Republicans flipped the House. Now what?

Democrats lose the House to Republicans; Russia agrees to extend Ukraine grain export deal.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

Divided government returns to Washington

Alex Wong/Getty Images


• Republicans gained control of the US House of Representatives on Wednesday — and the power to cause headaches for President Joe Biden. [Vox / Nicole Narea]
• With vote counting ongoing, the GOP’s seat total isn’t yet clear. But Republicans will have a slimmer majority than expected after an underwhelming midterms performance. [BBC / Sam Cabral]
• The GOP-led House is likely to stall Democrats’ legislative agenda and launch numerous investigations into the White House. [New York Times / Carl Hulse]
• Democrats retained control over the Senate, and can continue confirming Biden’s judicial appointments and administration officials. [MSNBC / Steve Benen]
• Meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi, the first woman House speaker, announced she’s stepping down from leadership after almost two decades of leading the House Democrats. [Vox / Li Zhou]

Russia and Ukraine extend grain export deal

• Thursday, Russia agreed to a four-month extension of its Ukraine grain export deal, easing fears of a global food crisis. [Al Jazeera]
• Russian President Vladimir Putin had threatened to quit the deal, which has allowed Ukraine to ship 11 million tons of agricultural products since August. [Wall Street Journal / Jared Malsin and William Mauldin]
• The arrangement provides a safe corridor for Ukrainian ships to Istanbul. There, authorities inspect the vessels to make sure they have no military purpose before entering international markets, but a backlog of dozens of ships awaiting inspection has developed. [NPR / Fatma Tanis]
• Despite the renewed agreement, Russia launched a barrage of missiles across Ukraine on Thursday, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens. [Associated Press / John Leicester]

📍 If you read just one story

Vox’s Jen Kirby explains why Ukraine has struggled to export grain though there’s tons in storage. [Vox / Jen Kirby]

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The FDA granted a California startup approval to sell lab-grown chicken on Wednesday. The meat could soon reach consumers, pending USDA approval. [Vox / Kenny Torrella]

• Republican Kari Lake is refusing to concede after losing to Katie Hobbs in the Arizona governor’s race. [The Hill / Zach Schonfeld] 
• Thursday, police arrested a 22-year-old man for suspicion of attempted murder after he reportedly drove his car into a group of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department recruits, injuring 25. [CBS News]
• Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is investigating consumer protection at Ticketmaster after the site repeatedly crashed amid a struggle for Taylor Swift concert tickets. [Guardian / Lauren Aratani]

“It is going to be really hard, especially when it comes to producing results.”

[Retiring Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) on the House under GOP control / NYT]

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