Democratic Party

The seat currently held by 89-year-old Dianne Feinstein is safely Democratic. Feinstein has not announced if she will retire, but Democratic hopefuls are already entering the race for her seat.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says he hopes to speak with President Biden "early" to avoid a potential default on the nation's debt this summer. He raised a bipartisan 2019 deal as a potential model.

Georgia and New Hampshire have asked for extensions to try and meet the Democratic Party's requirements to move into the early voting window, but it's not clear how they can overcome the hurdles.

In the Senate, Mitch McConnell became the longest serving Senate leader in history. Meanwhile, the House failed to elect a speaker in a single ballot, the first time in a century.

Despite more than a handful of setbacks, President Biden has delivered on several major promises since 2021, some with bipartisan support. Those compromises could be harder with the new Congress.

A DNC panel approved changes to its primary calendar, but states face different challenges in implementing the plan.

Sinema's move is unlikely to change the power balance in the Senate, as it comes days after Sen. Raphael Warnock won the Georgia runoff election to give Democrats a 51-49 majority.

The DNC has taken its first steps to make drastic changes to the primary calendar. But Republicans want to keep things exactly as they are and that means a lot of attention on Iowa.

Warnock's win now gives Democrats firm control of the Senate and makes life easier for them in a number of ways --among them: a cushion in trying to pass bills and assured committee control.

After a long campaign cycle that stretched into December with a runoff election, Georgia elected Sen. Raphael Warnock to a full term.