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One of President Donald Trump’s fiercest defenders in Congress criticized Pete Hegseth on Friday, marking the latest Republican lawmaker to distance themselves from the polarizing defense secretary after the GOP’s massive losses in the midterm elections.
In an interview with News Nation, Rep. James Comer (Kentucky), chair of the House Oversight Committee, declined to say whether he wanted Trump to replace Hegseth, saying the decision was up to the president.
But Comer emphasized that lawmakers have “a lot of questions about Hegseth” and want to know how the administration will end the Iran war, now in its ninth month.
“We have no idea what the strategy is moving forward in Iran,” Comer said.
Hegseth faces a likely impeachment vote over the war next week when lawmakers return to Washington. It remains to be seen whether the effort, led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky), will succeed, though it’s unlikely to result in a conviction if it advances to the Senate.
Senior GOP officials — led by Vice President JD Vance — have publicly faulted the Iran war and its resulting spike in energy prices for the Republicans’ electoral wipeout this week, as Democrats regained control of the House and the Senate.
Speaking with reporters this week, Trump reiterated his support for Hegseth, who has vowed to remain at the Pentagon.
In a combative video posted on social media on Thursday, and reposted by his press team, the defense secretary said he was “not going to back down” despite the threats of an impeachment and investigations from the Democratic Congress next year.
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For about four decades, a 1930 Georgia O’Keeffe landscape painting was stashed inside a box in the closet of a Manhattan apartment. Soon, it will go up for auction and is estimated to sell for about $3 million.
The 10-by-24-inch painting, “Near Abiquiu, New Mexico I,” will be auctioned by Christie’s in New York on Nov. 17. It also will be displayed publicly from Nov. 7 to Nov. 17.
This year, the painting’s owner invited her niece to help sort through belongings at her East Village apartment, according to Christie’s. The woman casually told her niece she had an original painting by Georgia O’Keeffe — one of the best-known American modernists — in her front closet, behind dozens of coats.
The owner received the painting as a gift from her mother, who bought it from a Manhattan art dealer for $3,800 in 1963, Christie’s said in a statement.
The woman displayed the work in her home until the mid-1980s, when she became suspicious that a guest at a bridge game she hosted was “eyeing it a bit too closely,” Christie’s said. She placed it in its original wooden box and left it in the closet until her niece found it.
The woman died shortly after their visit. Her family asked to remain anonymous. They told Christie’s the owner had worked in the Foreign Service, was fluent in four languages and was a world-ranked bridge master.
Until its rediscovery, the painting — which depicts Lobo Peak in New Mexico — was known only through a 1931 photograph and an entry in O’Keeffe’s catalogue of works, according to Christie’s. O’Keeffe lived in New Mexico for many years.
“To uncover a seminal work, representative of this 20th-century master’s deep personal engagement with the landscape, a pillar of her career, which is exquisitely rendered and well-preserved, is a once-in-a-lifetime moment and absolutely thrilling,” said Tylee Abbott, senior specialist and international director of American art at Christie’s.
President Donald Trump on Friday praised Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters and said the embattled political operative should continue in his role.
“I know he will do an incredible job in 2028, and secure Great Success for Republicans all across our Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Gruters, a longtime Florida politician and Trump supporter, has faced criticism after voters swung to Democrats in historic numbers in Tuesday’s midterm elections. As RNC chairman, he helped shape the GOP strategy and had publicly portrayed optimism about the election.
“I think we’re well positioned to defy history,” Gruters told NBC News on Election Day.
KC Crosbie, the RNC co-chair, wrote in a letter to RNC members on Thursday that the organization had fallen short and that she was running to serve as its new chair.
Trump’s endorsement of Gruters did not mention the election results. The president instead focused on Gruters’s past work helping him win Florida during his presidential campaigns and their personal relationship.
“As Sarasota County Chairman, Joe named me Statesman of the Year in both 2012 and 2015 — The only person to ever win it two times,” Trump wrote.
Florida voters elected Sydney Gruters, Joe Gruters’s wife and a fellow Republican, to the U.S. House on Tuesday.
Republican Anthony Constantino, the CEO of the sticker company Sticker Mule, has won the House race in New York’s 21st District, according to the Associated Press.
