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Democrats Dominate, Shutdown Solution? & Shein Sex Dolls - Wednesday, November 5, 2025
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Today is Wednesday, November 5th. We'll tell you how Americans voted in the first major elections of President Trump's second term. Also, why there's new hope for ending what's now the longest government shutdown in history. And what's at stake in a Supreme Court case over global tariffs. Plus a catastrophic plane crash in Kentucky, growing backlash over a congresswoman's Halloween costume. And the first artist created by AI to debut on a Billboard chart. Those stories and even more news to know coming up. Welcome. Welcome to the Newsworthy. All the day's news in around 10 minutes. Fast, fair, fun and on the go. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. You ready? Let's do this. Democrats swept key elections all around the country yesterday. In Virginia, Dems won every single statewide contest. And former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger was elected governor in what was the strongest Democratic performance in the state's recent history. In New Jersey's gubernatorial race, moderate Democrat Mikey Sherrill also easily beat another strong Republican candidate. In New York City, Democratic Socialist Zoran Mamdani was elected mayor, making him the first Muslim to lead America's most populous city. And those are just to name a few of the big wins. Though it's worth noting the results might not settle the Democratic Party's internal debate about its way forward ahead of next year's midterms. That's because even though the top winners were all Democrats, they they have some pretty sharp ideological differences as far as what they do have in common. The candidates focused on the issue of affordability and they were all critical of President Trump, who was polling poorly right now. Trump actually weighed in last night, blaming the shutdown and the fact that he wasn't on the ballot. For Republicans losses, he's now especially focused on New York City threatening to withhold federal funding now that Mamdani has won. Trump also called Mamdani one of the best things to ever happen to our great Republican Party, ready to make him the face of what he considers to be leftist extremism. By the way, California may have cast one of the most far reaching votes of the night with national implications. Yesterday, Californians decided to approve a ballot measure to redraw the state's voting maps to benefit Democrats. Remember, that's in response to President Trump's effort to redistrict Republican led states, though Trump also accused the California voting process of being rigged, saying it's now under investigation. Either way, it could be considered a game changer in next year's midterm election set to decide the balance of power in Washington, D.C. the federal government shutdown has officially become the longest in US history. The Senate failed for a 14th time to advance. The House passed measure to end the shutdown, with no new Democrats crossing the aisle to support it. That said, senators are talking and many seem confident a solution could be on the horizon, with some even saying the government could reopen by the end of the week. They've laid out the contours of an agreement to fund the government in exchange for a vote on extending health insurance tax credits that Democrats have demanded, saying they're necessary to make health care affordable enough for Americans. Now, to be clear, the GOP is not saying it will vote yes on the tax credits, just that the Senate will put the idea up for a vote. In the past, Republican leaders have said the credits, and Obamacare in general is inefficient and ineffective and that if Dems get their way, it would be, quote, throwing good money at a bad, broken system. Meanwhile, President Trump is threatening Democrats that if they don't get on board with a resolution to reopen the government. Healthcare issue aside, the pain of the shutdown will get worse. Yesterday, Trump once again threatened to deny food stamp payments despite a court order. Hours later, though, the White House press secretary said the administration would be fully complying with that court order. White House officials again suggested they might deny back pay for federal workers who have been furloughed. Meanwhile, the transportation secretary says he could be forced to close some of the national airspace to air traffic if the shutdown continues for another week. He warned of mass cancellations and travel chaos. Again, though, there's hope this could all be over soon. Senate Republicans are headed to the White House for a breakfast meeting with President Trump today. A UPS cargo plane crashed in Kentucky yesterday, leaving a fiery trail of destruction behind. At least seven people were killed, including all three crew members and three more people on the ground. At least 11 more people were hurt. The crash happened shortly after takeoff near a Louisville airport that hosts the main UPS air delivery hub, but at this point it's not clear why. The plane directly hit two businesses, an auto parts store and a recycling facility that contained storage tanks with propane and oil, setting off new explosions. It also caused a massive fire and a cloud of thick smoke that stretched for miles over the city. Air quality monitoring is now underway, though at last check, the air did not seem to be heavily impacted and and the airport is set to reopen this morning. But the main school district in Louisville canceled all classes and extracurricular activities because of the initial concerns about water and air quality. Those are being tested before students return. The National Transportation Safety Board also has a team on its way now to start the investigation. Both Republicans and Democrats are saying goodbye to the man widely known as the most powerful vice president in American history. Former Vice President Dick Cheney died this week at 84 years old from complications of pneumonia as well as cardiac and vascular disease. As vp, he was former President George W. Bush's closest advisor, who took a leading role in responding to the September 11 terror attacks. Though that response was polarizing, Cheney is remembered as the architect of the Iraq War. He also defended enhanced interrogation techniques for terror suspects like waterboarding and sleep deprivation. Before becoming vp, Cheney also served as a Republican congressman, defense secretary, and White House chief of staff, all under conservative leaders. Then, since leaving the White House, he shocked many of his fellow Republicans by criticizing now President Trump and voting for Kamala Harris. As he put it, quote, there has never been an individual who was a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump. So Trump did not put out any kind of announcement after the news came out about Cheney's death, but the White House did lower flags to half staff. Former President Bush responded to the news by calling Cheney a decent, honorable man who