Expected election result? Jeff Sessions is out

Wednesday, November 7

Attorney General Jeff Sessions testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee on the FBI's investigation into the Trump administration, and its possible collusion with Russia during the campaign, in Washington, D.C., on June 13, 2017.

Expected election result? Sessions is out as attorney general

Jeff Sessions lost his job. President Trump had choice words for reporters. Oh, and there was an election. Here's a cheat sheet to Wednesday's news.

We're Emily Brown and Ashley Shaffer, here to guide you through election results and everything that happened between Tuesday night and now. (Hint: It's a lot.)

But first, coffee is not an *official* cure for anything. But dark brew might reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

This is big: Jeff Sessions is out as attorney general

President Donald Trump fired Jeff Sessions. While not a surprise – Trump has hinted at this for a year – the timing is certainly interesting. What does it mean? To start, it immediately moves oversight of the ongoing Russia investigation to Sessions' interim successor, Matthew Whitaker , who has publicly advocated for a limited inquiry. Here's a closer look at what these moves mean for the Mueller probe. This is everything we know now.

Also today, Trump delivered a number of off-the-cuff, controversial remarks during a news conference. He accused a PBS NewsHour reporter of asking a "racist question" and called CNN's Jim Acosta a "rude, terrible person." Here are some of the most controversial, colorful and contentious moments.

Back to elections. Let's talk about winners and losers

While some races have yet to be called, it is clear after Tuesday's election that the predicted "blue wave" in the 2018 midterms turned out to be more of a Democratic swell. Democrats did gain a clear majority in the House and flipped some governorships (although fewer than they had hoped), but Republicans added more seats than expected in the Senate and scored victories in nearly all of the most high-profile races. Both sides are claiming the results as a victory. So who really came out on top?

Winners

•	House Democrats: Perhaps the biggest outcome of the election is that divided government has returned to Capitol Hill.
•	Trump: Republicans won several Senate races that polls painted as Democratic-leaning toss-ups.
•	Margaret Norwood: At 104, she was born before women could vote. On Tuesday, she met the D.C. mayor when she cast her ballot.
•	John Pinter: The 83-year-old Wisconsin man walked to the polls after a deer collision totaled his car.
•	Women: The next Congress will include a record number of women, with at least 113 winning seats Tuesday (the previous high was 107). Eleven women were elected to the Senate and another nine won governors' races.

Losers

•	Trump: With Democrats in control of the House, the barks of opposition that have hounded Trump since he took office will now have some bite.
•	Kim Davis: The Kentucky county clerk who went to jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples (remember her?), lost her bid for re-election.
•	Liberal Democrats: Beto O'Rourke in the Texas Senate race and Andrew Gillum in the Florida governor race. Stacey Abrams in the Georgia governor race appears to have been defeated. The race has not yet been called.

More winners and losers that have nothing to do with politics

Winners:

•	Winter: A chunk of the polar vortex will make its first unwelcome visit of the season.
•	Some of Oprah's favorite things: We took a look at Oprah's 2018 recommendations and found products that are even better (and cheaper!).
•	Ariana Grande: Billboard named the award-winning singer, 25, Woman of the Year.

Losers:

•	Grande (again): She tripped during a live performance of "Thank You, Next" on "Ellen" before dropping her new music video for "Breathin."
•	Sriwijaya Air passengers: They rode with the world's smelliest fruit, the durian.
•	This Florida man: He is accused of breaking into an alligator farm – but was attacked by crocodile. He left his Croc shoe behind when escaping.