Politics News: 11 November 2026

The Trump administration announced a 2026 to 2030 Interior plan to sell some public lands to states, localities and Tribes, reducing the federal estate. The plan says part of sale proceeds could return to purchasers for conservation elsewhere and that the department will consolidate its workforce. Critics warned states or localities could resell land to private developers.

Rep. Thomas Massie said he reached 218 signatures to force a House vote on his discharge petition for the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, with Democrats Adam Smith and John Garamendi as final signatories. The bill would allow state attorneys general to prosecute crimes related to the Epstein files and let the Justice Department be sued for withholding records.

Massie, who lost his seat in the GOP primary, is working to bring the measure to the floor soon.

Two Democratic senators opened a probe into HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after reports showed he received over $250,000 in gifts last year from former donor Gavin de Becker. The gifts included $126,000 in lodging at de Becker's Washington home, $97,000 in flights to Fiji and $45,000 in flights to Greece. Sens. Angela Alsobrooks and Robert Wyden said de Becker had vested interests in his decisions and asked for details.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said in a CNBC interview that she will not run for president in 2028, but will continue to push policy and support candidates. She called the midterm results a total power move by the American people, citing inflation, cost of living and interest rates. Her remarks come as speculation continues over possible Republican nominees, including Vice President Vance, Marco Rubio and Sen. Ted Cruz.

Democrat Scott Colom won the U.S. Senate race in Mississippi, defeating Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, according to an Associated Press projection. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said he is the first Democrat to win a Mississippi Senate seat in over four decades. The win would extend Democratic Senate gains to eight seats, with Alaska still outstanding.

Poland's constitutional crisis began on October 30 when riot police entered the Constitutional Tribunal and the president and deputy were suspended and replaced by judges appointed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk. President Karol Nawrocki returned to enter the building and called for compromise, while Tusk said he is restoring the rule of law.

UK ministers gave the entertainment industry an ultimatum to improve protections or face action after allegations about David Walliams and Russell Brand's conviction. Culture secretary Lisa Nandy is expected to meet TV, film and publishing leaders next week, with legislation possible if voluntary action is insufficient. One option is mandatory membership of the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority.

Russia's Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday that Ambassador Alexander Darchiev died suddenly at age 66, without giving a cause. Darchiev, appointed by President Vladimir Putin, had served as Russia's ambassador to the United States since 2025 and previously as ambassador to Canada. The ministry called him an outstanding diplomat, with the Washington embassy saying he devoted his life to defending Russian interests.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham signalled support for legislation that would add black English and Asian English options to the next census, due in 2031. The proposal was introduced by Liberal Democrat MP Josh Babarinde after the 2021 census listed English only within a broader white category. Burnham said he would want to support the bill but did not specify whether the government would give it time for debate in Parliament.

Brazil's Superior Electoral Court ordered Meta to pay 7.5 million reais for failing to fully comply with judicial orders during the October presidential election. The court found no evidence of deliberate bias favoring Flavio Bolsonaro but cited delays and lack of transparency in Meta's response. Meta denied the allegations, while President Lula urged for greater regulation of big tech platforms.

Reform UK politicians partially boycotted the Welsh Senedd to protest the ban of member Joe Martin, who was barred from speaking until he apologized for claiming white people are being replaced in the UK. Party leader Nigel Farage called the ruling ridiculous, while the presiding officer said Martin's remarks were unnecessarily provocative and deliberately offensive.

A major study presented Wednesday found that sexual misconduct in Germany's armed forces is three to six times more common than official figures suggest. Four in 10 female soldiers and about one in five male soldiers said they experienced at least one form of sexual misconduct in the past year. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called the handling of complaints a systemic problem and announced a 34-point plan to improve protection for victims.

At 10 a.m. local time Wednesday, 312 Italian schools received the same email threatening that a powerful explosive device with a remote detonator had been left in their buildings. Most affected schools were in Rome, but several other major cities also received the message. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's cabinet will hold an emergency meeting. She said there is no evidence of concrete danger and the reports appear aimed at causing alarm.

Tanzania's main opposition leader Tundu Lissu was sentenced on November 6 to four years in prison for incitement after heavy unrest during the October 2025 elections. He was cleared of treason charges that could have meant a death sentence, but rejected the verdict because incitement was not among the original charges. Chadema officials have signaled an intention to appeal, while the government has not issued a statement on his conviction.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham told MPs the government will publish its 10-year plan before the Commons goes into recess for the Christmas break on December 17. The plan, which will include a proposal for a national care service, is intended to provide stability and break with the policies of the Conservative Party.

