00:01Democrats keep adding House seats.
00:03Now, what do they do with their new power?
00:05In the days of the House of Representatives,
00:09functioning like a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump administration, are over.
00:14And is impeachment on the table?
00:16Impeachment for no reason, what, for having a successful country.
00:20Plus, a major upset could be brewing in deep red Mississippi.
00:24A Democrat is clinging to a lead of just over a thousand votes.
00:27I'm confident once the process lays out where we are, where the ballots are, we're gonna win.
00:34And is Pete Hegseth on his way out?
00:36Trump is defending his defense secretary in public, but behind the scenes could be a very different story.
00:44The stories that matter. The facts you can trust.
00:49From across the country to around the world, this is Unbiased Updates from Straight Arrow.
00:56Hey everybody, I'm Christian Bryant. It's Thursday, November 5th.
01:00Let's get you caught up and ready for your day ahead.
01:03Democrats, as you know, are taking over Congress.
01:06And this morning, the fight over what comes next is already underway.
01:09After a sweeping midterm victory, Democrats are preparing to control both the House and Senate.
01:15They're promising lower prices, more oversight of President Trump, and a very different Washington come January.
01:21Democrats keep adding to their House majority as more races are called.
01:25And Hakeem Jeffries is already making his move.
01:28The current House Minority Leader has officially launched his bid for speaker.
01:32If elected, he'll become the first black speaker in U.S. history.
01:36On Wednesday, Jeffries made clear he plans to use his party's new power.
01:40They messed around, and now they're going to find out.
01:43We recognize that we don't work for Donald Trump, we don't work for J.D. Vance, we don't work for
01:48the Supreme Court, we work for the American people.
01:51And the days of the House of Representatives functioning like a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump administration are over.
02:00Jeffries says two things will drive the Democratic agenda, affordability and accountability.
02:06Democrats have five working groups focused on lowering costs from groceries and housing to health care and utilities.
02:13And they're already talking about what they want to pass.
02:15We will pass a bill to reverse the largest Medicaid cut in U.S. history enacted by Republicans.
02:22We will pass a bill to restore the ACA tax credits.
02:25We will pass a bill to stop the stupid Trump tariffs jacking up prices on Americans.
02:31And we will pass a bill to stop the Iran war.
02:35Liu also wants Congress to take on the AI industry.
02:38He's calling for public hearings and new guardrails, including rules for data centers.
02:42But there's one thing Democratic leaders say isn't a priority right now.
02:46Impeaching President Trump.
02:48Jeffries says that's not where his focus is.
02:51And Trump, he says he's not worried.
02:53Not even a little bit.
02:55I think it would destroy the Democrat Party if they did that.
03:01Impeachment for no reason.
03:02What, for having a successful country?
03:04Our country is more successful now than at any time in its history.
03:07And while Democrats prepare to take charge,
03:09Republicans are fighting over who leads them next.
03:12Speaker Mike Johnson is stepping aside from House Republican leadership after his party's election defeat.
03:18He's not seeking the minority leader job.
03:21That's set up a showdown between two Republicans.
03:24Current Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan.
03:28Both want the top GOP job in the House.
03:30There's another contest for minority whip.
03:33Texas Congressman August Pflueger is challenging current whip Tom Emmer.
03:37And over in the Senate, John Thune is expected to stay on as Republican leader, this time in the minority.
03:44A Democrat is leading the Senate race in deep red Mississippi by just over 1,000 votes.
03:49And with ballots still being counted, this one is far from over.
03:53Democrat Scott Colombe is holding a narrow lead over Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith.
03:58A race that wasn't expected to be this close is now one of the last undecided contests of the midterms.
04:04And the stakes are big.
04:06Mississippi hasn't elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1982.
04:10A Colombe victory would also make him the state's first black senator since Reconstruction.
04:15Hyde-Smith had President Trump's endorsement.
04:17But in a state Trump won by more than 20 points just two years ago,
04:21that hasn't been enough to put her over the top.
04:23Now comes the wait.
04:25Election officials are still counting provisional ballots and mail-in votes.
04:29And some mail ballots can still arrive through November 10,
04:32as long as they were postmarked by Election Day.
04:35Here's where things get interesting.
04:37Mississippi has no automatic recount.
04:40And candidates can't simply request one.
04:42They can examine ballot materials and challenge results in court.
04:46But for now, Colombe says he's confident.
04:48I gotta tell everybody I am very happy with where we stand.
04:53I'm confident once the process lays out where we are, where the ballots are, we're gonna win.
05:00The bottom line is this is the beginning of a new direction for our state.
05:06We are going to win this.
05:08We have already showed the country that Mississippi matters, y'all.
05:13And both sides are preparing for a possible legal fight.
05:16Democrats have sent legal support to Mississippi.
05:19And Colombe says his campaign has what he calls an army of lawyers ready to protect the vote.
05:25President Trump is publicly standing by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
05:29But behind the scenes, he's apparently asking whether he should keep him.
05:32CBS News reports Trump has been asking advisers if Hegseth should stay on after Republicans sweeping midterm losses.
05:40And Fox News is hearing from current and former administration figures who believe Hegseth could be on his way out.
