“I think it’s safe to safe that we are a blue state.”
— Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms, quoted by ABC News.
Archives for 2026
Todd Blanche Won’t Rule Out Charging Lawmakers
“Attorney General Todd Blanche refused Sunday to rule out prosecuting Democratic lawmakers who say they’ll investigate Trump officials, a day after President Trump ordered the Justice Department to probe lawmakers,” Axios reports.
“The confrontation threatens a constitutional crisis over the separation of powers: Trump is ordering prosecutors to go after lawmakers in a potential effort to hamper Congress’ power to hold the executive branch accountable.”
At Least 97 Capitol Rioters Accused of New Crimes
Steve Benen: “It’s been nearly 22 months since Donald Trump pardoned every convicted and accused Jan. 6 rioter, and in that time, quite a few of those who received presidential clemency have run into fresh trouble with the law. In fact, Lawfare, a nonprofit publication covering the legal world, published a study over the summer that found at least 97 people charged with crimes in connection with the assault on the Capitol have since been accused of new crimes.”
“Since that tally was released, the list has continued to grow.”
Gingrich Says Democrats Must Work with Trump
“Democrats could bomb out of the 2028 election if they move further left and refuse to work with President Trump after their sweeping midterm victories, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said,” the New York Post reports.
Said Gingrich: “Bernie Sanders … intends to drive as hard as he can to get a very left-wing Congress. That would be a profound mistake for the Democrats.”
He added: “If the country is reminded how cuckoo these people are, by 2028 they are going to be much more willing to vote for Republicans.”
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Bonus Quote of the Day
“When Republicans go low, what we’re not going to do anymore is just take that, take the high road and turn the other cheek. The days of us not fighting back are over.”
— Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), quoted by Politico.
Slotkin Declines to Rule Out Senate Leadership Bid
“Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) on Saturday declined to rule out a Senate leadership bid and remained noncommittal on backing Chuck Schumer as majority leader,” Politico reports.
Said Slotkin: “Given what happened on election night, there’s a pretty clear mandate that people want a new generation of leadership, and they want to know what the plan is to actually help their lives. So one way or another, I want to see that.”
The Justice Department Braces for Congressional Scrutiny
“During the first two years of President Donald Trump’s second term, the Justice Department has been on the front lines of some of his most contentious actions, pursuing his perceived foes and agenda with relish and little pushback or oversight from Congressional leaders,” the Washington Post reports.
“The next two years will likely be dramatically different.”
“As Democrats prepare to take control of the House and Senate following sweeping victories in the midterm elections, the Justice Department is bracing for a barrage of subpoenas and investigative inquiries as lawmakers say they will aggressively scrutinize the agency in a way Republicans did not while in the majority.”
Quote of the Day
“Take, for example, the French Revolution. Remember when Marie Antoinette said, ‘Let them eat cake’? Now, is that a problem of accountability and tyranny, a corrupt government? Or is it a problem of affordability and standard of living? It’s both! Authoritarianism and tyranny are extremely expensive for the people. And it’s the exact same thing when you go down the line with Donald Trump. So, are we going to go after the corruption? Yeah, you’re damn right. And are we going to go after affordability and making people’s lives easier? Yeah, you’re damn right. We’re going to do both of them.”
— Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), quoted by CBS News.
Democrats to Focus on Healthcare and Ending Iran War
“House Democratic leaders are placing an early emphasis on healthcare as they discuss their immediate priorities upon the swearing-in of the new Congress on Jan. 3,” the Associated Press reports.
“Early votes in the House next year are expected to focus on boosting Medicaid and restoring an enhanced tax subsidy that is designed to lower the cost of Affordable Care Act health plans for millions of enrollees.”
“Democrats are also promising swift action on legislation to stop the war with Iran and to reverse some of President Donald Trump’strade tariffs.”
Said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY): “We’re going to get out of the gate fast.”
Trump Hasn’t Called Jeffries
“House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Sunday that he has yet to hear from President Donald Trump, though he is expected to be the next speaker of the House,” Politico reports.
Said Jeffries: “I have not spoken to President Trump. It was a big night for the American people. A tremendous repudiation of MAGA extremism, and a cry out for dramatic change.”
Trump’s Defense Budget to Be Blocked by Democrats
“Republicans’ midterm defeat is crushing any remaining hopes that Congress would approve President Donald Trump’s unprecedented $1.5 trillion defense budget request amid an unpopular war in the Middle East,” Bloomberg reports.
“Democrats, who won solid majorities of both chambers of Congress on Tuesday, were already largely opposed to the 44% increase from the previous fiscal year and are now signaling they will block any efforts to push it forward.”
“At the same time, Republican lawmakers returning to the lame-duck session before the new Congress is seated in January may not be able to muster the support or political will to ram through the massive defense spending package, especially amid the Pentagon’s unpopular war against Iran that cost many of them their jobs.”
Exchange of the Day
Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed (D-MI) was interviewed on ABC News by Jonathan Karl:
KARL: Have you heard from Mike Rogers yet?
EL-SAYED: Not that I know of. I think he had a flight to catch to Florida.
KARL: Wow.
Susie Wiles Knew About Vance’s Post Blaming Iran War
The Independent: “The online post marked the first time Vance openly advocated for concluding the war.”
“Three individuals familiar with White House and vice-presidential communications said the vice president was not breaking with Trump, adding that White House chief of staff Susie Wiles had advance knowledge of Vance’s message.”
“On Friday, however, Trump restructured his senior White House team, replacing Wiles with Stephen Miller—a movement suggesting the administration intends to double down on several hardline positions…”
“It could not be confirmed whether Trump was informed of Vance’s statement beforehand.”
How Democrats Will Try to End Trump’s Tariffs
“The battle for Congress is over. The war over President Donald Trump’s tariffs is about to heat up,” CNBC reports.
“The knotted web of tariffs that Trump spent the last two years weaving could soon face its biggest threat, as Democrats prepare to unload their new legislative firepower against the Republican president’s signature policy.”
“Democrats have made no secret of their plans to bombard Trump and his associates with investigations as soon as the next Congress is sworn in. They are also preparing a first-100-hours legislative blitz, putting forward a series of bills that would unwind much of Trump’s agenda.”
Adam Hamilton Rejects Two Years of Trump Investigations
“Sen.-elect Adam Hamilton, who flipped deep-red Kansas for Democrats, said Sunday that he hopes to prioritize lowering costs for his constituents in the next Congress and that he would be ‘deeply disappointed’ to spend two years investigating members of the Trump administration,” NBC News reports.
Said Hamilton: “The bigger priority for me, and I think for most people in America, especially people living paycheck to paycheck, is ‘please help us with the cost of living,.'”
Shapiro Wants to Prioritize Healthcare, Food Assistance
“Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he hopes Democrats prioritize healthcare and food assistance when they take control of Congress in January, though he urged them not to forget to hold the Trump administration accountable,” NBC News reports.
Said Shapiro: “I hope one of the first things that the Congress does is to stop these Medicaid cuts, stop the SNAP cuts, roll back the cuts, the effective cuts in the Affordable Care Act.”
Jeffries Announces Support for Hegseth Impeachment
“House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) came out in support of impeaching Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Sunday, telling ABC News he’s a ‘hard yes,'” ABC News reports.
Said Jeffries: “I’m a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution. The so-called secretary of defense has abused his power, undermined our national security, and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed prices on the American people and made the country less safe.”
Axios: House poised to impeach Pete Hegseth after GOP midterm defeat.
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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.
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