The British former comedian and actor Russell Brand has been sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison for raping a woman and sexually assaulting three more.Handing down the sentence Monday at Southwark Crown Court in London, judge Joel Bennathan said Brand told a series of lies throughout the trial, adding he had displayed a “casual and arrogant disregard” for women who said ‘No’ to him. “About 20 years ago, Russell Brand, you were becoming famous,” Bennathan said. “You were clever — and in many people’s eyes, funny and charismatic. You had also become a sexual predator.”He added, “Whatever women wear, wherever they go, indeed whatever they drink, they retain the right to say ‘no’ and to demand justice from criminal courts when sexual predators like you, Russell Brand, act without their consent.”Brand was supported in court by his wife, Laura Gallacher, and his father, Ron. He is expected to serve at least two-thirds of that sentence — around seven years — before being eligible for release on license for the remainder.Brand was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault on Nov. 5. He was acquitted of two rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault. Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones called Brand a ruthless, calculating, manipulative “sexual predator” who treated women as a “disposable commodity.””Mr. Brand abused the influence and power that came with his fame,” Karmy-Jones said. “He used it to facilitate an access to women without which the offending could not have taken place. It also fed his own view that he could commit such offenses with impunity.”Ahead of his sentencing, one victim, who was sexually assaulted by Brand in 2004 or 2005, told the court Monday in her impact statement: “Russell Brand is a sexual predator who has no remorse,” Sky News reported.Another victim, who was raped by the comedian in 2009 after meeting him at a comedy show in London, said she was “living with trauma.” She said his fame made it “difficult to escape reminders of what had happened,” Reuters reported. She said she was worried after the attack that she might have HIV, struggled to eat and sleep, took two to three months off work and abandoned the career she had embarked upon. “Although the rape was 17 years ago, she still finds it affects her ability to form new friendships and to know when she can trust people,” the judge said.A third victim who was assaulted by Brand while working on a Channel 4 documentary said that, following the attack, she felt like she had “lost my trust in people.” Reflecting on the incident, she added: “I felt powerless in that moment.”Brand became a household name in the U.K. in the 2000s as a comedian and broadcaster and had well-documented issues with drugs and alcohol. He went on to star in the movies Get Him to the Greek in 2010 and Arthur the following year.He married singer Katy Perry in October 2010, but Brand filed for divorce in December 2011, citing irreconcilable differences. Their divorce was finalized in July 2012.The claims against Brand were made by six different women, spanning from 1999 to 2009. None of the women knew each other, but came forward to police following a TV documentary and press reports in 2023, in which anonymous allegations were made by other women.Laura Brand, the wife of British actor and comedian Russell Brand, arrives at Southwark Crown Court Monday.REUTERS / REUTERSDuring the trial, the court heard tearful testimony from the six accusers, who are all entitled to lifelong anonymity.According to the Associated Press, the convictions included a rape that took place in 2009, involving a victim who went to Brand’s home after meeting him at one of his shows. She said she had engaged in consensual sex, but that Brand then raped her and removed a condom in the process.Brand was also convicted of sexually assaulting a woman when he grabbed her breasts at a London bar in 2004.He was also found guilty over an incident in 2009, in which he demanded a woman give him a massage in front of two of his colleagues and then put his head in her groin.A third complaint of sexual assault ended in a guilty verdict when Brand was found guilty of pushing a woman who worked at a radio station up against a wall and forcibly kissing her.Brand denied the charges and said he had never forced anyone to do something against their will.Footage released by London’s Metropolitan Police after the verdict shows Brand being interviewed by police in December 2023. “As I’ve repeatedly stated publicly and written about extensively, I led a very promiscuous life in the past, which I’ve spent years openly denouncing,” Brand can be seen saying. “I’ve never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity.”He said he did “not recall the names” of the complainants, or meeting them, adding, “However, it’s entirely possible that I may have encountered them and we may have engaged in consensual sexual activity or physical contact that’s been since reimagined.”Following the verdict, London’s Metropolitan