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Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 194
What Just Happened?
Trial Balloon · Ep. 194: What Just Happened?
Hegseth Lashes Out at Critics Calling for His Firing
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who faces a likely congressional impeachment effort in the coming weeks, released a video message on Thursday defending his tenure and vowing to fight for his job,” the New York Times reports.
Said Hegseth: “We are more determined than ever — more resolute than ever — to finish what we have started.”
“Some prominent GOP lawmakers, frustrated with Mr. Hegseth’s handling of the Iran war and his purge of top generals, had been pushing for President Trump to replace him even before the rout of Republicans in the midterm elections. Those calls have only grown in the days since.”
Democratic Swing State Winners Promise Moderation
Semafor: “Tuesday’s Democratic landslides gave the party full control of multiple swing states — not just Shapiro’s Pennsylvania, but Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, and Minnesota. Democrats won legislative trifectas big enough to pass progressive bills that had gathered dust and lint under Republican control.”
“Instead, swing-state governors plan to focus on popular economic proposals that won over voters –– lowering living costs, taxes, and healthcare — and not the left-wing agenda items demonized in billions of dollars in GOP ads.”
ABC News: What are Democrats’ plans after historic midterm wins?
How Each 2028 Hopeful Looks Coming Out of the Midterms
“The 2026 midterms ended in a massive blue wave that will change the balance of power in Washington and also, maybe, blow up the presidential map for 2028,” CNN reports.
“Democrats’ success in many red states could open new paths to 270 electoral votes and rewrite the playbook for a winning presidential campaign.”
NBC News: Newly elected Democrats could become 2028 presidential power brokers.
Fed Up with Politics and Struggle, Young Voters Rose Up
“Alienated by an older generation of politicians who felt out of touch and irrelevant to their lives, young voters revolted on Tuesday, powering the rout of President Trump’s Republican Party,” the New York Times reports.
“In swings of monumental proportion, young men aged 18 to 29 veered toward Democratic candidates by nearly 40 percentage points since 2024, according to preliminary results from Times Voter Trends. Young women, who were already inclined to support Democrats, swung by 27 points.”
NPR: Voters under 30 helped drive Tuesday’s blue wave.
Shutdown Fight Coming Sooner Than You Think
“Democrats have a chance before they take power in January to undercut President Donald Trump’s Iran war checkbook. Not everyone is on board,” Politico reports.
“Lawmakers will have to pass another funding bill by mid-December to avoid a government shutdown. Though Republicans maintain their majorities until the end of the year, some Democrats — ready to flex their new influence after a midterm blowout — want any year-end spending measure to block cash for the military conflict.”
“But the move could spark a shutdown fight that extends into the next year and overshadows their new majority and other policy goals.”
“Democrats will have to weigh the pros and cons of instigating a confrontation they won’t necessarily win.”
Judge Blocks Trump’s Arch After Federal Panel Approves It
“A federal judge late Thursday halted construction on President Donald Trump’s planned 250-foot-tall triumphal arch, siding with military veterans and local government officials who had urged her to stop the project,” the Washington Post reports.
”U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan blocked work on the arch for two weeks while the court considers challenges to its legality.”
MS NOW: Judge temporarily blocks Trump’s arch after agency’s final approval.
Democrats Clear 250 House Seats in Decisive Power Shift
“The Democratic House majority surged past 250 seats on Thursday as the party seized its biggest majority in nearly two decades by flipping more seats, including in Montana, where a former smoke jumper disrupted decades of Republican dominance,” the New York Times reports.
”The last time either party held so many seats was 2008, when Democrats swept to power behind Barack Obama.”
Trump Says Iran War Decision Coming ‘Soon’
“President Trump said after meeting with his national security advisers Thursday that he’ll soon decide whether to resume all-out war in Iran now that the midterms are over,” Axios reports.
“The election was seen as an inflection point for Trump on whether to unleash a new wave of bombing to try to bring the war to an end.”
Trump Blames Voters for Stock Market Rout
“President Trump said Thursday night that voters had themselves to blame for the stock market’s historic sell-off,” Axios reports.
“Two days after Republicans lost the midterm elections in historic fashion, the president is lashing out at the voters who rejected his candidates and message.”
Said Trump: “The Stock Market crashed today because the Dumocrats had a big Tuesday — So sad to see, you only have yourselves to blame!”
What’s Next for Texas After the Democratic Sweep
“Texas Democrats stunned the world this week—and they are only getting started,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“After cycles of overestimating their chances of victory, they completed a total conquest of every statewide seat and control of the statehouse, upending the GOP’s spiritual home in a single night.”
Trump Focuses On White House Decor Again
“President Donald Trump is using his postelection public appearances to talk about the lasting physical changes he hopes to leave behind at the White House,” NBC News reports.
“In the two days since Republicans suffered massive losses in the midterm elections, Trump has spoken twice in public. Both times he focused on rooms and renovations at the White House.”
Democrats Plan to Reverse Trump’s Canada Tariffs
“Democrats are eyeing President Trump’s trade war with Canada as the first target in a campaign to roll back his administration’s tariff agenda,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
You Can Still Wear the Wave
It’s not too late to pick up a Blue Wave T-Shirt.
Democrats Plan to Probe Trump Library Finances
“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,” CBS News reports.
“With Democrats taking control of Congress in January after a sweeping victory in the November elections, lawmakers have pledged investigations into the library’s finances.”
Hegseth Not Under Consideration for Tennessee Senate
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is not under consideration to be appointed as Tennessee’s next senator, even as President Donald Trump weighs his top war official’s future in the administration,” the Washington Post reports.
“Trump has not spoken to Blackburn about appointing Hegseth, said two people with knowledge of the situation. Blackburn is not considering Hegseth for the role, said a Republican operative in Tennessee with ties to Blackburn.”
MS NOW: Hegseth prepares for his next battle: Impeachment.
Democrats Shatter GOP Dominance Across the South
“America has a new political reality: Republicans’ generations-long grip on Southern politics has been torn apart,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Sweeping through the states of the old Confederacy, Democrats dismantled decades of GOP dominance in one night. They won Senate seats in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia while capturing both the Senate races and governor’s mansions in Georgia and Texas. Throughout the region, down-ballot state offices and legislatures long held by Republicans flipped blue.”
“Even Mississippi, which last elected a Democratic senator in 1982, remains in play. Democrat Scott Colom is locked in a tight race with Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith that few saw coming.”
Trump Failed to Undermine the Nation’s Elections
New York Times: “Mr. Trump had started his second term intent on harnessing the power of the federal government to resurface false claims that widespread fraud had tainted his earlier defeat — and to use those claims to assert unprecedented control over the midterms this year.”
“He failed.”
“Voters so thoroughly rejected Republicans on Tuesday, ushering in one of the largest Democratic House majorities in generations and flipping seats that had been red for decades, that it became impossible to blame the outcome on fraud.”
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Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
More about Taegan Goddard →