05:46But asked about that possibility Wednesday, Trump gave a very different answer.
05:51No, I think he's doing a very good job.
05:52So you don't want him to bill Orson Blackburn in the Senate to be appointed?
05:56Well, I think he's doing a very good job.
05:58And I actually think he'd be very popular if he did that.
06:03But I haven't heard that at all.
06:04Now, a lot of this goes back to the war in Iran and how much it hurt Republicans at the
06:09polls.
06:10Vice President J.D. Vance isn't mincing words.
06:13Wednesday on X, he wrote, quote,
06:14The reason we lost is the war.
06:17The president himself said so last night.
06:19Hegseth has been one of the war's most vocal supporters.
06:22And Fox News reports some insiders believe he could take the blame for its political fallout.
06:27The White House, though, says Trump has full confidence in him.
06:30So who might replace him if Trump does make a change?
06:34CBS News reports Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is one name being floated.
06:38And there's another complication for Hegseth.
06:41Democrats are about to take control of Congress where he can face investigations and possibly an impeachment effort.
06:48And speaking of Pete Hegseth, one of the military leaders he fired just won a seat in Congress.
06:53Democrat Nancy LaCour, a former Navy admiral, has flipped a longtime Republican House seat in South Carolina.
07:00LaCour spent more than 30 years in the Navy working her way up from helicopter pilot to chief of the
07:06Navy Reserve, overseeing more than 60,000 sailors.
07:09Hegseth fired her earlier this year.
07:12Now she's headed to Washington after defeating Republican Jenny Costa Honeycutt by just over 3,300 votes.
07:18Honeycutt conceded Wednesday morning.
07:20And this was a district Trump won by 13 points just two years ago.
07:25LaCour made Hegseth's leadership in the war in Iran major issues in her campaign.
07:30The seat was previously held by Republican Nancy Mace, who gave it up to run for governor.
07:34She lost that race in the Republican primary.
07:37LaCour's victory still needs to be certified, with state officials expected to do that tomorrow.
07:43One day after Republicans lost control of Congress, President Trump turned his attention to a different project — his new
07:49White House ballroom.
07:51On Wednesday, Trump invited reporters to the White House for a look at the construction and to mark a milestone
07:57— the final steel beam going into place.
08:00Trump signed the beam before workers hoisted it into position as the crowd cheered.
08:05He also defended the project, which has drawn criticism over the demolition of the White House's historic East Wing.
08:11Trump says the building needed major work, and he argues the renovations are about preserving the White House as a
08:17symbol of America.
08:19Take a listen.
08:19But I will tell you that right now it's flawless, and it's beautiful.
08:24And you know when I get criticized, like, why are you working on the White House?
08:29I'm doing it because the White House is the ultimate symbol of America.
08:34And it's got to be pristine, it's got to be perfect.
08:38And if you take a look at it, that's what it is right now.
08:41You have no idea how much work we had to do.
08:42Trump also took questions about the election and acknowledged that the war in Iran played a major role in Republican
08:48losses, particularly because of higher gas prices.
08:51But he stood by his decision to go to war, saying he'd do it again.
08:56Finally this morning, a crossover you probably didn't see coming.
09:00His Holiness meets his Bob-ness.
09:02Pope Leo welcomed Bob Dylan to the Vatican Wednesday while the rock legend is in Italy on tour.
09:08The visit was short, just a few words, a few photos, and an exchange of gifts.
09:12The Pope gave Dylan a rosary.
09:15Dylan gave the Pope a copy of his autobiography.
09:18Turns out the Pope is already familiar with Dylan's work.
09:21He quoted one of his old protest songs in a book about peace earlier this year.
09:25And Dylan has some history with the papacy.
09:28Back in 1997, he performed for Pope John Paul II in Italy, including a song you might expect.
09:35Knocking on Heaven's Door.
09:37And yes, that song will be stuck in your head all morning now.
09:40You're welcome for that earworm.
09:42Alright, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today.
09:45At 10.30, veterans and conservation groups raise concerns about Trump's proposed triumphal arch with a press conference.
09:52At 11, First Lady Melania Trump speaks at the White House about the ceasefire in Oleschke.
09:57Russian and Ukrainian representatives are expected.
10:00At 1, a federal planning commission is expected to vote on the arch project, with construction possibly starting today.
10:07And at 3.30, Texas governor-elect Gina Hinojosa holds a news conference.
10:12Folks, we're the fastest, fairest few minutes in news.
10:16Watch us at SAN.com or the Straight Arrow app, or join us on YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you get
10:23your podcasts.
10:24And hey, it's Thursday, which means a new episode of Offscript is coming your way.
10:29That's our new podcast where we sit down with Straight Arrow news reporters and dig a little deeper into the
10:34stories they're covering.
10:35This week, the midterm results.
10:38Who's to blame?
10:39Seems Republicans can't quite decide yet.
10:42Subscribers can watch the full episode later today on SAN.com or our app.
10:47And we'll post a free preview on YouTube and Spotify.
10:51That's Unbiased Updates for this Thursday.
10:53For the Unbiased Updates team and all of us at Straight Arrow, I'm Christian Bryant.
10:57Thanks so much for watching.
10:58Have a good one and we'll see you back here tomorrow.
