Democrats won the Texas House, and Deb Haaland became New Mexico’s first Native American woman elected governor. Inside are the Tampa shooting, two recalls, Haley Stevens’s Republican endorsement and Trump and Vance’s differing explanations for midterm losses.
7. Deb Haaland won New Mexico governor’s race
Deb Haaland told PBS NewsHour that her government experience, rather than a chance to make history, drove her run for governor. She said her qualifications included overseeing 70,000 employees and a yearly budget of $18 billion while leading the Interior Department.
New Mexico voters chose Haaland over Republican Gregg Hull, who previously served as Rio Rancho’s mayor, CBS News reported. Haaland, a Democrat who belongs to Laguna Pueblo, became the country’s first Native American woman to win a gubernatorial election.
Haaland told PBS she took pride in that distinction but wanted to focus on families’ costs. She proposed increasing the child tax credit and working families tax credit, and said further clean energy development would help reduce utility bills.
She also told PBS she wanted more families statewide to have access to New Mexico’s universal child care and early childhood education programs. Haaland said she planned to work with lawmakers to address gaps in support as residents faced losses of federal benefits.
CBS News reported that she pledged to use an executive order on her first day to halt new construction of large data centers while lawmakers developed safeguards. Haaland did not specify in the PBS interview how much her tax-credit proposals would cost or when they would take effect.
Haaland told PBS she intended to involve residents affected by her decisions and conduct state business transparently. She said communities had different needs, and pledged to listen to those differences as governor.
Sources: CBS News, PBS NewsHour
6. Two died in Tampa Citibank campus shooting
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said authorities believed the shooting at Citibank’s suburban Tampa campus was targeted. The sheriff’s office said two people died, including the suspect, after witnesses reported gunfire Wednesday.
The sheriff’s office said more than 360 deputies responded and a search of the building was underway. Whether anyone else had been injured was not immediately known, The Associated Press reported.
Responding officers’ radio transmissions described searches on each floor, AP reported, citing Broadcastify.com. Officers located people taking shelter in closets and locked rooms and escorted them out of the offices and parking garage.
The campus had four office buildings, each three stories tall, where thousands of Citibank employees worked, according to AP. Television footage showed workers leaving the buildings in long lines. Citigroup acknowledged the incident and said it was cooperating with authorities.
One father told AP that his son called from the campus after escaping when he heard gunshots. The father said his son had left his belongings behind to get out. A poor internet connection made further contact difficult, and the father said he spent about an hour unsure whether his son was safe.
Source: PBS NewsHour (Associated Press)
5. Heirloom Homegrown seeds recalled for Salmonella
Salmonella was the reason for the recall of Heirloom Homegrown Green Sprouting Calabrese Broccoli Sprouts Seed in eight-ounce packages. The seeds were sold nationwide through Amazon, according to the recall notice.
The company behind the recall was EAK Distribution LLC, based in Casper, Wyoming. The notice identified the product by Amazon ASIN B09P49WHHP and UPC 8 50056 62744 3. The FDA listed the recall as Class I.
The notice gives no lot numbers or sale dates and does not say whether anyone became ill. It also gives no instructions for customers who bought the seeds or details about what happens next.
Source: FDA
4. El Ruisenor recalls products over undeclared allergens
El Ruisenor De Mexico, Inc. recalled Fritura Rueda Papa / Potato Wheel Snack and Special Red Almond Mole Powder because of undeclared allergens. The recall notice identified six allergens: sesame, peanuts, wheat, soy, almonds and walnuts. It also listed four color additives that were not declared: Yellow #5, Yellow #6, Red #40 and Blue #2.
California was the main market for the company’s sales to retailers and wholesalers; smaller amounts went to Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. The notice identified clear plastic packaging for both products: 1-, 5- and 33-pound sizes for the potato wheel snack, and 1-, 5- and 11-pound sizes for the mole powder. The mole powder had no UPC.
The FDA designated this a Class I recall, its most serious classification. The notice did not identify which allergens or color additives were associated with each product.
The notice gave no lot numbers or dates of sale to help distinguish affected packages. It did not say whether any illnesses or allergic reactions had been reported.
The notice included no instructions for returning or disposing of the products. It did not identify a next step for customers.
Source: FDA
3. Democrats won control of the Texas House
President Donald Trump and his policies were the main reason Democrats won, said Mark Jones, who teaches political science at Rice University in Houston. Jones described the deciding factor as “it’s one man in the White House and his policies — Donald Trump.”
Democrats won the Texas House in the November 3 election, ending Republican control that began after the 2002 election, The Associated Press reported. Voters also elected Democrat Gina Hinojosa governor, but Republicans retained the Texas Senate.
Jones said Republican efforts to redraw Texas congressional districts may have brought out additional Democratic voters in some areas, helping Democrats win state legislative races. He treated redistricting as a possible contributing factor, rather than the main explanation for the outcome.
The Texas results were part of wider Democratic gains in state government, the AP reported. Democrats secured both legislative chambers and the governor’s office in at least five states where power had previously been divided.
The AP report did not give the size of the new Texas House majority or identify which measures its leaders would pursue first. Speaking as president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, Heather Williams said Democrats would need to address middle-class concerns. She pointed to better educational opportunities and broader access to health care, especially in rural areas.
Source: PBS NewsHour
2. Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers
Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens said she backed Republican Mike Rogers because Abdul El-Sayed, her party’s Senate candidate, had said she should keep away from his campaign. Stevens announced the endorsement Sunday after joining Rogers at a Detroit-area church service, reversing her earlier public support for El-Sayed.
El-Sayed had beaten Stevens in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary in August. In her endorsement video, Stevens said his rejection prompted her decision; speaking to reporters after church, she described her support for Rogers as a single vote rather than a rejection of Democrats.
Rep. Debbie Dingell said she had canceled Stevens’ participation in a planned church appearance with El-Sayed because it had become too distracting. Dingell said Stevens had agreed to her request not to attend. El-Sayed dismissed the endorsement’s importance when reporters asked Sunday, saying his attention was on voters’ concerns, including living costs.
The endorsement was followed by a projected defeat for Rogers: CBS News called the race for El-Sayed, leaving the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters with Democrats. CBS said El-Sayed would become the nation’s first Muslim elected senator. Its report did not give the final margin of victory.
Sources: ABC News, CBS News
1. Trump and Vance differed on midterm losses
Vice President JD Vance blamed the Iran war for Republicans’ midterm losses, while President Donald Trump said prices, rather than the war, were probably the main reason. In a lengthy post about the defeat, Vance said the war had raised prices and pushed voters to want change.
Vance said Republicans needed an honest conversation about the war. Trump said he would have done nothing differently concerning the war.
PBS NewsHour correspondent Liz Landers reported that Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress after two years of unified Republican government. The final numbers of seats in the House and Senate remained unsettled as votes were counted, she said.
Trump said he would accept the election results and was prepared to work with Democrats. He also emphasized his veto power but said he did not want to spend the next two years vetoing everything.
Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries said he was willing to discuss working together if Republicans wanted to deliver the changes voters demanded. Landers said the Senate races in Alaska and Mississippi remained unresolved, with Mississippi facing a Tuesday deadline to resolve its count.
Source: PBS NewsHour
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