party machine, unseating troubled incumbent Bass. One respected outlet has called the race.
What the Midterm Election Results Mean for Nevada
The 2026 midterm elections produced a Democratic wave nationally and in Nevada. Voters decided all 435 U.S. House seats, 35 Senate contests, 36 governorships, state legislative races and 145 statewide ballot measures.
‘I Have Seen the Enemy, and It Is Us’: Inside Team Trump’s Historic Collapse
How an unpopular president and an unpopular war provided an opening for Democrats to make sweeping gains in the midterms.
Post-Election Autopsy: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly – Part 1
Now let’s take a look at what happened in Nevada. Three words: It. Was. Ugly.
Post-Election Autopsy: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – Part 2
Before taking a look at the State Senate races, let’s look at some turnout numbers in Clark County.
Post-Election Autopsy: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Part 3
Before wrapping up this series with a look at the State Assembly, let’s dispel the myth that money automatically wins elections.
Wisconsin Passes Constitutional Amendment Banning Discrimination in Higher Ed, Contracting
Wisconsin voters supported equality under the law and an end to DEI discrimination against white people.
The Fake Poll That Got Mississippi Right
What can explain a Democrat becoming Mississippi’s next senator? As with other stupefying, reality-altering events, it helps to look to fiction.
The Great GOP Dummymander of 2026
Underplayed in the post-midterm coverage is the role of the White House–driven campaign last year to redraw congressional maps in the middle of the decade.
This Was a ‘Send Trump a Message’ Election
President Trump asked that this election be about him. “Pretend I’m on the ballot.” In 29 in-person campaign rallies, TV appearances, press conferences in over 20 battleground states President Trump urged people to go to the polls in this week’s midterm election, and “pretend I’m on the ballot.” Voters did, and Republicans across the country – even in states thought to be conservative bastions, like Texas – were wiped out.
Trump Told Voters to Pretend He Was on the Ballot. They Did. And Republicans Paid the Price.
Republicans Didn’t Lose Because They Abandoned Trump. They Lost Because They Followed Him.
Republicans Bet on Big Government Policies — and Lost
After a big loss, there’s always plenty of finger-pointing. Well, get ready because I have eight fingers (and two thumbs) to point. Republicans who borrowed big-government ideas from the left paid for it on Tuesday.
Northern Nevada results: Dems take historic control of Washoe Commission, sweep Reno races
Democrats did well in Reno and are poised to take control of the Washoe County Commission, while an incumbent mayor and council member in Sparks are in trouble.
Republicans debate whether Flippo or blue wave cost them Nevada seat
Some blame David Flippo for losing Nevada District 2; others say the blue wave was just too big
Voters reject Southern Nevada school board candidates backed by Moms for Liberty
Early results show several incumbents on K-12 and higher education boards on track to win re-election.
Turning Point Bet on the Midterms and Lost. Some Republicans Are Furious.
Candidates backed by the right-wing activist group did not fare well, and the results set off recriminations from establishment Republicans.
Washington, Colorado Vote to Ban Men from Women’s Sports
While Conservatives may be licking their wounds following Tuesday’s defeat, their saving grace proved to be the slew of favorable ballot measure outcomes across the country.
After the Tsunami
In the end, the result was so much worse for the GOP than even our most dour predictions had it. Who saw Mississippi Turning? (The Polymarket page on that race is . . . amusing.)
Another Repudiation Election
President Trump wanted voters to behave like he was on the ballot in the 2026 midterms, and he sure got his wish. Voters delivered a massive repudiation of Trump and Trumpism as they understand them, and the resulting wave washed away essentially every congressional Republican thought to occupy a competitive seat and many more besides.
The Democratic Wave Swept State Houses Across the Country
Democrats won control of state governments in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and won chambers in Texas, Georgia and North Carolina.
A Nuclear Bomb Dropped on the GOP
In which Trump gets a landslide election.
