Trump Midterms, Stephen Miller, Iran Talks & Godzilla Minus Zero | Nov. 9, 2026

Transcript

Good morning. This is Artificially Intelligent News for Monday, November ninth, twenty twenty-six. I’m Mark Ellison. This program is created with AI and fact-checked against current reporting.

The political map in Washington has changed sharply after last week’s midterm elections. Democrats have secured control of both the House and Senate. The results give them the ability to set committee agendas, block legislation and nominees in the Senate, and intensify oversight of the Trump administration when the new Congress is seated in January.

The outcome was broad rather than limited to a few swing districts. Democrats flipped Senate seats in states including Kansas, Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina, while holding pivotal seats in Georgia and Michigan. In the House, they won more than two dozen districts, including some that had supported President Trump by wide margins in twenty twenty-four.

The election also produced a series of historic wins. Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota became the first Native American woman elected to the Senate. Abdul El-Sayed won in Michigan and will become the first Muslim senator. Deb Haaland won New Mexico’s governorship, and several states elected women and candidates from groups historically underrepresented in high office.

Control of Congress matters well beyond the vote totals. House and Senate majorities choose committee chairs, determine what hearings receive attention and decide which bills advance. In the Senate, the majority also has a central role in processing presidential nominees. Those powers can shape policy even when divided government makes major legislation difficult to enact.

The immediate political consequence is divided government for the final two years of President Trump’s term. That does not determine what legislation will pass. The president retains the veto, and the new congressional leaders will still need to decide where cooperation is possible. But it does mean a much different balance of power from the one Washington has had since January.

That new balance was underlined by a major White House personnel change. President Trump has named Stephen Miller his next chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles. Miller begins the job today after serving as deputy chief of staff and as a leading architect of the administration’s domestic agenda.

The chief of staff manages the White House operation, helps organize the president’s schedule and coordinates with agencies and lawmakers. Miller is a longtime Trump adviser whose work has been especially associated with immigration policy and a strong view of presidential power. The change follows the Republican losses and comes as the administration prepares for a Democratic-controlled Congress and likely investigations. Wiles is moving to the president’s political operation, according to Trump’s announcement.

The position is consequential because the chief of staff is often the first point of coordination among the West Wing, Cabinet agencies and congressional leaders. Miller’s appointment therefore puts a familiar policy voice at the center of the administration’s daily management as it adjusts to the new political environment.

A separate story at the intersection of technology and national security is developing around Nvidia. The company says its board is opening an independent investigation after reports that founder and chief executive Jensen Huang may have been the target of a foreign intelligence effort.

Huang acknowledged in a message to employees that he had a romantic relationship with a woman identified in reporting as a suspected Chinese intelligence operative. Nvidia said it had initiated the inquiry in light of the reporting. The company has not announced a finding, and the claims remain the subject of that investigation. The stakes extend beyond a personal matter because Nvidia is central to advanced artificial-intelligence computing and operates amid intense U.S.-China competition over chips and technology.

An independent board investigation is designed to separate the review from day-to-day management and establish what the company knew, if anything, and whether its policies were followed. Until that work is complete, the reporting remains an allegation rather than a conclusion by Nvidia.

In California, the Supreme Court has rejected the Trump administration’s emergency request to require the state to set aside ballots cast by up to twenty thousand people the federal government said were likely noncitizens. The justices did not explain the emergency order, which is common in such cases.

California officials said the federal list contained errors and that trying to isolate ballots during an active election would be unworkable and could disenfranchise eligible voters. Lower courts had already ruled against the administration. The Justice Department had characterized its request as a temporary measure while voter eligibility was checked. The ruling leaves the state’s normal election process in place as vote counting and certification continue.

Emergency Supreme Court orders can have immediate practical consequences even without a written explanation. In this case, the decision means California will continue using its established procedures while the broader dispute over the federal request proceeds.

California is also at the center of another consequential decision. Governor Gavin Newsom has moved to commute the death sentences of all five hundred forty-eight people on the state’s death row to life without parole. California has not carried out an execution since two thousand six, and Newsom imposed an execution moratorium in twenty nineteen.

The action does not mean every commutation is complete. Under the state constitution, the California Supreme Court must approve clemency for people with more than one felony conviction. Newsom’s office says that applies to roughly three hundred eighty-two cases. The governor said he regards state executions as incompatible with California’s values. Supporters of capital punishment criticized the move, while death-penalty opponents welcomed it. The underlying sentences remain life without parole if the commutations are approved.

