What's next for Democrats after the midterms. And, a look at the outstanding races

Democrats won this week in districts and states that President Trump carried by double digits just two years ago. The party now has its largest Senate majority since the passing of the Affordable Care Act during Obama's early presidency. Senate results from Alaska and Mississippi are still pending. If those races favor Democrats, their majority could grow to 54, plus the two independents who caucus with them.

A few tight House races remain uncalled, but the swing toward Democrats already rivals the post-Nixon Watergate backlash, NPR's Tamara Keith tells Up First. She highlights two notable race surprises that happened this week. One was in Nevada's 2nd District, which has been Republican since the 1980s. Democrat Teresa Benitez-Thompson claimed victory overnight. The other was in Alabama's 2nd District, where Shomari Figures overcame redistricting that favored Trump by 14 points. Figures won by more than seven points.

Mike Johnson plans to step down as top House Republican in the new Congress after a tough defeat for his party, according to a source familiar with his plans who was not authorized to discuss them publicly.

Voters in 39 states, Washington, D.C., and the Northern Mariana Islands decided on 146 ballot measures covering issues like taxes, transgender rights, traffic cameras and data centers.

For more than a year, Democrats urged voters to elect them to lower costs and eliminate corruption. Now, the party must act to fulfill its campaign promise. The new Congress is unlikely to see much major legislation signed into law, but Democrats plan to launch ambitious investigations in the House and Senate. Democratic Party leaders and political analysts shared their insights with Morning Edition on the midterm election results, discussed the impacts of mid-decade redistricting efforts and outlined the party's next steps.

Most legislation still requires 60 votes to pass the Senate, and Trump has fluctuated between saying he will be Mr. Veto and expressing willingness to work with Democrats, NPR's Sam Gringlas says. Democrats are interested in restoring enhanced ACA health subsidies, reversing Medicaid cuts, asserting control over tariffs and pushing to end the war with Iran. Gringlas says this election has intensified pressure on Democrats.

Trump focused on his East Wing ballroom construction project during his first public appearance after the Republicans lost the House and Senate. When asked about the election, he said he wasn't to blame for his party's losses.

Trump quickly pointed out that he wasn't actually on the ballot, NPR's Emily Feng says. But he did urge voters to imagine he was. Voters associated his signature policies, like tariffs and the war in Iran, with rising inflation and gas prices. After Vice President JD Vance posted on social media yesterday suggesting that the war in Iran contributed to GOP losses, Trump somewhat agreed. The president cited its impact on pump prices, but doubled down on the war, saying he would act the same way again if he had to. With a Democratic Congress, Trump will encounter greater legislative gridlock, and Democrats could wield stricter funding controls on issues like immigration enforcement and the ongoing conflict in Iran, Feng says.

A new Democratic majority could pressure Trump to end the war in Iran. But directly influencing fuel prices, which are tied to the complex international oil market, will be challenging.

In Ukraine's Kherson region, a brief ceasefire brought a momentary return to normalcy. Brokered by first lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo last week, the truce allowed hundreds of residents to evacuate from a Russian-occupied town and provided a rare few days of peace in a frontline city. Russia and Ukraine agreed to the deal to help Oleshky, a town near Kherson that was occupied by Russian troops in 2022. The troops had mined the land around it, and food and medicine were rarely able to reach the people. This short pause in hostilities was a welcome relief, allowing families to fill the sidewalks, shoppers to hurry to stock up and cafe-goers to enjoy art-filled spaces.

At Connecticut's Old State House, the annual Election Cake Bake-Off has been celebrating the sweet civic tradition of election cake for more than 250 years. This dessert has evolved from what it once was: a tough fruitcake, often soaked in alcohol.

Chemical manufacturer 3M has reached a $7.35 billion settlement to resolve thousands of personal injury claims related to toxic chemicals found in firefighting foam.

A new study shows that loon populations are declining across the birds' southern breeding range, but Maine stands out with a slight increase in loon productivity, according to Birds Canada.