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Numerous firsts: The candidates that made history in the 2026 midterm elections
Yes, the 2026 midterms will be remembered for the astonishing number of losses that Democrats handed to President Donald Trump. But in the background, something perhaps equally seismic unfolded: a wave of firsts that elevated into high office members of groups that had, until now, been kept largely at the margins.There were cheers and happy tears at election parties from New Mexico to Georgia late Tuesday once it became clear voters had elected the country’s first Black female governor, the first Native American female governor, the first Native female senator and the first openly gay male U.S. senator. By early Wednesday, the first Muslim U.S. senator was also added to the list of barrier-breaking milestones. The astonishing blue wave also means the United States will likely have its first-ever Black speaker of the House.Most of these firsts are Democrats, but the GOP has also broken some new ground.While some of these candidates have avoided focusing on the inherent historic value of their race, gender, religion or sexual orientation, some voters’ rights advocates are celebrating how the electorate has expanded.var pymParent = new pym.Parent('embed-nbc-map-26', 'https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-elections/results-map/embed/partner', {title: '', parenturlparam: '', parenturlvalue: ''});"These firsts show how our country is changing," Alexis Anderson-Reed, president and CEO of State Voices, a network of advocates for civic engagement and equity in democracy, said via e-mail. "For years, people of color and LGBTQ+ communities have organized, knocked on doors, talked to voters, held conversations, and done the hard work of saving our democracy,” Anderson-Reed said. “These wins are because of them."Here are some of the races where history was and could be made. First Native American female governorDemocrat Deb Haaland reveled in her history-making moment of becoming the first Native American female governor in U.S. history. Haaland was declared the winner over Republican Gregg Hull, a former mayor, to lead New Mexico. The Laguna Pueblo citizen noted that Native Americans are still here despite past efforts by the federal government to strip them of their languages and culture. "Tonight, in our nation’s 250th year, I stand before you as the first Native American woman elected governor in U.S. history," Haaland told ecstatic supporters at a victory celebration. Elections 5 hours ago Live updates: Blue tsunami sweeps the midterms as Democrats take control of Congress Decision 2026 8 hours ago Democrats capture full control of Congress, NBC News projects, fueled by victories in deeply Republican states Elections 7 hours ago Democrats flip four governorships, extending the party's inroads into red states In 2018, Haaland was one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress. Then she became the first Native American Cabinet secretary, running President Joe Biden's Department of the Interior. Charles Curtis, from the Kaw Nation, was the first Native Cabinet member as President Herbert Hoover's vice president.Oklahoma was the only state to elect a tribal citizen for governor — Democrat Johnston Murray in the 1950s and current Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt.“I want every child watching to know that your dreams matter and that New Mexico is a place where you can build the life you want," Haaland said, adding that she is living proof. First Native woman senatorsMinnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan has become the first Native American female U.S. senator, helping Democrats win back the Senate. A citizen of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Flanagan defeated Republican Michele Tafoya, a former NFL sideline reporter. Tafoya would have been the first Republican of Latina heritage to sit in the U.S. Senate.Mary Peltola, who is Yup'ik and a Democrat, could also become the first Alaska Native U.S. senator. Votes in her race to unseat Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan are still being tabulated. Peltola was considered a trailblazer in 2022 when she became the first Alaska Native elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. First Black female governorDemocrat Keisha Lance Bottoms was declared the winner Tuesday night in the Georgia governor’s race, ending 250 years of U.S. history without a Black woman serving as a state’s governor. The former Atlanta mayor was running against Republican Rick Jackson, a billionaire businessman. "Tonight should remind us all that no matter what community we come from, Georgia is not defined by one moment in time or by one person," Bottoms told euphoric supporters. "It’s been defined by all of us, and I will be a governor for everyone in this state.”She will also be Georgia's first governor of color. All 83 of Georgia's previous governors have been white men.Lisa Demuth, the former Minnesota House speaker, however, lost an opportunity to be the