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Washington is entering a period of political uncertainty as both parties confront internal divisions and prepare for a new balance of power. Meanwhile, enormous financial ambitions are shaping the future of artificial intelligence, while new research is revealing unexpected ways technology could affect everyday life. We're also examining how increasingly convincing fake emergency calls are creating serious public safety challenges.

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The House voted 211-204 to refer impeachment articles against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to committee, effectively killing a bid by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky before Democrats take control in January. Massie accused Hegseth of waging war on Iran without congressional authorization and also cited strikes on alleged drug boats.

Massie was the only Republican to vote against sending the measure to committee, and more than a dozen members missed the vote. Hegseth, at his first Pentagon briefing in six months, called the effort a "farce." Democrats could still take up impeachment in the new Congress.

Sen. Bernie Sanders said he will not support Chuck Schumer as Democratic leader in the new Senate majority, setting up a fight over the party's direction after its midterm sweep. Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin joined him, and several incoming Democratic senators have signaled they would back another candidate.

Republicans settled their own leadership races Tuesday. House Republicans chose Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, a Freedom Caucus co-founder, over Steve Scalise to lead them in the minority, while Senate Republicans kept John Thune as their leader after venting about losing at least seven seats.

A federal judge in Florida allowed President Trump's defamation suit against the BBC to move forward, rejecting the broadcaster's bid to dismiss the $10 billion case over a Panorama episode that edited together two parts of his Jan. 6, 2021, speech. The judge threw out a second claim under Florida's unfair trade practices law.

The ruling did not address the merits, with the judge writing that whether Trump can prove his claims "is left for another day." Trump called it a huge victory, while the BBC said it was surprised but remains confident in its position. Trump has been ordered to answer questions under oath by Dec. 11.

Spain's first general strike in 14 years slowed transport and factories as millions of workers walked off the job to demand action on the country's housing crisis.

Trinidad and Tobago's colonial-era ban on gay sex was struck down by the nation's final court of appeal in London after an 11-year legal battle.

The US warned Madagascar against deepening military ties with Russia as a senior Africa Command general said similar partnerships in West Africa have failed to improve security.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has reportedly moved to a US military base from his Washington home after Iranian threats against his life as he leads sanctions on Tehran.

Three people were killed when a minivan crashed into pedestrians outside a Los Angeles Metro station at rush hour Tuesday as police investigate whether it was intentional.

A passenger reportedly claimed to have a bomb on a United flight from Newark that landed safely in New Orleans where he was arrested without incident.

Anthropic is seeking about a $1.3 trillion valuation in an IPO that could raise more than $61 billion and rank among the biggest stock debuts ever.

ExxonMobil is exploring a return to Venezuela nearly two decades after leaving as it signed a preliminary agreement with the government and its state-owned oil company.

China's passenger car exports jumped 62.3% in October as electric vehicles and hybrids drove growth while sales at home fell 27.4% from a year earlier.

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Escitalopram did best at preventing depression relapse in an analysis of studies involving nearly 10,000 people, though experts say the differences between drugs were modest.

Chemotherapy for breast cancer may speed up aging and could cost patients on the most aggressive drugs more than nine years of healthy life in new modeling.

Researchers are using Grand Theft Auto's chaos to test bike safety devices and teach self-driving cars to avoid road hazards in scenarios too dangerous to stage.

Michigan State shut down No. 2 Duke 79-73 in the Champions Classic as the No. 5 Spartans held the Blue Devils to 33.3% shooting from the field in Chicago.

Texas Tech held off No. 3 Illinois 84-78 as the No. 16 Red Raiders stretched their nonconference home winning streak to 49 games after leading by 22.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy made history from a hospital bed after hip surgery as the first skipper to win Manager of the Year three years in a row.

Kirill Kaprizov scored 21 seconds into overtime as Minnesota beat Montreal 2-1 on a night the Canadiens inducted former goalie Carey Price into their ring of honor.

A You've Got Mail reboot is in development with Jason Orley attached to direct a new modern story instead of remaking the 1998 Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan rom-com.

The Tennessee studio where Taylor Swift recorded is listed for $19.5 million, with more than 65 gold and platinum albums recorded there by stars including Dolly Parton.

Johnny Depp's Ebenezer is tracking a modest debut of about $20 million in North America as his first major movie role in nearly eight years arrives in theaters Friday.

What it is: Swatting, a hoax call reporting a bomb threat, mass shooting, or other life-threatening emergency to trigger a massive police response, is getting harder to catch as callers turn to AI-generated voices that sound natural. In August, an AI voice made a bomb threat to a high school in Yuba County, California, as part of a series of hoax calls to schools across the country over the summer. Classes were canceled, and there was no bomb.

The detail: In a survey of 766 public safety communications professionals published in June, about 14% of dispatchers said they had been targeted using AI tools. One forensic psychology professor said he can clone his own voice for less than $20 and change its pitch, intonation, and pauses. Fake callers now sound natural, even using filler words like "um."

Why it matters: Swatting pulls police and other emergency resources away from real emergencies, and people have been killed and injured in swatting attacks. Most swatters avoid dialing 911 directly because it reveals their location and callback number. They call police departments or courthouses instead, and those calls are nearly impossible to trace once transferred.

What to watch: Groups representing dispatchers are developing training, including questions so specific that an AI could not pull the answers from public databases or social media. They decline to describe the specifics, saying more public detail would make it easier to train AI to fool dispatchers. They stress that any call reporting a life-or-death situation will still get a full emergency response.

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The famously fast SS United States is scheduled to sink Wednesday off the Florida Panhandle to become the world's largest artificial reef after ferrying Hollywood stars across the Atlantic.

Volunteer musicians are playing bedside songs for veterans as a nonprofit brings live music to hospital patients, including a 93-year-old Army veteran in a Washington hospice.

Jimmy Carter's family farm in Georgia will be preserved and opened to the public for hunting and fishing as soon as next year after a conservation group bought it.

Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower sign the Mayflower Compact (1620) · Washington becomes the 42nd state (1889) · The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is dedicated at Arlington National Cemetery (1921) · Angola gains independence from Portugal (1975) · Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat dies (2004)

"In the name of God, Amen." — Opening words of the Mayflower Compact (1620)

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—The Five Minute Daily Team