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House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has signaled his support for plans to investigate President Donald Trump and members of his administration when Democrats take control of Congress in January, aligning himself with incoming House Oversight Committee Chairman Robert Garcia, who has warned Trump allies to “LAWYER UP.”

During an interview Friday on NPR’s “Morning Edition,” Jeffries confirmed that Democratic leaders are coordinating with members of the House Oversight and Judiciary committees to prepare investigations into alleged misconduct by administration officials.

The remarks came after Garcia issued a series of public warnings about the investigations Democrats intend to pursue, including possible wrongdoing involving the Trump family and senior White House officials.

NPR co-host Leila Fadel pressed Jeffries on whether he supported Garcia’s aggressive approach, noting that the Democratic leader had previously emphasized that voters wanted Congress to focus on reducing everyday expenses rather than pursuing political retaliation.

“You said yesterday that Americans don’t want Democrats to get even, they want you to get things done on their behalf, specifically around affordability. Now, Rep. Robert Garcia, the incoming Oversight Committee Chair, struck a very different tone. He posted online, ‘LAWYER UP’, and laid out a plan that included investigating the Trump family for possible crimes in the next Congress. Are you on the same page when it comes to accountability?” Fadel asked.

Jeffries answered affirmatively, arguing that Democrats could simultaneously pursue their economic agenda and investigate what he described as wrongdoing within the administration.

“Yeah, well, we’ve repeatedly made clear over the last two years that we’ve got to relentlessly make life more affordable for the American people, while at the same period of time, visit[ing] accountability on those who have been engaged in lawbreaking, norm-breaking, and unleashing unprecedented corruption on the American people. And so, it’s my expectation — and we’re working closely, of course, with Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee and Democrats on the Oversight Committee, who will lead our accountability efforts, along with all of the relevant committees across the Congress, because the levels of corruption have been unprecedented — and we’ve made clear to the American people, that, if you have folks out there who have been stealing from the American people, shortchanging the American people, or screwing over the American people, we’re going to hold the crooks accountable. We’re going to function like a separate and co-equal branch of government, as opposed to, unfortunately, what my Republican colleagues have done, [which] is to bury their heads in the sand and be nothing more than a reckless rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s extreme agenda. So, we’ve got to follow the facts, we’ve got to apply the law, we’ve got to be guided by the Constitution, and we have to deliver a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

The Democratic leader’s comments indicate that the party’s incoming House majority intends to make congressional investigations a major component of its agenda, even as Jeffries continues to emphasize lowering prices and addressing voters’ economic concerns.

Garcia has already identified several potential areas of investigation, including the Trump family’s business dealings, federal immigration enforcement operations, the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, and possible conflicts of interest involving government officials and private companies.

Democrats will gain subpoena authority when the new Congress convenes in January, giving committee chairmen the ability to compel testimony and demand documents. Jeffries has been coordinating investigative preparations with Garcia and Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the leading Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.

The administration has rejected Democratic allegations of corruption, while Trump has accused his political opponents of preparing another campaign of politically motivated investigations.

On Saturday, Trump escalated the dispute by calling on the Justice Department to investigate Democrats who have threatened inquiries into his administration, describing their actions as “extortion” and “Weaponization and Lawfare at another level.”

Jeffries also addressed the possibility of impeachment proceedings against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, whose removal has been demanded by several lawmakers, including Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky.

Massie has threatened to force a House vote on eight articles of impeachment unless Hegseth resigns. Jeffries declined to commit Democrats to supporting impeachment, saying the matter would be discussed within the party caucus.

“We’ll have that conversation,” Jeffries said, describing Hegseth as “the most unqualified secretary of defense in American history.”

Asked whether impeachment was the appropriate course, Jeffries responded, “I don’t want to get out ahead of the caucus.”

“He’s got to go,” the Democratic leader added.

Jeffries also indicated that Democrats intend to pursue legislation aimed at ending the war with Iran, arguing that the conflict has contributed to higher gasoline, diesel and fertilizer prices. He said the incoming congressional majority could advance a war powers resolution requiring Trump to decide whether to sign or veto legislation restricting the military campaign.

A majority of Jewish voters in Michigan supported Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in Tuesday’s U.S. Senate election despite widespread concerns about his hostility toward Israel and his controversial statements concerning antisemitism, according to newly released polling that also revealed significant defections from the Democratic Party among Jewish voters.

El-Sayed, who defeated Republican Mike Rogers to become the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate, received support from 57% of Jewish early voters surveyed, compared with 78% who backed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson. The 21-point difference illustrates the extent to which El-Sayed’s positions on Israel and his relationship with the Jewish community affected his support among traditionally Democratic voters.

The findings come from a survey of 482 Jewish Michigan residents who voted early in the November 3 election. Conducted between October 25 and October 31 by Mercury Public Affairs for The Jewish Majority, the poll found that El-Sayed significantly underperformed other Democratic candidates, even as most Jewish respondents remained loyal to their party.

According to the survey, approximately three-quarters of respondents identified as Democrats or leaned Democratic. Nevertheless, a substantial number refused to support El-Sayed, with some crossing party lines to vote for Rogers and others leaving the Senate contest blank.

Among respondents who recalled supporting Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin in 2024, 33% did not vote for El-Sayed this year. That included 23% who supported Rogers, 3% who chose another candidate, and 7% who declined to vote in the Senate race.

The survey also found that 5% of Jewish early voters left the Senate contest blank, compared with just 1% who skipped the gubernatorial race.

One of the most contentious issues involved El-Sayed’s response to the March attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, where an armed attacker targeted a synagogue and its adjoining early childhood center.

Following the attack, El-Sayed drew criticism for remarks that included the phrase “hurt people hurt people,” which some Jewish community members interpreted as an attempt to explain or rationalize the violence.

The survey found that 87% of self-identified Democratic respondents who either voted against El-Sayed or left the Senate race blank cited those comments as a motivating factor in their decision.

El-Sayed subsequently apologized for remarks that were perceived as insensitive, but the controversy continued to follow him throughout the campaign.

His outspoken criticism of Israel, including his opposition to continued American military assistance to the Jewish state, further alienated portions of Michigan’s Jewish community.

The Republican Jewish Coalition described El-Sayed during the campaign as “the most antisemitic U.S. Senate candidate in America,” an accusation reflecting the intensity of opposition to his candidacy among Jewish Republicans.

El-Sayed and his supporters rejected allegations that his criticism of Israel amounted to antisemitism, arguing that his positions reflected opposition to Israeli government policies rather than hostility toward Jews.

The campaign exposed significant divisions within Michigan’s Jewish population, estimated at approximately 110,000 people. While some Jewish leaders and organizations publicly opposed El-Sayed, others maintained that supporting the Democratic nominee remained preferable to electing a Republican.

Former Democratic Congressman Andy Levin and Senator Elissa Slotkin were among the prominent Jewish Democrats who supported El-Sayed, even as other longtime Democratic voters expressed reservations about his candidacy.

The Jewish Majority’s survey found that 99% of self-identified Democrats who did not support El-Sayed said they would have been at least somewhat likely to vote for a different Democratic nominee. Of those respondents, 88% said they would have been very likely to support another Democrat.

Jonathan Schulman, executive director of The Jewish Majority, said the results demonstrated that Jewish voters continued to identify strongly with the Democratic Party but expected their concerns to receive greater attention.

“Jewish voters want to remain part of the big Democratic tent, but they expect their concerns about rising antisemitism, Israel and the treatment of their community to be taken seriously,” Schulman said.

El-Sayed ultimately defeated Rogers by approximately seven percentage points, according to unofficial election results, securing a Senate seat previously held by retiring Democrat Gary Peters.

The survey covered early voters rather than the entire Jewish electorate, meaning its findings should not be treated as a definitive count of how all Jewish voters cast their ballots. Nevertheless, the substantial difference between support for El-Sayed and Benson provides evidence of the political divisions surrounding his candidacy.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has sharply criticized the Trump administration’s military campaign against Iran, questioning whether the operation had a clearly defined objective and warning that efforts to topple the Iranian government could leave the United States involved in a prolonged conflict without a realistic path to victory.

Speaking Saturday at the University of Notre Dame’s Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government, DeSantis argued that the military operation had expanded beyond destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities into an attempt to bring about regime change, a goal he said could not realistically be accomplished through airstrikes alone.

