It’s Wednesday. Happy Hump Day! Overheard District made me laugh this morning with a quote overheard at a bagel deli: “What you guys may not know is that DC stands for Da Capital,” the post reads. So, there you have it. On tap today:

• Tuesday’s election results sent a clear message to Republicans, especially on abortion rights. Democrats are reenergized, while the GOP regroups.  

• Without skipping a beat on the 2024 campaign trail, the next Republican presidential primary debate is … tonight at 8 p.m. EST! 

• The pandas at the National Zoo left Washington, D.C., this morning. 😢 

• Former President Trump’s oldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, is testifying in the New York civil fraud trial after unsuccessful attempts to sit this one out. The former president called it “sad.” 
  

I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-stage.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.  

Democrats decisively won in Tuesday’s elections, sending warning signals to Republicans and energizing Democrats for 2024. 

^ If you don’t understand that headline: Whenever the Cook Political Report’s Dave Wasserman calls a race, he starts with, “I’ve seen enough…” 

The results getting attention: 

• Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear won reelection in deep-red Kentucky. 

• Virginia Democrats flipped the House of Delegates from Republican to Democratic control *and* retained control of the state Senate. 

• Ohio voters amended the constitution to protect abortion rights

Other election results: 

• Democrat Daniel McCaffery won the open seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, giving Democrats a 5-2 majority. 

• Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) beat his Democratic challenger and will serve another term. 

• Ohio voted to become the 24th state to legalize recreational marijuana. 

• Democrat Avi Schnall flipped a deep-red seat in New Jersey’s General Assembly, a seat that has been in Republican control for three decades. 

• New Jersey elected its first openly LGBTQ woman to the state House. Virginia elected its first openly transgender state senator. 

• Former White House aide Gabe Amo (D) won the election to replace former Rep. David Cicilline’s (D-R.I.) seat, becoming the state’s first Black representative in Congress.  

More election results 

Takeaways:

• Democrats are feeling energized. Republicans are, rightfully so, feeling unnerved for 2024. 

• President Biden still has a polling problem against Trump. The New York Times/Siena College poll has sent shockwaves around D.C. 

• Voters in Ohio and Kentucky made their opinions clear on abortion. The Buckeye State enshrined abortion rights in its constitution, and Beshear campaigned on abortion access in the Bluegrass State.

More Election Day takeaways: The Hill, Politico, The New York Times, Fox News, The Washington Post and ABC News

Five Republican presidential candidates will meet in Miami tonight for the third debate of the primary campaign cycle. 

When?: 8-10 p.m. EST on NBC — Here are other ways to watch 

Who qualified?: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.), biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie 

Who will not participate?: Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum did not qualify. And former Vice President Mike Pence dropped out. 

The elephant in the room: Former President Trump will also skip tonight’s debate. Instead, he is scheduled to hold a campaign rally just 15 miles away, 

starting at 7 p.m. EST.

Five things to watch tonight, from The Hill’s Jared Gans 

Former President Trump’s oldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, is testifying today in her family’s civil fraud trial after failing to successfully block her testimony. 

What’s different about Ivanka’s role: She is no longer a defendant in the case, unlike her father and two adult brothers. (The Associated Press) 

Watch Ivanka Trump enter the courtroom 

Trump had some things to say about Ivanka testifying: Trump called it “sad” that his “wonderful and beautiful daughter” must testify. That was the gist, but he railed on the New York attorney general and the judge. Read his full post 

Live blog from The Hill’s Ella Lee, who is in the courtroom 

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg made a surprise visit to Ukraine today. 

What is he doing there?: Discussing investments in Ukraine’s infrastructure 

Photo from U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink.  

The Hill’s Brad Dress reports that “it could take Israeli forces months to seize complete control over Gaza City, the Hamas stronghold that is now surrounded by troops and armor, as they push to root out militants scattered across the urban battleground.”  

“Israel has warned that the fighting will be brutal as it seeks to capture the city block-by-block and defeat Hamas fighters hiding among civilians or staked out in a vast network of underground tunnels.” (The Hill) 

“Hamas leaders say they waged their Oct. 7 attack on Israel because they believed the Palestinian cause was slipping away, and that only violence could revive it.” (The New York Times) 

“Twenty-two Democrats voted Tuesday to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) for her criticism of Israel following Hamas’s deadly attack last month.”  

How it went down: “Democratic leadership earlier in the day urged members to vote for a motion to kill the censure resolution, and the party largely stuck together, with only one Democrat voting to advance it … But on the final vote, 22 of Tlaib’s colleagues opted to reprimand her.” 

Here are the 22 Democrats who voted to reprimand Tlaib 

☕️ Celebrate: Today is National Cappuccino Day! This got me thinking — what’s the best coffee shop in D.C.? The Washington Post’s Zoe Glasser writes about the woman who set out to try every single coffee shop in the nation’s capital. Here are her top nine coffee shops 

🐼 Farewell to our goofy, wobbly, playful friends: The National Zoo pandas left for China this morning. 😢 (DCist)  

• Here’s video of their departure. 

• And here’s video of Mei Xiang in her crate. 

• Do you think the pandas are flattered by their faces printed onto these FedEx trucks? 

• Video of the ‘Giant Panda Express’ airplane 

📸 Throwback to election night 1972: @triviapotus posted a photo of the Nixon family in the Presidential Dining Room on election night. 

The House and Senate are in. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C. (all times Eastern)

• This morning: The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on free speech on college campuses, looking at “the rise in antisemitism, anti-Israel sentiment, and violence towards students supporting Israel.” 💻 Watch 

• 1 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby brief reporters. 💻 Livestream 

• 2 p.m.: First House votes. Last House votes are expected around 9:15 p.m. 🗓️ Today’s agenda 

• 2:05 p.m.: Harris participates in a roundtable discussion with climate leaders. 

• 2:20 p.m.: Two Senate confirmation votes. Two more roll call votes are expected around 5:30 p.m. Today’s agenda 

• 4 p.m.: Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff host a reception to celebrate Diwali.  

• 8 p.m.: The third Republican presidential debate. This debate is hosted by NBC News and will be held in Miami.

Because you made it this far, here are two dogs who are simply saying “no” to changing the clocks. 

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