This Week In Washington DC, Nov 6, 2014

This Week In Washington

Top 5 Stories This Week

1.      Buoyed by popular frustration with President Obama and congressional Democrats, Republicans seized control of the Senate for the first time in 8 years and expanded their majority in the House, gaining validation of their vision for the nation and raising hopes of an end to congressional gridlock.

Look ahead: House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell outlined their agenda for the 114th Congress, which will include Senate consideration of House-passed jobs legislation, in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal.

2.      Despite a devastating electoral defeat for his party, President Obama plans to stay the course, and will make no significant policy concessions to congressional Republicans, even as he fights to define his legacy in the final years of his presidency.

Look ahead: The president and Republicans in Congress face similar pressure to accomplish major policy objectives over the next two years.  Prediction:  No progress the next 2 years.

3.      Obama reportedly has narrowed to his choices for Attorney General to: Loretta Lynch, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Labor Secretary Tom Perez; and Solicitor General Donald Verrilli.

Look ahead: Administration officials suggest a decision could come as early as this week; the president remains optimistic that a nominee can be confirmed during the lame-duck session.

4.      Citing the need to present a united front against ISIS, and noting the coalition's strategy is evolving, the president will seek a new Authorization for Use of Military Force in the coming weeks.

Look ahead: Iraqi forces are planning a spring offensive, which will be supported by coalition air power and advisers and is intended to shatter the group's hold on the country's north and west, and assert government control in Mosul and other major cities.

5.      Russian-backed separatists held elections—complete with "monitors" from sympathetic organizations—eliciting praise from the Kremlin and drawing sharp criticism from the European Union.

Look ahead: The election of field commander Aleksandr Zakharchenko to the top leadership post is in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic is expected to preserve the status quo in the region.