Jeffries prepares Democrats to take power; Trump privately weighs Hegseth’s future, report says

Democrats keep adding House seats. Now, what do they do with their new power? In the days of the House of Representatives, ...functioning like a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump administration are over. And is impeachment on the table? Impeachment for no reason but for having a successful country. Plus a major upset could be brewing in deep red Mississippi. A Democrat is clinging to a lead of just over a thousand votes. I'm confident once the process lays out where we are, where the ballots are, we're going to win. And is Pete Hegseth on his way out? Trump is defending his defense secretary in public, but behind the scenes could be a very different story. The stories that matter, the facts you can trust. From across the country to around the world, this is Unbiased Updates from Straight Arrow. Hey everybody, I'm Christian Bryant. It's Thursday, November 5th. Let's get you caught up and ready for your day ahead. Democrats, as you know, are taking over Congress. And this morning, the fight over what comes next is already underway. After a sweeping midterm victory, Democrats are preparing to control both the House and Senate. They're promising lower prices, more oversight of President Trump, and a very different Washington come January. Democrats keep adding to their House majority as more races are called. And Hakeem Jeffries is already making his move. The current House Minority Leader has officially launched his bid for Speaker. If elected, he'll become the first black Speaker in U.S. history. On Wednesday, Jeffries made clear he plans to use his party's new power. They messed around, and now they're going to find out. We recognize that we don't work for Donald Trump, we don't work for J.D. Vance, we don't work for the Supreme Court, we work for the American people. In the days of the House of Representatives, functioning like a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump administration are over. Jeffries says two things will drive the Democratic agenda, affordability and accountability. Democrats have five working groups focused on lowering costs from groceries and housing to health care and utilities, and they're already talking about what they want to pass. We will pass a bill to reverse the largest Medicaid cut in U.S. history enacted by Republicans. We will pass a bill to restore the ACA tax credits. We will pass a bill. to stop the stupid Trump tariffs, jacking up prices on Americans, and we will pass a bill to stop the Iran war. Liu also wants Congress to take on the AI industry. He's calling for public hearings and new guardrails, including rules for data centers. But there's one thing Democratic leaders say isn't a priority right now, impeaching President Trump. Jeffrey says that's not where his focus is. And Trump, he says he's not worried. Not even a little bit. I think it would destroy the Democrat Party if they did that, because impeachment for no reason, what, for having a successful country. Our country is more successful now than at any time in its history. And while Democrats prepare to take charge, Republicans are fighting over who leads them next. Speaker Mike Johnson is stepping aside from House Republican leadership after his party's election defeat. He's not seeking the minority leader job. That's set up a showdown There's a showdown between two Republicans. Current Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, both want the top GOP job in the House. There's another contest for Minority Whip. Texas Congressman August Pfluger is challenging current Whip Tom Emmer. And over in the Senate, John Thune is expected to stay on as Republican leader, this time in the minority. A Democrat is leading the Senate race in deep red Mississippi by just over 1,000 votes. And with ballots still being counted, this one is far from over. Democrat Scott Colome is holding a narrow lead over Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. A race that wasn't expected to be this close is now one of the last undecided contests of the midterms. And the stakes are big. Mississippi hasn't elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1982. A Colome victory would also make him the state's first black senator since Reconstruction. Hyde-Smith had President Trump's endorsement, but in a state Trump won by more than 20 points just two years ago, that hasn't been enough to put her over the top. Now comes the wait. Election officials are still counting provisional ballots and mail-in votes, and some mail ballots can still arrive through Nov. 10 as long as they were postmarked by Election Day. Here's where things get interesting. Mississippi has no automatic recount, and candidates can't simply request one. They can examine ballot materials and challenge results in court, but for now, Colome says he's confident. I've got to tell everybody I am very happy with where we stand. I'm confident. I'm confident once the process lays out where we are, where the ballots are, we're going to win. The bottom line is this is the beginning of a new direction for our state. We are going to win this. We have already showed the country that Mississippi matters, y'all. And both sides are preparing for a possible legal fight. Democrats have sent legal support to Mississippi, and Colome says his campaign has what he calls an army of lawyers ready to protect the vote. President Trump is publicly standing by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but behind the scenes, he's apparently asking