1. FROM MY DESK
A House majority of at least 254 seats might sound like a dream for an incoming speaker. For Hakeem Jeffries, it comes with a catch: The Democrats who delivered it have sharply different ideas about what comes next.
His caucus stretches from incoming freshmen pushing Medicare for All and abolishing ICE to dozens of lawmakers from deep-red districts. Jeffries wants to move quickly to lower costs, end the Iran war and pump the brakes on President Trump, but colleagues describe a cautious leader who prefers consensus over confrontation. Our reporters explore what it will take to keep his caucus united.
And those divisions could carry into the 2028 presidential race. With a sprawling field expected, the contest threatens to expose fault lines unsettling Democrats: establishment vs. outsider, moderate vs. progressive and youth vs. experience.
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2. TODAY’S HEADLINES
- Ultimate Fighting Championship Chief Executive Dana White said he is planning to meet with Trump to discuss the president’s offer to appoint him as the next White House press secretary.
- A Republican midterm defeat is scrambling Vice President JD Vance’s political future, with Vance and allies privately grappling over whether to mount a 2028 White House campaign.
- A Democratic Senate majority will be the strongest check yet on Trump’s efforts to control the Federal Reserve, writes Nick Timiraos.
- Israel’s president tasked former military chief Gadi Eisenkot with forming a new government, setting the stage for a centrist coalition that could unseat longtime prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- A gunman opened fire from a moving car into a crowded market square in Krakow, Poland, killing six people in what one official said was a terrorist attack.
- Phones are getting bigger and laptops are becoming lighter, so why are Apple and Amazon releasing their best tablets in years? There’s still a place for a high-quality third screen, writes Nicole Nguyen.
3. FROM THE MARKETS
- DoorDash is suddenly competing with Amazon on multiple fronts—and investors shouldn’t dismiss its chances, writes Jinjoo Lee.
4. READ IT HERE FIRST
How a talent war spelled doom for the traditional law firm.
The demise of Weil, Gotshal & Manges stunned the legal industry, but the forces that led to it aren’t unique to the firm. Driven by skyrocketing fees for corporate dealmaking, the rise of megafirms has fueled bare-knuckled competition over talent. As Erin Mulvaney and Rosie Ettenheim report, changes in compensation models allow firms to raid each other for rainmakers, with the going rate for top talent hitting $20 million to $30 million. The result? A record year for partner turnover is threatening the traditional white-shoe model, putting decades-old New York institutions on guard.
5.
Don’t trust the market’s knee-jerk reaction to the midterms.
The scale of the selloff since the election shows just how widespread the belief is that the blue wave will drown data-center development. There are good reasons for concern: New governors have promised moratoria on data centers, including in Texas and Ohio. Yet politically driven trades often prove catastrophic once postelection hype settles down. Temporary building bans might be used as negotiating tools, or data centers could move elsewhere. Our markets columnist James Mackintosh argues that the new political threat to AI is probably not as severe as investors believe.
6. SEE THE STORY
The fight over trophy hunting in Africa is intensifying.
In the southern African grasslands, big-game hunters are fretting about a flurry of international bans on hunting trophies. And conservationists behind those bans are getting pushback from African countries that argue regulated hunting generates revenue to protect wildlife and improve local lives. With striking photographs of hunters, wildlife and local communities, here’s a closer look at the growing debate.
7. HAPPENING THIS WEEK
- Monday: The U.N. climate summit, COP31, begins in Turkey. Congress returns to begin a lame-duck session before both majorities switch to the Democrats. G-7 foreign ministers begin a two-day meeting in Paris. Trump Media, Skydance and H&R Block report earnings.
- Tuesday: The Labor Department releases the October consumer-price index. The U.S., Russia and Ukraine are due to resume three-way negotiations in Abu Dhabi. CoreWeave and On Holding report earnings.
- Wednesday: Veterans Day is observed in the U.S.
- Thursday: The National Association of Realtors releases October existing-home sales data. Canadian Tire, Cisco Systems and Applied Materials report earnings.
- Friday: The Labor Department releases the October producer-price index.
8. THE NUMBER
That is how much Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 swung toward House Democrats compared with 2024, according to the AP Voter Poll by SSRS. Young voters cited economic pressures in turning on Trump’s party. The shift was sharpest among young adults without a college degree as well as white and Hispanic men under 30—groups that helped return Trump to power two years ago.
9. AND FINALLY…
Welcome to the world of college wellness.
Gone are the days of instant ramen and all-nighters. For today’s students, fitness has become not just a virtue but a path to a lucrative influencing career. Student wellness societies are popping up on campuses to offer workout classes and mindfulness-based activities. And social media feeds have lit up with daytime parties featuring cold plunges and sauna tents, as companies have seized on their ability to promote products and even a whole lifestyle.
10. BEYOND THE NEWSROOM
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Today’s newsletter was curated and edited by Bharbi Hazarika and Natasha Dangoor in collaboration with Editor in Chief Emma Tucker. Got a tip for us? Here’s how to submit.
