Washington
What’s next after Trump win? Emboldened, he’ll take charge in a Washington he changed
Americans react to Donald Trump’s presidential election win
President-elect Donald Trump’s supporters expressed relief after realizing he won. Meanwhile, Harris supporters were stunned.
Now what?
With a stronger-than-ever electoral showing, Donald Trump is poised to take charge in a Washington he has changed.
He leads a united Republican Party, the so-called Never Trumpers in the GOP establishment vanquished. He faces disheartened Democrats who have only begun the recriminations over what went wrong. With bolstered control of the Senate and perhaps also the House, the GOP is positioned to push the aggressive agenda he outlined in a bruising campaign.
One more thing: Trump himself knows more about how things work and is less willing to heed those who urge caution than he was when he unexpectedly won his first term in the White House eight years ago.
Donald John Trump, 78, has triumphed over Democrat Kamala Harris in a historic political comeback − prevailing despite two impeachments, two assassination attempts, a problematic debate, a criminal conviction and memories of the storming of the Capitol by his supporters four years ago. Not since Grover Cleveland in 1892 has a president come back from defeat to win a second term.
“We’ve achieved the most incredible political thing,” he told exultant supporters gathered for election night in West Palm Beach, Florida. He promised to “fix everything.”
This time, he not only carried the Electoral College but also the popular vote, the first Republican to do so in two decades. His victory was so decisive that there was no need to wait for days of counting ballots as in 2020.
Instead, most Americans woke up Wednesday morning to news that Trump had the White House in hand, and to speculation about what exactly he would do when he moves back in Jan. 20.
What will he do?
His supporters brag and his opponents fear that Trump will claim a mandate to do precisely what he said he would do.
That would include across-the-board tariffs on imported goods. Mass deportations of undocumented migrants. A rollback of federal regulations on energy and the environment. An extension of the massive tax cuts enacted in his first term. An “America First” foreign policy that could pressure Ukraine to make territorial concessions to end its defensive war with Russia.
He also vowed to seek “retribution” against his political foes and to pardon those convicted for their part in the Jan. 6 insurrection. He has made it clear he would end the federal prosecutions of himself − indictments charging that he tried to overturn the 2020 election and mishandled some of the nation’s most sensitive secrets.
The voices now likely to have his ear include controversial vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom he praised at his victory celebration, and entrepreneur Elon Musk, the world’s richest man. “A star is born: Elon,” Trump declared to cheers.
The voices who will have more trouble getting his attention are likely to include the shrinking ranks of Republican moderates in Congress. With a Republican majority of at least 52 in the Senate, Trump could win confirmations and pass policy even if centrist senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine bolt.
Can disheartened Democrats rally?
For Democrats, the coalition that elected Barack Obama and Joe Biden has been shattered.
“We are going to have to sit down as a Democratic Party and look hard” at why voters didn’t turn out for Harris and down-ballot Democrats, said Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, an ally of Biden and co-chair of Harris’ campaign. On CNN, he dodged a question about whether he and other Democrats had regrets about Biden’s initial decision to seek a second term.
“Look, I think it’s hard to look back and talk to what could-of or might-of or should-have been,” he said − words that were not a denial.
Trump already had reshaped the Republican Party, making it more populist, more male and more working-class.
With Tuesday’s election, he also reshaped the Democratic Party. He eroded its core support among Latino and Black voters, especially men, and dismantled the “blue wall” of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin that had once been a partisan bulwark.
In Edison Research exit polls, Trump carried a 54% majority of Hispanic men, a record for a Republican, and 37% of Hispanic women. Among Black voters, he won just 7% of Black women but 20% of Black men.
He defeated Vice President Harris among white voters 55%-43%.
The size and sweep of Trump’s victory defied any easy or singular explanation, especially against an opponent who was credited with record fundraising and a generally sure-footed campaign.
Some critics said Harris should have picked Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro instead of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, a choice that might have put the Keystone State in her corner. Others said she needed to do more to explain and distance herself from progressive positions she supported during her short-lived presidential bid in 2019. She faced hecklers, especially on college campuses, for the devastation among civilians in Gaza from Israeli attacks.
Most of all, though, voters said their top concern was the economy, expressing disapproval of the Biden administration’s record on inflation and saying they had suffered its effect on their own families.
On the other hand …
There’s another election in two years.
In victory and defeat, the late Democratic national chair Robert Strauss would caution that in politics, things are never as good as they seem or as bad as they seem − that the seeds of disaster or renewal are planted in the best and worst of times. Now, with their commanding position of power, Trump and his GOP troops are likely to be held accountable for good news and bad.
Midterm elections almost always deliver rebukes to the party in power as voters express unhappiness with promises not kept. In the past five midterm elections, for instance, the president’s party has lost an average of 31 House seats.
Which would, of course, switch power there again.
Washington
Washington Capitals 2025-26 W Magazine Now Available | Washington Capitals
Arlington, Va. – W Magazine, a lifestyle publication produced by the Washington Capitals, is now available for purchase online at www.washcaps.com/wmagazine and at the Team Store at Capital One Arena and at the Team Store at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. The fan-favorite magazine, which features content surrounding every Capitals player along with hundreds of personal, never-before-seen family photos, is available for $8 plus shipping. In addition, season ticket members will receive a complimentary issue, with copies for season ticket members available at the Planholder Hub on the 100-level concourse during Capitals home games.
