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Trump is trying to give a lifetime federal judgeship to a Texas Supreme Court justice who just lost his election. Pete Hegseth is putting war vehicles on the streets of Washington after police arrested a man for making a “finger gun” hand gesture. Republicans are trying to throw out votes in Mississippi’s razor-thin Senate race. And progressive groups are demanding Democrats replace Chuck Schumer before he becomes Senate majority leader.
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Trump Tries to Give Lifetime Judgeship to Justice Voters Just Rejected
Participation trophies have really gotten out of hand.
Trump will nominate outgoing Texas Supreme Court Justice James Sullivan for a lifetime seat on the federal bench, according to Senate Judiciary Committee paperwork released Thursday. Sullivan, who lost his election Tuesday to Democrat Chari Kelly, called his own candidacy “unsuccessful” in the questionnaire submitted to the committee.
Sullivan was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court in January 2025 by Governor Greg Abbott to fill a vacancy. His campaign website billed him as “bold,” “relentless” and “conservative,” but Texas voters were not convinced.
The Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee plans to push the nomination through during the lame-duck session before Democrats take over in January. The outgoing chair, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, has scheduled judicial hearings for every week starting November 10, twice as often as the committee normally does.
The party is trying to confirm almost two dozen judicial nominees before the new Congress is sworn in. In his first term, Trump made 234 judicial appointments, including three Supreme Court justices, and has confirmed 56 more in his second term.
Hegseth Deploys War Vehicles in DC After Police Arrest Man for Finger Gun
Nothing stops a finger gun like a vehicle that was built to survive a land mine.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the National Guard to start using Humvees, light tactical vehicles, marked police cars, and boats in Washington, according to a memo obtained by Politico. The vehicles were formerly used in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The orders come after D.C. police charged a man with assault on a police officer and threatening behavior after he allegedly made a finger gun gesture at National Guard troops. The weapon has not been recovered, because it is attached to his wrist.
The memo says National Guard soldiers can still not pursue suspects or make arrests without police. Boats will be used for “perimeter security” in Anacostia against suspected gang leaders and drug traffickers, with federal officers required to be on board for any arrest.
The move sets up a confrontation with incoming Washington Mayor Janeese Lewis George, who has spoken out against the Guard’s deployment. Democrats in the new Congress are already considering impeachment proceedings against Hegseth, and part of the reason is the Guard’s presence in the city.
Republicans Move to Throw Out Votes in Tight Mississippi Senate Race
Mississippi never wrote a recount law, which tells you how often Democrats win there.
The Republican Party is calling for Mississippi elections officials to segregate and preserve all provisional ballots cast in the midterms, the first step in a likely challenge of the state’s razor-thin U.S. Senate race. Democrat Scott Colom is leading Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by several hundred votes, with certification expected by November 13.
Secretary of State Michael Watson flagged 230,000 voter registrations as “inactive,” forcing large numbers of Mississippi voters to cast affidavit ballots. Those ballots are counted later, after voters present acceptable ID to election officials. The outcome of the Senate race will likely depend on them.
Mississippi does not have a law for recounts. If a losing candidate wants to challenge the results, they must go through a “ballot box examination,” a process in which a court reviews individual ballots and decides which should or should not have been counted.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee has already made preservation requests to all county election offices in the state. If the challenge makes it to the Senate, the chamber itself has final say over whether to seat Colom or throw the race out entirely.
Chuck Schumer Faces Calls to Step Down as Majority Leader
Thirteen percent approval and he thinks he’s getting a promotion.
On Wednesday, the progressive group Indivisible called on Democratic lawmakers to replace Chuck Schumer as Senate Majority Leader. The group cited Schumer’s 13 percent approval rating among registered voters, adding that the party needs leadership that can live up to the mandate voters gave on Tuesday.
Newly elected Senate Democrats in Michigan, Minnesota, Kansas, Illinois and Maine have all gone on the record saying they would not back Schumer’s bid for majority leader. Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland has won the endorsement of Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed, who introduced him at a July campaign rally as the “next Senate majority leader.”
Minnesota Senator-elect Peggy Flanagan said at her first post-election news conference that she is “tremendously grateful” for Schumer, but that “it is time for new leadership.” Flanagan argued the voters gave Democrats a mandate for sweeping change, and the party needs a leader in the Senate who is ready to deliver.
Other incoming senators have not publicly opposed Schumer, but have also declined to say they would vote for him. In September, Texas Senator-elect James Talarico told Punchbowl News his party needs “new blood” in Washington, and New Hampshire Senator-elect Chris Pappas stressed the need for “new voices in leadership.”
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POSITIVE STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED:
Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Arch Within an Hour of Its Approval. After more than eight hours of public testimony from 120 citizens opposed to the project, a federal planning commission gave final approval to Trump’s 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday night. Within an hour of the vote, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a 14-day restraining order blocking all construction. The Trump administration had said it intended to begin construction immediately after the vote, as the White House rushes to break ground before a new Democratic Congress takes power in January.
Massie Says He Has Enough Signatures to Force Vote on New Epstein Transparency Act. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie said Thursday that he will have 218 signatures to force a House vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act II when Congress returns next week. Massie and his Democratic co-sponsors say the Justice Department has ignored requirements of the original Epstein transparency law Trump signed in November 2025 and is still withholding more than 3 million files. If enacted, the bill would allow survivors to obtain their own records and give state attorneys general the authority to file charges in such cases.
Rubio Reportedly Considering Leaving Trump Administration After Midterm Losses. After the GOP’s midterm losses, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is mulling over leaving the Trump administration, Bloomberg reports. Rubio is a likely 2028 presidential candidate, and leaving now would give him a chance to distance himself from a president who is being blamed by the whole party for Tuesday’s results. Rubio’s office denied the report, calling it “complete and total fake news,” but the British outlet The Independent separately reported that Rubio is weighing a resignation, also citing anonymous conservative sources.
Texas Governor-Elect Tells SpaceX to Stand Down on State Park Land Deal. Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa used her first post-election news conference to announce she called the head of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Thursday and asked that no action be taken on the potential sale of Boca Chica State Park land to SpaceX during her transition. The first Democrat elected governor of Texas since 1990, Hinojosa told CNN the state can work with Elon Musk’s companies “but it has to be on our terms.” Shares in Tesla and SpaceX fell sharply on Thursday, with Tesla down nearly 11 percent and SpaceX down 9 percent, as markets felt the impact of Democratic wins in Texas.