was, quote, the one I needed as a right hand man. Today, the U.S. supreme Court is hearing a highly anticipated case that could have a widespread impact over the entire global economy. The justices will be hearing arguments about three sets of President Trump's import the baseline tariffs of 10% on virtually all countries steeper tariffs on countries Trump considers to be bad actors on trade and another set of tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico that the White House considers punishment for a drug crisis. If the high court sides with the Trump administration and decides the tariffs can stay, it will cement a new pillar of presidential power and keep the centerpiece of President Trump's economic agenda intact without involving Congress. But if justices agree with lower courts that Trump misused a law giving him special powers during an emergency, the US Government could end up owing tens of billions of dollars in refunds to businesses that have already paid the tariffs. It would also take away one of the top bargaining chips Trump has used in negotiations with other world leaders. Though it's worth noting, even if the justices do rule against Trump, the president could still then go to Congress and get lawmakers to impose the same tariffs. Or he could try to invoke other presidential authorities. The White House says no matter what, it has backup plans. Stay tuned. More news is still coming up, but first, a quick break for our sponsor. Every holiday season I get a bit overwhelmed trying to think of gifts to get and where to get them all. But thanks to Quince, it's actually pretty simple. Quince is truly a one stop shop for everyone on my list and for myself. I'm already back in my wool half zip sweater from last year. It's the perfect cozy layer for fall and winter days that still looks polished enough for work or travel. And my washable silk tank. Yeah, that's a year round favorite for gifts. I keep thinking about the diamond bracelet my friends got me from Quint that I love. It's so delicate and elegant and I love that it's from a brand that makes quality feel accessible. By working directly with ethical top tier factories, Quint skips the middlemen and offers prices 50% less than similar brands. So step into the holiday season with layers made to feel good, look polished and last from Quint's perfect for gifting or keeping for yourself. Go to quince.comnewworthy for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N C E.comnewsworthy to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.comnewsworthy this episode is also brought to you by Dose. 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Head to DueDaily co Newsworthy or enter Newsworthy to get 35% off your first subscription. Your body does so much for you. Let's do something for it that's D O S E D A I L y coordinated for 35% off your first month subscription. Now back to the news. The typical first time homebuyer in the US Is now older than ever. The national association of Realtors put out a new report that shows the median age of first timers is now 40. That's up from just four years ago when the median age was 33. They aren't just older either. First time buyers also make up a smaller share of the market. Overall. These are seen as signs that high prices, high mortgage rates and a shortage of affordable houses are delaying homeownership for a lot of Americans. So the association is advocating for more policies to address the housing supply in the U.S. among other things, Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert has been facing backlash the last few days over her choice of costume. On Halloween, she dressed as a stereotypical Mexican woman, complete with a sombrero and sign referencing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Boebert State was dressed as an ICE officer less than a week after a photo of the costume was taken and it's been shared tens of thousands of times. It's been widely condemned as racist, though some people supported Boebert saying it was just a joke. The congresswoman personally responded yesterday by implying Americans should be focused on bigger problems, saying quote, it's a Halloween costume. Tell our senators to open the government the fast fashion retailer Shein is now dealing with outrage over a highly controversial product sold on its site. An investigation by the French government confirmed the company was selling childlike sex dolls after seeing them. There's really not much doubt the items resemble child pornography. So French officials threatened to block Shein in France if the company continued selling these items. This all came just before today's opening of Shein's first physical store in Paris. And people have been protesting outside the new outlet. Well, Shein responded by banning the dolls and it promised to start setting stricter controls on sellers. It also temporarily removed its adult products category altogether as a precaution. But Shein is not alone. France's consumer affairs department also received reports about similar dolls being sold on other sites, though it's not clear if they've been for sale in other countries as well. For now, the investigation continues. Artificial intelligence has hit the music charts. A non human singer named Zanaya Monet is the first known AI artist to earn enough radio airplay to debut on a billboard. Radio Char has released multiple songs already and she was signed to a multi million dollar record deal with Hallwood Media after what Billboard called a bidding war. As we've told you, Hollywood has been worried about the ramifications of AI performers taking work from humans, but some people seem at least somewhat open to the idea. Billboard says there are AI projects with music spanning every genre from gospel to rock to country, and that it's becoming increasingly tough to distinguish the real singers from AI. As for Monet, she sings R and B. She was designed by a poet from Mississippi who writes the lyrics and Monet performs them with the help of the music creation program suno. Her full length album is available now. And that's it for the main news today. But now it's time for Work Wednesday, when we break down one interesting career or work related news story every Wednesday. So if you want evidence of America's return to office push, look no further than New York City. The real estate services from CBRE Group says Manhattan's office market is seeing its biggest rebound in nearly 20 years. There's demand from the financial and legal sectors as well as tech, media, advertising and more. And competition for prime office space has become intense. So Manhattan developers are moving ahead with more than half a dozen new office projects, the most at any point since the pandemic. And it could be setting the pace for the rest of the country. Nationwide office vacancy rates have also started to drop, especially for higher quality buildings, albeit at a slower pace than in nyc. Thank you so much for listening today and for sharing the show. We'll be back tomorrow with the latest news. Until then, have a great day.