Good Thursday evening. In this edition: Schumer, Clark outline Democrats' agenda as Cruz calls election a "Watergate-level repudiation."
Plus, Trump's arch, Dobbs leak and Dhillon.
Midterm Elections
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) outlined Democrats' priorities for the 120th Congress, pledging to lower costs, end the war in Iran, reverse President Trump's tariffs and hold his administration accountable following the party's sweeping midterm victories.
The remarks came two days after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, setting up a confrontation with President Trump over his legislative agenda during the final two years of his term.
While Democrats will be able to advance their own priorities and conduct oversight of the administration, the president will retain his veto power, and most legislation will still require 60 votes to advance in the Senate.
Speaking at an event hosted by the Center for American Progress, both leaders said Democrats must deliver tangible results for voters, while Sen. Schumer emphasized the importance of building a lasting Democratic majority.
"Everything we do maps onto three promises, the very same three we ran on, turning from a critique into a to-do list," he said. "Lower costs, make your government work for you, clean up the corruption."
The Senate leader said Democrats would pursue their goals with or without Republican support.
"Let me be clear to my Republican colleagues: You heard the same voters I did," he said. "Americans want us to act on these issues and we're going to do it, with you or without you. If you block solutions Americans want, they will know precisely who stood in the way."
Sen. Schumer also warned that Republicans could face an even greater backlash from voters in 2028 if they obstruct Democrats' agenda or President Trump vetoes legislation.
"If Donald Trump does spend the next year vetoing commonsense legislation to lower costs and end corruption, this election, this absolute Republican catastrophe on election night 2026, will look like a good day compared to what will come down on Republicans in the 2028 election," he warned.
Rep. Clark echoed those priorities, arguing that voters had delivered a mandate for sweeping change rather than simply reversing Republican policies.
"This is more than just rolling things back to where they were. This generational election isn't about returning to a status quo," she said. "We were elected to build something new and to build it together. We were elected to transform a system that has been failing people for decades."
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), a potential 2028 presidential candidate, called the election a "Watergate-level repudiation" of his party, blaming Republicans for failing to address voters' concerns about the cost of living and criticizing President Trump's tariffs and the prolonged war in Iran.
"2026 was not simply a blue wave; it was a blue tsunami. It was an ass kicking. It was not simply a bad 2006 midterm election. It was a Watergate-level repudiation. What happened, and why? What are the consequences, and where on earth do we go from here?"
The Texas Republican also warned that Democrats would overreach with their new majorities, predicting investigations and retaliation against President Trump and his allies.
He pledged to fight policies he believes would hurt Texas but said he would work with Democrats "when they're willing to be reasonable."
Looking ahead to 2028, Sen. Schumer called the 120th Congress Democrats' "opening act," arguing that the party must build on its gains in traditionally Republican states, strengthen its political infrastructure and expand its electoral map to establish a lasting majority.
"If Democrats cannot win elections, if we cannot widen what it means to be a Democrat enough to build a majority that lasts, then everything we believe in stays exactly that: a belief, a life not made better, an America not made stronger," he said. "An election is just a snapshot in time. What we do next is how we will be judged."
Sen. Schumer also urged Democrats to embrace differences within the party, arguing that candidates in traditionally Republican states should be able to define what it means to be a Democrat in their own communities.
"Together, we need to show Americans in every corner of the country that Democrats aren't all exactly the same and that's a strength," he said. "Instead of letting Fox News define what being a Democrat is, our elected Democrats in these states will define what that means."
Democrats have now won 253 seats in the House, with 27 races still to be called. The Senate races in Alaska and Mississippi also remain too close to call, with Democrats holding narrow leads in both.
President Trump is seeking final approval Thursday for his proposed 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, with construction potentially beginning immediately afterward. The project faces opposition from lawmakers, veterans and preservation groups, as well as three lawsuits challenging its legality. The president has said the arch would also serve as a military complex housing drones, snipers and ammunition, although those features are absent from the final plans submitted for approval. The administration maintains that the structure could accommodate military functions and argues that the arch would honor veterans and fulfill a century-old congressional vision for the site. A federal judge is considering requests to block construction.
The Justice Department has intensified its criminal investigation into the 2022 leak of the Supreme Court's draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, issuing grand jury subpoenas in an effort to identify the source, according to the New York Times. The investigation is being overseen by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro in Washington, DC. Politico published the draft opinion in May 2022, nearly two months before the court issued its landmark ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. An internal Supreme Court investigation concluded in January 2023 without identifying the person responsible. It remains unclear whether federal prosecutors have uncovered new evidence or what laws they believe were violated.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillonresigned after 18 months as head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, where she oversaw investigations involving universities, voting rights and religious liberty. Her resignation marks one of the first high-ranking departures from the Trump administration following Republicans' sweeping losses in Tuesday's midterm elections. "She has defended the civil liberties of every American and enforced the law without fear or favor," Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. "The Department is grateful for her dedicated public service, and we wish her every success in her future endeavors."
For your radar…
The U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own" perform their Salute to Service concert Friday night at Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas, Virginia. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN2 at 7:30pm ET.
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