The distinction is important: a moratorium pauses executions, while commutation changes the punishment itself. The court review means the plan will move through an additional legal step before it is fully resolved for the affected inmates.

For students and families, new federal borrowing limits are beginning to reshape decisions about graduate and professional education. Rules taking effect this year limit some federal graduate and parent borrowing and end the Grad PLUS option for new borrowers. The Education Department says the changes are intended to set clearer loan limits and hold programs accountable for their financial value.

But the change is steering some students toward private loans, which can have less flexible repayment options and fewer federal protections. Colleges are adjusting aid plans, and some students already enrolled may qualify for temporary exceptions under the transition rules. The larger question is whether schools cut prices and redesign programs, whether private lenders fill the gap, or whether some prospective students decide professional school is no longer financially reachable.

Federal loan programs have long been a major financing path for education beyond an undergraduate degree. As the new limits take effect, the transition rules will matter especially to students already partway through programs and trying to understand whether their expected funding will continue.

And in the Southwest, destructive recent storms are also bringing a rare benefit to drought-strained water systems. Flooding in late October and early November sent torrents through normally dry washes and creeks, forced evacuations in some communities and disrupted travel. But much of that water is now flowing into depleted reservoirs and aquifers.

Lake Powell has risen about twenty feet, according to reporting from the region. That does not erase the long-running drought or remove flood risks for communities in the path of the storms. Water managers will be watching how much of the runoff can be retained and used. Still, after years of historically low reservoir levels, it is a meaningful boost for a system relied upon by millions of people across the West.

A reservoir rise after a single storm period is not the same as a permanent recovery. Conditions can change quickly with future weather and water use. But the runoff offers a tangible measure of relief in a region where water planning has been dominated by scarcity.

Overseas, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in France for meetings with foreign ministers from the Group of Seven. The agenda includes the U.S.-Iran conflict, Ukraine, energy security and artificial intelligence. France has also invited countries including Brazil, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine to participate in parts of the discussions.

The Iran conflict remains a direct concern for American households and businesses because of risks to shipping around the Strait of Hormuz and the effect on oil prices. Crude has been volatile as investors weigh reports of tanker attacks, military developments and prospects for diplomacy. Reuters reported that Brent crude was near ninety-eight dollars a barrel early today after a steep decline last week. That is an intraday market price, not a final U.S. settlement.

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow route through which a major share of global oil shipments travels. That is why security concerns there can move prices far from the conflict zone: traders are assessing not only current supply, but the risk that transport could be disrupted.

The talks are not expected to deliver an immediate resolution. They do offer a forum for U.S. allies to press their priorities directly as Washington reassesses its foreign policy after the midterms. Rubio has said the administration views its actions against Iran as necessary to prevent a nuclear threat, while critics at home and abroad have questioned the war’s costs and direction.

Ukraine is also preparing for another important diplomatic test. U.S., Russian and Ukrainian officials are expected to hold talks in Abu Dhabi later this month. The talks follow renewed Russian attacks, including strikes that hit emergency crews and energy-related targets in southern Ukraine.

Ukraine is seeking clear security guarantees and support for reconstruction if a settlement is reached. Russia has maintained demands that Ukraine abandon its pursuit of NATO membership, accept restrictions on its military and change policies affecting the Russian language and the Moscow-affiliated Orthodox Church. Those positions remain far apart. The planned meetings are significant because they bring the principal parties back into a U.S.-mediated process, but a meeting itself is not a breakthrough. The immediate measure will be whether the talks produce practical steps to protect civilians, stabilize infrastructure and reduce the fighting.

Security guarantees are central because Ukraine is looking beyond a pause in fighting to what would deter another attack after any agreement. Reconstruction support is similarly tied to daily life, including the repair of homes, energy systems and other damaged infrastructure.

Now to the economy and markets. Because it is Monday, these are final closing figures from Friday’s completed U.S. trading session. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell two hundred thirty-seven point three three points, or zero point four six percent, to close at fifty-one thousand two hundred eighty-five point seven three. The S and P five hundred gained twenty-three point one three points, or zero point three one percent, closing at seven thousand three hundred seventy-six point eight six. The Nasdaq Composite rose two hundred sixty-four point four three points, or one point zero nine percent, to close at twenty-four thousand five hundred seventy-nine point four three.

