National

Democrats won control of the U.S. House in the Nov. 3 midterm elections, according to The Associated Press, CBS News, Fox News and others. The Associated Press, Fox and MS NOW also report that Democrats won the Senate, which goes beyond the "gains" described in early summaries. In the Senate, Democrats flipped seven Republican-held seats and led 54 to 44 in the AP-based counts that Forbes and Yahoo cited. Mississippi and Alaska were still too close to call. Democrats also flipped governorships, including in Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa and Nevada.

The AP said voters were reacting to high prices, the Iran war and concerns about government corruption. CBS News reported that early exit polls put President Trump's approval at 38%, and that 89% of voters called the cost of living a major or crucial factor. The Washington Post reported that Trump and Vice President JD Vance both acknowledged the Iran war and its effect on prices contributed to the losses. Trump said he did not see the result as a personal defeat and blamed the candidates, and the AP reported he said he would accept the results.

On Wednesday, Johnson told staff he will not run for House minority leader, according to Axios, NBC News, The Hill, NPR and NewsNation. Most of these accounts rely on unnamed sources describing the staff call. Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Rep. Jim Jordan are expected to run, and NBC reported that Scalise announced his bid in a letter to colleagues. House Republicans hold their leadership elections Nov. 10, and candidates have until noon Friday, Nov. 6 to declare.

Final seat totals are not yet settled. CBS News said about 75 House races were still undecided on Wednesday morning, and Fox News counted 68 uncalled. Democratic leaders say they plan investigations of the administration, and CBS reported that incoming Oversight Chair Robert Garcia named the Trump family's business dealings among his targets. The White House has called any such probes "sham investigations."

The National Capital Planning Commission is scheduled to meet Thursday, Nov. 5, to consider final approval of President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot triumphal arch. The structure would stand on the Memorial Circle traffic circle at the Virginia end of Memorial Bridge, between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. Outlets describe approval as widely expected. The administration has told the court that construction could begin the same day if the commission approves and the Interior Department and National Park Service then sign off.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan is weighing requests to block the project while the litigation continues. She has consolidated a suit by three Vietnam veterans and an architectural historian with a separate suit filed by the District of Columbia and Virginia. Both argue that Congress has not authorized the arch. The government says Congress effectively approved it more than a century ago, when it authorized a bridge across the Potomac. The government also argues that the veterans lack standing to sue.

Chutkan has ordered the government to notify her within one hour of any decision by the planning commission, the Park Service or the Interior Department. She also ordered notice within 30 minutes of any construction-related activity at the site. At an Oct. 30 hearing she said standing was the key issue. She also questioned the funding and the government's newly raised national-security rationale. Reporting suggests she may rule after the commission meeting, which is scheduled to run until 6 p.m.

The Justice Department has said initial excavation and foundation work would take six to eight months. Above-ground construction would start in May 2027 at the earliest. Opponents include Democratic lawmakers, preservationists and veterans, who say the arch would disrupt views and sightlines near Arlington. The administration has called it a landmark for the nation's 250th anniversary.

A privately operated Learjet 60 crashed in a residential area of Palm Beach County, Florida, around 12:50 p.m. on Nov. 1. It had left Austin, Texas, for North Eleuthera in the Bahamas. All nine people aboard, two crew and seven passengers, were killed.

At a news conference Tuesday, NTSB member Tom Chapman said most of the jet's left elevator, a tail surface that controls pitch, was found in three pieces. They were between 1.3 and 3.8 miles from the crash site. Investigators say this confirms the plane was coming apart before impact. Chapman said it is not yet known whether losing the elevator caused the loss of control or whether forces on the aircraft tore it off. He also said the part may not have been effective at the speeds involved even if it had stayed attached.

Air traffic control audio shows the crew reported ice and turbulence, then declared an emergency. They reported an overspeed condition and a descent rate of about 20,000 feet per minute. Thunderstorms were in the area, and weather is a focus of the investigation. Investigators have not said what role it played. They are examining the pilots, the aircraft and the operating environment, and they have received dashcam video. They are also working in a water-filled crater at the impact site.

The crash blocked the only entrance to a mobile home park, and hundreds of residents were displaced. Relatives have identified the dead, who include a Texas technology entrepreneur, his wife and their two young children, along with the two pilots. An NTSB preliminary report is expected in about a month. Determining the probable cause will likely take more than a year.