Although Constantino’s race did not seem competitive initially, Democrats saw an opportunity to flip it as the national environment shifted against Republicans. The seat is currently held by retiring Rep. Elise Stefanik (R), who ran for the New York Republican gubernatorial nomination but dropped her bid in December.
Even though the AP did not call his race until Friday, Constantino declared victory Tuesday and gave a profanity-laced speech, saying the media is “evil” and “a bunch of f—ing a——s.” On Wednesday, he took aim at fellow New York Republicans, saying the state GOP is “a con job.”
Republican New York gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman, who lost his race, then blasted Constantino on X, saying he “was by far the worst candidate I ever encountered.” (Blakeman and Constantino had appeared on the campaign trail together.)
“I ran way ahead of him in his district and if it weren’t for me he wouldn’t have won,” Blakeman said. “See you in two years, pal.”
In North Carolina, the midterm results this week were a dramatic shift to the left, from U.S. House seats to the state House. And at least one newly elected Democrat said a slow and frustrating Hurricane Helene recovery was a contributing factor — a contrast to before the 2024 presidential election. Two Novembers ago, some residents in rural western North Carolina told The Washington Post the promises Donald Trump made about speeding up recovery after the disaster influenced their decision to vote for him.
Last spring, Lynne Russo, a communications consultant from Hendersonville, who had never worked in politics before, toured her district, hard hit by Helene, and spent three months talking to residents about what was making their lives so hard.
Many in the mountain towns were already struggling following the hurricane’s impacts on tourism, roads, and bridges. Throw in high gas and grocery prices, and people were not getting by, she said.
“I ran because of Helene,” she said. “It’s a double whammy of living in a place where there was a hurricane, and living in America right now where it’s not affordable. It’s harder than other places. Most businesses have not rebounded.”
Russo, who sold her condo so she could work 16 hours a day on her state House campaign, said she also had to use her calculator when paying at the grocery store.
On Tuesday, Russo won her district handily.
“We moved 19 points to the left,” she said. “We moved a little mountain over here.”
Other Democratic candidates, such as Mark Burrows, who won his state House election, and Jamie Ager, a fifth-generation farmer, who flipped the toss-up 11th Congressional District, also focused on Helene’s difficult recovery. They talked about investing in roads, bridges, water, power and sewer systems so they could be more robust for the next disaster.
The Trump administration, meanwhile, has said it is pulling back from funding resiliency and recovery projects, and that states should be able to handle this work more on their own.
Russo said that “terrifies” her because North Carolina could not handle Helene-like devastation without significant federal assistance.
Tailgating season is well underway, and with it comes the kind of food best enjoyed in the fresh fall air before the big game. When looking for something portable, make-ahead-friendly and crowd-pleasing — not to mention easily eaten with one hand while balancing a disposable plate — you can’t go wrong with a dip.
Dips also lend themselves to all sorts of vehicles for getting them from the bowl into your mouth, including chips (potato and tortilla), crackers, pita wedges and vegetables.
Here are three of our favorite dips to scoop up at your next tailgate (or game-day couch hang).
Seven-Layer Dip. Pictured above. This party staple takes only minutes to assemble and includes salsa, refried beans, guacamole and sour cream in its colorful strata. Also check out Mediterranean Five-Layer Dip.
Buffalo Chicken Dip. It’s a classic for a reason, as the mix of spicy, salty flavors is hard to resist. A slow cooker is great for keeping it warm while everyone noshes. Better Buffalo Chicken Dip offers a slightly lighter take.
Triple Onion Dip. You don’t need a packet of instant soup mix to make this allium-rich snack that goes just as well with crudités as it does potato chips. Another option: Sweet Onion, Scallion and Chive Dip.
Democrat Scott Wiener has won the House race in California’s 11th District, according to the Associated Press, defeating fellow Democrat Connie Chan, a San Francisco supervisor.
Wiener will step into the seat currently held by former House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D), who endorsed Chan and is retiring after serving in the House for nearly 40 years. The two Democrats advanced to the general election under California’s top-two primary.
Pelosi endorsed Chan shortly before the primary, boosting her underdog campaign with fundraisers and staff support. Allies of Wiener — who began making moves for the seat long before Pelosi announced her retirement — complained that her involvement in the race was driven primarily by a personal vendetta, which Pelosi denies.
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