you're watching a us election special on bbc world news. i'm laura trevelyan. a divided america becomes even more divided. in a blow to president trump, democrats capture the house of representatives for the first time in eight years. todayis today is more than about democrats and republicans, it's about restoring the constitutions, checks and balances to the trump administration. but republicans gain ground in the senate, with a number of democrats losing their seats. and i'm lucy hockings in london. president trump calls the results a tremendous success, but what does this mean for his agenda? the president is going to continue doing exactly what he came to washington to do. an election of firsts, two muslim women and the first native american women willjoin congress. hello from capitol hill where the two chambers of congress

will be under very different leadership for at least the next two years. the house of representatives is now back in democrat hands after suburban voters and women powered them to victory in the midterm elections. in the senate though, it's a very different story, already held by republicans,it‘s now redder still after the party managed to gain seats. this has prompted president trump to a claim it had all been a ‘tremendous success‘. in reality, it's a messy outcome that places a big question mark over mr trump's ability to deliver on his agenda. so here are the details about what happened in the house of representatives as you can see, the democrats overturning the republican majority and winning a clear victory. but in the upper house, the senate, its been a different story.

the republicans have extended their majority, with a number of democrats losing their seats. 45 democrats, to 51 republicans. chris buckler in washingtonjoins us now. do you think that democrats, now they've got the power of subpoenas, are ina they've got the power of subpoenas, are in a majority in the house of representatives, how will they use that? there is no doubt that the democrats will see themselves as being in a position to keep a watch, to keep a check on president trump in a way they've not been able to for some time. if you look at the way congress has been working, it's been controlled by republicans. it has made donald trump's life relatively easy. there is no doubt that he's been able to push forward his agenda and try and get the legislation that he feels is important through

congress, through both chambers. now, all of a sudden, things have changed. not only do democrats now have the power to try and block legislation, they have the power to launch investigations and enquiries. it means they can look into things that donald trump might not want them to look into like his taxes, for example, questions of conflict of interest, or allegations of russian disturbance in the 2016 presidential election. all of those things are now in the democrat's hands, that is a major victory. absolutely, doubled down on that controversial immigration message it seems to have helped him in the salad but hurt him in the house, doesn't it? it does give you this idea that there are many different races taking place —— helped him in the senate. it's about trying to work

out exactly what works and what area. some republicans have been nervous, particularly where contests have been tight, about the kind of rhetoric donald trump has been using, the kind of words and language he's used to get his matches across. 0f language he's used to get his matches across. of course, he believes that those messages about immigration, along with messages about the economy, have been effective. when you look at what he's been campaigning, when he has held rallies, remember something like 30 in the past two months alone, he will say he's made a real difference. he focused on senate races, and that is where republicans have had their success. this was an evening when democrats finally had a reason to celebrate. with female candidates at the forefront of their success, they won the majority in the house of representatives. a victory that will place limits on donald trump's presidential power. today is more than about democrats and republicans. it's about restoring

the constitution's checks and balances to the trump administration. but republicans held their ground in the senate. god bless texas! ted cruz among those to hang onto his seat in texas, despite a fierce challenge. and marsha blackburn won in tennessee after a bitter campaign that cost tens of millions of dollars. it gave an opportunity for both sides to claim victory. this is it — the democrats have taken control of half of one of the three branches of government. laughter. all the gop has is the other half of congress, the supreme court, and a president who does whatever he wants. so, so far, tonight's feeling is... uh. . .yes, all, yes. for america, it was a mid—term election unlike any other. a vote that was seen

as a referendum on donald trump's presidency, and one that led to an exceptionally high turnout. # you're simply the best... the president flew into state after state, holding 30 rallies in the last two months alone, and putting himself at the centre of tight senate races. thank you very much, missouri. it is great to be in indiana. hello, houston. wow, look at that cloud. 0h, do we love nashville? get out in 2018, because you're voting for me. that personal involvement seems to have made a difference... candidates that have embraced the president, embraced his policies, that he has gone in and campaigned and worked hard for, we have seen that pay off tonight. on twitter, donald trump called result tremendous success. and there will be relief inside the white house that republicans have held onto the senate. but democrats taking the house of representatives will cause problems for the president. they'll be able to block legislation, and frustrate some of his more contentious plans.