first Black female governor. She was overtaken by longtime Minnesota U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Stacey Abrams is the only Black woman to come close to winning a governor’s race when she got the Georgia Democratic Party’s nomination in 2018 and 2022. First Muslim U.S. senatorAbdul El-Sayed could be the first Muslim American to serve in the U.S. Senate.The progressive Michigan Democrat needs to defeat Republican Mike Rogers in what has been a very tight and contentious race. El-Sayed has had to contend with Republicans all the way up to Trump implying or overtly stating that the Michigan-born epidemiologist is not American and supports terrorism. Trump has called him "dangerously radical,” "too extreme" and referred to him as "Mohammed.” El-Sayed and his supporters have denounced the attacks as Islamophobic or racist affronts to religious freedom. First openly gay male U.S. senatorDemocratic Rep. Chris Pappas has won his U.S. Senate race in New Hampshire and becomes the country's first openly gay male senator. He defeated former Republican U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu, who previously served in both chambers of Congress.This new benchmark is not something Pappas has dwelled on while campaigning, saying "I'm not running to make history." But he also applauded the fact that his sexual orientation was not a huge source of discussion among potential voters.First Black governorsThe U.S. could go from having only three elected Black governors in its 250-year history to gaining seven more overnight. On Tuesday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, the third one in the U.S. and the only current Black governor, won reelection, while Republican Byron Donalds was elected Florida’s first Black governor. With Bottoms’ victory in Georgia, two Deep South states will be governed by a Black leader for the first time. Besides Minnesota, the trio could have new peers in Wisconsin, Nevada, South Carolina and Michigan.Moore, chair of the National Governors Association, has called the presence of so many Black gubernatorial contenders "a unique moment." It’s not "an applause line" but a challenge to make diverse gubernatorial nominees more common, he said.Record year of women running for governor and CongressThis midterm has been a record-breaker for women vying for state and federal offices. Democrats increased their 2022 number of women candidates to 19 running for governor, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. The Republican Party has seven women setting their sights on governor.Like Minnesota, Tennessee will elect its first female governor. The main candidates are Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Democrat Jerri Green, a Memphis city councilwoman. The election of the first Democratic Asian American woman as governor could happen in Vermont with Amanda Janoo, who is half Malaysian. In Oklahoma, Democrat Cyndi Munson, a former state lawmaker of Korean descent, lost her race Tuesday for governor. Former Republican Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina, who is of Indian heritage, was the first Asian American female governor.Nearly 300 women, including incumbents, are running for the U.S. Senate and House, as documented by Rutgers’ Center for American Women and Politics.Among them is Democrat Juliana Stratton in Illinois, who defeated Republican Don Tracy on Tuesday. Stratton, the current lieutenant governor, will succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin. With fellow Democrat Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who is of Thai heritage, the pair will make Illinois the first state to be represented by two female senators of color. Stratton’s win also means there will be three Black women serving in the Senate.___Associated Press writers Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, Susan Montoya Bryan and Savannah Peters in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed to this report.
Trump has defied political consequences for years. The midterms changed that
For more than a decade, Donald Trump defied the rules of politics that applied to everyone else.No more.Tuesday’s elections were a categorical repudiation of a Republican president who has spent the first half of his second term governing without regard to consequences, imposing unilateral tariffs that undermined the economy and starting a war that spiked fuel prices and angered Americans who did not approve of U.S. involvement in the kind of Middle East conflict he had promised to avoid. On top of that, he earned billions in outside investments and focused on Washington renovations that showed little empathy for those struggling financially.Having survived scandal, impeachments and a criminal conviction, Trump approached the midterms as yet another hurdle he could clear with the sheer force of his personality, insisting the economy was fine and the war in Iran was needed to avoid nuclear war. This time, he couldn’t make the sale and voters forcefully rejected him.In the Senate, Democrats will soon represent longtime