“I think what happened this year was an attempt to cause the regime to collapse. Israel went and they took out the Ayatollah. They took out clerics. There were US strikes, obviously. And I think the goal was that the regime’s got to collapse and then something new would take its place,” he said.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on the Iran War:

All the people that had been protesting in January were all dead by the time they did it in late February.

Regime change would require massive amounts of boots on the ground. pic.twitter.com/JADJcgh1DQ

— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 7, 2026

DeSantis suggested that the timing of the operation had complicated efforts to produce a change in Iranian leadership, arguing that the earlier crackdown on anti-government demonstrators had severely weakened the opposition before the military campaign began.

“Now, the problem with that is that all the people that had been protesting in January were all dead by the time they did it in late February. And so that was done – that was a decapitation strike. That’s like the point of no return, right? I mean, once you do that, it’s like, how do you bring it to a successful conclusion?” the Florida Governor continued.

The governor contrasted the latest campaign with Operation Midnight Hammer, the American strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025. DeSantis said he remained supportive of that earlier operation because it had a specific military purpose, unlike what he described as the broader and less clearly defined objectives of the current conflict.

“This time, I think the goal – certainly from Israel – was that you’d have a regime change in Iran. Now, that’s not something that we’re going to be able to impose. That would require massive amounts of boots on the ground, massive amounts of treasure, that the American people are not interested in providing. And so that’s why I think the second time has caused more problems in terms of public acceptance and all these other things.”

DeSantis also questioned whether eliminating senior Iranian officials had strengthened the position of the country’s remaining leadership, potentially making a negotiated resolution more difficult.

“Once the Ayatollah is taken out, once these clerics [are targeted]… I think their goal was to have the government collapse, and that didn’t happen. So now the people that are there probably are more powerful than they were prior to this. And what incentive do they have to kind of do some type of deal? And you’re like, ‘Oh, just negotiate a deal.’ Wait a minute. You took out the Supreme Leader. They view us as the Great Satan. So my fear is that it’s going to kind of drag on and continue to be a sore spot, given the trajectory it’s gone.”

The governor also faulted senior administration officials for offering differing explanations of what the military campaign was intended to accomplish, arguing that the absence of a clearly articulated end goal had contributed to the difficulties facing Washington.

“I think this time has been… you’ve got to know: What are you trying to accomplish? What’s the concrete objective? Are you going to do it, and (be able to) say, ‘We accomplished the objective?’ There was never really a concrete (plan). Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said one thing. The Secretary of State (said) something else. The Vice President… they all said a little bit different when this was launched. And that’s been part of the problem,” DeSantis added.

His criticism comes as questions intensify about his political future following Republicans’ sweeping defeats in Tuesday’s midterm elections. The Washington Post reported Friday that DeSantis was exploring another presidential campaign in 2028, potentially positioning himself against Vice President JD Vance for the Republican nomination.

According to the newspaper, the Florida governor had contacted at least one national political consultant about a possible campaign, while a political committee associated with him had circulated fundraising appeals. One person familiar with the activity described it as “a sign of his intention to run in the election.”

DeSantis forcefully rejected the report, insisting that he had made no preparations to seek another elected office.

“The Washington Post is making this entire story up out of thin air. I have not contacted anyone about running for any office,” he wrote on social media. “This is just another pathetic attempt to get clicks, all while using anonymous sources, of course!”

Speaking separately at Notre Dame, DeSantis again denied contacting prospective campaign advisers, accusing the newspaper of relying on speculation and anonymous accounts rather than firsthand information. He said he remained focused on completing his term as Florida governor, which ends in January.

New York City’s new $4 million public restroom program is receiving unexpectedly positive reviews from residents six weeks after its launch, with users praising the cleanliness, modern amenities and convenience of the facilities, despite criticism over their $235,000-per-unit price tag and strict 10-minute usage limit, the NY Post reports.

The city has installed 17 high-tech bathrooms manufactured by Throne Labs as part of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s effort to address New York’s longstanding shortage of public restrooms. The facilities, which are free to use, feature touchless fixtures, decorative wallpaper, background music, baby-changing stations and automated access systems.

Early reactions on social media have been enthusiastic, with some New Yorkers describing the bathrooms as a welcome improvement over the limited and often poorly maintained public facilities traditionally available throughout the five boroughs.

One Bronx content creator was particularly impressed by the amenities, including supplies for parents.

“You got a baby changing station. You got toilet paper. You got some tunes… This [is] fire.”

Another social media user made a special trip to Astoria to experience one of the new facilities, which some residents have nicknamed the “Mamdani Toilet.”

“Traveled New York to use this toilet in particular,” the visitor said.

The New York Post conducted its own inspection of one of the units at Malcolm X Plaza in Manhattan and reported finding a remarkably clean facility, complete with a spotless toilet, sink and floor, ample toilet paper and fully stocked soap dispensers.

The enclosed bathroom also provided an unusual degree of quiet, shielding visitors from the noise of the surrounding streets.

The units operate daily from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. Visitors can unlock the doors by scanning a QR code, sending a text message to the number displayed outside or using the free Throne mobile application.

For residents without smartphones, the company has arranged for participating community organizations to distribute reusable access cards. In Central Harlem, the Food Bank for New York City has reportedly been issuing approximately 10 passes daily.

Each card carries an individual identification code, allowing operators to deactivate access when necessary, including in cases where a restroom is deliberately left in unacceptable condition.

One of the most controversial features is the automatic 10-minute time limit, which is designed to discourage people from occupying the facilities for extended periods.

Visitors receive spoken reminders after five and eight minutes. As the deadline approaches, a digital countdown appears inside the restroom, and the door automatically opens after the allotted time expires.

During its inspection, The Post deliberately remained inside beyond the permitted period and confirmed that the system issued its warnings before opening the door.

Critics have raised concerns about whether 10 minutes provides sufficient time for people with disabilities, digestive conditions or other medical needs. One Reddit user complained that the policy was “Likely violating ADA for anyone with IBS,” while another questioned the program’s price, writing, “17 toilets costs 4 million dollars…This is a terrible idea,”

Throne Labs co-founder and chief operating officer Jess Heinzelman said company employees clean the bathrooms after approximately 11 to 16 visits, with additional servicing when users report problems.

According to the company, the facilities have already recorded more than 20,000 uses and received an average customer satisfaction rating of four out of five.

Heinzelman said “the units are quick and easy to place,” noting that their modular construction allows them to be installed without the extensive underground utility work required for traditional public bathrooms.

The city’s $4 million contract covers the production, installation, operation and maintenance of all 17 restrooms during the yearlong pilot, rather than simply the purchase of the structures. City officials say the entire program costs approximately as much as constructing a single conventional public restroom in New York.

Mamdani has proposed a much broader expansion of public bathroom access, with a long-term goal of adding approximately 2,000 facilities across the city.

New York currently has roughly 1,100 public restrooms serving approximately 8.6 million residents, leaving many neighborhoods with few convenient options.

At a September press conference announcing the initiative, Mamdani defended the initial rollout as a meaningful response to a common frustration among city residents.

“Brother, I’ll tell you that when you need one, if you can find one, [it] makes a difference,” the mayor said. “So, 17, yes, it is an important first step… To us, this is also what it looks like for a city government being responsive.”

Some New Yorkers have defended the program against complaints about its restrictions, arguing that a clean, free restroom is preferable to having no public facilities available.

“There’s 0% wrong with this,” one Reddit user wrote. “It’s a free and regularly cleaned bathroom. You [just] can’t camp out in there.”

The pilot locations are spread across all five boroughs, including Cooper Square and Delancey Street in Manhattan, Columbus Park and Milestone Park in Brooklyn, several locations in Queens and the Bronx, and the North Shore Esplanade on Staten Island.

{Matzav.com}

Rep. Robert Garcia, the California Democrat preparing to take control of the powerful House Oversight Committee, has threatened to launch an investigation into Stephen Miller following President Donald Trump’s decision to appoint his longtime adviser as White House chief of staff, issuing a blunt warning that Miller should “lawyer up.”

The threat came Friday afternoon, just minutes after Trump announced that Miller would replace Susie Wiles as his chief of staff, placing one of the president’s most influential and controversial advisers in charge of overseeing White House operations.

