*By Carlo Versano*
There is an unspoken tradition in Washington that the president faces the press a day after a midterm election that revokes power from his party in Congress. When Democrats gained control of both houses in 2006, a humbled President George W. Bush called it a "thumping." In 2010, an equally-chastened President Barack Obama admitted his party took a "shellacking."
No such thing happened on Wednesday.
President Trump vacillated between subdued and combative as he called Tuesday's election ー in which Democrats took control of the House and several pivotal governorships ー a "very close-to-complete victory."
Trump took credit for the GOP's ability to maintain control of the Senate and blamed certain losses of House Republican candidates on their disloyalty. He praised Rep. Nancy Pelosi, calling her "very smart," but then warned House Democrats that he would have Senate Republicans probe their conduct, should they use their newfound subpoena power to investigate him.
In a nearly two-hour-long press conference from the East Room of the White House that began with a low-key statement but quickly deteriorated into a rollicking Q&A, the president ratcheted up his antagonism of the gathered press corps. He called CNN's Jim Acosta a "rude, terrible person" and excoriated PBS' Yamiche Alcindor for asking "a racist question" when she attempted to probe him on whether his rhetoric was emboldening white nationalists.
As the president spoke, the AP called the contested Montana Senate race for Jon Tester, one of the Democrats that Trump was reportedly most hoping to defeat.
Women's marches across the country demanded the protection of abortion rights on Sunday, the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision to legalize the medical procedure that was struck down by the court last year.
Thousands of pro-life activists gathered at the National Mall in Washington, DC, for the ‘March For Life,’ marking the first time the event was held in the post-Roe v. Wade era.
Cheddar News discusses a new State Department program, the ‘Welcome Corps’ that will allow private U.S. citizens to sponsor refugees from around the world.
The U.S. has surpassed its $31.4 trillion debt limit, leading the Treasury Department to implement extraordinary measures.
U.S. Coast Guard tracks potential spy ship near Hawaii, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is stepping down, and the latest accusation against Rep. George Santos. Here is everything you Need2Know for Thursday, January 19, 2023.
President Joe Biden is set to tour damage and be briefed on recovery efforts after devastating storms hit California in recent weeks, killing at least 20 people and causing destruction across 41 of the state's 58 counties.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that the U.S. will reach its $31.4 trillion borrowing cap on Thursday.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday called out ExxonMobil for withholding highly accurate predictions about the impact of climate change.
A chopper crash killed top Ukrainian lawmakers, Arizona fight over water, and the TSA found a record number of firearms last year. Here is everything you Need2Know for Wednesday, January 18, 2023.
A helicopter crash in a Kyiv suburb Wednesday killed 18 people, including Ukraine’s interior minister and three children, Ukrainian authorities said.
