Ron DeSantis appeared to have enough votes to become governor of Florida, but state officials ordered a manual recount in the hotly contested Senate race.
Good Friday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today.
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• Florida concluded the first phase of the tumultuous recount of its midterm election on Thursday, as the Republican Ron DeSantis appeared to have enough votes to become governor. But officials ordered a manual recount for the hotly contested Senate seat.
• The Trump administration sanctioned 17 Saudis accused in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, as it faced pressure for stronger action. Here’s more on the sanctions, and on how Saudi Arabia is threatening five of its agents with the death penalty (while changing its account of the killing yet again).
• Senator Sherrod Brown, one of the few Democratic victors in Ohio’s midterms, seems to have solved the mystery of how to win in a right-leaning Midwestern state. But is that a viable path to success in 2020?
• Bruce Poliquin, New England’s lone House Republican, lost his bid for re-election in Maine. Democrats added another House seat with the victory of Jared Golden, a Marine Corps veteran .
• Nancy Pelosi says she’s confident she has the votes to become the next speaker of the House, but a possible challenger is emerging: Representative Marcia Fudge of Ohio .
• With a few midterm races still open, the new Congress will have at least 105 Democratic women and 19 Republican women. For the G. O. P., that means the number of female representatives will drop .
• Even as Ronald D. Vitiello vies to become the next director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the real concern is whether the agency will remain intact once Democrats control the House. Here’s what may happen to ICE and its potential director.
• President Trump plans to travel to California on Saturday, to see the damage from the wildfires that have ravaged the state. Read about his upcoming visit.
• Mr. Trump has renewed his attacks on the Russia inquiry after spending three days with his personal legal team, crafting answers to written questions from Robert Mueller. Read about the president’s Twitter blast.
• Republican lawmakers, facing the end of one-party control of Congress in January, will try again to fund Mr. Trump’s border wall, risking a partial government shutdown .
• Two members of the Navy’s elite SEAL Team 6 and two Marine Corps Special Operations troops were charged in the strangling of an Army Green Beret last year in Mali. Here’s more on the case.
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Today’s On Politics briefing was compiled by Margaret Kramer in New York.
Check back later for On Politics With Lisa Lerer, a nightly newsletter exploring the people, issues and ideas reshaping the political world.
Is there anything you think we’re missing? Anything you want to see more of? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at onpolitics@nytimes.com .