Jared Kushner and White House envoy Steve Witkoff will go to Moscow on Thursday to ask President Vladimir Putin to allow European representatives to join future Ukraine peace talks. Kushner, who has been mediating talks in Abu Dhabi, said the two days of talks were substantive and tough. He said Russia and Ukraine agreed to what is likely the biggest exchange of prisoners since the start of the war.

Novaya Gazeta, Russia's last remaining newspaper openly critical of the Kremlin and its war in Ukraine, closed after authorities stripped its media registration and cut off operations. It said security services and censors forced its editorial team to cease activities, blocked its online resources and ended its printing arrangements. Founder Dmitry Muratov said the country is run by the FSB and urged support for Russians opposed to the war.

Former President Joe Biden said in a People interview that he would not have sought another term if he had known he had cancer, and called his 2024 debate performance against Donald Trump 'not very consequential.' Biden said he did not hide his diagnosis and added that he believed he was the best person for the job.

The Victorian Liberal Party has withdrawn its support for Williamstown candidate Paul Lindemann over offensive comments about Indigenous Australians. The party said it was not previously aware of the comments, which it called 'offensive, unacceptable and inconsistent with the values and standards expected of Liberal candidates.' Lindemann apologized.

A 41-year-old American soldier was arrested near Gloucester on suspicion of spying for Russia in a British counter-terrorism operation. He was detained Tuesday under national security legislation and taken to a police station in London, where he is held. US Army Counterintelligence Command's commanding general said the alleged conduct of a senior soldier entrusted with sensitive information was a sobering reminder that insider threats are real.

Queensland's CFMEU inquiry commissioner has delivered an interim report recommending a new building code and a dedicated regulator. Stuart Wood KC said there was an 'urgent and pressing' need for change after more than 50 days of hearings and evidence from over 80 witnesses. He found the former Labor government's Best Practice Industry Conditions policy drove up costs by at least 20 percent on three projects and fuelled a union turf war.

Treasury minister Torsten Bell claimed that the Conservative Party would have to raise the state pension age above 70 to afford keeping the triple lock, which increases pensions in line with the largest of inflation, 2.5 percent, or earnings growth. Bell argued that with unreformed triple lock costs reaching 50 billion pounds by 2050, the Conservatives would repeat their 2010s approach of accelerating pension age increases.

Labour has announced reforms to the triple lock for the next parliament, with proceeds earmarked for a national care service.

NSW Premier Chris Minns and Police Minister Yasmin Catley have been subpoenaed to give evidence in a criminal case related to a February protest at Sydney Town Hall. The subpoenas, served ahead of the state election, seek to question the government's involvement in planning the police operation, which the defense claims was unlawful. The case involves demonstrators who opposed the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

UK cabinet secretary Antonia Romeo said the civil service is too 'tame, reactive and risk-averse' and pledged a 'completely new approach' to managing performance. Speaking at the London School of Economics, she announced plans to 'rewire' Whitehall by incentivizing top performers and taking decisive action on poor performance.

The reforms aim to improve productivity in a tight fiscal context as the government grapples with rising defense spending and the impact of AI.

Labour MPs in the Reindustrialisation Research Group have raised concerns that Prime Minister Andy Burnham's 10-year plan will not be radical or detailed enough to revive Britain's heavy industries. The group, representing many 'red wall' seats, is meeting with the Cabinet Office to discuss gaps in the government's reindustrialisation strategy.

MPs warned that without drastic action, the country risks continuing deindustrialisation rather than achieving the promised 'new age of industrialisation.'

Rep. Madeleine Dean said Tuesday she is considering challenging Sen. John Fetterman in the 2028 Democratic primary, citing concerns about his health and his votes as a senator. Dean, who briefly ran against Fetterman in 2018, said she would first discuss a potential campaign with her family.

Her comments follow a formal 2028 challenge by Ahmed Moor and remarks from Rep. Chris Deluzio, as Fetterman faces growing criticism from Democrats over his support for the Iran war and Israel.

