A VERY GOOD WEEK FOR AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

Manufactured “reality” met lived experience as millions of voters delivered a stinging rebuke to the Trump administration’s governance. Elections were held on Nov. 4 in the shadow of rising prices, extrajudicial abductions by ICE and Border Patrol, and the chaos of whim-driven tariffs. The results shocked Beltway pundits and even left-wing analysts, many of whom were sure that the control of national media and local radio meant that the authoritarian tendencies and economic narratives of President Trump and the Republicans would prevail.

While the gubernatorial results in Virginia, New Jersey, and the mayoral race in New York could be explained away as blue areas electing blue candidates, there were elections around the country and it really is worth taking a quick look at how overwhelmingly the Democratic party won on Tuesday. (thanks to Ariella Elm on Substack, an account that is a must-follow)

California

Prop 50 won with over 60 percent of the vote statewide, including over 50 percent in ruby red Fresno County and over 56 percent in ruby red Riverside County. Hopefully, this makes Republicans planning gerrymanders in other states pause and Democratic states the spine to fight back. Kudos to Gov. Newsom and the CADEMS for getting it done.

Colorado

Measures to continue their free school lunch program and taxing those earning more than $300,000 passed. In Aurora, Democrats flipped two city council seats!

Florida

Florida! Democrats flipped Orlando City Council District 1 with Tom Keen, which makes the entire city council blue. Democrat Eileen Higgins is headed to the runoff for Miami Mayor. Miami hasn’t had a Democratic mayor in 28 years, and the odds are very much in her favor. 

Georgia

For the first time since 2006, Democrats have won statewide elected constitutional offices, flipping both public service commission districts that were on the ballot. 

Kansas

The biggest win yesterday was not at the ballot box, but rather that Republicans announcing they’re not going to redistrict. 

Maine

Said no to voter suppression and yes to prohibiting potentially dangerous people from owning firearms.

Mississippi

Democrats have officially broken the Republican Senate supermajority! We also picked up a seat in the state house.

New Jersey

Of course, we have Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill, but Democrats now also have a supermajority in the assembly! 

New York

Mamdani won, and more importantly he actually got over 50%. Him winning was a given, him getting over 50% was not. 

North Carolina

Wilmington’s leadership (mayor and city council) will be all Democratic. In Charlotte, Democrats won all four at large city council seats, and Kimberly Owens becomes the first Democrat to win District 6. Democrats also won all three Cary races. 

Ohio

Democrats sweep Cincinnati elections, including mayor. Aftab Pureval beat JD Vance’s half brother handily.

Pennsylvania

All three Supreme Court Justices were retained. In Bucks County, Democrats flipped everything from district attorney to sheriff and took all four of the Central Bucks School Board seats. 

Texas

Three far-right trustees were ousted in the Cy-Fair School District race, which takes the board from 6-1 Republican to 4-3 Democrat. State Senate District 9 is headed to a runoff, thanks to the incredible overperformance by Democrat Taylor Rehmet.

Virginia

Democrat Abigail Spanberger is governor-elect. And the House of Delegates is 2 shy of a Democratic supermajority — a gigantic overperformance.

And that’s just a partial list!

NATIONAL

Shutdown saga continues: This shutdown is now officially the longest on record, having broken the last one (35 days) in President Trump’s first term. SNAP benefits ended on Nov. 1 despite pleas from Democrats to use the emergency funds specifically created for this purpose. It plunged 40 million Americans into a food crisis. Despite the belief of several Republicans that SNAP is being misused by lazy minorities, the reality is that white people are the largest group of recipients (35 percent), and 70 percent of adult wage earners in SNAP households work full time. After a federal judge ruled that the administration must resume SNAP, some states resumed funding for their residents (yay California!), but the Supreme Court has put a 48 hour hold on the release of federal funds to consider an appeal by the Trump administration. ABC NEWS 

Senate Democrats offer to reopen government rejected by Trump and Senate Republicans: Senate Democrats offered to provide the votes needed to restart the government if the Republicans would agree to a one-year extension of healthcare subsidies (popular with 75 percent of voters). Republicans rejected the plan outright. CNBC

More than 1,000 flights canceled as FAA reductions take effect: Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford has said the unprecedented move is the result of "fatigue" plaguing air traffic controllers, who have been working without pay since the start of the government shutdown, now in its second month. Passengers are being advised to regularly check the status of upcoming travel. NBC

INTERNATIONAL

The shutdown of USAID has killed hundreds of thousands of people: Gut-wrenching and infuriating documentary brought to us by Atul Gawande, surgeon and public health researcher. In his words, “We are now witnessing what the historian Richard Rhodes termed ‘public man-made death.’ As of November 5th, it estimated that U.S.A.I.D.’s dismantling has already caused the deaths of six hundred thousand people, two-thirds of them children.” Unforgivable action by Trump, Musk and DOGE. NEW YORKER

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND SAFETY

FBI Warns of Criminals Posing as ICE, Urges Agents to ID Themselves: In a bulletin to law enforcement agencies, the FBI said criminal impersonators are exploiting ICE’s image and urged nationwide coordination to distinguish real operations from fakes. WIRED

US accused of threatening EU diplomats during bid to kill green shipping rules: European negotiators were personally targeted by their American counterparts during a brutal negotiation over green shipping rules, European Commission officials told POLITICO — a highly unusual gambit that left diplomats shaken after the meeting. The threats were made last month, as the U.S. maneuvered to block a new effort to tax pollution at a meeting of the International Maritime Organization in London. POLITICO

DESI NEWS

100,000+South Asian Families Face Job Loss After 540-Day EAD Visa Lifeline Erased: Ajay Bhutoria writes for India Currents: “In 2022, I presented my recommendation for automated EAD renewal to the AANHPI Commission - “Extend auto-renewal from 180 to 540 days.” On May 3, 2022, they signed it into law. That single sentence kept 1.2 million legal workers—mostly Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Sri Lankan, Chinese, and several other countries on payroll while USCIS caught up. Last week, Trump ‘unsigned’ it.” At risk now are 100,000+ Indian H-4 spouses, OPT STEM grads, Nepali TPS nurses who kept Boston hospitals alive during COVID and thousands of others.

CORRUPTION ALERT

Trump Wine Hits Government Shelves: The Trump Organization’s second-term push to monetize Donald Trump’s presidency has reached the aisles of military exchanges, as Coast Guard-run stores, which provide service members and their families with access to tax-free consumer goods, have stocked Trump-branded wine and cider. FORTUNE

TAKE ACTION - CARING FOR THE LESS FORTUNATE

Thank you for voting BLUE,  your vote gave us hope for the future of this country.

This week we focus on helping our neighbors as SNAP cuts ravage communities already reeling from job losses and high prices. Donate to a local food bank. You can look for one here. Collect non-perishable items from your community and get to know your neighbors.