Exclusive: Letter sent to department and agency heads signals Democrats will look to investigate Trump officials

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A group of Democratic lawmakers are asking leaders in the Trump administration to preserve records in accordance with federal law or risk criminal penalties after voters across the country gave Democrats control of Congress.

In a letter sent out to department and agency heads on Wednesday morning, Bobby Scott, the top Democrat on the House committee on education and workforce who is expected to become chair next year, noted the requirements to “collect, retain and preserve records that document the ‘transaction of public business’ or contain ‘informational value’ under the Federal Records Act of 1950”.

Midterms didn’t appear to have huge impact, though predicted wins for Democrats could mean more regulation

US tech stocks made a recovery on Tuesday afternoon after a selloff spooked investors over AI spending.

Tuesday’s midterm elections didn’t appear to have a huge impact on Wall Street, though investors are predicting Democrats get at least a majority in the House and potentially gain seats in the Senate, which could lead to more AI regulation.

Commerce department data contrasts with sharp deterioration in consumer sentiment as midterms loom

The US economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter while inflation accelerated in September, according to new commerce department data released on Thursday, less than a week before the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.

Gross domestic product (GDP) increased at a 3.4% annualized rate last quarter, the commerce department’s ⁠bureau of economic analysis said in its advance estimate of the third-quarter GDP on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast GDP advancing at a 3.2% pace.