Republican bastions such as South Carolina, Texas and Kansas. A Black woman will hold the governorship of Georgia, a state that was both the heart of the Confederacy and the soul of the Civil Rights Movement. A Latina will become governor of Texas, where Trump’s strict immigration enforcement has rocked communities from the Rio Grande Valley to Houston.For Democrats who have learned to temper their expectations after painful losses, the magnitude of Tuesday's results was hard to comprehend. As votes were still being counted, Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia and Gina Hinojosa in Texas posted dominant victories in governor's races where even the rosiest outlooks found them narrowly winning. James Talarico similarly dispatched Republican Ken Paxton with relative ease to become the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in Texas since 1988. Elections 5 hours ago Live updates: Blue tsunami sweeps the midterms as Democrats take control of Congress Decision 2026 6 hours ago Numerous firsts: The candidates that made history in the 2026 midterm elections A profound pivot in American politicsThe victories were of such a scale that they might mark a profound pivot in American politics. Even Trump, who still refuses to accept his loss in the 2020 presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden, didn't dispute the results. Democrats who will control the House and Senate beginning in 2027 can claim a mandate to shift Washington in a new direction."We knew that the chaos and corruption in Washington (was) hurting our people," said Roy Cooper, the Democrat who flipped a Senate seat in North Carolina. "Today, you said this has to stop. And as your new United States senator, I am ready to take that message to Washington."Claiming a mandate and executing on it, though, are two very different things and Democrats will have difficulty delivering on policy promises so long as Trump holds the power of the veto.But Trump can no longer rely on compliant Republican leaders to acquiesce. Those in his party who lost are likely to become more openly critical in their remaining months in office. The reordering of power in Washington has the potential to be the signal that the era of Trump’s dominance is waning. Republicans whom Trump expressly lifted to the ballot and campaigned fiercely for, including Darline Graham in South Carolina, Michael Whatley in North Carolina and Paxton, lost. The coalition of young, Black and Latino voters that propelled Trump two years ago swung decisively to Democrats. Trump pumped more than $250 million into Republican campaigns, and millions more came from donors like Elon Musk, and it wasn’t enough to fend off losses. The coarse brand of politics that the president has long heralded met its limits, notably in Ohio, where Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate for governor, hoped an ad featuring negative comments from the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Dr. Amy Acton, would revive his campaign. Acton won and Ramaswamy was not particularly gracious in defeat."I have to tell you I have some serious concerns about the future direction of our country,” he said.Republicans accept election resultsThat was the exception to the Republican tenor on Tuesday. In Wisconsin, Tom Tiffany, who objected to certification of the 2020 presidential election, conceded defeat to David Crowley in the governor’s race. Trump was also unusually congratulatory of Democrats, saying the party did a "good job" and blaming GOP candidates for their loss. Sen. John Cornyn, whom Trump refused to endorse in the Texas primary against Paxton, applauded Talarico and pledged to try to help him.Voters nationwide were in the mood for change, according to The AP Voter Poll, which found that roughly three-quarters of voters feel "angry" or "dissatisfied" with the direction of the country.Among those who had Trump in mind when they voted, about twice as many wanted to express opposition to him as those who wanted to support him. Most also blamed his administration for high costs: About 6 in 10 said higher than usual prices are "more because of Trump's policies."Democrats will face pressure to governAfter a decisive victory, the burden will soon be on Democrats to prove they can govern effectively. The party has pledged to investigate Trump but will have to navigate calls to also impeach him, which could drain valuable time. At the same time, there will also be pressure to prove they can pass significant legislation to address healthcare, high prices and measures to rein in presidential power."We have to deliver for the American people on getting costs down," said Jared Moskowitz, a Florida Democrat who won reelection to a House seat that Republicans sought to redraw in their favor. "That is the mandate" for Democrats on Capitol Hill.Asked what happens should the president simply veto Democratic legislation, Moskowitz said: "Let him do that. Let him still tell the American people affordability is a hoax."___Associated Press writer Bill Barrow contributed to this report.
