Today in one sentence: Democrats won elections across several states Tuesday, taking governorships, legislative chambers, and ballot measures in a rejection of Trump’s second-term agenda; California Republicans sued to block the state’s new congressional maps hours after voters approved Proposition 50, a measure allowing the Legislature to redraw districts that could give Democrats up to five more House seats; Steve Bannon warned Republicans that Democrats’ wins in New Jersey, Virginia, and New York City showed “there should be flashing red lights all over” before the 2026 midterms; Trump blamed Republicans’ election losses on the record 36-day shutdown and urged Republican senators to kill the filibuster to reopen the government and advance his agenda; the FAA said it would cut scheduled air traffic by 10% across 40 high-volume markets to maintain safety during the government shutdown; the Supreme Court appeared skeptical that Trump had legal authority to impose his sweeping global tariffs under the 1977 emergency powers law; and a federal magistrate judge criticized the Justice Department’s handling of former FBI director James Comey’s prosecution, calling it an “indict first and investigate second” case.

1/ Democrats won elections across several states Tuesday, taking governorships, legislative chambers, and ballot measures in a rejection of Trump’s second-term agenda. In Virginia, Abigail Spanberger won the governor’s race by about 15 points and led Democrats to expand their House of Delegates majority by six seats, giving the party unified control of state government. In New York City, 34-year-old democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo by nearly 20 points, becoming the city’s first Muslim mayor and drawing heavy turnout among voters under 45. In California, Proposition 50 passed with about 64% support, allowing Democrats to redraw five new congressional districts expected to shift from Republican control to directly counter the redistricting effort in Texas and other Republican-led states. In Mississippi, Democrats gained four state House seats, breaking the Republican supermajority for the first time since 2011, while in Texas, two Democrats advanced to a runoff in a special election for a deep-blue House district, blocking a Republican gain there. Exit polls showed about four in ten voters in Virginia and New Jersey said they cast ballots specifically to oppose Trump, while roughly two-thirds of voters in California and New York City disapproved of his performance. Most cited the economy and cost of living as their top concerns. (NBC News / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / NPR / Bloomberg / Axios / Reuters / CNN / CNBC / Politico / Associated Press)

2/ California Republicans sued to block the state’s new congressional maps hours after voters approved Proposition 50, a measure allowing the Legislature to redraw districts that could give Democrats up to five more House seats. The move follows Republican-led states, including Texas and North Carolina, that have redrawn maps to boost their party’s representation at Trump’s urging. The federal lawsuit claims California violated the 14th and 15th Amendments by using race “to favor Hispanic voters.” The case, brought by the California Republican Party and 19 voters, seeks to block the maps before the 2026 elections. Gov. Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, dismissed the challenge, saying, “Good luck, losers.” (Democracy Docket / CalMatters / New York Times / Politico / PBS News / The Guardian / NBC News / Bloomberg)

3/ Steve Bannon warned Republicans that Democrats’ wins in New Jersey, Virginia, and New York City showed “there should be flashing red lights all over” before the 2026 midterms. He called Zohran Mamdani’s victory “a wake-up call to the populist nationalist movement under President Trump,” saying the win proved that the left could match Trump’s appeal. Bannon said Republicans must “double and triple down with Trump” or “get smoked.” (Politico / The Hill)

4/ Trump blamed Republicans’ election losses on the record 36-day shutdown and urged Republican senators to kill the filibuster to reopen the government and advance his agenda. “I don’t think it was good for Republicans,” Trump said, adding, “We have to get the country open,” and “the way we’re going to do it this afternoon is to terminate the filibuster,” warning, “If you don’t terminate the filibuster, you’ll be in bad shape.” Trump also suggested that Republicans lost because “I wasn’t on the ballot,” arguing that ending the 60-vote rule would let them “pass legislation […] and it will be impossible to beat us.” Most Senate Republicans, however, rejected Trump’s proposal, with Majority Leader John Thune saying “it’s just not happening” because “the votes aren’t there.” (Axios / Politico / HuffPost / Washington Post / Politico / New York Times / Axios / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / Politico / New York Times)

5/ The FAA said it would cut scheduled air traffic by 10% across 40 high-volume markets to maintain safety during the government shutdown. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the list of affected markets would be released Thursday and the changes would take effect on Friday. The shutdown, now in its 36th day, has left air traffic controllers working without pay and led to widespread staffing shortages. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said, “We can’t ignore it,” adding that the cuts aim to reduce pressure on controllers as fatigue and absences rise. (Associated Press / NPR / Reuters / Politico / Bloomberg)

  • The government shutdown is costing the U.S. economy about $15 billion each week, with analysts warning that as much as $14 billion may never be recovered if it continues through Thanksgiving. (Bloomberg)

6/ The Supreme Court appeared skeptical that Trump had legal authority to impose his sweeping global tariffs under the 1977 emergency powers law. Chief Justice John Roberts called the duties “the imposition of taxes on Americans,” saying taxation is “the core power of Congress,” while Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett questioned whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act could become a “one-way ratchet” handing tariff power to the executive. The court’s three liberals voiced similar skepticism, while Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Samuel Alito were more receptive to the administration’s foreign-affairs arguments. A ruling against Trump could force tens of billions in refunds, limit presidential emergency powers, and dismantle his global tariff program that effectively taxes Americans by trillions. (Bloomberg / CNBC / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / Axios / Reuters / CNN / Associated Press / Politico)

7/ A federal magistrate judge criticized the Justice Department’s handling of former FBI director James Comey’s prosecution, calling it an “indict first and investigate second” case. “This is not a typical case,” Judge William Fitzpatrick said, calling the department’s approach “highly unusual.” He ordered prosecutors to turn over grand jury transcripts and evidence seized from Comey associate Daniel Richman. Prosecutors said they had obtained Richman’s communications years ago, but hadn’t reviewed them pending court approval because they may contain attorney-client material. Comey, meanwhile, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he lied to Congress in 2020 and is seeking to dismiss what his lawyers call a politically driven indictment secured under pressure from Trump. (Associated Press / CNN / Politico / The Hill / Washington Post)

⏭️ Notably Next: Your government has been shut down for 36 days; the 2026 midterms are in 363 days.

Six years ago today: Day 1020: Orchestrated efforts.
Seven years ago today: Day 655: Political stunt.