Garcia, who is expected to become chairman of the House Oversight Committee when Democrats assume control of the chamber in January, immediately signaled that Miller would be among the administration officials facing heightened congressional scrutiny.

“Just days after the American people rejected his corrupt and lawless presidency, Donald Trump is doubling down,” Garcia said in a statement responding to the appointment.

Miller, who has been a central figure in shaping Trump’s immigration and domestic policy agenda, has long been a leading target of Democratic criticism over the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement measures.

Garcia accused Miller of bearing responsibility for controversial operations conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and suggested that his elevation to chief of staff would only intensify Democratic efforts to examine his conduct.

“Stephen Miller is the architect of the unconstitutional ICE raids that have terrorized our communities and kidnapped and killed American citizens and immigrant families.

“Oversight Democrats will continue to investigate Miller for his misconduct, and we will fight against his hateful policies in Congress and the courts.”

Garcia concluded his statement with a direct warning: “Stephen Miller should lawyer up.”

The threat drew an immediate response from Attorney General Todd Blanche, who publicly pledged the Justice Department’s support for the incoming chief of staff.

“The Chief of Staff already has a lawyer. The Attorney General of the United States and the Department of Justice,” Blanche wrote on X.

Other leading Democrats also condemned the appointment. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer accused Trump of ignoring the message voters delivered in the midterm elections, while House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries sharply criticized Miller’s record on immigration enforcement.

Trump, meanwhile, defended his decision to promote Miller, describing him as a trusted adviser who has worked alongside him since the beginning of his political career. The president praised Miller’s management abilities and political judgment, saying he believed the longtime aide was well suited to lead the White House staff.

Miller is scheduled to assume his new position Monday, November 9. Wiles, who managed Trump’s successful 2024 presidential campaign, is expected to move into a role with the president’s political operation.

The leadership change comes just days after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections, setting the stage for extensive investigations of the administration when the new Congress convenes in January.

As chairman of the Oversight Committee, Garcia would have the authority to initiate investigations, request administration records, hold hearings and issue subpoenas, although the White House could challenge congressional demands through executive privilege claims and litigation.

Two Israeli men are among three foreign nationals charged by federal prosecutors in Manhattan with orchestrating an elaborate international fraud operation that allegedly used artificial intelligence to impersonate corporate executives and attorneys, tricking businesses into transferring more than $129 million to accounts controlled by the conspirators.

The indictment, announced Friday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, describes a sophisticated scheme in which employees of major companies were deceived into believing they were receiving confidential financial instructions from their own chief executives and lawyers representing prominent international law firms.

The defendants were identified as Jacob Soall, 41, a resident of Spain and the United Kingdom; Sharon Hazan, 54, of Israel; and Guy Sheetrit, 42, who resides in Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

According to prosecutors, Soall allegedly impersonated attorneys from leading British law firms, while Hazan and Sheetrit were involved in moving and concealing money obtained through the fraudulent transactions.

All three men were arrested in European countries between June and September 2026. American authorities are seeking their extradition to the United States to face the charges.

Federal investigators allege that the operation ran from 2024 through 2026 and relied on advanced artificial intelligence technology that prosecutors referred to as “super intelligence,” or “SI,” to reproduce the voices and, in some instances, the appearances of senior corporate executives.

The fraudsters allegedly contacted company employees while posing as their chief executive officers, claiming that urgent and highly confidential business transactions required immediate assistance.

Employees were then directed to communicate with individuals presented as attorneys from well-known international law firms. Those supposed lawyers were also impersonators who instructed the employees to transfer substantial sums of money into bank accounts controlled by the criminal network.

Prosecutors say the conspirators subsequently converted the stolen funds into cryptocurrency, using digital assets and financial transactions to obscure the money’s origins and prevent investigators from identifying its ultimate recipients.

Court documents identify a wide range of alleged victims, including hospitals, financial institutions, investment companies, and manufacturers in the United States and overseas.

Among the largest reported losses was approximately $11.58 million stolen from a British financial technology company. A Florida pet food manufacturer allegedly lost $5.24 million, while a Missouri hospital system was defrauded of approximately $4.83 million.

Other victims included a Massachusetts mutual fund company that lost $4.64 million, a California hospital system that lost nearly $2.97 million, and a Rhode Island bank that lost approximately $2.68 million.

Investigators say the fraudulent payments were directed to accounts in numerous countries, including the United States, Spain, Portugal, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Austria, Slovakia, and China.

The Justice Department also disclosed that Soall allegedly maintained a handwritten script titled “Lawyer Call,” containing instructions intended to make his impersonation of a British attorney more convincing. The script reportedly included language designed to discourage employees from discussing the supposed transactions with their colleagues.

Prosecutors further allege that Hazan boasted about his experience laundering money, claiming that he had been involved in such activities since 1994 and had processed more than $400 million in illicit funds during the preceding three years.

Federal authorities also revealed that Hazan was previously convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud in the Southern District of New York in 2008.

U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald warned that advances in artificial intelligence are creating new opportunities for criminals to deceive individuals and businesses.

“SI technology offers tremendous potential,” McDonald said. “But the public should recognize that there are some who seek to use this emerging technology to pursue criminal goals.”

“I encourage individuals and the business community to consider how to best protect themselves from the emerging threat of SI-enabled crime,” McDonald said.

FBI officials said the investigation illustrates how increasingly sophisticated technology can be exploited to commit financial crimes on an international scale.

Each defendant faces seven federal charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, money laundering conspiracy, and money laundering. The most serious fraud and money laundering counts carry potential maximum prison sentences of 20 years each.

The prosecution is being handled by the Southern District of New York’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit, with assistance from law enforcement authorities in Spain and the United Kingdom.

Eva Geller, a 90-year-old Holocaust survivor who was shot during the antisemitic terrorist attack on a Chanukah gathering at Sydney’s Bondi Beach last December, has died from complications related to her injuries, bringing the number of victims killed in the massacre to 16.

Geller passed away overnight Thursday in a Sydney hospital, nearly 11 months after terrorists opened fire on hundreds of Jews attending a Chanukah celebration on December 14, 2025. Fifteen people were murdered in the initial attack, while dozens of others sustained injuries.

Having survived the horrors of the Holocaust as a young girl, Geller spent her final months struggling with the devastating physical consequences of the shooting. She was repeatedly admitted to the hospital as doctors attempted to treat the serious injuries she had sustained.

Australian-Israeli human rights attorney Arsen Ostrovsky, himself a survivor of the Bondi Beach massacre, expressed his grief upon learning of her passing.

“Absolutely devastating,” Ostrovsky wrote on X. “Eva Geller, 90, shot during the Bondi terror attack, has just died, following complications from her injuries, becoming the 16th victim of the massacre. Eva was a HOLOCAUST survivor!

Geller had escaped Romania during the Holocaust, in which numerous members of her family were murdered. She eventually rebuilt her life in Australia, where she became a member of the Jewish community in Bondi Beach.

Rabbi Aron Moss of the Nefesh Synagogue, where Geller was a regular attendee, recalled that physicians initially believed her injuries would permanently prevent her from walking.

Despite that grim prognosis, Geller worked to regain her mobility and eventually succeeded in walking again. She also lived to mark her 90th birthday, an occasion that brought joy to those who had witnessed her difficult recovery.

Although she remained largely confined to bed following the attack, Rabbi Moss said she maintained a remarkably positive attitude despite her suffering. Her life had already been marked by considerable personal tragedy, including the loss of relatives during the Holocaust and the death of her husband when she was still relatively young.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese offered condolences to Geller’s family and the wider Jewish community, condemning the terrorist attack that had ultimately claimed her life.

“Eva should have been able to celebrate Chanukah in peace and safety and instead, her life was changed forever by an act of terror and antisemitism,” Albanese said.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns also expressed sorrow over her death, describing it as another painful loss for a community still recovering from the December massacre.

Police in New South Wales confirmed that they had been notified of Geller’s passing and were consulting with the coroner to determine the circumstances of her death and whether additional criminal charges might be warranted.

Authorities have identified the alleged perpetrators of the December 14 attack as Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed Akram, who investigators believe were motivated by the Islamic State terrorist organization.