congress, just like america, is now divided. political power split between the two chambers and the parties every bit as far apart. chris buckler, bbc news, washington. so what's been the reaction from the white house to all this? the president has been retweeting commentaries saying that he is a magic man. i'm sure we will hear from him shortly. i'm sure we will hear from him shortly. well, when she spoke to reporters white house press secretary, sarah sanders, aknowledged the loss of the house but said retaining control of the senate made it a big victory for the president. we feel good. it's been a good night for the president up until this point. the senate race in indiana was a huge moment for the president. 0bviously, candidates that have embraced the president and his policies, he's gone in and worked

ha rd policies, he's gone in and worked hard for them, and we are seeing that payoff. certainly, a good place, but still a very long nights to go. the president is going to do exactly what he came to washington to do. the question is whether democrats want to come to washington and do the job they were elected to do. kellyanne conway, adviser and spokesperson for the president also spoke to reporters, she said mr trump was in a bouyant mood, but she was asked whether he now feared being impeached. we're not really talking about it. he said yesterday that they will do what they want to do and he will do what he needs to do. i don't know that there will be much of an appetite across this country and among constituents for members to be spending all of the time or even a fraction of their time investigating, instigating and trying to impeach and subpoena people. that's a decision they'll need to make, but you have to really give the voters what they want. and as far as i can tell, there aren't many voters who have

said, "i'm going to give you an affirmative vote today because you've promised to investigate everybody or impeach the president". there seems to be no appetite for that. i've hardly heard the words "russian collusion" all night. and i think there is something to that. people are talking about the economy, health care and immigration. they certainly are talking about world... or i should say, national security around the world. that was kelly anne conway there. she's counsellor to the president. this morning americans are waking up toa this morning americans are waking up to a divided america. divided along lines of race, class, and geography. the one thing that has changed, democrats now have the power of subpoenaed. the power to call witnesses, paper and persons, and to make life very difficult for the president. they can also work with him if they wish. it was interesting to hear you

discussing that, tell us what you think the democrats are feeling right now in terms of the advantage in the house and how they can use it as macro they are definitely feeling relieved. earlier in the night they we re relieved. earlier in the night they were worrying that it would be a narrow republican holes, which would have been a complete catastrophe for them. what they can do is try to work with the president on infrastructure, for example. they can try to bring down the prices of prescription drugs. that's common ground. but they could also try and subpoenaed his tax returns and exercise oversight over the russian investigation. they will have lots of questions they want to ask about the president's son—in—law, and what democrats see us conflict between his business dealing and his role as a foreign policy supremo. the trump family will come under the

spotlight. exactly what don junior was doing when he chatted with the russians in june 2016? was doing when he chatted with the russians injune 2016? you can expect to see an awful lot of that but they have to be careful not to overreach themselves because the president likes nothing more than an enemy to run against, and he could make democrats the enemy as he looks towards 2020 and what he hopes will be his real action. he's been known to tell friends he doesn't want to bea to tell friends he doesn't want to be a one term president, so the democrats could give him the perfect trampoline to bounce back into the white house. we've talked about the polarisation and what america is waking up to this morning, what are the positives from this election? this was democracy at work, all those people queueing to vote, young people coming out, a high turnout, and more women going to work in the building behind u2. that's right. they will be over 100 women who are

members of the house of representatives. there are 435 members in total, the house of representatives is elected every two yea rs representatives is elected every two years and is supposed to be responsive to popular opinion. that was how it was set up. the senate has 100 seats, two for every states, that's more deliberative, but the houseis that's more deliberative, but the house is responsive to the popular mood. there has been a rejection of president trump in wealthy suburban areas, and by women. and we have two native american women, two muslim american women, and we have the first gay governor elected of a state. so all kinds of interesting things are happening. it's a real curious picture. what we take away is how effective the president was asa campaigner is how effective the president was as a campaigner in the senate. he decided he was going to extend the republican senate majority, and that

will help him enormously. now he has a lot of trump friendly republican senators who he can count on to protect him. i imagine that is what the tremendous successes he were treating about —— he was tweeting about work. treating about —— he was tweeting about work. so what will the democrats having power over the house of representatives mean for donald trump? this is our north america reporter anthony zurcher‘s take. conventional wisdom was that democrats would take control of the house of representatives but fall short in the senate. conventional wisdom in this case was right. with control of the house of representatives they are now going to be able to block donald trump's legislative agenda. they can stop passing laws in the house and forcing republicans maintain control of the

senate and if republicans stick together, they can confirm any of donald trump's appointments to the administration orjudiciary. donald trump's appointments to the administration or judiciary. he donald trump's appointments to the administration orjudiciary. he has already appointed 84 conservative judges to the federaljudiciary. expect that trend to continue. it will also make it much easierfor donald trump to replace someone like attorneyjeff sessions. if republicans stick together, they will be able to get that through. so how did the democrats win the house for the first time in eight yea rs ? house for the first time in eight years? it was by taking suburban districts, where hillary clinton one in 2016. one of those, was the 7th congressional district in newjersey

where democrat tom malinowski unseated republican leonard lance. the bbc‘s nada tawfik was there. newjersey new jersey reflected what newjersey reflected what we seen on a national scale, where democrats really one in suburbs, in urban areas. in newjersey in particular it really was a dissatisfaction with president trump that grew, and moderate republicans really were drawn to vote democrat. in one district, newjersey‘s seventh district, newjersey‘s seventh district, there was a moderate republican in one of the districts that went for hillary clinton. it wasn't enough for voters in that district. they felt he didn't do enough to rein in president trump. he last there. the democrats picked up he last there. the democrats picked up three seats from republicans here alone, one of the contests is still very competitive. it really

