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NEWS ARCHIVE

Nov 2026 news archive

44 reviewed briefs from Nov 2026 editions. Open any article for the response, sources and dates.

Nov 2026 briefs

The Washington File · Source updated: Nov 15, 2026 · 3:05 PM EST

FAA disables router function while outage cause remains unresolved

The Federal Aviation Administration says its initial investigation traced the November 13 data flood to two possible locations: a radar site in Amarillo, Texas, and a radio-communications site in El Dorado, Arkansas, where contractor L3Harris had deployed a new router.

The Washington File · Source published: Nov 15, 2026 · 9:03 AM EST

RNC members challenge Trump-backed chair and seek spending audit

Associated Press reported that a small but growing group of Republican National Committee members is backing co-chair KC Crosbie's bid to replace chairman Joe Gruters after Republicans lost control of Congress. The leadership vote is scheduled for the RNC's January winter meeting in Arizona.

Money & Influence · Source updated: Nov 14, 2026 · 5:00 AM EST

Lutnick agrees to testify after Bessent faults Commerce on Megaspeed

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has agreed to testify voluntarily before the Senate Banking Committee amid scrutiny of Megaspeed and Nvidia export controls. CBS reported a December 10 appearance based on a U.S. official; a Commerce spokesperson separately confirmed the voluntary acceptance to ABC News, which said the date was not yet clear. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said November 13 that Treasury, State, Defense and the U.S. Trade Representative had favored adding Megaspeed to the Entity List for months, while Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security controlled the process. Those statements document an interagency dispute and planned testimony; they are not an issued subpoena, Entity List decision, export-control violation finding or criminal charge.

Courts & Power · Source updated: Nov 13, 2026 · 10:57 AM EST

Blanche says DOJ has no criminal probes into lawmakers' words

President Donald Trump asked November 12 whether six Democratic lawmakers would be prosecuted over their 2025 video telling military and intelligence personnel not to obey unlawful orders.

The Washington File · Source updated: Nov 13, 2026 · 7:05 AM EST

Lawmakers seek records from Trump fundraiser over donor access

A seven-page letter from Senators Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal and Representative Robert Garcia asks O'Rourke to identify donors she solicited, explain her White House role and compensation, and disclose whether contributions affected meetings, regulatory matters, tariffs or other government action.

The Washington File · Source updated: Nov 13, 2026 · 3:08 AM EST

Trump redirects Vance from Iran talks to domestic fraud campaign

On November 12, President Trump said he had asked Vice President JD Vance to focus his complete attention on alleged corruption and crime in Democratic-run cities and states, adding that the United States did not need a deal with Iran.

Money & Influence · Source published: Nov 12, 2026 · 1:18 PM EST

Donald Trump Jr. and Kalshi end paid advisory role

Prediction-market company Kalshi said it and Donald Trump Jr. mutually ended his paid advisory role after 1789 Capital, where Trump Jr. is a partner, significantly increased its investment in rival Polymarket.

The Washington File · Source updated: Nov 12, 2026 · 1:12 PM EST

Sheinbaum rebuts Trump tariff threat; no order identified

President Donald Trump threatened to double tariffs on Mexico unless the Mexican government stops a migrant caravan traveling north from Tapachula near the Guatemala border.

The Washington File · Source updated: Nov 12, 2026 · 11:17 AM EST

Kushner and Witkoff meet Putin after Abu Dhabi talks

U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on November 12 after two days of U.S.-mediated talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Abu Dhabi, Associated Press reported.

The Washington File · Source updated: Nov 11, 2026 · 3:02 PM EST

Incoming House intelligence chair plans Trump spy-agency investigations

Representative Jim Himes, who is expected to chair the House Intelligence Committee when Democrats take control in January, told Reuters that the committee plans to investigate the Trump administration's handling of U.S. intelligence agencies.

The Washington File · Source updated: Nov 11, 2026 · 9:04 AM EST

Reuters links Vance ally to Vitol's Venezuela oil role; key meeting denied

Reuters reported November 11 that Vitol trader John Addison's political ties to Vice President JD Vance may have helped Vitol obtain a special U.S. license and a lucrative role marketing Venezuelan oil after the Trump administration's January operation.

Courts & Power · Source updated: Nov 11, 2026 · 7:04 AM EST

Trump withdraws Eighth Circuit nominee, sends Hiland nomination to Senate

President Donald Trump withdrew U.S. District Judge Lee Philip Rudofsky's nomination to the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and sent Arkansas Supreme Court Justice James Cody Hiland's nomination for the same seat to the Senate on November 10, the White House announced.

The Washington File · Source updated: Nov 10, 2026 · 6:58 PM EST

House refers Hegseth impeachment resolution, 211–204

The House voted November 10 to refer Rep. Thomas Massie's Hegseth impeachment resolution to the Judiciary Committee, stopping the privileged floor effort from advancing to a vote on the eight articles.

The Washington File · Source published: Nov 10, 2026 · 6:03 AM EST

Reuters/Ipsos poll finds 71% want Congress to end Trump's Iran war

A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed November 9 found that 71% of U.S. adults wanted Congress to pass legislation ending the Iran war launched by President Donald Trump and Israel, Reuters reported November 10. The figure included 93% of Democrats and 51% of Republicans.

The Washington File · Source updated: Nov 8, 2026 · 6:30 PM EST

Iran deportation flight canceled after detainees boarded, attorney says

A U.S. deportation flight intended to carry Iranian nationals toward Iran through Georgia and Pakistan was canceled November 8 after at least eight people boarded in Mesa, Arizona, attorney Ali Rahnama told Associated Press.