Democrat Hakeem Jeffries poised to make history as the first Black speaker of the House
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is on the cusp of making history as the nation's first Black speaker of the House, a generational shift in U.S. politics after Democrats trounced Republicans to win majority control of the chamber in the midterm elections.Jeffries faces a vote of his colleagues when the new Congress convenes Jan. 3. If nominated and elected, as expected, it would be the first time a Black lawmaker has grasped the powerful House speaker's gavel, a job second in line to the president and the only leadership position in Congress mandated by the U.S. Constitution.His rise to the speakership at the nation's domed Capitol, which enslaved African Americans helped build, would be a milestone more than 150 years in the making, tracing an arc of history that began with the first Black American was elected to the U.S. House in the turbulent era of Reconstruction after the Civil War. Jeffries would wield the gavel at a time when many of the landmark gains of the 20th century Civil Rights era are being challenged anew, often by the Trump administration.Jeffries was met with cheers of "Speaker! Speaker!" at the Democrats' watch party in Washington."This is not a partisan moment. This is a patriotic one," Jeffries said. Elections 5 hours ago Live updates: Blue tsunami sweeps the midterms as Democrats take control of Congress Decision 2026 7 hours ago Numerous firsts: The candidates that made history in the 2026 midterm elections He said House Democrats understand that this is a change election, and "the American people are crying out for transformational change.""We hear you," he said. "We're going to work hard to deliver on the dramatic change that you deserve."The Brooklyn-born 56-year-old Jeffries, who is known to sprinkle old-school hip hop lyrics in his freestyle remarks, would take over the office from Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, at a time when Democrats are eager to confront President Donald Trump's final two years in office.The president has publicly and privately taunted Jeffries, a New York University-educated lawyer, who has served in Congress since 2013, and is the highest-ranking Black elected official in America. Trump once mocked Jeffries by posting on social media a fake photo of the Democratic leader wearing a sombrero outside the White House.The whole House votes on its speaker as one of the first orders of business when Congress convenes in January. The parties typically choose their leaders during internal caucus elections in November.Jeffries is charting a new course for Democrats after PelosiThe path ahead has been clear for Jeffries and his leadership team, with Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, who have often moved as a trio representing a new era of House leadership. Clark is expected to become the majority leader and Aguilar the majority whip.Jeffries would be the first Democratic speaker since Nancy Pelosi and he has led the party for the past four years, with her support, once she decided to step aside after the Democrats' election losses in 2022.But Jeffries and the team of Democratic leaders will be quickly tested in the majority, with all the power and responsibility that comes with running the often unruly House.They are bracing to confront not only Trump, but also the fresh group of Democrats elected to office, including a handful backed by the Democratic Socialists of America pushing the party leftward, though the largest caucus in the House is expected to remain the more moderate New Democrat Coalition.Jeffries has promised a robust 100-day agenda to lower the costs of living and launch oversight and investigations to hold the Trump administration accountable. Impeachment is an option.Promising to show voters that Democrats can govern, Jeffries and the leadership team hope to hold their new majority together and avoid the kinds of chaotic disruptions and dysfunction that often left Johnson unable to control the GOP's razor-slim majority in the House.Colleagues have praised Jeffries' collaborative style, a listener who represents a shift from Pelosi's powerful tenure as the nation's first female speaker of the House.But at the same time, his calm-is-a-choice deliberative nature has drawn criticism that Jeffries can be too slow to act in the frenzied political environment when voters are seeking swift reaction to mounting crises and concerns.Soaring healthcare costs, gas and grocery prices, the war in Iran, Trump's relationship with Putin over Ukraine and concerns about corruption are all top issues ahead.His path to power runs from Brooklyn to WashingtonThe son of an Air Force veteran and a social worker, Jeffries told The Associated Press on the campaign trail that growing up during the crack epidemic in New York shaped his sense of purpose.His experience led to "a desire to want to improve the quality of life for hardworking people, who could have fled difficult circumstances but remained in the community, worked hard to turn things around," he said.A married father of two, Jeffries grew up steeped in Brooklyn's Cornerstone Baptist Church, and represents parts of the Brooklyn-area district once held by trailblazing Rep. Shirley Chisholm.He earned a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton, a master’s degree in public policy at Georgetown and graduated magna cum laude from NYU School of Law. He worked as a corporate lawyer and served in the New York state assembly before being elected to Congress.An insurgent himself, Jeffries was 29 when he first ran for office, failing twice in his initial campaigns for state government. In 2012 he challenged a 30-year incumbent member of Congress, who stepped aside as Jeffries swooped in to win the seat.A member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Jeffries follows in the footsteps of those who came before, including Joseph Rainey, the first Black American elected to the House in 1870. While Rainey never became speaker, he was the first Black lawmaker to preside with the gavel over the House chamber.