reflects, as i say, this dissatisfaction with president trump. we also saw as you were talking about earlier, the fact that women, a new wave of political newcomers and politically engaged people work present in newjersey as well. they have been big hopes amongst the democrats on what happened in florida. they did make gains in the house, but they lost races for the senate and for governor. andrew gillum's defeat — he would have been the state's first black governor —— was especially disappointing rajini vaidynathan reports. (sot next) it wasn't a good night for the democrats here in the crucial state of florida, for a start they lost control of the one senate seat they held, it has been held by bill nelson for three consecutive terms, but tonight rick scott, the former governor of the state won the seat. that helped boost republican fortu nes that helped boost republican fortunes in the senate, as they hang onto control. also, the republicans

held on to the governor seat here. the democrats were hoping that their candidate, andrew gillum would become the first black governor for the state of florida. in both of those races it wasn't necessarily a ringing endorsement for the republican party. both of the races were won by republicans by a very, very close margin ofjust under 1%. it just gives you very close margin ofjust under 1%. itjust gives you an idea of how close florida is. it always is in national elections. they were some good moments for the democratic party, they picked up two congressional seats, in somewhat surprise, somewhat save. that's helped them to pick up control of the house of representatives in washington, dc. in many ways though, florida reflects the changing america. what we've seen here in these tight races is just how

polarised the state, and america, indeed it is. that is the situation in florida. the other race that people were watching very closely was georgia where stacey abrams was wiling to become the first black female governor. she didn't succeed. this was her dress and his supporters a short time ago. hard work is in our bones. and we have proven this every single day, georgia. with doors knocked, calls made, and miles travelled, praise parades to the highest heavens. and tonight, we have closed the gap between yesterday and tomorrow. but we still have a few more miles to go. hear me clearly, that too is an opportunity to show the world who we are. because in

georgia, civil rights have always been an act of will, and a battle for ourselves. and because we have been fighting the fight since our beginnings, we've learned the fundamental truth, democracy only works, when we work for it. stacey abrams there, she didn't win but you get the feeling she's going anywhere. with me is frank langfitt, london correspondent for us national public radio. good to see you both. what are these results mean for president trump? it's predictable that he would lose the house in the mid—term elections, he's extended the majority in the senate, so he will be very happy. but on the other hand, his shift to the right has hit some ceilings too. that's going to have an effect. his message on immigration, for example, has been given a sharp rebuke in certain areas. i think, having

has been given a sharp rebuke in certain areas. ithink, having made and we the republican party in his own image, he has managed to drag some of the democrats towards the right as well. many republicans felt he should have campaigned more on the economy, but the states that he went to land campaigned in, he won. those republicans did very well. and that's a place with a message on immigration seems to play much better. the conventional approach when you have a strong economies to go in that direction. it also speaks to the polarisation of the united states, certain areas, certain messages will play much better. will we see some of his policies marked by the house? he won't get them all now, surely? i don't thinki can agree with that last statement. the democrats have voted for what they called border security, and some of

them have said positive things about building a wall as well. this is the point i'm making, there is a shift to the right among the democrats. they want more money for wall street and hospitals, and they have a lot more military ex—military and death... so more military ex—military and so you don't think we'll see more progressive policies coming out of the house? they may well be more blocking and investigative moves, more talk about impeachment, for example, but i don't think there will be a progressive agenda that they will be able to put on the table. we will see his tax returns sometime soon, frank? will not be a priority? that's a good question, how did the democrats now handle it with president trump. what they need to be careful about is not to be seen to be vengeful, trying to take their frustration out on him. they

have to be very careful and choose their battles. it's very hard for anyone to predict what the president will do. will he reach across the island let's work together? will do. will he reach across the island let's work together7m will do. will he reach across the island let's work together? it would be good for him to get some bipartisan winds. 0ne be good for him to get some bipartisan winds. one of the things we saw is that that tact didn't work ina lot we saw is that that tact didn't work in a lot of places, that's why there was quite a bit of pushback. we also know that if the democrats get very forceful in the house there was nothing the president likes better thana nothing the president likes better than a fight. he may really engage with them. infrastructure could be one place he could make some progress. that level of investment, which he promised originally, in the cities under the impish stretch, would be very helpful. what about polarisation, the divided america we talk about all the time aren't working up to anything different this morning. if anything it's even more divided. i noticed from a lot

of democrats, they were disheartened that they didn't do better. in other parts of the country, the president still has a lot of strong support. i think that speaks to people who have very different visions of the nation. to some degree they may subscribe to a different set of facts as to what's going on. americans will talk would how they are sick of this polarisation, it's ha rd to are sick of this polarisation, it's hard to see a way forward where that will change. the democratic party has won in affluent districts and raised more money for wall street, shifted further to the right, and ceded the ground on the economy amongst the lowest social economic groups to the trump machine. they aren't offering a positive programme for people who are arguing about the american dream. the inability to reach that dream and growing levels of inequality in the country. that's the chasm and that was brought fully to the four in 2016. it's still

right there, bubbling underneath. that's demotivating some motivators deliverable voters. are the democrats lacking a star to go up against president trump? it feels like everything is about him. we talk about him all the time. like everything is about him. we talk about him all the timelj like everything is about him. we talk about him all the time. i think asa talk about him all the time. i think as a result of what happened in texas, and the fact that all rule almost toppled ted cruz, i suspect that his star has risen. they will be one or two others as well who may be one or two others as well who may be able to offer a challenge. bay was so much money on beto o'rouke and it didn't work, were they right to put that much investment in him. if he had done so it would have been close, given who ted cruz is politically. i understand why they were hoping for that will stop and were hoping for that will stop and we are talking about texas. yes,

these are incredibly important states for 2020. texas has a town of electoral votes. more hispanics are voting, and that will lead more and more to the left. theyjust aren't there yet. what is the most positive thing you can take away from this election? the rebuke to the level of bigotry that the trump administration exhibited, and the advert about the mexican who committed killings had to be polled suggest that there is a ceiling to that level of rhetoric. even republicans, many republicans, i'm willing to live with. and for you, frank? voter engagement. people are much more engaged now than they were in 2016. it's good to have you with us. there's more on the website as well, we'll see you soon, bye—bye.

good morning. there are still warnings in force available on the website as well, because of the rain. it's a sulky picture out there in some parts of the uk, particularly the western side of the uk. it's starting to clear from shropshire now, these are these guys we see between the showers. the saving grace today is these southerly winds. not as mild as yesterday but still relatively mild. as you can see, it's really very wet indeed for some parts of ireland and northern ireland, and it will stay that way for the next few hours. through lunchtime lots of heavy showers across southern areas of the uk. that persistent rain across dumfries and galloway and parts of

northern ireland. it starts to ease towards the evening. the east of scotla nd towards the evening. the east of scotland may not seem much rain. despite strong, southerly winds, but we'll see some heavy downpours. they could be the odd rumble of thunder. expect rain if you are heading out and about. 0vernight we see a calm in the weather, the rain eases away, and we get more rain later on into the west, but tonight is colder. much colder than last night with a touch of frost. these are the town and city values. and i start for many of us tomorrow. another pulse of rain runs along that into the afternoon. away from that western areas much brighter tomorrow. breezy but not as windy. the ranges across wales and the west of england, very wet indeed. its main edge back into

northern ireland later, but we have that weather front that is not to be forgotten. late in the day that weather front pulses further northwards to become strong across central parts. it gets swamped by the next area of rain coming in on friday. this looks like a wet and windy affair. it's all tied around this area of low pressure, some stormy weather with severe gales, and as that moves away the weekend gets settled into a she willie south—westerly weather pattern. it won't be called but there's the of some showers. —— we shall worry south—westerly weather hello, you're watching bbc news. let's recap what has happened overnight in the us midterm elections. both main parties are claiming victory in the ballots, which are widely seen as a referendum on donald trump's presidency. the democratic party has taken control of the house of representatives, the lower chamber of congress,

for the first time in eight years. some results are still being counted but this is the current make up of the chamber. blue for the democrats, red for the republicans. the democrats will now have more power to block president trump's legislative agenda. nancy pelosi is the house democratic leader. todayis today is more than about democrats and republicans, it is about restoring the constitution's checks and balances for the drug administration. —— donald trump administration. but in the senate, the upper house of congress, the democrats have lost ground and the republicans have increased their majority. this is the current make up of the senate. some results are still to come there as well. the key gains for the republicans came in the senate races in florida, missouri, indiana and north dakota. the former republican presidential candidate ted cruz narrowly held his seat in texas. this election was a battle of ideas.

it was a contest for who we are and what we believe. and president trump was quick to celebrate his party's gains, calling the night a ‘tremendous success‘. we will have more reaction to that. some other stories making the headlines now. marks and spencer has reported a fall in clothing and food sales in the past six months. but six months after announcing 100 store closures, pre—tax profits rose by 7% to £127 million pounds. french officials say they will inspect all marseille buildings considered "unsuitable" for habitation, after two buildings collapsed in the french city. a fifth body was recovered from the rubble this morning. up to eight people are feared dead, after the buildings crumbled suddenly on monday morning. the environment secretary, michael gove, has called for the cabinet to be given full

legal advice on the irish backstop. mr gove says there are concerns among ministers that they‘ll only be given a summary, before having to decide on whether to back a brexit deal with brussels. madrid‘s atocha train station is evacuated by police. authorities gave no reason for the evacuation but it followed a security alert at barcelona‘s main station when a possible explosive device was found in a suitcase. we‘ll have more on all those stories shortly. but first, some sport. good morning. we are going to start with cricket because england are on top on the second day of the first test against sri lanka, which is drawing to a close. it started brilliantly with ben folkes completing his century on his test

debut. he was out not long after that. england finishing their first innings on 342. they then got to work with the ball. jimmy anderson striking with the second ball of the sri lanka innings. sri lanka all out for 203. moeen ali leading the way with four wickets. england are now 35 without loss in the second innings. very different fortunes for spears and liverpool in the champions league last night. neither are certain of qualifying for the knockout stages and jurgen klopp even said his side had lost their mojo. it might still take a leap of faith but harry kane has kept tottenham‘s hopes alive. their hopes in the champions league depended on beating psv. 0ne champions league depended on beating psv. one minute in, 1—0 psv. that made things tricky for tottenham. they were stung into action. they

attacked again and again but they could not get past the goalkeeper. he was inspired or infuriating, depending on your view. just 13 minutes left, they still had not beaten him, 1—1. when wembley erected, he urged calm. nearly 89 minutes gone, but one man was not panicking. a header that changed direction twice and completed a turnaround. tottenham messed up their champions league campaign follows a similarly improbable cause. in belgrade, it was a throwback to stay. 27 years ago red star dominated europe. pandemonium 21 minutes in. if they were excited about that, wait until they saw what they had planned next. 2—0 to 18 liverpool beat 4—0 a fortnight ago.

jurgen klopp said afterwards liverpool had struggled to find their mojo. tonight, manchester united play juventus in turin. paul pogba says he has no problem being stripped of the vice captaincy. jose mourinho made the move in september, a p pa re ntly made the move in september, apparently over concerns about paul pogba‘s attitude. the manager is the one who chooses who is going to be captain. i was the second one after valencia. if he ta kes the second one after valencia. if he takes me, it doesn‘t change anything for me. ijust want takes me, it doesn‘t change anything for me. i just want to takes me, it doesn‘t change anything for me. ijust want to play, perform, that is myjob. and give my best for my team. manchester city have been accused of cheating by the people who run spain‘s top league. la liga say the clu b spain‘s top league. la liga say the club should be sanctioned over the

way the club got around financial fair lee rules. so far, manchester city have refused to comment directly but they say it is an organised and clear attempt to damage their reputation. finally, hanoi will join damage their reputation. finally, hanoi willjoin the formula 1 calendar in 2020. vietnam‘s capital city becomes the first new destination tojoin the capital city becomes the first new destination to join the sport since last year. the race will take place ona last year. the race will take place on a street circuit. that makes it a bit more exciting, doesn‘t it? you can find more on those stories on the bbc sport website. we will be back at with more at 12:15pm. the government is facing calls to reveal legal advice on how a post—brexit plan for northern ireland‘s border could work. environment secretary michael gove wants cabinet ministers to see the full details of the so—called "backstop" that would prevent a hard border. northern ireland‘s dup, which supports the government in key votes, wants it released in full.

the border is proving the main sticking point in reaching a brexit deal. 0ur chief political reporter vicki young joins us now. how important is this debate around the legal advice likely to become?” think it is interesting because it is the kind of issue that all sides in the house of commons could potentially get behind, and if they were to be a vote on it, and that is what the labour party are suggesting, they might engineer a vote in the house of commons, if you had labour, members of the conservative party and the dup all backing it, that could prove to be trouble for the prime minister. it is not normal to publish legal advice. it is possible that the cabinet could see it, but that is different from it being made public, and it is still about two issues. about whether the uk could get out

of this temporary customs arrangement, which is a now feel is the fallback option. and it is also about whether northern ireland would be treated differently from the rest of the uk. you have those two issues ongoing, which is the real sticking point. we know the cabinet were talking about a mechanism, some sort of panel, to decide how the uk could get out of that customs arrangement, because the brexiteers fear we could be stuck in for a very long time. meanwhile, you have the dup and others very worried about how northern ireland will be treated in all this. we want the prime minister to get the best outcome for the uk. we want her to get a good deal and that includes northern ireland. that we live together as one country. that is why we want to see the legal advice, not because we doubt the prime minister, but because we need to understand, when it comes to a meaningful vote in the house of

commons, the basis of which upon we are our decision. as part of the reason why people in the cabinet wa nt to reason why people in the cabinet want to see this legal advice very clearly a nd wa nt want to see this legal advice very clearly and want to have it published in some cases is because they feel that back last year in december, there was a problem and they weren‘t given the full story, when theresa may pushed it over the line to get to the next stage in the brexit negotiations, signed up to an agreement which was all about the irish border, and many feel that‘s what got the uk into this difficulty. by committing to something that has proved incredibly difficult for them to stand by. something that has proved incredibly difficult for them to stand bylj know difficult for them to stand by.” know that you said it is not normal to publish legal advice, it is something that crops up from time to time in politics, but why not? what is the argument against greater transparency, particularly when what happened last december, when the agreement was set that did

incorporate the irish backstop and it has all unravelled since. isn‘t it has all unravelled since. isn‘t it in everyone‘s interest for there to be clarity upfront?” it in everyone‘s interest for there to be clarity upfront? i think they just don‘t want to set a precedent. if you do that for one thing, you are going to have to do it every single time. but for many people, this is such a momentous moment that it has to be very clear what they are signing up to. if you are in the cabinet, you want to be very sure that you are signing up to what you are being told. i think the role of the journey are being told. i think the role of thejourney general is are being told. i think the role of the journey general is proving to be incredibly important —— the attorney general. he is a very senior qc, they are keen to have his legal brain working on all this, and they feel he will tell them the truth. he seems to be in the front line when it comes to working out some kind of mechanism by which the uk could get out of this customs arrangement, although i think he and other, one

brexiteer cabinet minister i spoke to yesterday, saying it doesn‘t have to yesterday, saying it doesn‘t have to be that the uk can trigger this unilaterally, they accept that would be incredibly difficult, but they wa nt be incredibly difficult, but they want the mechanism they may they may or may not sign up to means the eu does not have a veto. we are waiting to see if there is another cabinet meeting later this week. that could, if the eu decides it is the case that sufficient progress has been made, that could trigger an eu summit later in the month. at the moment everyone is waiting to see. the clock is ticking, what is likely to happen on this question of legal advice? i didn't quite catch that. what is likely to happen on this question of legal advice because there is not much time to play around? if there is a vote in the house of commons, it might be taken out of the government‘s hands. if labour swing behind this idea,

theresa may could be outvoted. it is people like david davis, the former brexit secretary. it could be a problem and it could mean that everything gets delayed once again. thank you very much. pennsylvania, which was won narrowly by president trump in 2016, has taken centre stage in the 2018 midterm elections. mr trump campaigned in the state several times during the fall, hoping to motivate his base to turn out for republican candidates. but it was democrat bob casey who narrowly took the senate seat. 0ur correspondent nick bryant is in the state‘s largest city — philadelphia. he explained what we can take away from the rust—belt results and what it will mean for the presidential elections in 2020. the republicans gained in pittsburgh, they look like they have gained in that congressional district number one, which we were

talking about earlier, so these results are very uneven. a lot of different meanings. what is significant to note is how many moderate democrats have done well. people like a democrat in new jersey, a former navy helicopter pilot. the lesson from that may be that the democrats need to field a moderate candidate in the presidential election. but a lot of the millennium is —— millennials in this bar tonight were cheering those on the left of the party. and florida looks like it is becoming more of a republican state at the moment and that is difficult when you are trying to establish a... in colorado, jared polis has become the first openly gay man to be elected a state governor in the us (00v) going up against stapleton, the state treasurer for colorado,

to fill outgoing governorjohn hickenlooper‘s seat, polis won the primary election with approximately 44 per cent of the vote. he‘s served five terms as a congressman in colorado in colorado we dream, we did and we do, whether it is embracing new ideas or hiking our amazing mountains, we don‘t back down when something is challenging, we see problems as opportunities in our state of colorado. as your governor, i want to serve to protect our colorado way of life. in my heart and in my mind. and i allege to serve all people, no matter your party, where you live, your race, your gender, we are all in this together. while control may have changed from republican to democrat there is also something more diverse about the new look house and senate. that‘s because more women than ever before stood as candidates. caroline rigby has been looking at some of those hoping to make it through and whether they were successful

this year‘s pool of candidates was a diverse one. women running in record numbers, a so—called pink wave indicating a wider sea change in american politics. more native american, muslim, latino immigrant and lgbt candidates were on the ballot too. female voters, particularly college educated and suburban white women, also a huge part of this election. even in the last week, donald trump‘s rhetoric around immigration, particularly after the shooting in pittsburgh and other violence we have seen, i think that was truly repellent to a lot of college—educated women and women in general. while support for donald trump remain strong amongst his call voters, undoubtedly some women have been put off by a president who many perceive as misogynistic. divided too over the confirmation of brett kavanaugh to the supreme court after multiple accusations of sexual misconduct. i have been saying since the beginning of this campaign that

change is coming to america and change is coming to virginia. and that cambridge came tonight. the first house seat to flip for the democrats came early in the night forjennifer wexton in virginia, ousting republican representative barbara comstock. the republicans may have fielded fewer female candidates, but the party remained confident that voters would be swayed by policies as much as people. when the rubber reaches the road, we have to choose between two candidates in any given race. and for most voters, it‘s more about the ideology or the party of the candidate than the gender. and weather down to gender or not, staunch conservative marsha blackburn became the first female to represent hennessy in the senate. considered a safe republican seat, her opponent ( despite high—profile backing from pop star taylor swift.

as well, the first to muslim congresswomen were voted in, both democrats, won a somali american who came to the us as a refugee at the age of 12. this first is just some among so many in this year‘s midterms, evidence of a changing landscape in america perhaps reflecting a new political era too. the headlines on bbc news. in a blow to president trump, democrats capture the house of representatives for the first time in eight years. but republicans gain ground in the senate — with a number of democrats losing their seats. and president trump was quick to celebrate his party‘s gains —— to celebrate his party‘s gains — calling the night a ‘tremendous success‘.

let‘s get an update on the business news, susannah streeter is here. we will start with the boss of the simmon, who is leaving, and it follows something that went viral. he says he is going by mutual agreement and by request of the company and it seems about a controversial £75 million pay award. that was reduced from £100 million after a public outcry. persimmon have said in a statement that this issueis have said in a statement that this issue is continuing to have a negative impact on the company and on the firm‘s reputation and so it has really affected his ability to continue in his role. as you say, it seems to have come to a head after an interview where he walked away from a bbc reporter when he asked about what had happened to his pay. ithink... i about what had happened to his pay. i think... i would rather not talk

about that. it has been well cove red. about that. it has been well covered. you don't want to discuss that today? are there any lessons to be learned from that? it is the biggest bonus in the country. no. 0k. fine. i think it's biggest bonus in the country. no. 0k. fine. ithink it's really unfortunate you've done that. there he was speaking or not speaking to the bbc. but it is important to stress that the company, who awarded him this bonus, are now saying he has to leave because of the outcry over that very bonus. so what happens with the money? he keeps it because it is a bonus, £75 million worth of shares, and it is known as a long—term incentive award, so the company cannot claw it back. he will not receive any further pay. he won‘t receive any further pay. he won‘t receive any further pay. he won‘t receive any more pay from the 31st of december. so it is a long-term

incentive but he is not going to be there in the long term. the company‘s german has pointed out today in a call to analysts that the company‘s stock market value since 2013 when he was the boss, has doubled to £7.5 billion. also the amount of money given back to shareholders was £2.2 billion. that isa shareholders was £2.2 billion. that is a huge amount and his bonus was linked to that. so has he had anything to say about it? previously he has said he is going to give a fair portion to charity but today he said he hopes revealing his plans to create a charitable trust and wave a proportion of the award would enable the company to put the issue behind it, but that is not the case so it is in everyone‘s best interest ‘s that he steps down. marks & spencer, disappointing figures. particularly food, very disappointing. but also

clothing and home sales. those are down as well by about 1.1%. very disappointing for the chief executive, steve rose. he had been trying to turn the big ship around. he was speaking to the bbc earlier and told us what his plans were for food in particular. we are turning every stone in the business over to make sure we build a business fit for the future and that means there is an awful lot of work going on across every area. our team are focused on making a difference and we've got to get through this next stage before i expect to see a difference in those numbers. food is an example, because we are improving values for our customers, protecting the magic of our food, but we are bringing prices down and taking away difficult and confusing promotions. and profits are up. yes, and you think how is that possible when sales are down, because they are

slashing costs through the business, slashing costs through the business, slashing capital investment, expect less glitzy, expensive promotions this christmas, for example. but its share price is down. actually, investors are saying, you can‘t continue to cut costs. ultimately, there would be anything left to cut. you have to invest for the long—term future of the business. but for the moment it is slash and burn. but they do say as far as store closures are concerned, there won‘t be any more at the moment other than the 100 announced in may. but steve rose says he can‘t make any promises because of this towards online. it certainly seems online is the place where they have to improve. thank you very much. all this week, in the run up to the centenary of the end of the first world war on sunday the 11th of november, we‘ve been taking you on a journey along the western front, uncovering stories from the trenches. 0ur correspondent robert hall,

is in neuve—chapelle on the french border with belgium, to find out about the role played by soldiers from india, thousands of whom lost theiur lives in the fighting. mohammed khan is one of my great—grandfather‘s and also the captain as well. nottingham gp irfan malik, is on a mission. he spent four years tracing his family history back to a village that was once part of british india. a village that sent over 400 of its fathers and sons to fight for the empire. born and bred in nottingham, i didn‘t really understand or have this information and i thought world war i and world war ii was mainly a white war, i didn‘t really understand the massive contribution from commonwealth troops from africa, west indies and undivided india. that is the reason i wanted to give this information and educate more people, especially youngsters,

about our very strong shared history. the memorial at neuve—chapelle, close where indian troops fought their first action in 1915, carries the names of nearly 5000 with no known grave. well over a million soldiers from south asia served in british forces, over 74,000 of them were killed in europe, africa and the middle east. but stories of that contribution and that heroism have not been widely told over the decades. he was actually on a ship from south africa heading back to india... mahatma gandhi had supported the war and indian independence, when the guns fell silent, india‘s struggle for self—rule overshadowed the bravery and self—sacrifice shown by so many. over time i think we have had an element of selective amnesia overtime i think we have had an element of selective amnesia on both sides, as india fought

for its own independence. but now as two mature democracies, actually we are rediscovering those contributions and the khadi poppy is a symbol of that. these are the khadi poppies, made of cotton, similar to the clothing which ghandi wove and wore. it really symbolises india's self reliance. i think we need to move rememberance into the second century and this is one of the powerful ways we can engauge the next generation. back in nottingham, dr malik believes remembrance can, and should, bridge the divides in today‘s communities. when i was younger i used to walk past remembrance functions and events and i didn‘t really feel a part of it, but now i realise we should be there and in the last four years i have gone out and laid wreaths

