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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Mon Nov 11 2024

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

Republicans appear poised to retain the House, cementing full GOP control of Capitol Hill for the next two years. Nearly 3,000 firefighting personnel battled the Mountain Fire in Southern California over the weekend. Today is Veterans Day.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Need early holiday gift inspo?

What happens if Democrats flip the House?

It's still possible for Democrats to flip the 435-seat House of Representatives if they clinch victory in outstanding races still being counted on Monday in districts in California, Arizona and Oregon.

But the GOP holds the edge. Democrats initially catapulted a handful of New York Republicans in suburban areas out of office. Those gains were offset, however, by the the GOP flipping seats held by Democrats in Michigan and Pennsylvania, coming as Vice President Kamala Harris saw pivotal losses in the swing states.

•	House Democrats have urged patience as results trickle in (follow live updates here). The GOP only needs to win five more seats to keep control of the House. Democrats would need to win 13 of the remaining 17 seats to take control.
•	What would a Democratic House potentially mean for Donald Trump's second term? While Democrats have expressed an appetite for immigration reform, the president-elect's signature campaign promise wouldn't make it through the lower chamber if the left is in control.
•	But why did Democrats win Senate races in so many states Trump won? The Democrats that prevailed in the presidential swing states worked to distinguish themselves from President Joe Biden.

More election coverage from USA TODAY:

•	Why did Michiganders choose Trump for a second term?
•	Trump's "star" Elon Musk joined his first call with Ukraine's president.
•	The transgender community is preparing for the worst.
•	Red has swept the swing states. Arizona, famous for its extended post-election ballot count, became the last state in the nation called in the 2024 presidential race over the weekend. The winner? Trump.
•	Texas Latino men — documented and not — say they are hopeful for Trump.

Veterans Day 2024: He served in WWII

"Well, my opinion is that all the people should get together and work together," he said. "They shouldn't have any more wars because it's stupid."

- Sgt. Robert L. "Bud" Sabetay, a 100-year-old World War II veteran. Read Bud's story of faith, family and fortune-telling to observe Veterans Day, a moment to honor those who have served our country.

More news to know now

•	42 monkeys are still on the lose.
•	Republican senators will choose the party's leader in the Senate in 2025 with John Thune, John Cornyn and Rick Scott vying for the job.
•	A suspect was arrested after a deadly Tuskegee University homecoming shooting.
•	Survivors and relatives of victims prepare to confront the 9/11 masterminds.
•	World leaders are shaping Earth's future at the COP29 climate change summit.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Southern California wildfire rages on

Improved weather conditions allowed firefighters to increase containment on the blaze raging northwest of Los Angeles and keep it from growing over the weekend, but residents from about 1,000 evacuated homes still had to stay away. More than 130 structures have been destroyed and another 88 have been damaged by the Mountain Fire, which ignited last week. Ventura County emergency officials said the fire was 31% contained by Sunday evening — up from the just 7% on Friday. Read more

Joey Parish talks on the phone while standing by the remains of his home which was destroyed in the Mountain Fire on Nov. 8, 2024 in Camarillo, California.

Mario Tama, Getty Images

Putin and Trump talked. Then Russia hit Ukraine.

Blasts were heard in Kyiv and parts of the city were left without power early on Monday after Ukraine's air force put the whole country under air raid alerts following the launch of Russian missile attacks. The assault comes after President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and advised him not to escalate the Ukraine war, a source familiar with the conversation told Reuters on Sunday, and President Joe Biden plans to urge Trump not to abandon Kyiv. Read more

Today's talkers

•	Princess Kate made a rare public appearance after completing cancer chemo.
•	Taylor Swift touched down with a demure updo at the Chiefs' game.
•	What happened to Kevin Costner's John Dutton in that "Yellowstone" opener?
•	Georgia's humbling loss to Mississippi leads college football's winners and losers.

Is an 1849 Wisconsin law enforceable?

Abortion access in Wisconsin will be decided by a case before the state's highest court on Monday. The state Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a lawsuit over the state's 19th Century-era abortion law more than a year after a Dane County judge issued an order that stated the 1849 law pertained to infanticide, not abortions. Wisconsin was not one of 10 states that had abortion measures on their ballots on Election Day.

Photo of the day: A 'Wicked' moment

Now comes the time for Ariana Grande's Glinda and Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, to steal hearts in the musical film "Wicked," arriving in theaters this week.

British actress and singer Cynthia Erivo (L) and US singer-songwriter and actress Ariana Grande attend Universal's "Wicked" premiere at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, November 9, 2024.

VALERIE MACON, AFP via Getty Images

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.