House conservatives are throwing up major roadblocks in House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) path to the speakership.
Why it matters: If House Republicans manage to eke out a majority from the midterm elections, it will likely be a narrow one, meaning just a handful of members could block McCarthy from getting the gavel.
President Biden on Thursday said he will nominate Danny Werfel to serve as the next commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Why it matters: Werfel led the IRS in 2013 after President Obama selected him as acting commissioner in the wake of a mismanagement crisis. He would replace Trump-appointed Charles Rettig, whose term ends Saturday.
A judge ordered far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his company on Thursday to pay the families of eight victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting an additional $473 million in damages for falsely claiming the massacre was a hoax, AP reports.
Why it matters: The nearly $500 million order comes on top of the $965 million in damages a Connecticut jury ordered Jones to pay the families in the defamation lawsuit in October.
Voters across states made decisions in the 2022 midterms on whether to close the loopholes in their constitutions that allow for slavery and involuntary servitude.
The big picture: Before the midterms, about 20 state constitutions allowed forced labor or slavery as punishment for crimes, even though slavery was abolished in the United States 150 years ago, Axios' Shawna Chen reports.
Congress is on track for its largest class of Latino and Hispanic members in history, with at least 42 wins by Democrats and Republicans combined.
Driving the news: With many races still too close to be called as of Thursday morning, several Democratic candidates appeared to be outperforming GOP opponents.
Former President Trump claimed Thursday that he is "not at all angry" about the outcome of the midterm elections as the results so far have undermined his public perception as a kingmaker within the Republican party.
Driving the news: Trump has reportedly been pointing blame elsewhere after some of his endorsed candidates lost in some of the most vital races for governor and control of Congress, which still hangs in the balance.
The first major election of the post-Roe era yielded new protections for abortion rights, as voters in three states approved measures to add constitutional protections guaranteeing access to the procedure.
Driving the news: California, Michigan and Vermont backed ballot measures that effectively make it impossible for state lawmakers to enact bans.
President Biden will hold his first in-person meeting as president with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Monday at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.
Why it matters: Both leaders will be heading to Bali after clearing major political hurdles: the U.S. midterm elections, which went better than expected for Biden; and the Chinese Communist Party Congress, at which Xi secured a third term.
Some allies of President Trumpare considering distancing themselves from his presumptive 2024 presidential campaign after Tuesday night's Republican disappointments across the map.
Why it matters: Trump's involvement in Pennsylvania's Senate race, which the GOP lost — plus his endorsement of hard-right House candidates who lost or are struggling — dented his aura as a power broker.
The blame game has begun around what led to Republicans' disappointing results in the midterms, with some outside groups zeroing in on the party's lack of an abortion message.
Driving the news: Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a large anti-abortion organization with close ties to GOP leaders, slammed Republican candidates who distanced themselves from abortion bans and failed to clearly communicate their stance on the issue, calling it "political malpractice."
House Democrats are adopting a glass-half-full mentality — rather than their trademark sullen introspection — after a midterm election that delivered far better results for their party than many analysts had expected.
Why it matters: These initial reactions to an election in which the balance of power in the House remains far from clear offer an early indication of the direction the party and the caucus will go in over the next two years.
Democrats and Republicans are readying to pump hundreds of millions into Georgia over the next few weeks if control of the Senate comes down, once again, to a Georgia runoff.
Why it matters: Depending on the outcome of other races that still haven't been called, Georgia may end up being Republicans' last chance to deny Democrats a Senate majority — or Democrats' only chance to expand that majority.
About 25.4 million people watched midterm elections coverage across 13 live television networks Tuesday evening in primetime, nearly 30% less than the number that watched the results come in four years ago.
Why it matters: Few major upsets made Tuesday's coverage of the midterm results less compelling than in years past.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin won't go to Bali for the G20 leaders' summit next week, Russian and Indonesian officials said on Thursday morning local time.
Why it matters: Officials in Moscow and Jakarta had said earlier this year Putin intended to travel to the Indonesian island for the meeting despite his military's war on Ukraine and strong objections from the U.S. and other nations.
Driving the news: Among them are Wes Moore (D), who will be the first Black governor of Maryland,andMaxwell Frost (D), the 25-year-old Afro-Latino who will be the first member of Generation Z in Congress.
The Californian man accused of attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, during a break-in at the couple's San Francisco home was indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday.
The big picture: David Wayne DePape, 42, of the San Francisco suburb of Richmond, was arrested on Oct. 28 and is accused of breaking into the home and assaulting Paul Pelosi with a hammer.
A Democratic debacle in New York is threatening to become the majority-maker for House Republicans, puncturing what had otherwise been a history-defying election for the party in power.
What's happening: Republicans won all four House races on Long Island and knocked off the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for the first time in more than 40 years. Furious Democratic strategists and outside observers say the wounds were self-inflicted.
House Republicans are coming to grips with the harsh reality of what a single-digit majority could look like — starting with a newly empowered far-right flank that could seriously threaten GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy's House speaker ambitions.
Why it matters: McCarthy, who arguably took a more hands-on approach to candidate recruitment and fundraising than any past House GOP leader, is now in an extremely vulnerable position.
President Biden's team plans to seize on the messy midterm results to sharpen its contrast with congressional Republicans, while retooling the White House into a more political operation, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: If a narrow GOP victory in the House produces an unwieldy, chaotic majority, it could give Democrats the perfect foil to highlight their differences.
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver remarks Thursday afternoon at a DNC event in Washington, D.C., where they're expected to thank staffers and volunteers as the full results of the midterms continue to unfold.
Why it matters: Democrats defied the odds and fended off a red wave on Tuesday while facing significant political headwinds. Biden will look to seize on the unexpected results — with control of the Senate still hanging in the balance — to sharpen his contrast with congressional Republicans and gear up for a potential 2024 re-election campaign.