Police Service told Yahoo News that Brand, 51, was facing further allegations of rape from two women.”The suspect has previously been interviewed under caution in connection with the allegations,” the force said. Brand has not been charged in relation to these claims.The head of the Met Police, Sir Mark Rowley, has urged any other victims of Brand to contact the police. “There’s two more rape allegations that we’re looking at. We’re encouraging anybody else to come forward if there’s any other allegations,” he told British media on Nov. 6.He later said that he “wouldn’t be surprised if many, many more come forward,” adding of the trial, “This shows that powerful people can be brought down so you are safe stepping forward and we will support and try and bring that person to justice.”This article originally appeared on Yahoo News at https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/article/russell-brand-sentenced-to-more-than-10-years-in-prison-for-rape-and-sexual-assaults-145248183.html

Nvidia (NVDA) stock fell as much as 8% before trimming losses on Monday after the chipmaker’s board announced it would investigate the relationship between CEO Jensen Huang and a woman whom the intelligence community believes could be a Chinese Spy. In a Sunday memo to employees, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admitted to an extramarital affair, apologizing to his family and staff while pledging full cooperation with an independent board review. Wall Street analysts quickly flagged the heightened ‘key-person risk’ for the world’s leading AI chipmaker.”Jensen is the core DNA of Nvidia, and its AI success and ambitions are heavily tied to him staying on as CEO. Jensen is not replaceable,” Yorkville Ives’s Dan Ives wrote on Monday morning. A look across the semiconductor sector showed the risk damage was largely contained to Nvidia. Shares of rival AMD (AMD) bounced 8% following a rating upgrade to Buy from Oppenheimer analysts. Broadcom (AVGO) rose 6%, while Intel (INTC) edged up 2%. Shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM), which manufactures Nvidia chips, rose nearly 2%, while semiconductor equipment maker ASML (ASML) also gained 3%. Storage maker SanDisk (SNDK) moved up 1%. Memory chip maker Micron Technology (MU) rose more than 1%, while SK Hynix (SKHY) was little changed. Other chip-related stocks include processor maker Qualcomm (QCOM) and semicondcutor designer Arm Holdings (ARM), both moving minimally. Meanwhile, Alphabet (GOOGL) shares rose more than 2% in early trading on Monday after the tech giant introduced two new tensor processing units, or TPUs. Alphabet has been accelerating its homegrown AI chip business, introducing four TPU systems in a single year. This article originally appeared on Yahoo Finance at https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/article/nvidia-stock-sinks-as-chipmaker-investigates-ceo-jensen-huangs-relationship-with-alleged-chinese-spy-130346548.html

A member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps at a military training center for ordinary citizens at Tajrish Square in Tehran, Iran, on November 2. – Majid Asgaripour/WANA/Reuters US President Donald Trump has offered his clearest indication yet that intensified diplomacy could avert another major round of fighting with Iran, in the wake of his party’s disastrous midterm election results. Trump told CNN on Sunday that renewed US military attacks are “highly unlikely” if Tehran makes progress toward an agreement on its nuclear program and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. He also told CBS’ “60 Minutes” that he was “not looking to” escalate the war. Iran and the United States have quietly been negotiating a sensitive agreement that could avert a return to all-out war and open the door to broader talks. But hopes of a deal are being tempered by Washington, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying Sunday that he “wouldn’t say we’re on the verge of a breakthrough.” Trump has also made clear the military option remains on the table. Both sides and Qatar, which is mediating, have revealed little about the discussions even as diplomatic activity has accelerated since Tuesday’s midterms. What’s changed since the midterms? The Republican losses in the elections have added another dimension to the negotiations, with Vice President JD Vance saying afterwards that the war was among the reasons Republicans lost. Trump told “60 Minutes” that he did not disagree with Vance’s assessment, acknowledging that voters “didn’t like the war.” But he strongly defended the decision to attack Iran, saying that if he had to make the decision again, his answer would be “an emphatic yes.” unknown content item – Iran, meanwhile, has sought to use the election results to press its negotiating position. “American voters have made their choice. Time for the White House to make its own,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday. Trump continues to project confidence about the US military position, while Iran has repeatedly threatened to expand the war geographically if it is attacked again. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, third left, attends a meeting with high-level delegations from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, as the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei, second left, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, third right, listen in Tehran, Iran, on October 26 – Iranian Presidency Office/AP What is being discussed? Both sides have several key demands that are on paper non-starters to the other. Trump seeks to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program, which Tehran sees as a matter of national sovereignty. Publicly, Iran is posturing, insisting it will not negotiate with Washington over the program or reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz unless seven preconditions are met —including ending the war on “all fronts” and lifting a maritime blockade. The specifics are yet to be made public. Hundreds of kilograms of enriched uranium – the material needed to produce a nuclear weapon – remain hidden somewhere in Iran. Tehran has used this stockpile as leverage in its talks with the US. Reports indicate Washington wants the uranium diluted or transferred to another country for safekeeping. It is unclear how far the two sides have progressed on that point. Iran has contended that its nuclear program is for generating energy and not military purposes. For Iran, aside from not ceding ground on its nuclear program or Hormuz, there are key economic goals. As one of the world’s largest oil producers, Iran has found it increasingly difficult to sell crude on global markets under US sanctions. Billions of dollars in Iranian assets held in foreign banks also remain frozen. Washington appears to be weighing relief on these restrictions, a move that could help Tehran ease the severe economic strain on its population amid record inflation. Iran also wants compensation from the US for the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his top military commanders by the US and Israel at the start of the war in February. Qatar is mediating between the two sides and circulating a framework document that both Washington and Tehran are amending. The process has been underway for weeks, possibly months, but has intensified in recent days amid fears of fresh strikes. Trump is expected to meet Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani in Washington on Monday. Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on October 12. – Stringer/Reuters What’s stopping a deal? So far neither side has been willing to budge on its demands. Before leaving Sunday for the Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting in Paris, Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested the two sides remained far from an agreement. “Right now, it hasn’t been very productive because the Iranian demands are simply not just unacceptable, but in some cases outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic.” After successive rounds of open conflict, Tehran’s trust in Washington has almost vanished. Iran has not forgotten that the conflict began while nuclear talks with the US were underway. Iran is concerned that relinquishing any leverage could invite the US and Israel to strike again, leaving it exposed and without effective negotiating tools. If Iran is attacked after opening the Strait of Hormuz and relinquishing control over the enriched uranium, it would be left even more exposed and in a weaker negotiating position. Trump is balancing his ties with Arab partners and Israel – both of which view the Islamic Republic as a threat – and faces scrutiny if he walks away from the war without a major concession from Iran. Tehran also wants to protect its regional proxies and allies in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen. Those militias have fought on behalf of the Islamic Republic regionally and are loyal to Tehran, but have come under existential pressure over the past three years. In September, Iran’s ally in Yemen, the Houthi rebels, launched a lighting offensive capturing another key maritime chokepoint on the Red Sea – Bab Al Mandeb – and giving Tehran potential influence over another waterway. The Houthis have since ramped up attacks on Saudi Arabia in response to Riyadh giving the Yemeni government military support. The US wants Iran not to have capabilities to build a nuclear weapon, including advanced equipment that could allow it to do so. Iran’s Arab neighbors are divided over any agreement that would hand Tehran too much power and cement its desired hegemony. Iran wants to administer the Strait of Hormuz, the maritime corridor through which wealthy Arab states export most of their oil and gas. Control of the waterway would give Tehran decisive influence over what enters and leaves the region. This too would go against the demands of the US, which wants to see open waterways and would be loath to cement one of Iran’s key gains from the war. Colorful tree and