The cover story, written by Capitals senior writer Mike Vogel, goes in-depth with forward Pierre-Luc Dubois. Vogel speaks with Dubois, his teammates and family members for an extensive feature on the phone call that changed Dubois’ life and shaped his future with the Capitals franchise. Spanning more than 200 pages, W offers exclusive photography of Capitals players and their families, along with lifestyle content and interviews with every member of the 2025-26 roster. Highlights include:
- John Carlson on fishing in Maryland with his sons
- Brandon Duhaime on spearfishing and his related YouTube channel
- Ryan Leonard on moving to D.C. and living with the Dubois family
- Charlie Lindgren on his first offseason as a dad
- Alex Ovechkin on celebrating back home after becoming the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer
- Logan Thompson on his love of dogs
- Trevor van Riemsdyk on pop-a-shot and pickleball
The magazine also features an in-depth look at the Capital One Arena transformation project, including exclusive photos, insights into future phases and Capitals player reactions to the new Capitals locker room complex. A special interview with Monumental Sports Network’s Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin reflects on the historic 50th anniversary season, while a day-in-the-life piece with Caps Radio’s John Walton and Katie Florio brings readers behind-the-scenes of a home game radio broadcast.
Additional features include a look at a regular day for former Capitals service dog in training Biscuit – now a facility dog at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center – and a photographic recap of Alex Ovechkin’s historic 2024-25 season. A new “Beyond the Boards” section spotlights community stories, while the fan-favorite “Short Shifts” section returns with Capitals players sharing thoughts on topics such as the best singer on the team, funniest teammate, personal goals beyond hockey, what everyone should try at least once, their ideal entrance theme song and more.
The magazine also profiles members of the Capitals Black Hockey Committee and introduces fans to the team driving the organization’s youth hockey initiatives.
W design services were provided by Matt Ryan. Player photography was provided by Greg Powers with assistance from Damon Banks. The cover featuring Pierre-Luc Dubois was photographed on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., with the assistance of captains and crew from City Cruises. Players were photographed for the publication at Origin in Arlington, Va.
Washington
Ginger’s Journey: Walking from Washington State to Washington, D.C.
Imagine setting out, on foot, for a journey not knowing how long it would take. Now imagine doing it with two animals as traveling partners from Washington State to Washington, D.C.
“Now I’ve started this leg of the journey in Morton, Washington where I was spiritually requested to go to Washington, D.C. and sing the song ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon on the Capitol steps,” says Jacob Holiday.
Jacob Holiday is on his way across America so he can sing a song he says signifies peace in the hopes, he says, of ending violence everywhere.
“I want so much peace. Cops would no longer carry firearms. We’re going to send the militaries of every country, I don’t care which one you’re talking about but every country, home to go to sleep. I don’t care what they do. But I want all this violence, everything, all this violence to stop.”
He has two wagons and his traveling companions are a dog and a goat. Holiday started in Washington State in July and he’s not worried about how long his hike across America will take.
His multi-state trek has seen him encounter a lot along the way, including a run-in with a bear.
He carries food for himself and his dog and his goat on carts that he says weigh a couple hundred pounds. Besides necessities, Holiday has one thing he’d greatly appreciate receive being able to buy as he continues his mission.
Holiday says he knows his mission isn’t an easy one, and he uses it as a metaphor for life as a whole.
We caught up with Holiday in the early part of November on a 70-degree day in Cambridge, Nebraska then spoke to him again a few days later in the rain as he headed east on Highways 6 and 34, so no telling how far he’s gotten now.
After we met with Holiday, we did notify the local sheriff to perform a welfare check, but we’re told Holiday wanted to continue his walk with his Capitol Steps goal still ahead of him. We also offered him food for himself and his animals, which he declined saying he had enough food on his carts.
Washington
Washington state flooding damage profound but unclear, governor warns
The extent of the damage in Washington state is profound but unclear after more than a week of heavy rains and record flooding, according to the state’s governor, Bob Ferguson.
A barrage of storms from weather systems stretching across the Pacific has dumped close to 2ft (0.6 metres) of rain in parts of the state, swelling rivers far beyond their banks and prompting more than 600 rescues across 10 counties.
More high water, mudslides and power outages were in the forecast. Elevated rivers and flood risk could persist until at least late this month, according to the National Weather Service. Wind and flood watches and warnings are expected in much of the north-west for the next couple of days as storms bring rain, heavy mountain snow and high winds.
As of Tuesday, authorities had recorded one death – of a man who drove past warning signs into a flooded area – but key highways were buried or washed out, entire communities had been inundated, and saturated levees had given way. It could be months before State Route 2, which connects cities in western Washington with the Stevens Pass ski area and the faux Bavarian tourist town of Leavenworth across the mountains, can be reopened, Ferguson said.
“We’re in for the long haul,” Ferguson said at a news conference. “If you get an evacuation order, for God’s sakes, follow it.”
It won’t be until after waters recede and landslide risk subsides that crews will be able to fully assess the damage, he said. The state and some counties are making several million dollars available to help people pay for hotels, groceries and other necessities, pending more extensive federal assistance that Ferguson and Washington’s congressional delegation expect to see approved.
According to the governor’s office, first responders had conducted at least 629 rescues and 572 assisted evacuations. As many as 100,000 people had been under evacuation orders at times, many of them in the flood plain of the Skagit River north of Seattle.
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