Daily Briefing: Who will control the House?

Daily Briefing: Who will control the House?

All eyes are on vote counts in pivotal U.S. House races Friday as both political parties hope to seize control of the lower chamber for 2025. Advocates say messages referencing slavery sent to Black college students constitute hate crimes. Arrests have been made in relation to the death of One Direction's Liam Payne.

I'm Nicole Fallert , Daily Briefing author. Doing a lot of scrolling? Set up focus shortcuts on your phone .

The remaining House races to watch

The race for seats in the House of Representatives is the last chance at power for Democrats after Donald Trump claimed the White House early Wednesday and Republicans gained a majority in the Senate.

The latest: Although neither party has reached the threshold, the numbers appear to favor the GOP. Here are the results so far . In order to take control of the House, 218 seats are needed.

Here are a few of the races Americans are still watching:

A longtime Arizona congressman faces a contentious reelection fight. Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., is in the midst of what many have called the most contentious election of his 13-year career.

Freshman Colorado Democrat faces a rocky reelection race . Representing a split electorate in an area north of Denver, Rep. Yadira Caraveo, D-Colo., has a reputation as a moderate willing to break from her party.

Congress' longest-serving woman may eke out a win in Ohio . Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, has been in Congress for 41 years. As the legislature's longest-serving woman, the 78-year-old Democrat is looking to win another term by defeating her Republican opponent, Derek Merrin. Theirs is one of the closest matchups left to be called.

News from the Senate: GOP businessman Dave McCormick has ousted Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey , toppling the three-term incumbent Democrat.

Black college students nationwide targeted in racist texts

Black college students in several states reported to authorities this week they had received anonymous text messages using racist references to the era of U.S. slavery. It's unclear who sent the messages and how many were sent. At least some of the messages claimed to have come from "A Trump supporter." Experts on domestic extremism were shocked by the messages Wednesday, telling USA TODAY the campaign appears to represent a tactic that has not previously been employed by white supremacists or hate groups. Read more

More news to know now

A Southern California wildfire is moving "dangerously fast."

Water activists are "concerned" right now .

Israeli soccer fans were attacked in incident linked to antisemitism in Amsterdam .

Putinsays he's ready to talk to Trump about Ukraine.

from a research facility in South Carolina .

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here .

Fed cuts may slow due to Trump inflation spikes

The Federal Reserve lowered its key interest rate by a quarter percentage point Thursday, its second straight rate cut amid easing inflation and a move set to further trim borrowing costs for millions of Americans. But the more modest cut likely foreshadows a slower pace of rate decreases that economic forecasters say was solidified by Republican Donald Trump's victory in Tuesday's presidential election. Trump's tax, trade and immigration policies are expected by forecasters to partly reignite inflation, which has pulled back substantially since 2022. Read more

Who is Susie Wiles?

President-elect Donald Trump announced that campaign senior advisor Susie Wiles will be his White House chief of staff. Wiles will make history by becoming the first woman to hold the title of White House chief of staff. But the 66-year-old Florida political consultant is a somewhat mysterious figure, rarely seen front and center on the campaign trail or heard from in public. Here's what to know about Wiles.

Today's talkers

Florida awards Billy Napier a flimsy vote of confidence .

LGBTQ+ hotlines experienced an influx in crisis calls amid the election .

Brianna LaPaglia says ex-boyfriend Zach Bryan offered her a $12M NDA after their breakup .

Looking to work abroad? Here's how to get started on a digital nomad visa .

Investigation into Liam Payne's death prompts 3 arrests

The investigation into the circumstances of former One Direction star Liam Payne's fall from a hotel balcony resulted in three suspects being criminally charged "with the crimes of abandonment of a person after death, supply and facilitation of narcotics." Argentinian authorities said in a statement that one of the suspects is a person who allegedly accompanied Payne daily during his time in the city of Buenos Aires. Here's what else we learned.

Photo of the day: Flurries in New Mexico

Residents across New Mexico and Colorado are hunkered down in biting wintry conditions that made roads impassable, as forecasters predicted there could be historic amounts of snow in the region .