Following Democratic victories in the midterm elections driven by opposition to the Iran war, the incoming Congress plans to utilize its power of the purse, potential impeachment proceedings against the Defense secretary, and litigation to force the Trump administration to end the conflict.
Page F138From§Eachthe afternoon edition — 8 November 2026
Elected to lower healthcare and tariff costs, Democrats' first move is an 'aggressive' oversight schedule.
As it ran on the front
Democrats campaigned on two prices: the premium bill and the price at the pump. Saturday, at a progressive confab in Washington, the party's investigative chairs priced the mandate instead.
Open the ledger from the top. In August, Common Dreams measured the Iran war at six months old with no end in sight. On September 9th, the president conceded to The Hill that the war would not end before the midterms. The next day Secretary Hegseth told CBS the damage to Iran's capabilities amounted to devastation. That same week a Pentagon briefing left senators frustrated, The Hill reported, Senate Democrats separately demanded an accounting of the war's cost, and Common Dreams reported the president had threatened to annihilate Iran. On September 14th, Current Affairs asked why Democrats had given up on impeachment, noting that 84 percent of Democrats, and a majority of independents, told pollsters they favored it. The next day the Congressional Budget Office closed its books on the war at $38 billion and called that figure conservative. On October 30th, more than 200 global civil-society groups asked Congress directly to prevent a nuclear attack on Iran. On November 4th, the Guardian ran the plain explainer: what a Democratic majority can actually do with its new power.…
…(cont) Saturday answered it, with numbers attached to everything except the one voters were sold on. The Washington Examiner reported House and Senate Democrats on the chief investigative committees pledged an "aggressive" oversight agenda against the president and his allies, with litigation held in reserve to enforce it. The Hill reported the war plan specifically: the power of the purse, impeachment proceedings against the Defense Secretary, and litigation to end the conflict — three strategies, zero new dollar figures. The Guardian, covering the same room, named the three failures Democrats spent two years cataloguing to win the majority — costs, chaos, corruption — then ran the headline on what made the cut: healthcare, tariffs, but not impeachment.
Run the two columns side by side, hon. The campaign ledger carried a number a voter could check at the pharmacy counter. The confab ledger carries an adjective. "Aggressive" has no decimal point. The $38 billion war has one. The gap between the ask that won the majority and the agenda that followed it is not a rounding error; it is the distance between a mandate and a press release.
“They ran on your insurance bill and your grocery receipt, then the first thing out of the gate is subpoenas and one word — "aggressive." You can't deposit an adjective at the bank, and that $38 billion war is still running up a tab nobody in that room put a new number on. They got the majority on your wallet; now watch what they spend it on.”
“Thirty-eight billion for regime change is a bargain next to forty years of appeasement, and if Democrats actually wanted to save money they'd stop filing subpoenas and let the president finish the job — did I just call a $38 billion war a cost-cutting measure? That's not — strike that, we're not talking about the number today.”
Earlier in this story
- Trump says the rallies are helping Republicans, the same rallies his own candidate's tapes called a backfire. By Mort · the supper edition, 7 October 2026
- Trump, informed of leaked tapes blaming his war, says no regrets endorsing the man who made them. By Mort · the early bird edition, 7 October 2026
- Paxton defended the Iran war on the record, blames it for sinking him off the record, third time By Mort · the noon edition, 7 October 2026
- Senate hopeful blames the war's price for his campaign, the same price farmers now mix at home. By Mort · the coffee break edition, 7 October 2026
- Diesel breaks a record every week the war runs; farmer buys 9,000 gallons the week it breaks again By Chip · the supper edition, 3 October 2026
- Trump asks Xi for more fuel, gets a Chinese export ban, then threatens Europe with his own By Ruth · the supper edition, 1 October 2026
The receipts
WASHINGTON — Fresh off resounding wins in the midterm elections, congressional Democrats on Saturday placated their base ravenous for investigations of President Donald Trump, pledging to launch sweeping oversight targeting Trump and his allies and threatening to use the courts to enforce their investigative authority. Democratic members…
The DOJ disbanded its crypto enforcement team in April 2025 and ordered inconsistent investigations closed - while the president's family runs a crypto business CNBC, 8 April 2025 (Blanche memo)
Healthcare, tariffs – but not Trump impeachment: Democrats chart next two years of powerMidterms success gives party potent leverage over Trump – expect tough campaigns of investigating and lawmaking “Costs, chaos, corruption”: after almost two years spent relentlessly criticizing Donald Trump for failing to address those three, broad political concerns, Democrats won a monumental return to power in Tuesday’s midterm…
Democrats have taken back the House and Senate in the 2026 midterms. Here’s what a majority in Congress means for them – and for Trump Tell us: what do you want to know about the midterm election results? Democrats win control of Senate as US voters reject Trump’s agenda US midterm elections – live updates Track live results from all 50…