flower decorations remain on the walls of a rubble-strewn classroom at Shajareh Tayyebeh school, in Minab, southern Iran, on September 7. More than 100 people were killed in a US airstrike on Feb. 28, according to Iranian authorities. – Vahid Salemi/AP So, will war resume? There have been some attacks but both sides have played them down, a sign perhaps that neither wants to derail talks. Some outlets report that talks between the two sides have moved closer to agreement. The New York Times has indicated that Iran is willing to re-engage in nuclear negotiations. There has been no independent confirmation but any concessions from Iran on its nuclear program, or even willingness to discuss the topic, would be considered a breakthrough. Yet, despite reports of progress, the risk of an all-out war remains real. The US still has a vast military presence in the Middle East that could launch a major assault on Trump’s orders. Vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz with oil and gas continue to come under Iranian attack. The US is offering a reward of up to $20 million for information on Iran’s nuclear program and has launched a task force aimed at blocking Tehran from using land routes to move advanced weapons and other materials – signs that Washington is intensifying pressure rather than easing it. unknown content item – Meanwhile, Iranian hardliners who believe Tehran has already emerged victorious in its war with the US are seizing on Trump’s midterm losses to demand that he pay a steeper price for an exit from the conflict. Should a deal be reached by the more reformist-minded Iranian leaders involved in talks they could face opposition at home. Over the past weeks, Iranian military commanders have stepped up their warnings claiming Iran possesses weaponry capable of striking more targets and inflicting even greater damage than before. So, even if Trump is willing to reach a deal, it is far from clear if Iran is ready to accept. CNN’s Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.comThis article originally appeared on CNN at https://www.cnn.com/2026/11/09/middleeast/iran-us-talks-explainer-intl

Senate Republicans returning to the Capitol on Monday are furious with President Trump, whom they blame for last week’s big losses in Senate and House races. The anger is raising the chances that the party could pivot away from the lame-duck president in the lead-up to the 2028 presidential election, according to GOP aides and strategists. Tensions are also rising with Trump’s Friday announcement that immigration hard-liner Stephen Miller will be his new chief of staff, replacing the outgoing Susie Wiles. The Miller appointment suggests a doubling down on the president’s policies, particularly on immigration enforcement, after an election in which Hispanic voters swung decisively toward Democrats, especially in Texas. Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) on Sunday said Miller should be fired, not promoted. “If your team takes a beating as badly as we took this last week, you have to fire people,” Stutzman said in an interview on CNN. “You don’t promote those who are — who were in charge of what was supposed to be delivered.” Whit Ayres, a prominent Republican pollster, said Senate Republicans will be less deferential to Trump after suffering a huge loss of seats in last week’s election. Ayres said Trump “clearly will remain the leader of the party for the next two years, but I also think the knee-jerk obeisance to whatever his whims are at the moment is likely over.” “There is so much resentment particularly among Republicans in the Senate for what Donald Trump did in North Carolina and South Carolina and Texas,” he said, referring to Trump’s endorsement of candidates Michael Whatley, Darline Graham and Ken Paxton, who all lost by large margins in the general election. “I think his iron grip over the Senate Republicans is likely to be loosened,” Ayres said. One senior Senate Republican aide predicted GOP senators and the broader party will begin to shift away from Trump over the next year. “Trump said he was on the ballot. He wasn’t on the ballot but acted like he was on the ballot,” and “a lot of people” voted as if Trump was atop the GOP ticket when they voted for Democrats in battleground states around the country, the aide said. “We need somebody who can work together with people, who doesn’t just try to divide — who is focused on real issues that people care about that are of importance versus stupid little internet memes, which it seems like Trump and Vance are more focused on now,” the aide argued. Republican sources say Trump undermined their chances of winning key Senate races by endorsing weak candidates, such as Paxton and Graham, and by failing to adhere to any message discipline. GOP senators are also frustrated by what they saw as Trump’s reluctance to spend from his massive campaign war chest until late in the campaign. Senate Republican aides and pollsters say Trump’s dismal influence on races across the country will spark an intense discussion about what’s next for the party and whether it’s time to turn the page on MAGA and its policies.  Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and members of his leadership team lobbied Trump for months to back Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) over Paxton, the state attorney general, in the Texas Senate Republican primary — or to at least stay neutral — but Trump ignored their advice and endorsed Paxton before the primary runoff, sinking Cornyn’s chances. Thune and his leadership team urged the president and Senate GOP colleagues to keep their political messaging focused on their legislative accomplishments, especially the popular tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, such as its tax deductions for tips. But Trump instead often veered off from the plan, getting into fights over the White House ballroom, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the Kennedy Center, the East Potomac Park golf course and other topics that GOP strategists viewed as unhelpful to delivering the broader Republican message. Trump blamed last week’s losses on poor Republican candidates, but many Senate Republicans think the blame for the loss of at least seven seats lies squarely with the unpopular president. “We’re up here talking about the generational benefits of avoiding a $4 trillion-plus tax hike and everything else that’s inside that bill, and then the president is talking about the Reflecting Pool or the ballroom, and those are the things that get the headlines,” a Senate GOP aide said. “Message synchronization was off.” Senate Republicans were galled when Trump dismissed the passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act as a “big yawn.” GOP leaders were touting the bipartisan legislation as a major accomplishment to address housing affordability, but Trump popped their balloon as he said he cared more about passing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act, a package to overhaul election rules that had virtually no chance of passing Congress. Senate Republican sources also said Trump waited too long to spend the hundreds of millions of dollars he stockpiled ahead of the midterm elections. “They sat on that $400 million until it was too late to start spending it,” a second GOP aide said. Trump said in August he would spend “a lot” of money from a pro-Trump super PAC to help “good” GOP candidates, but Senate GOP strategists complained the president’s political allies waited until the final weeks of the campaign to dump money into races, which diluted their firepower because they had to pay higher television ad rates. Trump announced in late October that he would end up spending more than $400 million by Election Day to help Republicans keep Congress. When Republicans got blown out on Election Day, the White House blamed GOP candidates for not putting in as much effort as the president to promote their candidacies and records. Trump declared on election night: “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!” Senate Republicans say they think Trump also hurt them by constantly bashing their failure to pass the SAVE America Act, even after Republicans held at least five votes on the legislation, either in whole or in part, and came nowhere close to collecting the 60 votes the bill needed to advance. Trump warned Senate Republicans would be “in big trouble” if they didn’t abolish the filibuster to ram the bill through the chamber. “When you’re casting your own teammate as the opponent, what message does that send to the voter?” the GOP aide said. A third Senate Republican aide argued that Trump clearly deserves the blame for the loss of seven — and maybe as many as nine — Senate seats and more than 40 House seats. “Trump’s message was, ‘I’m going to deliver you a good economy,’ and it seems like the only person who benefited from the economy was him,” the aide said, adding that Democrats successfully tied together voters’ concerns about rising prices and corruption in Washington. “Those two things led to a disaster with independents,” the aide said. The GOP aide said some Senate Republicans expect more “pushback to Trump because his half-life is rapidly diminishing” but cautioned that “he’s still a popular figure in the Republican Party.” The president’s elevation of Miller, who is seen as a conservative hard-liner, may be a bid to keep base MAGA voters firmly in his corner. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), one of Miller’s sharpest critics in the Senate GOP conference, called his elevation to chief of staff a “colossal mistake.” “The worst of all possible choices,” Tillis told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “The president needs to rethink it.” Senate Republican candidate John Sununu blamed Trump for his double-digit loss to Rep. Chris Pappas (D) in New Hampshire, a state that Senate GOP leaders in August saw as a promising opportunity to flip a Democratic-held seat. Sununu said Trump’s failure to end the months-long conflict with Iran and a steady stream of media stories about Trump’s family business dealings sunk his chances of winning.   “This president ran and won on a platform of no more needless, endless wars. And then he attacked Iran, and we’re still in it,” he told SiriusXM’s “The John Kasich Show.” “This president ran on and won on a platform of drain the swamp, right? … And now it seems like he or his family is in on every transaction and deal that goes on in Washington,” he said. “And those two things, I think, caused people to say, ‘You know, I just can’t vote for a Republican while he’s still in office.’” Cornyn argued Trump “misread his mandate” after the 2024 election. He argued the president’s “arbitrary” decisions on tariffs raised prices for millions of Americans without improving trade deals, and the administration’s “hyperaggressive” immigration enforcement efforts went well beyond what voters expected. “Voters wanted to retool our trading relationships, but got arbitrary ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs that raised prices without creating incentives for long-term reshoring. Voters wanted secure borders and peaceful streets, but got hyperaggressive immigration enforcement,” Cornyn wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. Other Republicans have stepped up to defend Thune and Senate GOP leaders, arguing that they had little control over the negative political environment that Trump played a major role in creating. “I don’t think any rational, honest person … could blame John Thune for any of this,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) told reporters shortly before the election. “I don’t think anybody could blame him for any bad outcome.” Asked if Trump would get most of the blame if Republicans lost control of the Senate, Cramer only said, “There will be a lot of finger-pointing.” Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.This article originally appeared on The Hill at https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/6206790-senate-gop-blames-trump-losses/

Following the historic midterm election sweeping Democrats into majority control of the House and Senate, Congress returns Monday for a five-week lame-duck session, with a long to-list to tackle before the end of the year and dozens of lawmakers ending their tenure in the House, and at least 17 senators heading home as well.The lame-duck session kicks off Monday with a two-week legislative period wrapped with freshman orientation for members-elect who will be seated in the 120th Congress on Jan. 3. There are still several races that are too close to call, but as it stands Friday, at least 109 incoming House freshmen will be seated — the largest pre-convening freshmen class in the lower chamber in almost 100 years — since the 73rd Congress convened in 1933.Umit Bektas/Reuters – PHOTO: The US Capitol building in Washington, November 4, 2026. On the floor, House Speaker Mike Johnson is already hearing it from his own conference after GOP leadership plans to advance just one piece of legislation under a rule next week — continuing the frustrations voiced by some of his members earlier this fall when the speaker dismissed lawmakers for a six-week campaign blitz rather than put Republican legislative wins on the floor.Massie pushes for Hegseth impeachmentJohnson’s designs for the lame-duck session could be quickly derailed as Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who lost a GOP primary months ago, is expected to reintroduce a privileged resolution to impeach Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.Massie has a resolution with eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, who is staring down consternation at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue in the wake of Tuesday’s Democratic victories. President Donald Trump said Thursday he intends to keep Hegseth in his job amid assessments from several Republicans — including Vice President JD Vance — that the Iran war led to the party’s midterm losses.Trump says he has ‘every intention’ to keep HegsethIn a video posted Thursday, Hegseth proclaimed that he will not back down — doubling down on the Iran war and his cultural agenda at the Pentagon while drawing a parallel to Trump.”This is not about me, but of course the other side, they’re obsessed. A disgruntled, defeated congressman, along with all his Democratic allies has also dropped sham articles of impeachment against yours truly. Just like they tried against President Trump twice.”Massie could move as early as Monday, teeing up a showdown midweek on Hegseth impeachment.Epstein files 2.0Speaking of Massie, the president’s primary intraparty detractor is on the brink of having his latest Epstein discharge petition ripen with 218 signatures — this effort squarely aimed at Attorney General Todd Blanche.Massie already has amassed 216 signatures, including four fellow lame-duck GOP signatures (himself, Reps. Nancy Mace, Ralph Norman and Brian Fitzpatrick) on the petition. Much to the chagrin of Speaker Johnson, Massie now needs just two