Sajid Akram was killed by police during the attack, while his son survived and was arrested. Naveed Akram faces 15 murder charges, 43 attempted murder charges and a terrorism offense. He has not entered a plea, and prosecutors may review the charges following Geller’s death.

The massacre, Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in decades, prompted the New South Wales government to establish a permanent rapid-response police unit to address terrorist threats and religiously motivated violence.

Australian authorities also launched a major inquiry into antisemitism and social cohesion following the attack. More than 340 witnesses have testified over 62 days of hearings, and investigators have received more than 20,000 submissions. The commission is scheduled to release its findings on December 18.

The Israeli Embassy in Australia joined the expressions of mourning, recalling that Geller had survived Nazi persecution as a child and established a new life in Australia, only to be gravely wounded decades later while participating in a Jewish religious celebration.

Geller’s levayah and memorial service are scheduled for Monday in Sydney, where members of the Jewish community are expected to gather to pay their final respects.

By Jonathan S. Tobin

It doesn’t take a degree in political science or a job as a talking head on a cable news network to understand the 2026 midterm elections. As is usually the case, the results were a referendum on the incumbent administration. Though the reasons for it can be disputed, there is no denying that the blue wave that swept the Democratic Party into control of both houses of Congress was a rebuke to U.S. President Donald Trump and the Republicans.

But there is one aspect of the voting that remains a puzzle for some. How is it that so many Jews in Michigan, indeed a reported majority of early voters according to one survey, voted for Dr. Abdul El-Sayed?

National midterms exit polling suggested that 68% of those who identify as Jews voted for Democrats. That’s not all that much different from the surveys of the 2024 election. Two years ago, an AP/Fox News poll showed that 66% of Jews backed Democrats, while one conducted by the liberal Jewish Electoral Institute put the number at 71%.

Some observers believed that Jewish support for El-Sayed would be far lower than those numbers. Given his record of open antisemitism, that seemed a reasonable assumption. How could a candidate gain any appreciable Jewish support when he rationalized a terrorist attack on a synagogue and Jewish preschool in West Bloomfield, Mich., opposed Israel’s existence, had credible ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and waged a campaign that hinged on demonizing the pro-Israel AIPAC lobby and driving Jews from the public square, while employing tropes of Jew-hatred that resembled The Protocols of the Elders of Zion?

A majority of Jewish votes went to El-Sayed

The evidence appears to be that the percentage of Jews who voted for him wasn’t all that much lower than those who favored the average Democrat. While one should always take exit polls with a grain of salt, one survey of those who voted early in Michigan showed that a large majority of those who identify as Jewish—57%—voted for El-Sayed.

If that result is even remotely accurate how can that be explained? And what does that say about the state of American Jewry in 2026, especially considering that it took place amid a global surge of antisemitism that began with the Hamas-led, Palestinian Arab terror attacks on Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023?

El-Sayed was just one of many Democrats who benefited from the general dissatisfaction with the Trump administration, and he is just one of many opponents of Israel that will be part of the large freshman class of Democrats in the House and Senate in the next Congress.

The list includes such notable additions as Darializa Avila Chevalier, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America who led a pro-Hamas demonstration in New York City’s Times Square on Oct. 8, 2023 and will soon represent Northern Manhattan in the House of Representatives.

Other DSA members who oppose the existence of the Jewish state, who will be joining the already expanded left-wing congressional “Squad,” include Claire Valdez, also of New York City, Philadelphia’s Chris Rabb, Denver’s Melat Kiros and Los Angeles’s Angela Gonzales-Torres.

And that’s not even noting the many others, whose anti-Israel stances, including those who repeat the blood libel that Israel committed “genocide” in the Gaza Strip, make them indistinguishable from DSA members.

It’s not about Netanyahu

Many Democrats claim to still support Israel. But the list of those who are willing to emphatically refute the antisemitic lies about the Gaza war or the conflict with the Palestinians in general that have been normalized in public discourse, are now few and far between.

Few oppose restrictions or bans on military aid to Israel in wartime or sanctions against Jews in Judea and Samaria, who have been demonized by the false narrative of “settler violence.” Indeed, once you get past Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), there aren’t many Democrats in Congress who fit that description.

Moreover, the notion that the Democratic Party’s turn against Israel can be explained by being alienated by the policies and statements of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a myth.

Pro-Israel Jewish Democrats claim that Netanyahu has destroyed Democratic support for the Jewish state by favoring Republicans, especially Trump. But this is false. In the last two decades, it is the Democrats who have turned on Israel, not just Netanyahu, by embracing appeasement of Iran and clinging to the two-state solution and “land for peace” formulas that most Israelis rightly understand as merely a recipe for more Oct. 7-style terror atrocities, not an end to the conflict.

If anyone still doubts that, they need to read the exchange on X between Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid and Brad Lander, the Democrat who was just elected to Congress from New York City.

Lander, a former city comptroller, won his seat by defeating Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), a man with impeccable liberal and anti-Trump credentials and a critic of Netanyahu, who wouldn’t disavow support for Israel, in a Democratic primary.

Lander is Jewish and claims to not oppose Israel’s existence, but he accused it of “genocide” during the campaign and demanded that Goldman do the same. Lander responded with scorn to Lapid’s expectation that a change in power in Jerusalem and more outreach from Israeli leaders like him, who are eager to be friends with the Democrats, would change things. He made it clear that Democrats like him, who are allied with the antisemitic New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and even others who are not that extreme, aren’t interested in mainstream Israeli opinion, even when it comes from liberals who want to be his allies.

Lander, who campaigned for Mamdani after losing to him in the mayoral primary, wants Israel to show “respect for international law and human rights.” While that comment is rooted in lies about both international law and Israaeli conduct, we know what it means. At a minimum, he’s demanding withdrawal from Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem and the creation of a Palestinian state, likely run by Hamas, that would pose a deadly threat to Israel’s existence. That’s something that not even the left-leaning “anyone but Bibi” coalition that seeks to replace Netanyahu couldn’t possibly accept.

This perspective, which is where many of those Americans—who, like Lander, style themselves “liberal Zionists” as opposed to the anti-Zionists of the DSA—is a partial reason why Jews continue to vote for Democrats.

Yet even that doesn’t fully explain why nearly three in five Michigan Jews may have voted for a person like El-Sayed, who is far more hostile to Jewish national existence than Lander. Indeed, not without reason, the Republican Jewish Coalition called El-Sayed the most antisemitic Senate candidate in America.

Politics flow from demography

In order to fully understand why the majority of Jews remain among the most loyal supporters of the Democrats, one needs to comprehend the cultural shift among Americans in general when it comes to politics. It is now axiomatic that in this hyper-partisan era, in which most Americans are thoroughly secular, politics now plays the role in their lives that was once played by religion.

That is even more the case for the overwhelming majority of Jews, who are non-Orthodox and politically liberal.

For this dominant sector of U.S. Jewish demography, liberal political stands—a list of beliefs that can shift with changing political fashions on the left—and devotion to the Democrats is their religion. Indeed, the positions taken by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the policy arm of the largest U.S. Jewish denomination, are more or less those of most Democrats on a host of issues, many of which are not specifically Jewish in scope.

There has been a lot of talk about some movement toward the Republicans among Jews in recent years. Many Jewish liberals have been deeply shocked by the reaction to Oct. 7 from the American political left, especially as they saw their children targeted by pro-Hamas mobs on campuses. But it is yet to be proved that a significant percentage have drawn conclusions from this and are ready to change how they vote.

There was some reason to believe that in states like Florida, Jews were more likely to vote for candidates from a GOP that had become a lockstep supporter of the Jewish state. Trump’s efforts to combat antisemitism on college campuses also gave them a reason to switch sides. And some prominent Jews, like retired Harvard University legal scholar and longtime liberal advocate Alan Dershowitz, have done so.

But as the 2024 and 2026 elections showed, Jewish loyalty to the Democrats has continued even as they have largely transitioned into being the country’s anti-Israel party, Those who agree with Dershowitz appear to be the exceptions that prove the rule.

Part of the explanation comes not so much from ideology as it does from demography. As surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center have shown, the fastest growing sector of the American Jewish population is characterized by demographers as “Jews of no religion.”

That doesn’t just mean that they don’t practice Judaism. It encompasses a broad shift away from traditional ideas about what it means to be Jewish with devotion to religious faith, Jewish law and tradition and, above all, a sense of Jewish peoplehood being discarded. That has led to significant numbers of those who may identify as Jewish in some way but have no real connection to organized Jewish life, including synagogues, community centers and organizations that represent and serve Jews.

