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In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom won his longshot bid to oust incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. Colom's victory is a stunning reversal in the deeply conservative state that hasn't been represented by a Black senator since the Reconstruction era following the Civil War. Liz Landers reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Scott Colom's historic victory in Mississippi marks a political milestone in a state central to the struggle for civil rights and voting rights in America. To discuss the significance of this moment, Geoff Bennett spoke with Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

The new wave of Democratic senators are in Washington for orientation and are already facing tough questions about how they plan to govern. One is Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan, the first Muslim elected to the Senate. His win came after a hard-fought race marked by outside spending and attacks on his name and his faith. Amna Nawaz sat down with El-Sayed to discuss how he hopes to shake up Washington. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

In our news wrap Wednesday, Democrat Scott Colom has defeated incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, a group that included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was admonished by an Army sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and peace talks between Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. ended with an agreement to exchange prisoners, but no breakthrough on ending the war. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

With Democrats set to take control of Congress, the White House is threatening them over investigations into the Trump administration. The top White House lawyer warned that aggressive oversight of the administration "may cross the line into blatant criminality." It comes amid a wave of resignations within the Justice Department. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Devlin Barrett of The New York Times. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

As Democrats prepare to take control of Congress, Delaware Sen. Chris Coons is poised to become chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, succeeding retiring Democrat Jeanne Shaheen. A staunch supporter of Ukraine and a critic of President Trump's war with Iran, Coons would take the helm at a consequential moment for American foreign policy. Coons joined Geoff Bennett to discuss more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Power shifts in Washington continued as new party leadership began to take shape. In the House, the GOP picked Jim Jordan to be their new leader and Senate Republicans re-elected John Thune. The House also voted to quash an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Lisa Desjardins reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

For a legal perspective on the effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Geoff Bennett spoke with Eugene Fidell. He's a longtime military law expert who served as a Coast Guard lawyer and later practiced military law in the private sector. He also co-founded the National Institute of Military Justice, an organization dedicated to improving the military justice system. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

With Congress back this week, Republicans and Democrats alike are wasting no time preparing for the new session that begins in January. House Republicans elected Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan to be their next leader. Although Democrats haven't voted yet on their leadership team, Hakeem Jeffries is poised to become the speaker. He joined Amna Nawaz to outline his priorities. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Mississippi, a state not known for close elections, now sits in the center of the national spotlight as an unusually high number of absentee and provisional ballots will determine the size of the Democratic majority in the Senate. In partnership with the Pulitzer Center, Liz Landers reports on how election officials are handling the ongoing vote count and the historic nature of this Senate race. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Rachel Maddow's latest book, "Department of Fate," tackles the checkered past of the Department of Justice. In this episode of "Settle In," the MS NOW host and anchor speaks with Amna Nawaz about why she considers the DOJ the most consequential institution in America. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

There were some new faces on Capitol Hill on Monday as incoming lawmakers arrived for their orientation. But for the current House and Senate, it was back to business. They began one final stretch before the GOP loses its control of Congress in January. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky moved to force a vote to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Lisa Desjardins reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

One of the stunning upsets of last week's election was in South Carolina, where Democrat Annie Andrews defeated incumbent Republican Darline Graham in the Senate race. That wasn't the only Democratic victory in the deep red state. Democrats also flipped a House seat and flipped 10 seats in the state house. Geoff Bennett discussed more with South Carolina's Democratic Party chair, Christale Spain. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

NPR's Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Amna Nawaz to discuss the latest political news, including President Trump sending mixed messages about how he plans to govern for the remainder of his term after Democrats' historic wins in the midterms, the effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the battle for party leadership in Congress. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Trump has replaced White House chief of staff Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller, the hardline architect of his immigration agenda, after a crushing midterm defeat. Immigration, once a political strength for Trump, became a liability after two years of mass detentions, deportations and armed agents in U.S. cities. Miller's appointment signals a doubling down on Trump's agenda. Liz Landers reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy