Democrats Win U.S. House in Midterms; Investigations of Trump Expected From January

Democrats won control of the U.S. House of Representatives in Tuesday's midterm elections (November 3, 2026), CBS News, CNN and CNBC projected, giving them the power to block President Donald Trump's legislative agenda for his final two years. The full size of the majority is unclear because votes in several close races are still being counted. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York called it a change election and said Democrats must deliver dramatic change. When Democrats gain subpoena power in January, they are expected to investigate Trump's family business dealings, immigration enforcement, the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, his pardons and rushed construction projects in Washington. Reps. Robert Garcia and Jamie Raskin are expected to lead those efforts. Voter anger over living costs, tariffs and the U.S. war against Iran, which began in February without congressional authorization and has pushed fuel prices up, weighed on Republicans. Trump told Fox News that Iran was part of the result. In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Trump-backed Darline Graham, who was appointed to the Senate seat after her brother Lindsey Graham died in July. It was the first Democratic Senate win there since 1998. Al Jazeera reported Democrats had taken both chambers, while The Hindu said the Senate was within reach.

Left-leaning outlets MS NOW and CBS News focus on what a Democratic majority will do with its power. MS NOW's headline stresses that Trump allies should prepare for investigations, while CBS leads with the projected House takeover, Jeffries's remarks and a list of probe targets and leaders. Their excerpts say little about the Senate or Iran. Alternative outlets Al Jazeera and The Hindu offer a different angle: they place the war on Iran, tariffs and fuel prices at the center, and they cover the Senate, including the South Carolina upset. Al Jazeera adds Trump's own acknowledgment of the Iran factor and notes that a president can still act without Congress, though Congress could withhold funding. Both sides agree on the House result and on cost-of-living discontent. They differ on emphasis and on the Senate. Right-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and alternative outlets had.