11 House Democrats Miss Hegseth Impeachment Vote; Republicans Block Referral for Now

Eleven House Democrats missed a Tuesday vote on advancing the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, allowing Republicans to block the procedural referral for now. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California said Democrats knew the vote was coming and should have attended, adding that Republicans, who lost the vote, still showed up to table the measure. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York told CNN's Manu Raju that lawmakers are sent to Washington to do a job and must show up, though she left room for legitimate reasons such as health problems. Rep.-elect Richard Ojeda of North Carolina and Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan also condemned the absences. In the same interview, Ocasio-Cortez said some of the most extreme options remain on the table after Democrats' sweeping midterm victories. Democrats also secured a historic win in the Mississippi Senate race, while several contests, including Alaska's Senate race, remain uncalled.

The Blaze, on the right, leads with Ocasio-Cortez, whom it calls a Democratic Socialist, hinting that Democrats could impeach Supreme Court justices over Trump. It mentions the blocked Hegseth referral only as the backdrop to her Raju interview, calls Hegseth the War Secretary, and, in the excerpt available, does not mention the 11 absences. HuffPost, on the left, leads with the absences themselves, framing the story as Democrats tearing into their own. It quotes Kamlager-Dove, Ocasio-Cortez, Ojeda and El-Sayed, and focuses on attendance and accountability rather than the Supreme Court. Both sides agree that Ocasio-Cortez spoke to Raju on Tuesday and that Republicans blocked the Hegseth referral. They differ on which part of her remarks and the day's events they emphasize. The Hill, an alternative source, offers a separate angle: whether Ocasio-Cortez should run for president or Senate in 2028, alongside the Mississippi result and uncalled races.