The Washington File · Source updated: Nov 8, 2026 · 5:02 PM EST

Wiles spokesperson denies former health adviser's lobbying allegations

A spokesperson for Susie Wiles denied Calley Means's allegations of industry influence on the Trump administration's health policy, Axios reported November 8. Attorney General Todd Blanche said on CNN he would not investigate on the basis of the podcast remarks.

The Washington File · Source published: Nov 8, 2026 · 3:01 PM EST

Incoming Democrats outline Miller and Musk oversight

Rep. Robert Garcia, the House Oversight Committee's ranking Democrat and expected incoming chairman, said November 8 that Stephen Miller's central role in Trump administration policy merits oversight and investigation.

Courts & Power · Source published: Nov 7, 2026 · 4:09 PM EST

DOJ files to enter Texas Planned Parenthood fraud suit

The Trump Justice Department filed to enter a years-old civil case accusing Planned Parenthood entities of improperly billing Texas and Louisiana Medicaid programs after the states sought to end their participation, Reuters reported November 7.

Courts & Power · Source published: Nov 7, 2026 · 11:04 AM EST

Armed suspect charged after White House-area arrest

Secret Service officers arrested Ronny Yordrix Guanipa Chrinos in a vehicle parked on Constitution Avenue near the White House shortly before midnight November 5.

The Washington File · Source published: Nov 6, 2026 · 9:30 PM EST

Trump backs Joe Gruters for another term as RNC chair

President Donald Trump endorsed Republican National Committee chair Joe Gruters for another term, calling him a trusted partner and urging Republicans to support him.

The Washington File · Source published: Nov 6, 2026 · 12:58 PM EST

Trump names Stephen Miller to replace Susie Wiles as chief of staff

President Donald Trump announced that Stephen Miller, currently a White House deputy chief of staff and one of Trump's longest-serving advisers, will replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff starting Monday, November 9. Trump said Wiles will move to his political operation.

Money & Influence · Source published: Nov 5, 2026 · 9:23 PM EST

Trump-backed World Liberty launches WLFI token buyback program

Trump-family-backed cryptocurrency venture World Liberty Financial announced a new program to buy its WLFI governance token on the open market. The company said an initial allocation may include income earned from reserves backing its USD1 stablecoin and other sources.

Courts & Power · Source published: Nov 5, 2026 · 12:48 PM EST

Harmeet Dhillon resigns as DOJ civil-rights chief

Harmeet Dhillon stepped down as assistant attorney general leading the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. Bloomberg Law reported the resignation and said Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed in a public post that he had accepted it.

Courts & Power · Source published: Nov 5, 2026 · 12:01 AM EST

Judges question both sides in Trump's New York conviction appeal

New York appeals judges questioned President Donald Trump's lawyers and Manhattan prosecutors about the legal theory supporting his 34-count falsifying-business-records conviction and evidence concerning White House conversations, Hope Hicks and Trump's first-term social-media posts, according to AP's updated report after the hearing.

The Washington File · Source published: Nov 4, 2026 · 1:01 AM EST

Democrats win Congress. Johnson quits the leadership race.

The projected Democratic sweep changes the next Congress. Mike Johnson says he won’t seek another Republican leadership job, but he has not resigned his House seat.

The Washington File · Source published: Nov 3, 2026 · 10:56 PM EST

Trump-backed Darline Graham loses South Carolina Senate race

The Associated Press projected Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Republican interim Senator Darline Graham in South Carolina's U.S. Senate race, giving Democrats a second Republican-held pickup after North Carolina.

The Washington File · Source published: Nov 3, 2026 · 9:00 PM EST

Trump-backed Michael Whatley loses North Carolina Senate race

The Associated Press projected former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley in North Carolina's U.S. Senate race, flipping a seat held by retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis.

The Washington File · Source published: Nov 3, 2026 · 7:03 PM EST

Ninth Circuit reinstates stay of election-worker protections

A 6-5 en banc Ninth Circuit reinstated a three-judge panel order staying a federal district court's temporary restraining order in Service Employees International Union v. Department of Justice, No. 26-7303.

The Washington File · Source published: Nov 3, 2026 · 5:01 PM EST

Trump says U.S. aid to Israel will end after 2026

President Donald Trump said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed months earlier that the United States would stop providing roughly $4 billion in annual assistance to Israel after the end of 2026.

Courts & Power · Source published: Nov 3, 2026 · 3:01 PM EST

Judge blocks federal sharing of suspected-noncitizen voter lists

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan granted the League of Women Voters and Electronic Privacy Information Center a nationwide preliminary injunction in League of Women Voters v. Department of Homeland Security, No. 1:26-cv-03602.

Courts & Power · Source published: Nov 2, 2026 · 6:11 AM EST

Reuters: Trump DOJ routes election-probe disputes to political appointees

Reuters reports that the Trump administration suspended a requirement that federal prosecutors consult the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section on election-corruption probes and told agents and prosecutors that unresolved disputes would be decided by Trump political appointees.

Courts & Power · Source published: Nov 2, 2026 · 3:13 AM EST

Judge blocks DOJ ballot-segregation demands to California

Chief Judge James Boasberg granted in part CHIRLA and Pedro Trujillo's motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in Trujillo v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, No. 1:26-cv-03072.

The Washington File · Source published: Nov 1, 2026 · 6:04 AM EST

Reuters reports White House planning executive actions if Democrats win Congress

Reuters reports, citing one White House official and two people familiar with the work, that deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, budget director Russell Vought and the White House Counsel's Office have spent months identifying actions President Donald Trump could pursue if Democrats take control of Congress.