Happening Today: Midterm Elections, Bill Gates, Ariana Grande, Jolie-Pitt

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Resigned to House Loss, Trump Still Sees Midterms Success

Resigned to the loss of one-party control over Washington in the elections, President Trump stared down the prospect of endless House investigations, stymied policy efforts and fresh questions about the resilience of his unorthodox political coalition. He celebrated GOP success hanging on to the Senate and distanced himself from any blame. Trump stayed quiet for much of election night as Republicans maintained their hold on the Senate and Democrats captured control of the House — a shift all but certain to redefine his presidency. Late in the evening, he offered a brief tweet that simply read: "Tremendous success tonight. Thank you to all!" Trump called House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, a conversation that her office said included congratulations and a nod to her pitch for bipartisanship. Control of the House gives Democrats the ability to launch investigations into the president and stifle his agenda. Republicans retained control of the Senate.

Nation's 1st Women Muslim Reps., Openly Gay Governor Elected

The first two Native American and Muslim congresswomen are headed to the U.S. House, and Massachusetts is getting its first black congresswoman, while Arizona and Tennessee are getting their first female senators in the midterm elections. The high-profile midterm cycle that produced a record number of women contenders and candidates of color meant a number of winners will take office as trailblazers, marking firsts for their race and gender. What is already the most diverse Congress ever will become even more so after the elections. The inclusive midterm victories bode well for future election cycles, said Kimberly Peeler-Allen, co-founder of Higher Heights for America, a national organization focused on galvanizing black women voters and electing black women as candidates.

With Poo on a Pedestal, Bill Gates Talks Toilet Technology

Placing a jar of feces on a pedestal next to him, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates made a plea for the safe disposal of human waste as he kicked off a "Reinvented Toilet" Expo in China. "You might guess what's in this beaker — and you'd be right. Human feces," the former CEO of software giant Microsoft said. "This small amount of feces could contain as many as 200 trillion rotavirus cells, 20 billion Shigella bacteria, and 100,000 parasitic worm eggs." He went on to say that pathogens like these cause diseases that kill nearly 500,000 children under the age of 5 every year. More than 20 companies and academic institutions are exhibiting new toilet technologies at the three-day expo in Beijing, from self-contained toilets to a small-scale, self-powered waste treatment plant called the Omni Processor.

Billboard Names Ariana Grande 2018 Woman of the Year

The music industry is honoring Ariana Grande. Billboard named the 25-year-old award-winning singer its 2018 Woman of the Year. Grande will receive the award at Billboard's 13th annual Women in Music event on Dec. 6 in New York City. Previous recipients include Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Madonna and Selena Gomez. In a statement Billboard's vice president of content Ross Scarano says Grande "consistently stands up for herself and her decisions in a world that often isn't hospitable to that sort of strength in young women." In the past year, Grande has had Top 40 hits including "No Tears Left To Cry," ''Breathin'" and "God Is A Woman." She helped organize the One Love Manchester concert last year, raising more than $23 million for victims of the Manchester bombing.

Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt Headed to Court in Custody Battle

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are headed to court early next month as the estranged movie stars battle each other over the custody of their six children. A custody trial date has been set for Dec. 4, according to court documents obtained by NBC News. A location for the hearing has not yet been determined. In the documents, filed in Superior Court of California, Jolie and Pitt extended the appointment of Judge Ouderkirk as a temporary judge through June 30. Ouderkirk, a retired Los Angeles judge, will hear and determine all pre-trial issues, requests and motions as well as preside over the custody trial, according to the documents. Jolie, 43, filed for divorce from Pitt, 54, in September 2016 after two years of marriage citing irreconcilable differences.