‘Oh shit, we won’: Inside the perfect storm that flipped Nevada’s only GOP House seat
A massive blue wave, an embattled GOP nominee and Teresa Benitez-Thompson’s smooth campaign all contributed to the historic result.
Abortion
Court Cases & Legislation
Idaho voters reject abortion ballot measure as Missouri, Nevada and Virginia back access
The outcome in Idaho ensures the state’s strict abortion ban remains intact.
Gun Rights
Arkansas Constitution’s Right to Bear Arms Provision Strengthened
The old provision dated back to 1868, and read, “The citizens of this State shall have the right to keep and bear arms, for their common defense.”
Hide the Decline
Environment &“Green Energy”
Judge Denies Greenpeace a New Trial. The $345 Million Dakota Access Judgment Heads to North Dakota’s Supreme Court
A North Dakota judge on Monday denied Greenpeace’s request for a new trial in the lawsuit brought by Energy Transfer, the Dallas company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline. That leaves the $345 million judgment against Greenpeace USA, Greenpeace Fund Inc. and Greenpeace International standing, and Greenpeace says it will now take the case to the North Dakota Supreme Court.
Socialized Medicine
Government in Healthcare
Five New Democrat State Trifectas: Assisted Suicide, Here We Come
The national elections, just completed, added five states that will be completely controlled by Democrats next year, i.e., legislature and governor. They are, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
US measles cases surpass 5,000 with infections confirmed in 45 states, CDC data shows
Measles cases in the United States have surpassed 5,000 this year, according to newly updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
War & Terror
A Warmer Cold War
A major cyberattack has hit supermarket fridges and freezers in a number of European countries, stirring understandable suspicions of yet another Russian “gray zone” onslaught.
China publicly discloses plan for a lunar landing within three years
The plan does not include a mission similar to Apollo 8 or Artemis II.
Russia ‘rehearsed attack on satellite by sending spacecraft to fly past orbiting tech used by Western governments’
A Russian military spacecraft that approached a Western satellite last month could have been rehearsing an attack, a military space specialist said.
National
Jail threat if you insist a human can’t be a cat: Absurdity of Labour’s ‘unworkable’ gay and trans Bill
Telling someone who identifies as a cat that they are human will be illegal under an ‘unworkable’ Labour law, a new report warns. The wording of the bill intended to outlaw conversion therapy against trans and gay people is so ‘extraordinarily broad’, the study claims, that it would even protect those who call themselves ‘catgender’.
Trump’s $950 million presidential library on collision course with Democratic Congress
As President Trump prepares for the final two years of his presidency, he is expected to devote more attention to his presidential library, which has become a growing destination for money from companies and allies, according to current and former advisers who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Jay Rockefeller, oil heir who fought poverty, dies at 89
Former US senator Jay Rockefeller, an heir to one of America’s wealthiest dynasties who devoted decades to fighting poverty and expanding healthcare, has died aged 89, US media reported Friday.
West Hollywood Opens Domestic Partnership Registry to Throuples and Beyond
Before this news is dismissed as another flavor of “California Crazy”, the push for multi-partner marriages is also making headway elsewhere.
‘Elections Matter’: Houston Mayor Cuts Off Cooperation with ICE in Response to Texas Midterm Landslide
Houston Mayor John Whitmire on Friday announced the city’s police department will limit cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as part of what he says will be a “new model” of immigration enforcement in the state after Democrats won the governor’s race for the first time in more than 30 years.
Trump Taps Stephen Miller as Chief of Staff in Post-Midterm Shakeup
Stephen Miller will replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff starting Monday, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social Friday afternoon. Wiles will take on a role within Trump’s political operation.
WWE Legend Kane Emerges as Frontrunner for U.S. Senate Seat
WWE Hall of Famer Kane could be heading to Washington, D.C. — and not for another wrestling appearance. The former WWE Champion, whose real name is Glenn Jacobs, is reportedly the leading contender to become Tennessee’s next U.S. senator.
