… Scott Colom just became the 55th Democratic Senator for the incoming 2027 Congress, with Mary Peltola continuing to lead the vote count in AK which would make it 56. Colom is the only Black senator elected by popular vote in MS history - there were two Black senators elected by the legislature in the 1870s. There are now 7 Black senators in the US Congress.
… From Colom’s victory speech:
“I can’t help but think about Medgar Evers where he served his country and came home to MS when they wouldn’t let him vote. But he had faith that MS could make progress. He had faith that one day everybody would have the right to vote. He had faith that a day like this was possible.”
“I’ve been telling everybody that we’re going to win this election. I was saying it 8 or 9 months ago. But every time I said it, I pointed out that people were going to give me too much credit for it because it’s not something that I did. It’s something that we did. All I did was have the courage to imagine a night like this. I had the courage to believe in MS. I had the courage to understand that we could show the country that MS matters.”
… Colom thanked Ben Meiselas on the MeidasTouch podcast for inviting him on for the first time over a year ago:
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity very early on, when nobody thought MS would be on the radar, to tell my story, tell my message. So God bless you, my friend.
And since then, we went out there and we did the work. I’ve done over 60 town halls. I’ve been to the housing projects, I’ve been to the college campuses, I’ve been to the music festivals, and we just built a campaign from the grassroots level. And the people of MS got behind me, and they’re ready for a new direction.”
… This is what MS Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith told supporters on election night when she prematurely tried to declare victory with lots of votes not yet counted: “I blocked Scott Colom from being a judge, and you blocked him from being a senator!”
… Hyde-Smith conceded the race last night.
… Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) on Fox: “This was not a normal midterm election loss. If you think that, congratulations, you’re stupid. A smart man washes his hands after he urinates. A wise man doesn’t urinate on his hands. We Republicans in the senate need to stop thinking we’re so smart and try a little wisdom.”
… CNN pollster Harry Enten: “2026 was a historic shift of voters under the age of 25. In just two years time, these voters shifted 42 points to Democrats from 2024-2026. Trump’s approval rating with voters under 25 years old is 15%. 15! It was all across the country. They despise the president. It was a big reason why Democrats did so well.”
… South Texas Builders Assn Vice Chair Benny Melendez had a message for Stephen Miller at a press conference: “If you want to continue harassing our communities, these same communities you’re now harassing will make sure you lose the WH.”
… Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) was all sour grapes on NewsNation: “I don’t think the Democrats realize that they didn’t win. Republicans lost.”
… Fox: The aftershocks of last week’s midterm elections are still being felt by Senate Republicans, but another political reality is beginning to set in: The GOP may not regain control of the chamber for years to come.
… This year’s Senate map was, initially, favorable to Republicans in their quest to maintain and possibly grow their 53-seat majority in the Senate. But the next election cycle’s map in 2028 is tough, perhaps even insurmountable, for Republicans to conquer.
… The Senate GOP’s newly minted campaign chief, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), acknowledged that the map to reclaim the majority in 2028 is “very tough.” Democrats only have 3 incumbents up for re-election in battleground states, while Republicans have to defend seats in a slew of once-safe, deep-red states.
… Moreno: “Look, it is an absolutely brutal map, but, politics, things change pretty quickly. So we’ll see how it is, but we’re gonna be extraordinarily disciplined, we’re gonna be extremely honest with our data. We will make certain that we hold our incumbents and our candidates accountable, and we’re gonna make an appeal to donors as to how we should win.”
… Sounds like his solution is lots and lots of cash. Same as their solution in 2026.
… Sen. Jim Justice (R-WV) to Washington Examiner: “You can forget 2028. Absolutely. I hope and pray we don’t lose the presidency. But this is such a colossal blow that it is beyond belief how colossal this is to America.”
… Washington Examiner: “Republicans are having nightmare flashbacks to 2006, when Democrats gained 31 House seats and 6 Senate seats to retake both chambers under George W. Bush. Two years later, Democrats further expanded their majorities in 2008 during the election of Barack Obama. The fear of déjà vu is particularly acute among the clear-eyed Republicans on their way out of Congress.”
… Politico: “A growing number of Republicans on Capitol Hill want to draft Marco Rubio for a 2028 presidential bid as they grapple with their midterms wipeout - and look beyond JD Vance.
… The generational losses are sparking new discussions among Hill Republicans about who should lead the party. Many argue the race to carry the mantle is now wide open - including a faction who view Rubio as a better fit, given that voters may continue to tie Vance to the president’s unpopularity.”
