On their first day back in the Capitol after comprehensive defeats in last week’s midterm elections, Republicans were divided into two camps: those who saw the catastrophe coming, and those who did not.
asserted
who → divide → camps
“I told you exactly what was going to happen.
asserted
what → tell → ?
Over and over and over, I told you,” said West Virginia senator Jim Justice.
asserted
Justice → tell → you
“I said really and truly, if you weren’t concerned and you were a Republican, you were living in a cave.
asserted
you → say → cave
“No one anticipated the magnitude,” said congressman Warren Davidson of Ohio.
asserted
Davidson → anticipate → Ohio
“I mean, you can’t tell me that the guy that ran as a Democrat for senator in Mississippi thought he was going to win.
asserted
he → mean → Mississippi
While Scott Colom hasn’t officially been declared the winner in Mississippi’s knife-edge US Senate race – a state that has not sent a Democratic to the chamber since 1982 – there was indeed plenty of evidence before the Tuesday vote that Republicans were in for it.
asserted
Republicans → declare → it
Not only does the party in power historically suffer defeats in midterm elections, but Donald Trump’s approval ratings had cratered with voters, even on issues that he had previously polled well on, while Democrats had surged in both special and off-year elections.
asserted
Democrats → suffer → elections
Nonetheless, few pollsters or political analysts were publicly forecasting the 54-seat Senate majority and 254-seat House majority Democrats won – both of which may expand even further as ballot counting continues.
uncertain
counting → forecast → which
“People are mad, and they have a right to be mad.
asserted
they → have → right
They’re disappointed, and they feel like we haven’t delivered, and we deserve exactly what we got,” said Senator John Curtis of Utah.
asserted
Curtis → ’re → Utah
His state is deeply red, but last Tuesday Democrats managed to break the Republican supermajority in the state house of representatives by gaining at least 14 seats – a feat repeated in legislatures across the country.
asserted
Democrats → manage → country
Defense secretary Pete Hegseth is set to hold a rare news conference later today as he pushes back against congressional efforts to remove him from office for alleged misconduct.
asserted
he → set → misconduct
Under pressure after President Donald Trump and Vice-president JD Vance blamed the Iran war for the Republican party’s sweeping losses in midterm elections, Hegseth now faces impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives.
asserted
Hegseth → blame → Representatives
“There’s a lot of politically motivated people who... may have substantial policy disagreements but their disagreements are with success,” Hegseth told reporters on Monday when asked about efforts to remove him.
uncertain
Hegseth → ’ → him
“I couldn’t be more proud of what our president has done, the decisions that he’s made, the courageous calls that he’s made, the bold nature of our... military leadership, the skill and courage of the troops on the ground,” he said.
asserted
he → do → ground
The impeachment efforts are being spearheaded by representative Thomas Massie, an anti-Trump Republican lawmaker who is leaving office after losing a primary contest to a candidate backed by the president, AFP reported.
asserted
AFP → spearhead → president
Several of the articles of impeachment – which Massie introduced on Monday – relate to the Iran war, accusing Hegseth of violating the War Powers Resolution, which requires congressional consultation on and oversight of US military interventions.
asserted
which → introduce → interventions
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Massie accused Hegseth of using “our troops to go seize oil for large corporations in America” and derided the Trump administration’s refusal to acknowledge the bombing of a school in Iran.
“I mean, obviously we hit it, and you can determine what kind of missiles from the range and the kind of destruction there was.
asserted
you → speak → destruction
I don’t think they’re going to get out of that article of impeachment by saying, ‘oh, we don’t know who bombed that school’ – although I think the president tried that for a day or two,” Massie said.
asserted
Massie → think → day
It comes as the president said that the war in Iran is “effectively over” as he played down concerns that the US would escalate its military campaign against Tehran after the midterm elections.
asserted
US → come → elections
During a White House press conference, Trump said that Israel and Gulf allies in the region were well protected from Iran and that an escalation was not needed.
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escalation → say → Iran
In other developments:
Donald Trump was joined by Dana White, the CEO of UFC, at a press conference.
asserted
Trump → join → conference
At the conference, Trump defended Hegseth, saying his defense secretary “won two wars”, and called Massie “a stone cold loser” and “sick”.
asserted
secretary → defend → Massie
After saying that his deportation policy was “too tough” and offering to strike an immigration deal with Democrats in an interview on 60 Minutes broadcast on Sunday, Donald Trump on Monday said his administration’s deportation policy was “very strong.”
asserted
policy → say → Monday
“Somebody suggested, will there be amnesty?
uncertain
Somebody → suggest → ?
No, but— they came in.
asserted
they → come → ?
They knew the law,” Trump told reporters during a press conference today.
asserted
Trump → know → conference
He added that he had not spoken with incoming chief of staff Stephen Miller about any changes.
asserted
he → add → changes
In its first major move since last week’s elections, the Senate has advanced bipartisan legislation to speed up permitting reviews for data centers and other infrastructure projects.
asserted
Senate → advance → centers
The Senate voted 73-25 to formally take up the bill, which would shorten the timeline for approving both clean and fossil fuel energy projects.
asserted
which → vote → projects
A Utah judge scheduled the trial of the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk for June 2028.
asserted
judge → schedule → June
District Judge Tony Graf allocated 105 days for the trial.
asserted
Graf → allocate → trial
Graf said the 2028 date balances the defense’s right to prepare with the Kirk family’s desire for a speedy resolution.
asserted
date → say → resolution
The Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to resume border wall construction in the Big Bend region of Texas.
asserted
administration → allow → Texas
The majority paused a lower court’s decision as the case plays out.
asserted
case → pause → decision
The Trump administration had filed an emergency appeal, saying there are illegal border crossings and drug seizures in the region.
asserted
administration → file → region
After initially saying he would accept the results of the midterm elections, Trump has begun to cast doubt Democrats’ electoral wins.
asserted
Trump → say → wins
“Does anybody really believe that this ‘Election’ was honest,” he wrote on Truth Social.
asserted
he → believe → Social
Democratic senator Chuck Schumer responded to Trump’s statement, saying that the president’s “return to election denialism was inevitable”.
asserted
return → respond → denialism
The Aporia