This is a function of the assimilation and intermarriage rates in the vicinity of 70% for non-Orthodox Jews, not critiques of Israeli policies or Netanyahu.

Giving a pass to Jew-hatred

It also means that many of them have increasingly fewer ties to the half of the world’s Jewish population that lives in Israel. That doesn’t just mean that they have a poor understanding or none at all about why Israeli Jews think as they do. They have little idea why Israelis are prepared to fight to defend their homes and families against Palestinian foes, whose national existence is inextricably linked to a century-old genocidal war on Zionism, for which the atrocities of Oct. 7 was just the trailer.

But they also don’t seem to understand that devotion to the land of Israel is central to Jewish identity, as Jews have understood it for the past 3,000 years. Many liberal Jews have rejected the widely-accepted International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, because they want one that allows opposition to Israel’s existence, and not just criticism of it. without being accused of hating Jews.

Once you grasp that, it’s easier to comprehend why a not-inconsiderable number of Jews are willing to believe that someone like El-Sayed, who is in favor of the destruction of the Jewish state—something that would inevitably require the genocide of half of the Jews currently alive—but claims to love Jews, isn’t an antisemite or a threat to them.

The stances of “liberal Zionists” like the cynical Lander are likely the product of his knowing that liberal Democrats have been largely indoctrinated in the toxic doctrines of critical race theory, intersectionality and settler-colonialism and, therefore, falsely define Israel and the Jews as “white oppressors.”

That is why Democrats like him are becoming difficult to distinguish from open DSA opponents of Israel, or even antisemites like El-Sayed. Even those who merely think Israel should be more amenable to territorial withdrawals have little sympathy for the majority of Jewish Israelis who are religious or nationalist. Such American Jews haven’t paid attention to the way Palestinians have consistently rejected peace offers, because the only solution they desire is one in which Israel no longer exists.

Defining Jewish identity

For those whose Jewish identity is still firmly rooted in Jewish tradition, a vote for someone like El-Sayed is hard to justify even if they are loyal Democrats.

Perhaps few would, like Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, think that adding another member to the Democratic Senate caucus is more important than Israel’s survival or that of the Jewish people. But in the current political atmosphere, it is likely that some of them might have done so simply because they hate Trump and the Republicans more than they love Israel.

It is arguable that those with such a negligible sense of their identity as Jews are unlikely to maintain themselves as a separate community or one with any coherence. Indeed, that may already be the case, as the number of those Jews of no religion continues to multiply. Part of the problem with surveys that measure Jewish opinion or votes is that a growing number of those who say they are Jewish have few actual ties to Jewish life.

If one were to only count those Jews who have such connections or beliefs, the statistics about their voting habits and their beliefs might be very different from those that show that the Jewish population is as liberal and loyal to the Democrats as they ever were.

Even if that is true, it is still a measure of the ignorance and the lack of identification with the ongoing struggle for Jewish survival in an age of growing antisemitism that so many Jews vote for the likes of El-Sayed, Chevalier, Mamdani and even Lander. It is a sign of a community that has lost its way.

With so much of the mainstream liberal media—upon which most Jews depend for information about the Middle East and the battle against antisemitism— mainstreaming misinformation and blood libels about Israel, it’s not that surprising that they aren’t questioning knee-jerk support for Jew-hating Democrats.

But it must motivate those who understand just how wrongheaded such stances are to redouble their efforts to promote Jewish education and connection to the Jewish state as well as in telling the truth about the war against Israel.

The only way to combat the Jewish illiteracy that leads so many to vote for antisemites out of partisan loyalty is to spread the truth about Jewish life and Israel.

Jonathan S. Tobin is editor-in-chief of JNS.

The United States is experiencing its worst measles outbreak in 35 years, with more than 5,000 confirmed infections and at least eight deaths reported nationwide, according to newly released federal and state health data. The alarming increase comes as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faces growing criticism over the Trump administration’s vaccination policies and its handling of the disease’s resurgence.

Figures released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 5,182 measles cases have been recorded in 2026, the highest annual total since 1991 and more than twice the 2,289 infections documented throughout 2025.

The virus has spread to 45 states and Washington, D.C., with health officials identifying 43 separate outbreaks this year. Approximately 96% of confirmed infections have been associated with outbreaks, reflecting the disease’s ability to spread rapidly through susceptible populations.

The death toll has also increased sharply. State health departments have reported six measles-associated deaths in Pennsylvania, one in New York and one in Wisconsin. Three of those fatalities were disclosed during the past week.

New York health officials announced Wednesday that a child in the upstate region had died in connection with measles, marking the state’s first reported measles-associated death in more than three decades.

Pennsylvania authorities also confirmed another fatality Wednesday, involving an unvaccinated resident of Jefferson County. The state has experienced one of the nation’s most severe outbreaks, recording 1,487 cases and 287 hospitalizations.

On Thursday, Wisconsin officials reported the death of an infant who had measles, the state’s first such fatality since 1990.

The CDC’s official national figures currently list four measles-associated deaths, fewer than the eight reported by individual states. Federal officials say the discrepancy reflects differences in reporting and classification procedures, with the agency noting that its death count is “subject to change.”

The latest federal statistics also show that 562 people have been hospitalized with measles this year, representing approximately 11% of all confirmed infections.

Children and teenagers account for a substantial portion of the cases. More than 2,100 infections have been recorded among children ages 5 through 19, while another 908 cases involve children younger than five. Adults age 20 and older account for 2,132 infections.

Vaccination status has emerged as a major factor in the outbreaks. According to the CDC, approximately 96% of patients were either unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination history. Only about 2% of confirmed cases involved individuals who had received both recommended doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

Public health experts have repeatedly warned that declining childhood vaccination rates are leaving communities increasingly vulnerable to measles, one of the most contagious infectious diseases.

National data show that approximately 92.4% of American kindergarten students received the recommended MMR vaccinations during the 2025–2026 school year, compared with 95.2% before the COVID-19 pandemic. Health authorities generally consider vaccination coverage of approximately 95% necessary to prevent sustained measles transmission in communities.

The resurgence has intensified scrutiny of Kennedy, who has long questioned aspects of vaccine safety and has pursued changes to federal immunization policy since becoming health secretary.

Critics argue that his public statements and policy initiatives have contributed to confusion about vaccination at a time when health officials are struggling to contain outbreaks. Kennedy and his supporters have defended his approach as an effort to improve transparency and restore public confidence in federal health recommendations.

The worsening situation also threatens America’s longstanding measles elimination designation, which the country has maintained since 2000. That status means the virus has not circulated continuously within the United States for at least 12 months, rather than that measles has been permanently eradicated.

International public health authorities are expected to review whether continued transmission during the current outbreaks warrants withdrawing the designation.

Measles typically begins with fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes before producing a characteristic rash. Although many patients recover, complications can include pneumonia, brain inflammation and death, particularly among young children and individuals with weakened immune systems.

The CDC continues to recommend two doses of the MMR vaccine, which provide approximately 97% protection against measles. Health officials are urging families to verify their vaccination records, particularly in communities experiencing active outbreaks.

Congressional Democrats are preparing a major legislative effort to overturn President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian imports when they assume control of Congress in January, with party leaders hoping to recruit enough Republican support to overcome a possible presidential veto.

Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, who is expected to become chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has begun discussions with fellow lawmakers about legislation targeting the administration’s trade restrictions on Canada, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

Wyden said he is “already talking” with colleagues about the proposal and believes opposition to the tariffs extends well beyond the Democratic Party.

“There is overwhelming support for repealing the tariffs on products from Canada,” Wyden said earlier this week.

Democrats view the tariff issue as a potential opportunity to attract Republican lawmakers whose constituents have been affected by higher import costs. Some of Trump’s trade measures have imposed duties reaching 50% on certain products, including materials and goods used by American manufacturers and consumers.

One strategy under consideration would involve bringing individual tariff measures to a vote, forcing members of Congress to publicly decide whether to maintain duties on specific categories of imported goods.

However, Wyden indicated that his ambitions extend beyond removing particular tariffs. He wants Congress to reconsider the broad authority that has allowed presidents to impose trade restrictions without obtaining specific legislative approval.

