#Congress

Democrats will take control of the House in January, both CBS News and NBC News project. Estimates differ slightly and were still moving at the cutoff: NBC's Decision Desk projected at least 258 Democratic seats, a number the party hadn't reached since 1993, while CBS put Democrats on pace for about 256. CBS counted 42 districts shifted to Democrats and two to Republicans, with dozens of races still uncalled.

Notable results include Democrat Cait Conley defeating Rep. Mike Lawler in New York's Hudson Valley, Kristina Knickerbocker beating 23-year Rep. Mike Turner in Ohio, and Richard Ojeda beating Rep. Richard Hudson, chair of the House GOP campaign arm, in North Carolina. Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur kept her redrawn Ohio seat. NBC's exit poll put Trump's disapproval at 62%.

Speaker Mike Johnson told staff he will not run for minority leader, sources told CBS. Democratic Whip Katherine Clark launched a bid for majority leader; Republicans Erin Houchin and Lisa McClain are contesting the GOP conference chair. House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said Democrats will pass bills on housing, health care, gas, groceries and utilities costs.

A U.S. Central Command estimate given to Congress puts the cost of the Iran war at $47.1 billion as of October 16, AP reported on October 28, up about $3.5 billion since early September. About $29 billion is for replacing munitions, especially air-defense interceptors such as Patriot and THAAD; about $11.9 billion covers operations and $6 billion equipment losses. The New York Times, which also obtained the figures, reports that congressional officials call the numbers almost certainly low: they leave out $1.5 billion for fuel and other costs, and the repair of U.S. bases damaged by Iranian strikes, which a Pentagon inspector general report released in September said damaged or destroyed hundreds of structures across eight countries.

The Pentagon lists 21 service members killed and 865 wounded. The war began in late February; the White House is asking Congress for a $95 billion package that would help fund it. AP notes most voters in a recent AP-NORC poll want Congress to prioritize ending the conflict, and Trump has said new strikes are an option after the midterms.

In an October 26 letter to Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton and Attorney General Todd Blanche, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said a March 17, 2026 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court opinion describing "serious abuses of Americans' rights" under Section 702 was legally required to be declassified by September 13 and still has not been. They asked for its release and for the names of the officials responsible by November 6. Blanche had told the Senate Judiciary Committee he expected it out before the deadline.

According to CyberScoop, the judge objected to a filtering tool that let analysts pull information in a way that should count as a query of Americans' data, which requires extra protections. Section 702 lapsed in June after a House vote to renew it failed, but the same March opinion lets collection continue until March 2027. Civil-liberties groups urged Congress not to reauthorize 702 while the opinion stays secret. ODNI and the Justice Department did not respond to CyberScoop; Senate Intelligence Chairman Tom Cotton's office did not respond either.

A week after federal agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar's Washington home, White House border czar Tom Homan told Fox News that the Minnesota Democrat could be stripped of her U.S. citizenship and deported if investigators prove immigration fraud. He said he was not familiar with the details of the Justice Department's investigation but had been told the case was strong. The probe reportedly examines whether Omar or her father misrepresented her birth year on immigration paperwork decades ago. Omar has not been charged, denies the allegations and calls the investigation politically motivated.

On October 20, asked in the Oval Office about deportation, President Trump said "she could also go to jail," calling it his opinion, and disparaged Somalia, where Omar was born. Former President Barack Obama wrote that agents had raided her home "to try and uncover a nonexistent smoking gun from 20 years ago." The White House denies weaponizing the Justice Department, and Trump and Vice President JD Vance have denied involvement in the investigation.

An executive order dated October 16 (EO 14436) waives the sanctions, restrictions and tariffs in the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which President Trump signed into law on September 18. The law called for a 500% duty on Russian goods and 100% duties on the largest buyers of Russian oil and gas and on the top facilitators of sanctions evasion. The order says the president certified to Congress that the waivers are in the national interest; they stay in place until the administration decides further action is appropriate. Sanctions under earlier executive orders on Russia are not affected.

AP reports the waiver came days before the provisions were due to start and drew criticism from both parties. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis called it "beyond irresponsible," noting the Senate passed the law 86-11, and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Trump's "deal with the devil keeps getting dirtier." Congress is in recess until after Election Day. The waiver follows Trump's announced deal to import Russian diesel, which Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) has introduced a bill to block.

What happened

The Trump administration announced that it would cancel nearly $1 billion in spending previously approved by Congress, using a rarely invoked rescission mechanism. The targeted funds include immigrant-service and diversity-related programs.

Republican / administration case

The White House says the cuts eliminate wasteful or harmful spending and argues that the executive branch should not be forced to spend money on programs it considers contrary to administration priorities.

Democratic / critic case

Democrats argue that Congress has the constitutional power of the purse and that presidents cannot simply erase appropriations they dislike. Critics also object to the substance of cuts aimed at immigration and diversity programs.

Libertarian / Cato case

Cato scholars have argued for substantial spending restraint but against unilateral presidential impoundment, saying Congress should make the cuts itself. Their concern is that expanding executive control over spending weakens separation of powers regardless of which party controls the presidency.

Where the disagreement really is

This splits what should be cut from who has the authority to cut it. A person can favor lower spending while opposing unilateral presidential control over appropriations.

What happened

Gasoline prices rose substantially during the ongoing U.S. war with Iran, becoming a major midterm issue. President Trump described higher fuel costs as an 'inexpensive price to pay' for preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Republican / administration case

Trump and supportive Republicans argue that stopping Iran from becoming a nuclear-armed power is a major national-security objective and that temporary economic costs are justified by the stakes.

Democratic / critic case

Democrats argue that the administration entered an open-ended conflict without a convincing strategy or congressional authorization and that American households are paying the price through fuel costs and inflation.

Libertarian / Cato case

Cato's foreign-policy scholars have been sharply critical of the war, arguing that Congress surrendered its constitutional war-making role and that the conflict lacks a clear, achievable end state.

Where the disagreement really is

The dispute combines strategy, constitutional authority and cost: whether the war makes the United States safer, whether the president had authority to initiate it, and how much domestic economic pain is justified.