Up First briefing: Democrats’ post-midterm plan; Trump reacts : NPR

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Democrats won this week in districts and states that President Trump carried by double digits just two years ago. The party now has its largest Senate majority since the passing of the Affordable Care Act during Obama’s early presidency. Senate results from Alaska and Mississippi are still pending. If those races favor Democrats, their majority could grow to 54plus the two independents who caucus with them.

• 🎧 A few tight House races remain uncalledbut the swing toward Democrats already rivals the post-Nixon Watergate backlash, NPR’s Tamara Keith tells Up First. She highlights two notable race surprises that happened this week. One was in Nevada’s 2nd District, which has been Republican since the 1980s. Democrat Teresa Benitez-Thompson claimed victory overnight. The other was in Alabama’s 2nd District, where Shomari Figures overcame redistricting that favored Trump by 14 points. Figures won by more than seven points.
• ➡️ Mike Johnson plans to step down as top House Republican in the new Congress after a tough defeat for his party, according to a source familiar with his plans who was not authorized to discuss them publicly.
• ➡️ Voters in 39 states, Washington, D.C., and the Northern Mariana Islands decided on 146 ballot measures covering issues like taxes, transgender rights, traffic cameras and data centers. Here’s a summary of the results.

For more than a year, Democrats urged voters to elect them to lower costs and eliminate corruption. Now, the party must act to fulfill its campaign promise. The new Congress is unlikely to see much major legislation signed into law, but Democrats plan to launch ambitious investigations in the House and Senate. Democratic Party leaders and political analysts shared their insights with Morning Edition on the midterm election results, discussed the impacts of mid-decade redistricting efforts and outlined the party’s next steps.

• 🎧 Most legislation still requires 60 votes to pass the Senateand Trump has fluctuated between saying he will be Mr. Veto and expressing willingness to work with Democrats, NPR’s Sam Gringlas says. Democrats are interested in restoring enhanced ACA health subsidies, reversing Medicaid cuts, asserting control over tariffs and pushing to end the war with Iran. Gringlas says this election has intensified pressure on Democrats. He points to a voter he met this summer, who said that if Democrats gained control, they would have to enact real changes, otherwise it wouldn’t matter who they nominated for president in 2028.

Trump focused on his East Wing ballroom construction project during his first public appearance after the Republicans lost the House and Senate. When asked about the election, he said he wasn’t to blame for his party’s losses.