11 Democrats miss Hegseth vote, helping GOP shelve impeachment
Why it matters: The absences triggered an immediate backlash just one week after Democrats' sweeping election victories.
Eleven Democrats were absent from a vote on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, helping Republicans shelve the charges and setting off criticism inside the party. The missed vote, reported Nov. 11, raised fresh doubts about Democratic leaders' ability to hold their caucus together at a politically sensitive moment. The backlash came only a week after Democrats posted sweeping election victories, making the defections more striking. A separate late-night television segment on Nov. 12 underscored how quickly the no-shows became a wider embarrassment for the party beyond Capitol Hill.