“Ultimately, Congress must take away the president’s ability to unilaterally and arbitrarily impose tariffs,” Wyden said.

The administration’s trade policies have had a particularly significant impact on states with close commercial ties to Canada, including Michigan and Ohio, where manufacturers depend on cross-border supply chains for automotive parts, machinery, and other industrial materials.

Democrats argue that the tariffs have increased costs for American businesses and consumers, while Trump has maintained that his trade policies are necessary to protect domestic industries, encourage manufacturing investment, and secure more favorable agreements with foreign governments.

The proposed Democratic legislation faces significant obstacles. Even with control of both chambers, Democrats would need substantial Republican backing to overcome Senate procedural hurdles and assemble the two-thirds majorities required to override a presidential veto.

Kelly Ann Shaw, who served on the National Economic Council during Trump’s first administration, suggested that the president is unlikely to retreat from his trade agenda simply because Democrats have gained control of Congress.

“The president has been moving forward on his trade agenda irrespective of the makeup of Congress,” Shaw said.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed the possibility of congressional action Friday, saying that removing American tariffs would help reduce household expenses, support employment, and restore stability to trade between the neighboring countries. He also acknowledged that he had not yet discussed the proposed legislation directly with Democratic lawmakers.

The Democratic initiative comes as Washington and Ottawa have shown signs of progress in their own negotiations. Trump and Carney recently described a telephone conversation as productive, raising hopes that the two governments could reach an agreement without waiting for congressional intervention.

During a campaign appearance in Iowa, Trump expressed optimism about the discussions, telling supporters, “We have the concept of a very good deal with Canada.”

The administration has nevertheless threatened additional tariffs on Canadian automobiles if negotiations fail to produce an agreement before January, increasing pressure on Canadian manufacturers and American companies dependent on the cross-border automotive industry.

Trade organizations are also hoping that improved relations will resolve retaliatory restrictions affecting American exports. The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, whose members include major American beverage producers, has urged both governments to eliminate trade barriers that have disrupted sales in Canada.

A volcano in Spain’s Canary Islands could someday trigger a devastating tsunami capable of reaching the eastern United States within hours, according to a prominent volcanologist who warns that a massive section of the volcanic island of La Palma may eventually collapse into the Atlantic Ocean. However, scientists remain divided over the potential scale of such a disaster, and there is no indication that a catastrophic collapse is imminent.

Professor Bill McGuire, a volcanologist who has studied the Cumbre Vieja volcanic system, recently revisited the possibility of a massive landslide generating powerful ocean waves in an article published by BBC Science Focus.

The concern involves a substantial portion of the volcano’s western slope, known as its flank, which researchers have examined for evidence of instability. McGuire believes that a sufficiently large collapse into the ocean could displace enormous quantities of seawater and produce a tsunami affecting coastlines far beyond the Canary Islands.

“Based on extensive studies, I expect this part of the flank will eventually crash into the North Atlantic, launching a megatsunami in the process,” McGuire wrote.

The theory has generated considerable disagreement among geologists and tsunami researchers, particularly regarding whether a volcanic landslide could produce waves powerful enough to cause widespread destruction thousands of miles away.

“There has been huge debate and discussion, sometimes quite heated, about the level of expected destruction, and — in particular — whether devastating waves will reach the coast of North America.”

Some researchers have pointed to enormous boulders found along coastlines in the Bahamas as possible evidence that exceptionally powerful ocean waves have struck the region in prehistoric times.

Scientists studying those formations have explored whether ancient volcanic landslides in the Canary Islands could have generated transatlantic tsunamis capable of transporting large rocks and leaving deposits far from their original locations. The origins of those boulders, however, remain disputed, with other researchers proposing that powerful storms or local geological processes may explain their presence.

In the most extreme scenario examined by McGuire and his colleagues, the collapse could produce waves reaching approximately 65 feet along portions of the American coastline, with the first waves arriving in Florida roughly nine hours after the landslide.

Such an event would begin with the sudden movement of an enormous volume of rock into the Atlantic, generating exceptionally large waves near La Palma and potentially threatening neighboring Canary Islands before spreading across the ocean.

However, subsequent scientific research has challenged the assumptions behind those predictions. The U.S. Geological Survey has noted that more recent computer simulations suggest waves reaching the American East Coast would likely measure approximately three to seven feet even under a worst-case collapse scenario, considerably smaller than the original projections.

Researchers have also questioned whether the volcano’s western flank could collapse in a single massive landslide. Geological evidence suggests that similar volcanic failures frequently occur in stages, potentially reducing the size and destructive force of the resulting tsunami.

Cumbre Vieja remains an active volcanic system, having most recently erupted in 2021. That eruption caused extensive damage on La Palma, destroying homes and infrastructure, but did not produce the catastrophic landslide envisioned in the megatsunami scenario.

Despite his warning, McGuire emphasized that the potential disaster cannot be assigned a timetable and may be extraordinarily distant.

“I have no doubt this will be a cataclysmic event, but have no idea when it will happen — it could easily be centuries or even millennia down the line,” McGuire noted.

Republicans secured several additional congressional victories Friday as more closely contested midterm races were decided, offering the party some encouraging news following Tuesday’s devastating election losses. Nevertheless, Democrats remained firmly in control of the incoming House of Representatives, with their majority potentially growing as outstanding races continued to be counted.

By Friday afternoon, the Associated Press had projected Democratic victories in 254 House districts and Republican wins in 162, leaving 19 contests unresolved. The Republican total represented an increase of seven seats from Thursday afternoon, when the party had secured 155 victories.

Among the newly projected Republican winners were Colorado Congressman Jeff Hurd, Mark Lamb in Arizona, and Anthony Constantino in New York’s 21st Congressional District.

Constantino, a businessman and supporter of President Donald Trump, won the upstate New York seat being vacated by Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. He had already announced his victory during an Election Night gathering before the race was formally called.

Despite those Republican gains, Democrats were leading in approximately half of the 19 remaining undecided House contests, leaving open the possibility that their already substantial majority could expand further.

Several longtime Republican incumbents were still fighting to retain their seats, including Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Brad Finstad of Minnesota, Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee, and Virginia Foxx of North Carolina.

Boebert’s contest against Democrat Eileen Laubacher attracted particular attention as the candidates remained separated by a narrow margin. Her campaign raised concerns about ballot-counting patterns and indicated that a recount could become necessary.

“Since election night, ballot returns have been trending in Congresswoman Boebert’s direction, consistently lowering the margin under one percentage point,” Scott Gessler, who is also Colorado’s former secretary of state, said in a statement. “We are investigating some very unusual voting patterns and expect this election to head to a recount, one way or another.”

Gessler, an attorney representing Boebert’s campaign and a former Colorado secretary of state, said the campaign was examining the results as additional ballots were processed. No determination of wrongdoing had been announced.

Democrats had already flipped at least 42 Republican-held House seats, producing one of the party’s strongest congressional performances in recent election cycles.

Attention has also shifted to the Senate, where Democrats have secured a 54-44 majority, with two closely contested races in Alaska and Mississippi still awaiting final results.

In Alaska, Democratic candidate Mary Peltola was narrowly ahead of Republican Senator Dan Sullivan by approximately 600 votes, with about 74% of ballots counted. Peltola held 48.2% of the vote compared with Sullivan’s 47.9%, leaving the outcome uncertain under the state’s ranked-choice voting system.

Alaska’s election rules allow certain mailed ballots to arrive until November 18, meaning the final result could take considerably longer to determine. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, additional rounds of tabulation will be required.

In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom was maintaining a slim advantage over Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, leading by approximately 2,500 votes with 97% of ballots counted. The contest remained unresolved as officials continued reviewing outstanding absentee and provisional ballots.

Hyde-Smith insisted Friday that she was not conceding the closely fought election.

“We are not backing down,” the Republican senator wrote on X. “This election is not over. Our team is working across Mississippi to monitor the remaining ballots and protect the integrity of the process.

“We will see this through to the very end!”

Mississippi election officials have until November 13 to certify county-level results, while absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day can still arrive through November 10.

A victory by Colom would make him Mississippi’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction, adding another significant Democratic pickup to an election in which the party has already secured control of both chambers of Congress.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is leaving open the possibility of another presidential campaign in 2028, as Republicans grapple with sweeping midterm election losses that have raised questions about the party’s future leadership and political direction.