How Sidney Poitier learned to read
Yesterday I posted Roy Altman’s video urging American Jews to set a good example, to perform good works, to understand that we represent something more than ourselves alone. That’s what I heard him to be saying, anyway.
Arkansas Bar Official Allegedly Transferred Points from Some Bar Examinees to Others
From the Arkansas Supreme Court Thursday: “Evidence exists that Givens harvested points from a number of examinees’ scores and then added them to other examinees’ scores within the same test administration.”
November 7 as Victims of Communism Day – 2026
I have long advocated using May 1 for this purpose. But November 7 is a worthy alternative candidate, which I am happy to adopt if it can attract a broad consensus.
Short Circuit: A roundup of recent federal court decisions
Geek therapy, crack felony, and some Scooby Snacks.
Florida Ban on Material Support to “Domestic Terrorist Organizations” Can’t Be Applied to Legal Advice to CAIR
From CAIR-Foundation, Inc. v. DeSantis Wednesday by Chief Judge Allen Winsor (N.D. Fla.)
Declaratory Judgment + $275K in Attorney Fees in Settlement of N.H. “XX” Wristbands Case
The Institute for Free Speech, which litigated the case, reports on the settlement agreement
How Trump’s Undermining of the Constitution Helped Cause a “Blue Tsunami”
Trump’s unconstitutional policies on tariffs, the Iran War, and immigration played a big role in his party’s enormous “Blue Tsunami” election defeat.
White House Warns Conservative Groups It Is ‘Monitoring’ Their Statements
Trump’s advisers are moving to hold together a coalition that is beginning to splinter
Two House Republicans battle to lead the party’s diminished ranks
It’s House Majority Leader Steve Scalise vs. Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan for minority leader.
Economy & Taxes
California wealth tax losing
I’d be interested in hearing a coherent explanation as to how a Democrat is leading the race for California governor by 64-36%, but the “one-time” 5 percent wealth tax on billionaires is losing 44-56.
JD Vance’s economic vision is a disaster for the GOP
Perhaps the most telling polling of the post-election Republican debacle compares the public’s view of the economy during President Donald Trump’s first term (before COVID-19) and second.
Top welfare reform scholar ousted from Heritage
Robert Rector is most known in conservative intellectual circles for playing a major role in crafting the 1996
‘Very strange, very sad’: Paraguay bank collapse fells a presidency and leaves millions broke
Santiago Peña charged over alleged role in crisis as prosecutors request he be placed in preventive custody
International
Democrats’ Awful Start on Affordability
Democrats dominated in the midterms largely on a kitchen-table message of affordability. Naturally, one of their first legislative acts will be to increase the cost of living in a crucial part of the economy: energy.
Opinion
The DEI Mandates That Won’t Go Away
The American Bar Association has repealed its diversity standard. Other professional accreditors are still wrestling with where competence ends and ideology begins.
Why Trump’s defiance is bound to get worse
Even before the midterms, the president refused to stop embracing dictators.
Glimmers of Hope
Tuesday was an awful night for the GOP, but there are some things worth noting today.
So This Is What It Feels Like To Be Run Over By A Truck
The blue tidal wave election was clearly a voter tirade against the war, tariffs, ICE raids, high gas prices, terrible GOP candidates (like Paxton in TX and Graham in SC), and overall Trump fatigue.
Vance’s Paradise Lost
The vice president has figured out the midterms. It calls to mind Milton’s description of Eden, and the terrible folly by which mankind forfeited Paradise
Vance’s Election Postmortem Leaves Out One Key Player: Himself
“At the least, it’s hard to see how Mr. Vance can credibly continue as America’s lead negotiator with the Iranians.”
Trump as Ozymandias: The Most Impermanent President in History
Turns out the President is better at wiping out Republicans than Iranians
Here’s what GOP can and should do for their last two months in power
Republicans in Congress will lose power at the start of January, and they won’t get it back soon. But they still have eight weeks until then. They’ll need to get to work. There’s a long history of achievement in lame-duck sessions with the outgoing Congress.
