The Morning Briefing: November 7, 2026

President Donald Trump reshuffled the top of his White House staff on Friday, naming Stephen Miller chief of staff days after Republicans lost both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections. The move led a Friday that also brought fresh U.S. strikes on Iran, a grim measles milestone, a sharp turn in Houston immigration policy and a split close on Wall Street.

Trump names Stephen Miller chief of staff

Trump said Friday that Stephen Miller, his deputy chief of staff, will replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff starting Monday, November 9. Wiles submitted her resignation Thursday evening, according to people familiar with the matter cited by CNN, and Trump said she will move to his political operation. The change is the first big staff move since Republicans lost control of the House and Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections.

Miller, 41, has been the main author of the administration’s immigration crackdown, including a target of 3,000 arrests a day set during his time as deputy chief of staff, Reuters reported. Trump told CBS News on Friday that more changes could follow, answering “I do” when asked if he planned to fire people. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump “has learned nothing from his historic defeat,” USA Today reported. Read the full story: Trump Names Stephen Miller White House Chief of Staff, Replacing Susie Wiles.

U.S. strikes hit Iranian air defenses on Qeshm Island

Trump confirmed Friday that U.S. forces carried out strikes against an Iranian air defense system on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, calling them minor. “They built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five,” he told reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida. Iranian state media reported two explosions in the Suza area of the island. Iran said its air defenses shot down U.S. drones over the island, a claim Washington has not confirmed.

The strikes followed an earlier round on November 2 and came as Trump said the United States is talking with Iran and that Tehran wants a deal. U.S. Central Command called the situation around the island “relatively calm” and late Friday offered up to $20 million for information on Iran’s nuclear program. Read the full story: Trump Confirms US Strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island, Calls Them “Minor” as Talks With Tehran Continue.

Measles cases pass 5,000 as three deaths are reported in a week

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 5,182 measles cases in the United States this year as of November 5, up 330 from its previous update and the highest annual total since 1991. Three people died of measles in a single week: an infant in Wisconsin, a Pennsylvania resident and a child in Lewis County, New York. The Wisconsin death was the state’s first in more than 35 years.

The CDC counts four measles deaths in 2026, more than the three recorded in all of 2025. State health departments have reported at least eight deaths this year, according to CIDRAP at the University of Minnesota. The CDC count is lower because the agency no longer adds every state-confirmed death to its tally automatically. Nearly all of the people infected were unvaccinated, and children and adolescents make up nearly 60% of confirmed cases. A Pan American Health Organization committee meets November 10-13 to decide whether measles has re-established itself in the United States.

Houston orders police to stop routine ICE alerts after Democratic wins in Texas

Houston Mayor John Whitmire signed an executive order Friday directing city police to contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement only when the federal agency has a warrant for a person charged with a jailable offense. Officers will no longer alert ICE during traffic stops or other encounters that end in a citation, Police Chief Noe Diaz said.

Whitmire tied the move to Tuesday’s elections, in which Democrats won statewide races in Texas, including the governor’s race. “Elections matter,” he said. The order reverses a policy shaped by pressure from outgoing Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who had threatened to pull about $110 million in public safety grants from the city. Read the full story: Houston Mayor Orders Police to Stop Alerting ICE in Routine Stops After Democratic Wins in Texas.

Wall Street ends a bruising week split

Stocks closed mixed Friday. The Nasdaq Composite rose 1.09% to 24,579.42 and the S&P 500 added 0.31% to 7,376.86, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.46% to 51,285.73. Chip stocks led the rebound after Thursday’s sell-off erased about $2.5 trillion from the Nasdaq’s market value in a single session.

For the week, the S&P 500 fell 2.7%, the Nasdaq 3.4% and the Dow 0.9%, the market’s worst week since June. October payrolls of 165,000 came in strong enough to lift the odds of a Federal Reserve rate hike in December to about 78%, and the 10-year Treasury yield rose to 4.86%. Read the full story: Wall Street Steadies Friday as Nvidia and Chip Stocks Rebound After Thursday’s Sell-Off.

Godzilla stomps toward a record opening

“Godzilla Minus Zero” took in $13.5 million on Friday across 3,254 North American theaters, including $6.7 million in previews, and is projected to finish the weekend at $30 million to $33 million, Deadline reported. That would be the largest domestic opening ever for a live-action foreign-language film, ahead of the $17.8 million set by “Hero” in 2004. Opening-night audiences gave the film an A CinemaScore.

In Japan, the film opened Tuesday with about 910 million yen, roughly $5.7 million, the biggest opening day ever for a live-action film there, according to Toho. On the court Friday, the Lakers beat the Trail Blazers 124-118, the Thunder routed the Grizzlies 128-97, and Victor Wembanyama had 30 points and 14 rebounds in the Spurs’ 124-109 win over the Kings. Illinois beat Nebraska 24-13 in college football.

Also Friday, the Secret Service arrested an armed man near the White House after an alleged threat against the president, the Department of Homeland Security said. Read the full story: Secret Service Arrests Armed Man Near White House After Alleged Threat Against Trump, DHS Says.