Both of these just came in as Politico breaking news. I'll fill in more as I get it.
POLITICO @politico
Breaking: Angus King will officially caucus with Senate Democrats in the next Congress, giving the party a 55-45 advantage over the GOP.
3 minutes ago
POLITICO @politico
Breaking News: Nancy Pelosi announced Wednesday morning that she will remain as Democratic leader.
6 minutes ago
--King says there were no promises made to secure his caucusing with the Dems; Harry Reid is standing next to him and speaking on his behalf right now, applauding him and comparing him with Lieberman and Sanders for his independence & ability to act as "a bridge to the Republicans"
More on King from Huffington Post:
WASHINGTON -- Independent Senator-elect Angus King of Maine says he has decided to caucus with Democrats, which will add to the party's voting edge. His decision ends months of speculation about which party he would align with.
The former Maine governor was elected last week to replace retiring Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe, a prominent centrist. GOP and conservative super PACs spent millions of dollars to attack King during the campaign for Snowe's seat.
With King joining their caucus, Democrats will have a 55 to 45 edge in the Senate.
King said Wednesday that caucusing with Democrats will still allow him to take independent positions on issues.
Hmmm...the Pelosi news seems to be based purely on a tweet by Rick Klein who doesn't quote her directly:
Rick Klein
@rickklein
Pelosi staying as Dem leader in House, per source close to her
...and this
HuffPo article update seems to backtrack on their own claim in the very next sentence:
Nancy Pelosi will keep her post as House Minority leader in the next congressional term, according to CNN and ABC News.
Pelosi remained tight-lipped on her decision ahead of a press conference on Capitol Hill. "I will see you 10 a.m., tomorrow, those of you who are interested," she said on Tuesday.
OK, this
ABC News story seems to be a hell of a lot more confident about Pelosi staying on:
A congressional official says House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has told her party caucus she will remain as minority leader in the new session of Congress.
This official says the 72-year-old Pelosi made the decision to remain at the helm of the party's House leadership even though Democrats failed to win the necessary 25 additional seats to become the majority party again.
An official close to Pelosi revealed her decision on condition of anonymity because she hadn't yet publicly announced it.