The 2026 midterm elections have officially delivered a devastating blow to the Republican party, resulting in a sweeping political rout that has handed Democrats control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

As the dust settles, President Donald Trump is navigating a heavily weakened political reality. Here at Prose in Plastic, we’re breaking down the latest headlines, the fallout from the #BlueWave, and the bizarre executive moves making waves in the capital this week.

🌊 The Midterm Fallout & The Cost of the Iran War

Political analysts are pointing to two massive drivers for the GOP’s congressional wipeout: a massive shift in Latino voter allegiance away from the Republican party, and widespread domestic backlash against the ongoing war with Iran.

Behind closed doors, even the administration is facing the music. President Trump and Vice President JD Vance reportedly agree that the deeply unpopular conflict likely cost Republicans their majority. The incoming Democratic-controlled Congress has already signaled that ending the war will be their top foreign policy priority in January.

Meanwhile, geopolitical tensions remain red-hot. Amid pressure to end the conflict, Trump issued severe warnings that the U.S. may have to “destroy” what is left of Iran, claiming it would take them 25 years to rebuild. In response, Iran’s military threatened to target American assets globally without geographic restrictions.

🏛️ The “Arc de Trump” Hits a Legal Brick Wall

If you thought the capital was done with massive beautification projects, think again. But this one just hit a massive roadblock.

U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan recently issued a 14-day temporary restraining order blocking the construction of Trump’s proposed 250-foot “triumphal arch” in Washington, D.C. The midnight ruling came less than two hours after a federal planning board, heavily stacked with Trump appointees, gave the project the final green light.

The Arch by the Numbers:

• Massive Scale: At 250 feet tall, the monument would dwarf the 99-foot Lincoln Memorial and tower over France’s Arc de Triomphe.
• The Location: Slated for Memorial Circle, the high-traffic island connecting the Lincoln Memorial to Arlington National Cemetery.
• The Excuse: Why so big? President Trump defended the scale by claiming it would double as a “military complex” equipped to host security snipers and drones.

The National Park Service intended to begin construction immediately, planning a grueling 20-hour-a-day, year-round schedule. In fact, the DOJ admitted a rogue contractor had already prematurely painted boundary lines on the grass before the ink on the approval was even dry.

However, Judge Chutkan agreed with D.C. and Virginia officials that the project would cause severe and irreversible logistical harm and immediate traffic nightmares. Furthermore, the project faced fierce backlash from Vietnam War veterans, who filed a lawsuit calling the massive monument “frankly blasphemous” to the peace and tranquility of the nearby military cemetery.

(Watch our exclusive Lego-animated breakdown of the Arch controversy right here!)

📝 Executive Orders, Pentagon Posturing, and Crypto Crashes

The arch isn’t the only thing Trump is trying to cement into history before the Democrats take the reins. Here is a rapid-fire look at the rest of the week’s developments:

• The Oval Office Lock-In: Defending his sweeping capital renovations, Trump signed an executive order specifically intended to prevent future presidents from altering his design of the Oval Office.
• Standing by Hegseth: Trump strongly reaffirmed his support for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, stating he has “every intention” of keeping him at the Pentagon. Trump noted that while confirming a replacement is easy right now during the lame-duck session, it will be nearly impossible once Democrats take power in January.
• Targeting the Fed: Trump has established a White House committee to investigate Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, launching a coordinated effort to force her removal from the board.
• Billions Lost in Crypto: A new Reuters analysis reveals that investors in major Trump-backed cryptocurrency projects and Trump Media have lost an estimated $2.2 billion to $2.3 billion following recent token crashes. Trump himself still holds a $460 million stake in the company, though his general counsel has fiercely disputed the report’s calculations.

What do you think of the proposed “Arc de Trump”? Let us know in the comments, and keep checking back at Prose in Plastic as we continue to build out the headlines, brick by brick.