American democracy is majestic, but it is fragile. Many of us here have witnessed its fragility

firsthand tragically in this chamber. And so democracy must be forever defended from forces that

we should harm. Last week, the American people spoke, and their voices were raised in defense of liberty, of the rule of law, and of democracy itself.

With these elections, the people stood in the breach and repelled the assault on democracy.

They resoundedly rejected violence and insurrection, and in doing so, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.

And now we owe to the American people our very best to deliver on their faith,

to forever reach for the more perfect union, the glorious horizon that our founders promised.

It is the end of an era in Washington as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces she is stepping away from party leadership.

This is a seismic shift for Democrats on the Hill who have been under her guidance for decades. We're going to discuss her groundbreaking career, the role she will play in the future,

and who may be next to lead the party.

That's a big story we're covering this morning.

Also, House Republicans doubling down on extremism as they prepare to take control of the House.

They promised to tackle inflation, crime, and the border.

That was everything they were talking about.

But it seems that they are much more interested in settling scores now.

We'll explain and we'll talk about whether or not they've learned their lesson of Trumpism and what might be a better way forward.

Good morning and welcome to morning, Joe.

It is Friday, November 18th.

We're here in Washington.

And with us, we have columnist and associate editor for the Washington Post, David Ignatius,

Pulitzer Prize winning columnist at the Washington Post, Eugene Robinson,

attorney and contributing columnist for the Washington Post, George Conway, and Washington

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