Democrats Reclaim House | Historic Victories for Female Candidates

Amid an unusually high voter turnout fueled by discontent with President Donald Trump, Democrats have taken back control of the House and claimed several key governorships after the most expensive midterm elections in history. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi declared Wednesday would be “a new day in America.” But the vote failed to deliver the sweeping rebuke of Trump that his critics had hoped to see: GOP candidates won key Senate races in Missouri, Texas and elsewhere to expand their majority. Meanwhile, Trump cast the results as a “tremendous success.”

Besides shaking up the political balance in Washington, yesterday’s vote brought a range of electoral firsts for female candidates. More seats than ever — at least 113 — will be filled by women, while 29-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest woman elected to the House. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, Democrats from Minnesota and Michigan, respectively, will become the first Muslim women in Congress, while Sharice Davids of Kansas and Debra Haaland of New Mexico are the first Native American women elected to the legislature.

Yesterday security agents in France detained six people with ties to far-right groups who were reportedly preparing “violent action” against President Emmanuel Macron. The five men and one woman presented “concrete threats” to the French leader, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said. Macron has been targeted before: Last year, police charged a 23-year-old right-wing extremist with attempting to assassinate the president at a Bastille Day parade. Prosecutors have reportedly launched a probe into a “criminal terrorist association.”

Now in Mexico City, the thousands of Central American migrants who have been traveling toward the U.S. will pause to consider how best to proceed. Camping in a sports stadium where they’ve received food, medical treatment and legal advice, the group — now numbering up to 6,000 — must decide whether to split into smaller factions or continue as one large caravan once several thousand more migrants arrive. “We have to go all together,” said a 34-year-old mother. Meanwhile, Mexico has offered the migrants refugee, asylum or work visas.

Know This: A planned meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a top North Korean official has been postponed. All 79 students kidnapped by separatists in Cameroon have been released. And New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said she received death threats from environmentalists protesting her government’s use of a pest-fighting poison.

Read This: As images of people sporting “I Voted” stickers flooded social media yesterday, some featured shirtless men or women in suggestive poses — a move they say was aimed at encouraging others to vote.

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British investigators raided the location where a group of men was filmed laughing and joking while burning an effigy of London’s Grenfell Tower — the site of a blaze that killed 72 people last year. Six men, ranging from 19 to 55 years old, were briefly arrested on suspicion of public harassment, but later released without charges. Although Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the act as “utterly unacceptable,” some have questioned whether a crime was even committed and if policing bad taste is a good use of limited resources.

Shop till you drop. According to research firm eMarketer, Americans could shell out more than $1 trillion between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31 — a figure that would represent a 5.8 percent increase in spending, the biggest boost since 2011. Low unemployment, robust income growth and rising consumer confidence have all contributed to this year’s retail boom. Although concerns loom over higher prices due to the Trump administration’s punitive tariffs on Chinese imports, eMarketer predicts retailers won’t pass along those increases until after the holiday season.

“Hey, friend, how are you?” That’s how more than 300 daily customers are greeted at Sip of Hope, a Logan Square coffee shop that lets them discuss their mental health struggles over a $2.50 cup of brew. An extension of Hope for the Day, a nonprofit focused on proactive suicide prevention, it’s the world’s first café to donate 100 percent of its proceeds to the cause. Boasting plenty of educational resources — including a supportive, well-trained staff — Sip of Hope stands out in a neighborhood already packed with coffee shops.

According to court documents, the custody trial is due to begin Dec. 4, though the pair is reportedly still working on an out-of-court settlement. Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016 after two years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences and requesting full custody of the couple’s six children, who range in age from 10 to 17. Pitt requested joint custody, and over the summer the two agreed, under a judge’s orders, to a visitation schedule. Recent reports suggest Jolie is no longer seeking sole supervision.

The Boston Celtics point guard was slapped with a $25,000 penalty yesterday for launching a ball high into the stands at the end of Monday’s 115-107 loss to the Denver Nuggets. He had become frustrated with a “petty” and “immature” last-second 3-point shot by Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, who was making a bid to break 50 points. Irving conceded the fine was “well-deserved” but continued to blame Murray. “I felt disrespected after the game,” Irving said. “So your career-high ball goes in the stands.”