According to two individuals familiar with the governor’s thinking who spoke to ABC News, DeSantis has not reached a decision about seeking the Republican presidential nomination but is carefully assessing whether the political environment could provide an opportunity for a successful second bid.

The governor is reportedly examining several factors, including whether he could attract sufficient support among Republican voters, distinguish himself from other potential candidates, and offer a compelling vision for the party following its disappointing performance in Tuesday’s elections.

DeSantis will soon be free of his responsibilities as Florida’s governor. His second and final term expires in January 2027, when Republican Byron Donalds, who won Tuesday’s gubernatorial election, is scheduled to succeed him.

Speaking at a Florida news conference Wednesday, DeSantis offered a grim assessment of the national election results, describing the Republican losses as “the political equivalent of a meteor strike” while emphasizing that Florida had remained firmly in Republican hands.

“This is close to an extinction-level event for Republicans in many parts of the country,” DeSantis said.

The governor argued that the GOP faces a serious challenge in rebuilding its electoral coalition, suggesting that Florida remains one of the few major states where Republicans have maintained a durable political advantage.

DeSantis also criticized Republican candidates for failing to communicate an effective affirmative message to voters, arguing that the party had struggled to address the economic and political concerns driving public dissatisfaction.

The governor had already begun outlining those concerns before Election Day. During an interview with commentator Stephen A. Smith on SiriusXM, DeSantis argued that the continuing American military campaign against Iran had become a significant political burden for Republicans, particularly because of its impact on gasoline prices.

He said Republican leaders risked losing credibility with working-class voters if they refused to acknowledge the financial consequences of the conflict, accusing those who dismissed rising fuel costs of “gaslighting them, and they’re not going to listen to you on other things.”

DeSantis also questioned the political consequences of a prolonged Middle East war, noting that Trump had campaigned on avoiding additional American military entanglements overseas. He warned that an extended conflict could damage the president’s ability to govern and further weaken Republican prospects in future elections.

The possibility of another DeSantis presidential campaign comes nearly three years after his unsuccessful attempt to challenge Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination.

DeSantis entered that contest with substantial financial backing and considerable attention from Republican donors, but his campaign struggled with internal disagreements, organizational problems, and heavy spending. After losing the Iowa caucuses to Trump by approximately 30 percentage points, he withdrew on January 21, 2024, shortly before the New Hampshire primary, and endorsed Trump.

According to individuals familiar with his thinking, DeSantis has drawn two important lessons from that experience: he would need to engage more aggressively with the national media and avoid waiting too long before formally entering another presidential contest.

His potential candidacy would place him among several prominent Republicans weighing their political futures ahead of 2028, including Vice President JD Vance and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, as the party begins confronting the consequences of its midterm defeats.

President Donald Trump is considering additional changes to his administration following Republicans’ crushing midterm election losses, suggesting that the departure of White House chief of staff Susie Wiles may be only the beginning of a broader personnel shakeup.

In an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” recorded Friday morning, Trump acknowledged that he intends to remove some members of his administration after Democrats captured control of both the House and Senate in Tuesday’s elections.

Asked by correspondent Ross Douthat whether he planned to dismiss anyone from his team in response to the election results, Trump replied, “I do,” according to an excerpt released Friday evening.

Just hours after Trump told 60 Minutes he expected to fire members of his administration, he delivered his first: chief of staff Susie Wiles. Who will be next?

Watch President Trump's interview on 60 Minutes this Sunday at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. pic.twitter.com/hiWzOOmmx2

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) November 7, 2026

The president indicated that he remains generally satisfied with his Cabinet but believes some personnel adjustments are necessary.

“A little bit,” Trump continued. “I love my Cabinet. I think they’re good, but I’ll be doing maybe a few changes.

“I don’t want to mention who.”

The interview was recorded hours before Trump announced that Wiles would be leaving her position as White House chief of staff, with longtime senior adviser Stephen Miller selected to take over the job beginning Monday.

Trump disclosed the decision Friday afternoon in a Truth Social post, announcing that Wiles would move into a political role rather than remain in charge of daily White House operations.

“Susie Wiles, who has done an outstanding job, will be moving over to the Trump Political Operation. I want to thank her for her service as Chief of Staff — She has done a great job!” the president wrote.

Wiles, who managed Trump’s successful 2024 presidential campaign before becoming his chief of staff, had been a central figure in coordinating the administration’s legislative priorities and internal operations.

Miller’s appointment places one of the president’s most aggressive policy advisers in the White House’s top staff position as Trump prepares to confront Democratic majorities in Congress.

The president was also questioned about War Secretary Pete Hegseth, whose future has attracted scrutiny amid growing criticism of his leadership at the Pentagon and the possibility of impeachment proceedings under the incoming Democratic-controlled Congress.

Asked whether he continued to have confidence in Hegseth, Trump answered, “I do.”

He defended his administration’s military record, pointing particularly to the American operation in Venezuela as evidence of its effectiveness.

“Look, we’ve won two wars. We’ve won Venezuela and taken out billions and billions and billions of dollars already, and we will be taking out many billions of dollars … we won that war in less than one hour.”

When Douthat asked whether Hegseth deserved credit for the Venezuela operation, Trump offered a more limited endorsement.

“No, but he was a part of it.”

Hegseth has faced criticism from lawmakers in both parties over his management of the Defense Department. Nevertheless, he has publicly rejected suggestions that he should step aside, indicating that he intends to remain in his position despite the prospect of congressional investigations.

“Just like the president. We don’t back down. And that especially applies now,” Hegseth declared in a video statement released Thursday.

The personnel changes come amid reports of internal White House frustration over the election results. Wiles reportedly submitted her resignation Thursday evening, with several administration officials linking her departure to the Republican defeats.

Trump has not identified any additional officials he intends to replace. His complete interview with “60 Minutes” is scheduled to air Sunday evening, November 8, on CBS.

{Matzav.com}

Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump’s newly appointed White House chief of staff, publicly promised the president his complete loyalty Friday evening during a gathering of conservative activists at Mar-a-Lago, delivering an emphatic declaration of allegiance just days after Republicans suffered major losses in the midterm elections.

Miller’s promotion places one of Trump’s closest and most influential advisers in charge of White House operations as the administration prepares for a divided government, with Democrats set to take control of Congress in January.

The declaration came during a Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) event at Trump’s Florida resort, where the president unexpectedly invited Miller to address the audience. Trump introduced his longtime adviser with a joke about his growing prominence, describing him as “a very hot commodity, hotter than Trump, and this could be a problem.”

Miller responded by offering a sweeping pledge of loyalty to the president and his administration.

“I swear to you, and I pledge to you, Mr. President, my absolute loyalty, my unwavering commitment, and my total devotion to your success and the success of this country,” Miller declared.

A central figure in developing and implementing Trump’s immigration policies, Miller used his brief appearance to credit the president with transforming the Republican Party and protecting the country’s future.

He praised Trump for having “saved the Republican party from the ash heap of history and has made it stronger, more popular, and more resilient than ever before.”

Miller went even further in describing what he viewed as the importance of Trump’s leadership.

“If it wasn’t for President Trump, the United States of America would not exist right now,” Miller added.

The remarks followed Tuesday’s elections, in which Democrats captured majorities in both the House and Senate and scored significant victories in traditionally Republican territory, including Texas. The results have prompted criticism within the GOP over the administration’s political strategy and the impact of its policies on voters.

Although Trump initially suggested he could find areas of cooperation with congressional Democrats, his subsequent comments indicated that he was prepared to aggressively oppose legislation he considered unacceptable.

“We have great power, called a veto,” Trump said. “So we’ll just get a veto, veto, veto, veto.”

Miller will replace Susie Wiles, who is leaving the chief of staff position after overseeing White House operations during the first two years of Trump’s second administration. The White House announced Friday that Miller would formally assume the position Monday.

The appointment has generated criticism from Democrats and unease among some Republicans, particularly those who believe the administration’s immigration enforcement policies contributed to the party’s electoral defeats.

Exit polling indicated that approximately 58% of voters believed immigration enforcement had become too aggressive, while roughly 60% expressed disapproval of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Hispanic voters, whose support helped Trump win in 2024, shifted heavily toward Democrats in several competitive races.