Republicans Forgot How to Win Elections
It took arrogance to shrink the coalition while running unlikable candidates with bad personal character.
Republicans Got Their Butts Kicked, but Who Still Got Paid?
The candidates lost. The consultants sent their invoices. And somewhere in Southern Nevada, somebody is probably reserving a banquet room for the next Republican luncheon.
Why Mississippi Voters Have a Beef with Cindy Hyde-Smith
You may be wondering how the Republicans could be at risk of losing a Senate seat in Mississippi. The state hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982, and in 2024, Trump won the state with more than 60 percent of the vote. Before this year, the last Democratic statewide win in Mississippi was in 2015, when incumbent Democrat Jim Hood — who had been the only statewide elected Democrat in Mississippi since 2008 — won reelection as state attorney general to a fourth term.
The Return of Shame
This week, voters tired of politicians who are immune to embarrassment.
A Hard Conversation To Have Today
How do you raise a difficult conversation after a bad week, but a necessary conversation? I don’t know, but I’m going to say it anyway.
The Dems Just Can’t Help Themselves
Ro Khanna’s takeaway from the midterms? “DEI is BACK!” Democrats like Khanna ought to not take this sweep as a positive referendum on their wider cultural Inquisition that gave Republicans the mandate in 2024.
IRCA at 40: A Lesson from History Relevant for Today
Today is the 40th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan’s signing of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986, the big amnesty-for-enforcement deal that was supposed to fix illegal immigration for the future. How’d that work out?
A Transactional President Faces the Wrath of a Transactional Party
The red walls have fallen. The president’s coalition has collapsed. In January, the GOP will be reduced to a rump in Congress. Then, for the first time in 16 years, Democrats will occupy a majority of the nation’s governors’ mansions.
Why Republicans Lost
No, you don’t need to cite an unnamed “smartest data guy I know” or cast the rune stones or inspect the entrails of a ritually sacrificed animal to understand what the voters were saying in the 2026 midterm elections. The message was loud, clear, and explicit, and beyond the results of the 124 million votes, about 100,000 voters took the time to answer a long and detailed survey to give an even more specific sense of how they feel about the state of the country and the policies enacted under President Trump. This is not a mystery, people.
It was all the things
It wasn’t just the war, or tariffs, or . . .
Republicans Are Learning The Wrong Lessons From a Wipeout
From a Reno Facebook thread to Fox News, Republicans are blaming RINOs, busy moms, and soft immigration policy. The exit polls say otherwise.
America does the right thing after exhausting every other option
“In the end,” wrote Goethe, in the single most depressing line in European literature, “we are all King Lear.”
Trump as Ozymandias: The Most Impermanent President in History
Turns out the President is better at wiping out Republicans than Iranians
Senator-Governor Klobuchar and the Problem of the Received Wisdom
In these circumstances, the law does not expressly bar dual-officeholding where, as here, the two positions are U.S. Senator and Minnesota Governor.
The GOP’s Midterm Annihilation Comes Down to One Factor
It’s not a single policy, even if there is no gainsaying the significance of the Iran war and the tariffs.
I Was Right About the New Right
The GOP got the drubbing it deserved.
Fear Jon Ossoff
Youthful and good-looking, with a taste for soaring, idealistic rhetoric, he could activate the Democratic reflex to always look for the next JFK.
Trump Is the Author of the Ruin
The Republican Party has been many things in my lifetime, good and bad. It had never been decadent.
Conservatives, Leave Birthright Citizenship Alone!
On a terrible idea whose time is never.
In the GOP, a new 2028 race
IN THE GOP, A NEW 2028 RACE. Midterm elections are traditionally seen as the start of the next presidential contest. But this year, the Democratic wave might be seen as the end of one 2028 race and the beginning of another.
The Church’s Fight is Not the Political Fight
Alot of my friends have been asking me the same question since Tuesday: what is the role of the church in politics? It is a fair question, and it has become an urgent one, because there is a coordinated effort underway to answer it badly.