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan's high-stakes Senate race
Abdul El-Sayed, an epidemiologist and former public health official aligned with the Democratic Party's left flank, has won Michigan's highly hostile Senate race, defeating his Republican rival, former Rep. Mike Rogers, NBC News projects.El-Sayed, 42, overcame a raft of Islamophobia fomented by President Donald Trump and others to become the first Muslim elected to the chamber.He also overcame a last-minute defection from Rep. Haley Stevens, a vanquished primary rival who reneged on her pledge to support him and endorsed Rogers after attending church with him Sunday."They tried to confuse you, so let me just set the record straight," El-Sayed told supporters early Wednesday. "I love America" Michigan – U.S. Senate 96.6% expected vote in Source: NBC News Decision Desk Projected Winner Abdul El-Sayed 52.5% 2,497,852 Mike Rogers 45.5% 2,162,890 Lydia Christensen 1% 49,309 Tim Long 0.6% 26,319 Douglas Marsh 0.3% 12,455 Walter Kristy 0.2% 7,195 El-Sayed also had sharp words for those who had made an issue of his religion, from Rogers on up to Trump. He said he relished that it would be Vice President JD Vance, with whom he has tangled publicly, who swears him into the Senate."So Mike, enjoy your retirement," said El-Sayed, referring to Rogers. "See, you chose hate, and Michigan chose hope. May we never have to see the likes of you in this state again."El-Sayed's victory extends a long-running GOP drought in the state. A Republican has not won a Senate seat in Michigan since 1994. El-Sayed will succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.The clash between El-Sayed and Rogers, 63, was rated among the country's most closely watched and aggressively fought, given El-Sayed's alliance with progressive firebrands such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. El-Sayed's criticism of the Israeli government, which he has accused of genocide, was also a consistent flash point.A group affiliated with the pro-Israel group AIPAC spent more than $30 million in an unsuccessful effort to lift Stevens over El-Sayed in the Democratic primary and re-engaged in Michigan in the closing weeks of the general election. Stevens, meanwhile, linked her defection from El-Sayed to his position on Israel and his campaign's suggestion that she was not welcome at his campaign events after she began voicing her criticism more in the race's closing days.Rogers and his Republican allies tried to spin El-Sayed's anti-Israel stance into attacks that evoked his religion and raised questions about his loyalties. Vance, in particular, routinely attacked El-Sayed — a rift that grew out of El-Sayed's sarcastic questioning of whether Vance's late, white Appalachian-born grandfather would have approved of his Indian American wife.Trump's attacks on El-Sayed's faith went furthest. Within days of El-Sayed's August primary victory, Trump began falsely asserting that "jihadists" were gaining purchase in U.S. politics and government. The attacks escalated over the next three months, with Trump at one point whipping a crowd in Youngstown, Ohio, into a frenzied chant of "Deport! Deport!" He often referred to El-Sayed by his middle name, Mohamed.El-Sayed had a handy retort for that one."That'll be Sen. Mohamed to you, bro," he said at an Oct. 25 event with Sanders.Trump's rally the same day in Port Huron, Michigan, brought an escalation in his rhetoric. "I'm here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator, and that's the fact," Trump said. "We're not going to let that happen."Rogers tried to distance himself from the most heated rhetoric, but he also accused El-Sayed of harboring ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, an international Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt in 1928. The Trump administration has designated certain chapters of the group as terrorist organizations. El-Sayed has denounced and denied having any ties to the group.El-Sayed framed his campaign pitch around a simple, ideologically focused slogan: "Money out of politics, money in your pockets and Medicare for All." While that established him firmly to the left of his party, polling throughout the race suggested his message was helping him make strides with Trump voters.Rogers struggled to escape Trump's shadow. In the race's closing weeks, he tried to distance himself from Trump's war in Iran and tariffs — two developments that caused prices to rise and compounded voters' economic concerns. "Well, there are some things that Canada does that [are] absolutely unfair to Michiganders and the rest of the country," Rogers said in an interview this month with "NBC Nightly News." "I've been a targeted and temporary tariff guy to correct those things. I thought the broad sweep was too much, and I'd like to see it wrapped up."Asked in the interview whether the Iran war was a mistake, Rogers replied less than confidently: "Well, we'll find out. I don't think so."Marco Gacina contributed.