As Israel's new Knesset was sworn in Tuesday, Gadi Eisenkot's bloc of 48 seats sought an official inquiry into the October 7, 2023 attacks, term limits for the prime minister and a reversal of judicial reforms. President Isaac Herzog gave Eisenkot six weeks to form a government, though Netanyahu's bloc won 53 seats and neither side has a majority. Netanyahu called for a national unity government, which Eisenkot ruled out.

Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico said a traffic incident and police escort kept her and other lawmakers from reaching the Capitol in time to vote against the Republican effort to block impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. She arrived moments after the House voted 211 to 204 to refer the measure to the Judiciary Committee, effectively ending it for the current Congress. Her office said she filed a no vote in the Congressional Record.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is challenging pollsters after his party slipped to a tie with the Conservatives in the Poll of Polls. Farage said raw data showed Reform was eight points ahead of the Tories and called the polling industry's results nonsense. Insiders blamed the way undecided voters are allocated, while three polling experts disputed that explanation. The result tests Reform's claim to be the leading right-wing challenge to Labour.

Spain held its first general strike in 14 years on Wednesday, with unaffordable housing at the center of the protests and an upcoming snap election. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the crisis the defining struggle of his generation after lawmakers rejected his housing bill. House prices have doubled since 2015, while salaries rose by only 30 percent, fueling anger over speculative practices and the high cost of living.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will raise a Turkey-Libya maritime border agreement at Friday's EU leaders' summit in Dublin, where the meeting is expected to focus on AI and Ukraine. The deal claims a corridor in the eastern Mediterranean between Greece and Cyprus, which Athens says is within its exclusive economic zone.

Reporters Without Borders urged the incoming Congress to impeach FCC Chair Brendan Carr, accusing him of using the agency to punish news outlets critical of President Trump. The group said Carr pursued politically motivated investigations and influenced media mergers that benefited Trump and allies, citing disputes with ABC and the Paramount Skydance merger approval. RSF also urged lawmakers to restore FCC independence from the White House.

The Senate advanced a major infrastructure and energy bill in a 62-21 procedural vote Tuesday, one day after a 73-25 procedural vote. The bill seeks to speed energy and other projects while limiting environmental challenges, and it now moves to an amendment process. Supporters and opponents have called for changes, including to language affecting tribes, while the White House backs it.

Nine Kennedy family members filed in federal court Monday to block President Trump's proposed 76-metre Independence Arch, saying it would cast shadows over and obscure sightlines to the Kennedy gravesites and JFK Eternal Flame at Arlington. They asked the court to bar approval or construction without congressional authorization. A judge has already paused construction until November 19.

Ken Calvert is projected to defeat Young Kim for California's 40th Congressional District, with 53.5 percent of the vote to Kim's 46.5 percent at 69 percent reporting. The new district merged Calvert's 41st District and Kim's 40th District across parts of Orange County and the Inland Empire. The race was set to cost one of the two Republicans a House seat, and Calvert, first elected in 1992, would retain it.

Florida Senate candidate Angie Nixon referred to her loss to GOP incumbent Sen. Ashley Moody as a 'missed opportunity' for Sunshine State Democrats, arguing the party needs to invest more in Black and Hispanic communities.

Nixon, who lost by around 200,000 votes, suggested that some campaign donations from Sen. Chuck Schumer and other Democrats came 'the day before the election.' Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried said the party believes it is closer to a breakthrough in future elections.

House Republicans voted 211-204 to refer Rep. Thomas Massie's eight impeachment articles against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee, effectively ending the bid in the current Congress. President Trump called Hegseth a 'Great American Patriot,' while Hegseth dismissed the effort as a 'farce.' Sen. Ted Cruz said Hegseth will resign, be fired or face impeachment later in Trump's second term, after Democrats take both chambers.

Rep. Ralph Norman gave President Trump a failing grade for his performance in South Carolina's midterm elections, arguing that Trump's endorsement of Sen. Darline Graham over Norman in the primary was a mistake. Graham, who filled her brother Lindsey Graham's seat, lost to Democrat Annie Andrews in the general election.

Norman said Trump 'shouldn't have endorsed and tried to force a candidate on South Carolina,' while noting that overall for the country, Trump has done well.

The Niesr said the Bank of England's hesitant response to rising inflation risks keeping rates higher for longer. The central bank raised rates from 3.75 percent to 4 percent last week and hinted at another increase, while UK inflation stands at 3.5 percent against a 2 percent target. The thinktank said one more quarter-point rise may be insufficient, with inflation possibly staying above target until at least 2030.