whether he should keep him. CBS News reports Trump has been asking advisers if Hegseth should stay on after Republicans sweeping midterm losses. And Fox News is hearing from current and former administration figures who believe Hegseth could be on his way out. But asked about that possibility Wednesday, Trump gave a very different answer. No, I think he's doing a very good job. So you don't want him to feel… Well, I think he's doing a very good job, and I actually think he'd be very popular if he did that, but I haven't heard that at all. Now, a lot of this goes back to the war in Iran and how much it hurt Republicans at the polls. Vice President J.D. Vance isn't mincing words. Wednesday on X, he wrote, quote, The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night. Hegseth has been one of the war's most vocal supporters, and Fox News reports some insiders believe he could take the blame for its political fallout. The White House, though, says Trump has full confidence in him. So who might replace him if Trump does make a change? CBS News reports Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is one name being floated. And there's another complication for Hegseth. Democrats are about to take control of Congress, where he could face investigations and possibly an impeachment effort. And speaking of Pete Hegseth, one of the military leaders he fired just won a seat in Congress. Democrat Nancy LaCour, a former Navy admiral, has flipped a longtime Republican House seat in South Carolina. LaCour spent more than 30 years in the Navy, working her way up from helicopter pilot to chief of the Navy Reserve, overseeing more than 60,000 sailors. Hegseth fired her earlier this year. Now she's headed to Washington after defeating Republican Jenny Costa Honeycutt by just over 3,300 votes. Honeycutt conceded Wednesday morning. And this was a district Trump won by 13 points just two years ago. La Cour made Hegseth's leadership and the war in Iran major issues in her campaign. The seat was previously held by Republican Nancy Mace, who gave it up to run for governor. She lost that race in the Republican primary. La Cour's victory still needs to be certified, with state officials expected to do that tomorrow. One day after Republicans lost control of Congress, President Trump turned his attention to a different project, his new White House ballroom. On Wednesday, Trump invited reporters to the White House for a look at the construction and to mark a milestone, the final steel beam going into place. Trump signed the beam before workers hoisted it into position as the crowd cheered. He also defended the project, which has drawn criticism over the demolition of the White House's historic East Wing. Trump says the building needed major work, and he argues the renovations are about preserving the White House as a symbol of America. Take a listen. But I will tell you that right now it's flawless and it's beautiful. And you know, when I get criticized, like, why are you working on the White House? I'm doing it because the White House is the ultimate symbol of America. And it's got to be pristine. It's got to be perfect. And if you take a look at it, that's what it is right now. You have no idea how much work we had to do. Trump also took questions about the election and acknowledged that the war in Iran played a major role in Republican losses, particularly because of higher gas prices. But he stood by his decision to go to war, saying he'd do it again. Finally this morning, a crossover you probably didn't see coming. His holiness meets his Bob-ness. Pope Leo welcomed Bob Dylan to the Vatican Wednesday while the rock legend is in Italy on tour. The visit was short, just a few words, a few photos, and an exchange of gifts. The Pope gave Dylan a rosary. Dylan gave the Pope a copy of his autobiography. Turns out the Pope is already familiar with Dylan's work. He quoted one of his old protest songs in a book about peace earlier Earlier this year. And Dylan has some history with the papacy. Back in 1997, he performed for Pope John Paul II in Italy, including a song you might expect, Knocking on Heaven's Door. And yes, that song will be stuck in your head all morning now. You're welcome for that earworm. All right, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today. At 10.30, veterans and conservation groups raised concerns about Trump's proposed triumphal arch with a press conference. At 11, First Lady Melania Trump speaks at the White House about the ceasefire in Oleshky. Russian and Ukrainian representatives are expected. At 1, a federal planning commission is expected to vote on the arch project, with construction possibly starting today. And at 3.30, Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa holds a news conference. Folks we're the fastest, fairest few minutes in news. Watch us at san.com or the Straight Arrow app. Or join us on YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And hey, it's Thursday, which means a new episode of Off Script is coming your way. That's our new podcast where we sit down with Straight Arrow news reporters and dig a little deeper into the stories they're covering. This week, the midterm results. Who's to blame? Seems Republicans can't quite decide yet. Subscribers can watch the full episode later today on SAN.com or our app, And we'll post a free preview on YouTube. and Spotify, that's Unbiased Updates for this Thursday for the Unbiased Updates team and all of us at Straight Arrow, I'm Christian Bryant, thanks so much for watching, have a good one and we'll see you back here tomorrow.