Former US President George H.W. Dies at 94

Former US President George H.W. Bush died Friday night at 94. Born in 1924, he served as a Navy pilot during World War II, a US Congressman from Texas, Vice President under Ronald Reagan, and as President from 1989 to 1993.

Major Earthquake Strikes Anchorage, Alaska

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake shook Alaska’s largest city Anchorage on Friday, triggering a tsunami warning while residents recovered from the violent shaking. The tsunami warning has since been lifted. The earthquake was followed by a 5.7 aftershock.

The earthquake’s reported damage so far has included  broken windows, cracks in buildings, and damaged roadways, including a highway collapse. No deaths have yet been reported.

Alaska is no stranger to earthquakes. Alaska experiences more large earthquakes than all other US states combined and has on average more than 40000 each year. It experienced a magnitude 7.9 near Kodiak Island back in January.

Democratic Takeover of House will Cause Trump Problems, Senate Remains GOP

Democrats took forty seats in the House of Representatives this November, which will give them party a majority of seats in the chamber for the first times since 2011. Republicans, however, managed to increase their majority in the Senate by two seats, picking up four seats by defeating incumbent Democrats in states President Trump won in 2016 and losing two seats, one in Arizona and one in Nevada. Democrats will have 235 seats in the House to Republican's 200 when the new Congress begins January 3, while Republicans will have a 53-47 majority in the Senate.

This will cause some new issues for Trump and his party. With the Republicans now lacking full control of Congress, pushing through their favored legislation will become far more difficult. In addition, House Democrats have promised to launch a series of investigations into Trump, which could include searches into the extent of his contacts with Russian nationals, his handling of the firing of then-FBI Director James Comey in 2017, and allegations into whether Trump has personally enriched himself through his office.

Even with this, Republicans have maintained considerable power through expanding their Senate majority. Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have made confirming Trump’s judicial nominees to federal courts a priority. With two more members in the next Congress, pushing through Trump’s picks will likely become less laborious for the GOP, which successfully fought to confirm now Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the court this year. 

Senate leadership will remain in the next Congress, with the exception of Sen. John Thune (R-SD) taking over for Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) as Senate majority whip. The Republican House leader will be Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), while Democrats have yet to choose the speaker, but it is believed former Speaker and current House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has the best chance.