US voters rebuke Trump as Democrats win control of Congress in 'blue wave'
President's party stripped of control after he spent weeks pleading with Americans to pretend he was on ballotUS midterm elections – live updatesTrack live results from all 50 statesTell us: what do you want to know about the midterm election results?Donald Trump has been dealt a devastating blow to his authority with a succession of crushing defeats in the midterm elections, in which his Republican party was stripped of control of the Senate and the House as his handpicked "Maga" candidates were swept away by a blue tsunami.The president spent weeks before the election pleading with the American people to pretend he was on the ballot. He may now rue that tactic: the American people took him at his word, and delivered him a bloody nose of historic proportions, flinging his presidency into lame duck status. Continue reading...
The Democrats' sweep of Congress is a Canadian battle waged and won
Ottawa will be celebrating the GOP's losses in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, even if it does not end the trade war.
Democrats on brink of retaking Senate from Republicans after series of historic wins
Landmark victories in Texas, Ohio, North Carolina and South Carolina set to give party control of chamberUS midterm elections – live updatesTrack live results from all 50 statesDemocrats are on the brink of returning to the majority in the US Senate, after their candidates won historic victories across the United States in a sweeping repudiation of Donald Trump.Democratic victories in Texas, Ohio, North Carolina and South Carolina, projected by the Associated Press, will give them control of the chamber, assuming they can hold on to all seats they currently hold. It was a stunning turnaround for the party, two years after voters put them into the minority in Congress's upper chamber as they returned Trump to the White House. Continue reading...
Voters punish Trump in midterm blowout
Trump-backed picks lost and Republican strongholds crumbled as Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate. How will Democrats wield their newfound power?
Democrats projected to take U.S. House of Representatives: U.S. news outlets - CityNews Kitchener
Democrats projected to take U.S. House of Representatives: U.S. news outlets CityNews Kitchener
'Rubio is over': Controversial Trump ally emerges as new contender to take over State Dept
Republican insiders are already writing Secretary of State Marco Rubio's political obituary after Tuesday's midterm drubbing, and a controversial Donald Trump loyalist is reportedly maneuvering to replace him.As Democrats swept to control of the House and Senate, Trump officials began pointing fingers at the Iran War, which has cost taxpayers at least $47 billion and pushed gas prices to $4.15 a gallon, and one senior official blamed Rubio's State Department, according to the Daily Mail, and a top GOP donor agreed."Rubio is over," the donor said. "Though that's maybe also true for all Republicans who touched Trump's foreign policy."Rubio was spotted at the White House election night watch party early in the evening, but later "could not be found anywhere," the outlet reported.Now, two sources told the Daily Mail that Sergio Gor, the president's former personnel chief and current ambassador to India, is positioning for a move into the State Department. One predicted Gor would be nominated as secretary of state if Rubio resigns to run for president in 2028. Another source said Gor had sat in on every one of Rubio's meetings at last week's G20 gathering of foreign ministers in Atlanta.Gor would arrive with plenty of baggage.The Soviet-born aide spent months dodging questions about his origins before records surfaced last year showing he was born Sergio Gorokhovsky in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, then part of the USSR. Gor had long been described as an immigrant from Malta, where he spent part of his childhood.The New York Post reported in June 2025 that Gor had never completed the SF-86 paperwork required for a permanent security clearance, even as he oversaw the hiring of thousands of administration staffers. The White House dismissed that report as "baseless gossip."His tenure as personnel director saw a record number of failed nominations, and Trump himself seemed to acknowledge as much at Gor's swearing-in as ambassador."We have had a great team, a couple of mistakes there Sergio, but we won't mention that," Trump said. "Some people, when they don't like Sergio, they don't like him."Since taking up his post in India and as special envoy to Central Asia, Gor has drawn criticism from career diplomats. Politico reported this summer that he met privately with Turkmenistan's de facto ruler weeks before the strongman's secretive visit to South Florida."He's snooping for business," said Richard Hoagland, a former U.S. diplomat in the region.
On TV
NOVA — 53x16: "Evolution: The Mating Game" (PBS)
Abbott Elementary — 6x5: "Courtney" (ABC)
Gregory and Melissa come together to address an issue with a teacher, while Janine spends time with Courtney.
New Music

No new drops today. Go rediscover something in your old playlists.

In theaters
Ghost Soldier (90 minutes)
Henry “Fitz” Fitzgerald has spent years living quietly off the grid, hiding from a past few people know anything about. But when a powerful foreign corporation moves into his hometown to seize his neighbors’ land for a massive payday, Fitz is forced to reveal who he really is: a former Special Forces soldier and advanced weapons developer. Armed with experimental technology, lethal combat skills, and an unwavering code of justice, Fitz wages a one-man war against an enemy that never saw him coming.
The Cat in the Hat (108 minutes)
Assigned his toughest mission yet, the Cat must cheer up siblings Gabby and Sebastian as they adjust to life in a new town. Known for pushing boundaries, this agent of chaos must prove himself or risk losing his magical hat forever.
Club Kid (126 minutes)
A hard-partying New York City club promoter sees his whirlwind lifestyle upended by the arrival of the 10-year-old son he never knew he had.
Launching today
Mir | Demo Flight — Agency for Defense Development (05:00 UTC)
Note: Launch vehicle name is provisional. First orbital full version launch of the South Korean military small satellite launch vehicle, after 2 sub-orbital tests of individual stages on 30 March and 30 December 2022, and 1 orbital test flight without the 2nd stage on 4 December 2023. Details TBD.
Useless Fact

Every day, 7% of the US eats at McDonald’s.

The loonie
CAD → USD
0.7146
▼ 0.0008
CAD → EUR
0.6385
▼ 0.0000
Today In History
2008 — Barack Obama Elected First African American U.S. President
Democratic politician Barack Obama became the first African American to be elected president of the United States
2001 — Premiere of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
The first film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's best-selling Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, premiered in London
1995 — Yitzhak Rabin assassinated
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, co-recipient with Shimon Peres and Yāsir ʿArafāt of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1994, was assassinated this day in 1995 by a Jewish extremist while attending a peace rally
1980 — Ronald Reagan Elected 40th U.S. President
Conservative Republican Ronald Reagan was elected the 40th president of the United States in 1980.
1979 — Iranian Militants Seize U.S. Embassy in Tehran
In 1979, Iranian militants seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran, an event sanctioned by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leading to a hostage crisis that lasted over a year.
1946 — UNESCO founded to promote global collaboration
UNESCO was officially established as its constitution entered into force; this specialized agency of the UN called for the promotion of international collaboration in education, science, and culture
1924 — Nellie Tayloe Ross Elected First Woman Governor of Wyoming
American politician Nellie Tayloe Ross became the first woman to be elected governor of a U.S. state (Wyoming)
1922 — Howard Carter Discovers Tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922
British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen
1908 — Joseph Rotblat Born - Nobel Peace Prize Winner
British scientist Joseph Rotblat, a leading critic of nuclear weapons who jointly (with the Pugwash Conferences) won the 1995 Nobel Prize for Peace, was born. How much do you know about the Nobel Prize? Richard Mildenhall/Shutterstock.com
1842 — Abraham Lincoln's Marriage to Mary Todd
Future U.S. president Abraham Lincoln married Mary Todd in 1842.
1791 — St. Clair's Defeat by the Northwest Indian Confederation
In what became known as St. Clair's Defeat, U.S. General Arthur St. Clair's army was decisively defeated by the British-supported Native American Northwest Indian Confederation

This is today, boiled down to the essentials. The full stash lives at logicalchaos.ca. Go get lost in it.