Obama's day: Post-election news conference

President Obama spends Wednesday assessing the damage from Tuesday's elections, and hosting a news conference about the rebuke at the polls that produced a Republican Senate.

"This afternoon, POTUS will convene a White House news conference," tweeted White House press secretary Josh Earnest. "Details later this morning."

In addition to winning a majority in the Senate, the Republicans expanded their majority in the House, creating major challenges for Obama as he prepares for his last two years in office.

Obama has pledged to work with both parties on middle-class economic issues. The president has also made clear he is prepared to go around Congress and take executive actions, as his staff prepares a series of orders on immigration. Senate Republicans say they will respond with immigration legislation countering Obama.

Most Republican candidates spent the election season criticizing Obama's policies, including issuing calls for a rollback of his signature health care law.

Meanwhile, White House officials and Senate Democrats are already pointing fingers at each other over their losses.

As he moves forward, Obama is expected to nominate a new attorney general. On Friday, he is scheduled to meet with leaders of the current, lame-duck Congress, which is slated to take up budget issues in a session later this month.