… Reporter Mark Halperin: “I’ve been struck by the negativity about JD Vance. I’ve talked now to 68 people, mostly Republican strategists, operatives, etc. and the negativity about the VP is quite something, someone who I thought two weeks ago was the obvious frontrunner.”
… Rep. and combat vet Jason Crow (CO-D) to Meidas reporter Scott Macfarlane on Pete Hegseth getting reprimanded by the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier:
“That just once again shows how cavalier and irresponsible they are at our nation’s most sacred ground, Arlington National Cemetery. You have Trump wanting to build an arch which would obscure the view of the cemetery, and then Hegseth and his crew rolling up and laughing and joking during a very somber event.
The disrespect for our veterans and for our military just continues, which is why I’m going to continue to do everything I can to remove Pete Hegseth from the Pentagon.”
… Trump then posted on Truth Social that Crow should be prosecuted.
… Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-IL): “I remember when I was 10 years old, and I came to Washington, DC for the first time. I remember at 10 years old, you don’t say anything there. You say nothing there. So how is it that these adults couldn’t figure that out?
They didn’t have the respect—that’s something that you learn at 10.”
… MS NOW: At a combative town hall of 500 family members of the USS George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group, Navy leaders said Iranian attacks continue to ‘pepper’ US ships enforcing the blockade of Iran. They also informed families that their deployed loved ones would not be returning home for the holidays.
… This is the second time the strike group’s deployment has been extended since it left Norfolk, VA, on March 31 for what was supposed to be a standard 6-7 month set of orders. Navy leaders told families to plan for a worst-case scenario of a yearlong deployment.
… Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao: “I’m sorry, I’ve been there. I know what it feels like, I know how hard it is when your kids are asking ‘When’s daddy coming home? When’s mommy coming home?’”
… Family members did not hold back with Navy leaders. One audience member told Navy leaders in the room, “Trust within the force and among our families is heavily strained right now between record-breaking stretches without relief, shifting timelines and the feeling that communication downplays the reality on the ground. Families are burning out under the immense strain.”
… At times, family members yelled at Navy leaders, saying they were not answering their questions and were giving them the “runaround.” One family member asked what the Navy was doing to push back on Trump so the conflict would not become another “forever war.”
… NYT: “Jensen Huang, CEO of chip giant Nvidia, resigned on Thursday, capping a swift, stunning fall for one of the most powerful figures in the AI boom. His departure came after revelations that he had extramarital affairs with an executive who reported to him and with a woman whom US intelligence agencies concluded was spying for China.
… Colette Kress, Nvidia’s CFO, will serve as interim chief executive while the search for a permanent replacement is carried out. Huang’s exit opens an uncertain chapter for Nvidia, and will have widespread ripple effects. Its shares plunged more than 10% at the start of trading, weighing on the broader market.
… Over 3 decades, Huang built Nvidia into one of the world’s most valuable public companies, controlling an estimated 90% of the market for the advanced chips that are an essential component of the AI projects driving the US economy - and are at the center of the US-China tussle for dominance in AI.
… Bloomberg: “The suspected Chinese spy at the heart of a scandal that took down Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has returned to her home country. Megaspeed founder Alice Huang is currently living in Beijing, with the knowledge of security officials. It was not immediately clear when or why she travelled to the Chinese capital, nor what she may be engaged in.
On my weekly podcast Uncovered yesterday, we talked about the Hegseth impeachment saga, Democrats who missed the vote, the Nvidia scandal, why MAGA is upset at Trump for two things he said in his 60 Minutes interview, Todd Blanche threatening to prosecute Dems who do oversight, the Schumer/Jeffries leadership situations, Jim Jordan replacing Mike Johnson as Republican House leader, & lots more!
Link to the show is here. Link to the last Bulletin is here.
… Axios: “Trump authorized a crack down on companies suspected of diverting Nvidia’s advanced AI chips to China for the third time this year - even consulting Elon Musk before giving the go-ahead. One admin official has repeatedly stood in the way: Howard Lutnick.
… This standoff illustrates a breakdown in efforts to keep American technology out of China’s hands as the world wonders why the Trump admin has not taken action against the company at the center of suspected chip smuggling - and an espionage scandal.
… On Thursday, as the spy scandal rocked the admin, Lutnick met in the Situation Room with Scott Bessent, Pete Hegseth, US Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer and Marco