more Democrats to endorse the petition to force floor consideration of the Epstein Transparency Act II — a bill that empowers state attorneys general, victims and members of Congress to sue the U.S. Attorney General in federal court for unlawfully withholding or redacting Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell investigative records.In response to allegations that Blanche and other department officials deliberately mishandled the release of millions of files from the Justice Department’s past investigations of deceased convicted sex offender Epstein, the attorney general acknowledged “mistakes” in failing to properly redact certain names of some victims but testified that the department immediately sought to fix those issues.”Whenever we learned that any victim’s name had been improperly non-redacted, we immediately took the document down and fixed it as soon as we could,” Blanche testified July 15 at the Senate Judiciary Committee. “That doesn’t excuse the mistakes of which I take full responsibility, but it does mean that we tried to fix them. We — we complied with the act.”Election 2026 live resultsNew GOP leadership electionsJohnson announced he won’t run for GOP leader in the next Congress, pitting Majority Leader Steve Scalise against Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan in a race for House Republican leader on Tuesday. Meanwhile, House Democrats have set their leadership elections for Nov. 18, when Hakeem Jeffries is expected to secure the speaker nomination from the Democratic caucus. Tom Brenner/Getty Images – PHOTO: Volunteers applaud as US House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries gives a thumbs up at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee midterm election night phone bank and watch party at a hotel in Washington, November 3, 2026. Senate Republicans are currently scheduled to hold closed-door election to select their party leaders on Tuesday morning.All current members of the Senate GOP leadership team are seeking to retain their positions, and no major shake-ups are expected at this time. Still, things could change as people close to Trump question whether an overhaul is needed. Only the remaining incumbents and newly elected incoming Republican senators will vote in that secret ballot, closed-door leadership election. Outgoing members will not. Democratic leadership has not yet announced a date for their leadership elections as Chuck Schumer lines up support for majority leader.Freshmen orientationHouse new-member orientation kicks off on Sunday with events scheduled throughout the week, highlighted by a new member photo opportunity on the House steps on Thursday morning.Senate new-member orientation is also scheduled for the first half of the week, when members-elect are also expected to be on the Hill.’Extinction-level event,’ ‘blue tsunami’: How Republicans eyeing 2028 are taking midterm lossesIn the Senate, at least 17 senators are leaving, bringing in a new generation of freshmen to take the oath. Even more new members will join the ranks eventually as incumbent senators Marsha Blackburn and Amy Klobuchar head to their respective state’s governor mansions and appoint their successors.The Alaska and Mississippi Senate races have yet to be projected, but Democratic wins in those states would further grow the Senate freshmen class.Legislative to-do listThe challenges facing the lame-duck Congress are stacking up.Government funding runs out after Dec. 11 and lawmakers are far from striking a deal to avert a government shutdown. The House and Senate must pass the National Defense Authorization Act, the annual Pentagon policy bill, before the end 2026. Disputes about funding for the war in Iran could come to a head as the deadline to pass the bill approaches. Reauthorizing Section 702 of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and passing the expired Farm Bill are also on lawmakers’ long to-do list. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images – PHOTO: The sun sets on the U.S. Capitol on Election Day evening on November 3, 2026 in Washington.Senate Republicans will also attempt to move quickly to confirm Trump’s remaining nominees before losing control of the chamber in January — challenging Republican Sen. John Thune to schedule sufficient floor time to overcome Democrats who may be unwilling to agree to unanimous consent time agreements during the lame-duck session. Senators will also continue consideration of permitting reform legislation, the bipartisan package overhauling federal laws and regulations to streamline infrastructure projects. On Monday, the Senate will hold a procedural vote — which will provide an indication of whether the negotiations that were gaining steam ahead of the midterm recess will hold, or if Democrats seek to punt the issue to the next Congress when in majority control. This article originally appeared on Good Morning America at https://abcnews.com/Politics/congress-returns-crowded-lame-duck-session-hegseth-impeachment/story?id=137918357