· As Trump’s Outlaw Presidency Worsens, Why Have Democrats Given Up on Impeachment? from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026
· If Democrats Win Control of Congress in the Midterms, Will They Impeach Trump a Third Time? from the morgue, 27 Sep 2026
· 200+ Global Groups Implore Congress to Prevent Trump Nuclear Attack on Iran from the morgue, 30 Oct 2026
· U.N. experts say U.S. may have committed war crimes with 2 Iran strikes from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026
· Trump Says 'Big Decision' Coming on Whether to 'Annihilate' Iran from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Pentagon No. 3 frustrates senators in closed-door briefing on Iran war, Trump defense strategy from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Senate Democrats, minus Fetterman, urge Hegseth to provide receipt for Iran war costs from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Hegseth on "devastation" to Iran's capabilities from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump admits Iran war will not end before midterms from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Iran War Trump Said Would Be Quick Has Now Lasted 6 Months With 'No End In Sight' from the morgue, 28 Aug 2026
· CBO Finds Trump's Iran War Has Already Cost Nearly $40 Billion—And That's a 'Conservative' Estimate from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Tillis supports Hegseth impeachment resolution: 'He needs to go' from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Massie Files Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth for Illegal Iran War, Boat Murders from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Massie launches effort to impeach Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Tillis urges Trump to fire Hegseth over 'inept management' of military from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· Tillis renews calls for Hegseth’s firing after Driscoll’s departure: ‘I have never witnessed more inept management’ from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· Farmer who voted for Trump says farmers are "all just in survival mode" from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Farmer who voted for Trump says "I can't stay in business" amid rising costs from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Massie says he’s convinced enough Republicans to pass Epstein Files II discharge petition from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Massie names Epstein 'coconspirators,' discusses new Epstein files legislation from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026
· Read Thomas Massie’s eight impeachment charges against Pete Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Fake Republican midterm convention site still redirects to Epstein files from the morgue, 7 Sep 2026
· Trump says he has a ‘big decision’ coming up on Iran: ‘Do I want to go in and annihilate them’ from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Fox News Poll: 71% think Trump administration lacks plan to end Iran war from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Iran recently downed at least 2 American drones, officials say from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Big Oil Stocks Surged Due to Iran War—and New Filings Show How President Trump Cashed In from the morgue, 27 Aug 2026
· Live updates: Energy secretary downplays rising gas prices as US, Iran trade strikes from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026
· U.S. Strike on Iranian School May Have Been War Crime, U.N. Report Says from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· UN Inquiry Finds US Strike on Minab, Iran That Killed 123 Children Was War Crime from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· UN investigators conclude ‘reasonable grounds’ to believe certain US strikes in Iran were war crimes from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· UN Suspects US War Crimes in Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· US Condemned for 'War Crimes' After Bombing of Wedding Party in Iran from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· US investigating if missile hit Iranian wedding ceremony, killing 4 from the morgue, 4 Sep 2026
· Trump says he has a ‘big decision coming up’ on Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· White House issues explosive response to UN-backed report claiming US committed war crimes against world’s No.1 sponsor of terror, Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Human rights experts: 'Reasonable grounds' to believe US committed war crimes with Iran strikes from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· US Energy Consumers Have Spent $121 Billion Extra Since Trump Launched Iran War: Moody's from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Iran downed at least 2 American drones in recent days, U.S. officials say from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Iran: Account of US Air Force colonel's rescue 'fictional' from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Consumer Burden of Trump Iran War Exceeds $100 Billion as Oil Prices Pass $100 a Barrel from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· 'A Serious and Alarming Threat': US Bombing, Blockade Deepen Iran Medical Crisis from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Consumer Confidence Hits Lowest Level in Months as US Faces 'Trump's Reckless Tariffs and War With Iran' from the morgue, 25 Aug 2026