Friday’s split finish followed a turbulent week for technology shares and a sharp Thursday selloff. Chip stocks helped the Nasdaq recover, while investors continued to assess whether the election result could bring more scrutiny of artificial-intelligence data-center development. Those are final closes, not futures or intraday indications.

The different index moves show that the session was not a uniform rally or selloff. Technology shares helped lift the Nasdaq, while the Dow’s decline reflected the uneven trading across the larger market.

The bigger economic story is the unusually resilient October jobs report. Employers added one hundred sixty-five thousand jobs, more than many forecasts expected, and the unemployment rate fell to four point one percent. Professional and business services led the gains. Average hourly earnings rose zero point four percent for the month.

The report is encouraging on employment, but it does not settle the broader affordability problem voters emphasized during the campaign. Consumer-price inflation was running at three point seven percent annually in the latest available reading, and higher energy costs linked to the Iran conflict have added pressure at gas pumps. A strong labor market gives the Federal Reserve room to be cautious. This week, investors will be watching the next U.S. consumer-price report for clearer evidence on whether inflation is easing or becoming more persistent.

Jobs data and inflation data answer different questions. Hiring and unemployment indicate the health of the labor market, while consumer prices show how far household budgets must stretch. Policymakers and investors will be weighing both measures together as they assess the economy’s direction.

In sports, the New York Giants earned a nineteen to eleven road win over the Philadelphia Eagles in one of Sunday’s most notable NFL results. New York’s defense held the Eagles to eleven points and recorded a crucial strip-sack, while the Giants did enough on offense to protect the lead. It was the Giants’ first win in Philadelphia since twenty thirteen.

Elsewhere, Kansas City beat the New York Jets thirty-five to twelve behind three touchdowns from running back Ken Walker. Cleveland quarterback Shedeur Sanders made his first start of the season and threw for two hundred ninety-seven yards and two touchdowns, but the Browns lost to New Orleans twenty-three to twenty-two. And the Buffalo Bills host the Minnesota Vikings tonight, a matchup that puts one of the league’s top offenses against a highly regarded defense.

For the Giants, the result carries extra weight because winning on the road in Philadelphia had eluded the team for more than a decade.

College football has a new number one. Georgia returned to the top spot in the Associated Press poll after a forty-two to seven win at Mississippi. The Bulldogs are eight and one and received fifty-three first-place votes. Undefeated Utah moved to number two after beating previously unbeaten BYU twenty-eight to twenty, and Notre Dame is third following its thirty-one to twenty-four victory over Miami.

The movement reflects a weekend that reshaped the playoff conversation. Miami fell from the top spot to fifth after its loss at Notre Dame. Ohio State dropped to twenty-first after Oregon beat the Buckeyes forty-one to twenty-eight. The College Football Playoff committee’s rankings will continue to matter most for the field, but the AP poll captures just how compressed the race has become heading into the final weeks of the regular season.

With several prominent teams taking losses, the remaining regular-season games now have even greater consequence for teams seeking position in the playoff field.

Here is the concise weekend scoreboard. In the NFL’s game in Madrid, Cincinnati beat Atlanta thirty-four to seventeen. Kansas City defeated the Jets thirty-five to twelve. Dallas edged Indianapolis twenty-seven to twenty-three. In college football, Georgia beat Mississippi forty-two to seven, and Utah defeated BYU twenty-eight to twenty.

Finally, in entertainment, Godzilla Minus Zero had a monster opening weekend. The Japanese sequel brought in an estimated thirty-one point six million dollars in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales, taking the top spot at the North American box office.

The film is directed by Takashi Yamazaki and follows the Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One. Its opening set a record for a live-action foreign-language film in North America, according to industry estimates. The animated The Cat in the Hat opened second with twenty point five million dollars. The result is notable not just for the franchise, but for a Japanese-language release reaching a broad North American audience at a time when theatrical attendance remains uneven.

The opening is also a reminder that box-office performance can be driven by a film’s specific audience appeal, not only by the language or country of origin of a release. For Toho and its distributor, it provides a strong start to the theatrical run.

That is the morning briefing. Democrats now control Congress. Stephen Miller is taking over as White House chief of staff. Diplomacy around Iran and Ukraine remains active but unresolved, and markets are weighing solid hiring against persistent cost pressures.

Thank you for listening to Artificially Intelligent News. Please follow the show and share this briefing with one person who would value a calm morning news summary. Until tomorrow, take care and stay informed.