Texas produced some of the most consequential results, with Democrat James Talarico defeating Republican Ken Paxton for a U.S. Senate seat and Democrat Gina Hinojosa unseating Republican Governor Greg Abbott.

Indiana Republican Congressman Marlin Stutzman, a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, was among those who openly questioned the decision to elevate Miller.

“Horrible decision,” Stutzman said when asked about the appointment.

The congressman argued that the scale of the Republican losses should have prompted a broader shake-up among senior White House officials.

“There should be some heads rolling at the White House because we lost badly,” he said.

Other Republicans welcomed the appointment. Vice President JD Vance praised Miller as a committed conservative, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and several current and previous Trump administration officials expressed confidence in his ability to manage the White House.

Miller, who joined Trump’s political operation during the 2016 presidential campaign, previously served as a senior adviser during Trump’s first administration and as deputy White House chief of staff during his second term. In those positions, he became one of the administration’s principal architects of immigration enforcement and other domestic policy initiatives.

His new responsibilities will include coordinating White House personnel, overseeing the president’s policy priorities, and managing relations with Congress at a time when Democratic lawmakers are preparing investigations into the administration’s actions.

Constitutional law professor Alan Dershowitz warned today that Democrats, following their victories in the midterm elections, could use a rarely exercised congressional power to pursue contempt proceedings against officials associated with President Donald Trump without relying on the Justice Department to prosecute them.

Appearing on Newsmax’s “Saturday Report,” Dershowitz explained that Congress possesses an independent contempt authority that allows lawmakers to conduct proceedings themselves, potentially bypassing an administration unwilling to bring criminal charges against its own officials.

The Harvard Law School professor emeritus, whose latest book is titled “Why I Quit the Dems,” raised the possibility as Democrats prepare to assume control of congressional investigative committees in January.

His warning followed remarks by California Democratic Representative Robert Garcia, who is expected to lead the House Oversight Committee and has signaled an aggressive investigative agenda targeting Trump administration officials.

Shortly after Tuesday’s election, Garcia issued a blunt warning to individuals who could face congressional scrutiny: “Lawyer up.”

Garcia renewed that warning Friday after Trump selected Stephen Miller to succeed Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff, declaring, “Stephen Miller should lawyer up.”

Dershowitz sharply criticized Garcia’s approach, comparing it to the methods associated with Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

“Just show me the man, and I’ll find you the crime. That’s what Garcia is saying,” he said.

Attorney General Todd Blanche responded to Garcia’s comments Friday on X, writing, “The Chief of Staff already has a lawyer.” Blanche indicated that the attorney general and the Justice Department would provide the administration’s legal defense.

Dershowitz cautioned, however, that congressional Democrats would not necessarily need the Justice Department’s cooperation to pursue contempt cases.

“The House and the Senate can actually hold someone in contempt and not recommend the case to the Justice Department, which won’t prosecute, obviously, but they can have a trial in the Senate, in the House itself,” he said.

The legal mechanism, known as inherent contempt, permits either chamber of Congress to enforce certain demands through its own proceedings rather than referring alleged violations to federal prosecutors.

Congress has not exercised that authority in decades. One of its best-known applications occurred in 1934, when the Senate found William MacCracken Jr., a former Commerce Department aviation official, in contempt during an investigation into government airmail contracts. MacCracken subsequently spent 10 days in jail.

“I’m not suggesting they’re going to do it. I’m telling you, they have the power to do it under the House rules and the Senate rules,” Dershowitz said. “It’s an extraordinary route, but it’s there, and it’s available.”

Dershowitz also addressed a planned anti-Israel demonstration in Philadelphia, where activists have organized a bicycle protest targeting six Jewish-owned businesses near Rittenhouse Square on Sunday, November 8, the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht.

The event, promoted by a group calling itself Philly Bike On Your Left, has drawn widespread condemnation from Jewish organizations and Pennsylvania officials. Promotional materials identify six restaurants and food establishments, including Goldie, K’Far Cafe, Dizengoff, Huda, Mac Mart, and Schlesinger’s Delicatessen, as targets of the boycott.

A spokesperson for Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro denounced the planned demonstration as “nothing more than blatant antisemitism.”

Dershowitz compared the campaign against Jewish businesses to the persecution of Jewish merchants in Nazi Germany, and accused the Democratic Socialists of America of contributing to the atmosphere behind the protest. Although some activists associated with democratic socialist causes have promoted the campaign, the extent of the national organization’s involvement has not been established.

“This is not just some left-wing anti-Israel, anti-semitic group. This is the Democratic Socialists of America,” he said. “This is the prelude to Kristallnacht that occurred 80-something years ago.”

The former Harvard professor noted that socialism and Zionism were once closely associated, pointing to Israeli leaders David Ben-Gurion and Shimon Peres, both of whom emerged from the Labor Zionist movement.

“The socialists have become part of the problem, and they’re behind this boycott, the ride campaign,” Dershowitz said.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker has condemned the targeting of Jewish-owned establishments, while local police have said they are preparing security measures for Sunday’s demonstration. Jewish community organizations have encouraged residents to patronize the affected businesses in a public display of solidarity.

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The Justice Department on Friday asked a federal court to dismiss its lawsuit against California seeking to prevent approximately 20,000 ballots suspected of belonging to noncitizens from being counted before their voters’ eligibility could be verified, acknowledging that the ballots could no longer be separated from those cast by lawful voters.

The decision came just days after Tuesday’s midterm elections and ahead of a court hearing scheduled for next week, when an independent expert appointed by the judge was expected to examine the federal government’s list of suspected ineligible voters. California election officials had challenged the reliability of that list, arguing that it contained outdated information and included eligible American citizens.

The lawsuit was among several legal actions undertaken by President Donald Trump’s administration to strengthen federal scrutiny of state election procedures amid concerns about voting by individuals who are not American citizens.

In its dismissal request, the Justice Department argued that California’s continued processing of ballots had made the original remedy impossible. State election officials reported that approximately 9 million ballots had been processed by early Friday, with nearly 5 million more awaiting tabulation.

“The relief the United States sought and needed is no longer available—rendering voluntary dismissal necessary,” the motion said.

Federal prosecutors maintained that once the disputed ballots were processed and combined with other votes, there was no practical way to identify and isolate them. California’s election procedures remove identifying information from ballots after processing to protect voter anonymity.

Bill Essayli, the senior federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, had previously warned that the government’s lawsuit would become ineffective once Election Day passed because the disputed ballots could no longer be kept separate.

The case was originally filed in mid-October, after California had already distributed mail ballots to approximately 23 million registered voters and election officials had begun processing hundreds of thousands of returned ballots.

At the time, Essayli said the administration was seeking immediate intervention to prevent potentially unlawful votes from influencing the election results.

“We want to stop the illegal voting. We don’t want to chase it later,” he said outside the courthouse in the days leading up to the election.

Essayli also described the objective of the lawsuit as an effort to “safeguard the integrity of the election so it doesn’t have an effect on the upcoming election.”

The administration’s legal effort had already suffered several defeats. U.S. District Judge David O. Carter rejected the request to separate the ballots, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals subsequently declined to intervene. The Supreme Court also refused to grant the emergency relief sought by federal prosecutors.

Carter, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, warned that attempting to isolate thousands of ballots after voting was already underway could disenfranchise eligible Americans and “wreak havoc” on the midterm elections.

The judge had appointed a special master to examine how federal authorities assembled their list of approximately 20,000 suspected noncitizen voters and whether the information was sufficiently reliable. That review was expected to be addressed at a November 13 hearing, but the Justice Department’s decision to withdraw the lawsuit effectively ended the proceedings.

Meanwhile, federal prosecutors in California have brought criminal cases against more than 30 noncitizens accused of unlawfully registering to vote. Some of those defendants also face allegations of having cast ballots in previous elections.

Election officials in several California counties also received federal grand jury subpoenas shortly before Election Day, requiring them to provide information or testimony concerning voter registration and possible election violations.

The Justice Department indicated that its withdrawal from this particular case does not end its broader efforts to investigate suspected noncitizen voting. Federal officials are continuing a separate legal challenge concerning California’s maintenance of its voter registration rolls and the removal of individuals who are not eligible to vote.