· U.S. Air Force officer rescued from Iran speaks for the first time to 60 Minutes from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026
· Rep. Thomas Massie forcing vote on Pete Hegseth's impeachment from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Did Johnson Just Adjourn Congress for 7 Weeks to Avoid Massie's Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth? from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Massie saying Johnson is sending the House home early to prevent Hegseth impeachment from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· ‘You’re Elected to Fight and Kill the Other Side’: How Congress Lost Its Way from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Army combat veteran challenging Mike Lawler calls Hegseth national security 'hazard,' backs impeachment from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026
· Former Air Force secretary says he 'couldn't serve' in Trump administration from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026
· Former Air Force secretary: Hegseth's Pentagon 'dysfunctional' from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
· House Republicans split over leaving Washington early for campaign trail from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026
· Since 2025, Trump Made More Stock Trades Than All 535 Congress Members Combined from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Fossil Fuel Advertising Contracts Hit Record High as Big Oil Pockets Billions From Iran War from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· 'How are we gonna get through this?' Many Americans are struggling as prices rise from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Trump's Top Oil Stocks Have Made Him Up to $4.4 Million Richer During Iran War: Analysis from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· 'Trump Did It!': At $5.85 a Gallon, Diesel Price Hits All-Time High in US Thanks to War on Iran from the morgue, 4 Sep 2026
· Gas prices reach Labor Day high amid Iran war from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026
· Trump Hammered Over Iran War That Drove Gas Prices Above $4 Per Gallon Every Day in August for First Time Ever from the morgue, 31 Aug 2026
· Warsh under pressure as Fed weighs rate hike from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Inflation held at 3.4% in August in consumer price index, creating tough choice for Warsh Fed from the morgue, 11 Sep 2026
· Warsh indicates Fed could raise rates to cool inflation from the morgue, 28 Aug 2026
· Key U.S. Bond Rate Near 20-Year High as Oil Prices Keep Climbing from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· 10-year Treasury yield hits highest level since 2007, oil surges above $105 as Fed expected to hike interest rates from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Benchmark mortgage rate hits 14-month high as bond yields keep rising from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Benchmark mortgage rate hits highest mark in over a year from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
· Goldman Sachs warns oil prices could hit $120 as U.S. fuel costs surge from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026
· Massie Moves to Force Impeachment Vote Against Hegseth, Citing Civilian Deaths from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· GOP Rep Thomas Massie introduces 8 articles of impeachment against War Secretary Pete Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Republican Rep. Massie moves to impeach Defense Secretary Hegseth over Iran war from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Thomas Massie Forces Vote To Impeach Pete Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Pete Hegseth Faces Growing Criticism as War With Iran Rolls On from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
· Hegseth Quietly Extends Middle East Troop Deployments Into 2027 as Iran War Drags On from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
· Costco imposes purchase limits on motor oil, hikes prices by nearly double from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· As gas averages $4.31 nationwide, diesel fuel hits all-time high: "It's painful. It's real hard" from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026
· Costco Raises Motor Oil Price, Caps Customer Purchases As Iran War Drags On from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026
· 'Can't Message That Away': GOP Frets as Trump Administration Desperately Spins Record-High Diesel Prices from the morgue, 5 Sep 2026
· European Union member states agree to a natural gas price cap in an attempt to limit economic damage from the global energy crisis. The price cap can be triggered beginning on February 15, if for thre from the morgue, 19 Dec 2022
· Spike on 10-year bond yields renews concerns over U.S. debt from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· 10-Year Treasury Yield Reaches 5%, Highest Level in Years from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026
· Treasury reveals $6B in debt buybacks, triple the normal level – but markets slump from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Trump blames rise in diesel prices on Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil refineries from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026
· Trump blames rising diesel price on Russia-Ukraine war from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026
· What Is Driving Diesel Prices Up? Energy Chaos Caused by Two Wars. from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front. The byline is a pen name for a column drafted by a machine and checked by the editor: how this is made.