myself because of the strong, shared history that we have. we are part of remembrance and we need to be out there as well. now it‘s time for a look at the weather. it has been a soggy morning for many parts of the uk. fairly miserable on the faster routes with all the spray and standing water and that is going to build up throughout the day because the rain will continue, and if it‘s not rain, showers will continue. there is a fairly stiff southerly breeze blowing but at least that breeze is pulling in this milder air, keeping the chilly weather out of the west of us. but with it, we have got this amalgamation of whether fronts sat across the uk. low pressure sitting further north and the weather fronts

meandering around that area of low pressure. it is a rather slow—moving situation. the rain continues as we go into the afternoon, particularly across northern ireland, western scotland. they will be fairly heavy. there could be some thunder in there. 14 celsius is above average for this time of year. and a gusty wind, particularly near those showers. some hail and thunder. it may start to ease later in the afternoon for northern ireland and tonight it becomes drier for most of us tonight it becomes drier for most of us before the next band of rain comes back into devon, cornwall and northern ireland. given that window of clear weather, it will do in chilly, there could be a touch of frost in central and eastern areas. it does mean at least a bright dawn, a much brighter day for some of us, at least a start. that band of rain moving north across scotland

petering out and then this heavy rainfor petering out and then this heavy rain for wales, northern england, southern scotland and northern ireland. but in the south and east it is fine and dry. either side of that weather front, some decent weather. we should have a decent start across the east on friday. but then this next area of rain developing and that is around a deeper area of low pressure which is likely to give gales or severe gale force winds across western parts of the uk. it will spread eastwards through friday night into saturday and then a legacy of sunny spells and then a legacy of sunny spells and showers. showers could be heavy but it stays on the mild side. you can get all the warning information from our website. this is a us election special on bbc world news i‘m stephen sackur.

america‘s political divide deepens as the midterm elections produce a split congress. in a blow to president trump, democrats capture the house of representatives for the first time in eight years. today is more than about democrats and republicans. it‘s about restoring the constitution‘s checks and balances to the trump administration. but republicans gain ground in the senate —taking a number of seats from the democrats and increasing their majority. president trump calls the results a tremendous success, but what does this mean for the rest of his term in office? the president is going to continue doing exactly what he came to washington to do. an election of firsts. two muslim women, and the first native american women win seats in congress. welcome to washington dc —

i‘m stephen sackur with special coverage of the us midterm elections. the results have given us high drama and complex political twists which have exposed the deep divisions in american politics. the most signicant single fact? the democrats have broken the republican grip on power here in the us congress, theyve won a majority in the house of representatives. but the republicans have increrased their majority in the upper chamber the senate prompting president trump to hail ‘a tremendous success‘. looking at the races and the outcome, chris buckler starts our coverage. this was an evening when democrats

finally had a reason to celebrate. with female candidates at the forefront of their success, they won the majority in the house of representatives. a victory that will place limits on donald trump‘s presidential power. today is more than about democrats and republicans. it‘s about restoring the constitution‘s checks and balances to the trump administration. but republicans held their ground in the senate. god bless texas! ted cruz among those to hang onto his seat in texas, despite a fierce challenge. and marsha blackburn won in tennessee after a bitter campaign that cost tens of millions of dollars. it gave an opportunity for both sides to claim victory. this is it — the democrats have taken control of half of one of the three branches of government. laughter.

all the gop has is the other half of congress, the supreme court, and a president who does whatever he wants. so, so far, tonight‘s feeling is... uh. . .yes, all, yes. for america, it was a mid—term election unlike any other. a vote that was seen as a referendum on donald trump‘s presidency, and one that led to an exceptionally high turnout. # you're simply the best... the president flew into state after state, holding 30 rallies in the last two months alone, and putting himself at the centre of tight senate races. thank you very much, missouri. it is great to be in indiana. hello, houston. wow, look at that cloud. 0h, do we love nashville? get out in 2018, because you're voting for me. that personal involvement seems to have made a difference... candidates that have embraced the president, embraced his policies, that he has gone in and campaigned

and worked hard for, we have seen that pay off tonight. on twitter, donald trump called result tremendous success. and there will be relief inside the white house that republicans have held onto the senate. but democrats taking the house of representatives will cause problems for the president. they‘ll be able to block legislation, and frustrate some of his more contentious plans. congress, just like america, is now divided. political power split between the two chambers and the parties every bit as far apart. chris buckler, bbc news, washington. before we go any further its worth re—capping. in the house of representatives as you can see, the democrats overturned the republican majority and can claim a clear victory. but in the upper house — the senate — its been a different story.

the republicans have extended their majority, with a number of democrats losing their seats. the latest figures, not all senate seats, declared, but the latest figures suggests the democrats have 45 and the republicans have 41. they aren‘t officially declared yet. the republicans are well—placed though. the pundits reckon that the republicans could end up with 54 seats in the senate, which represents a significant expansion of their majority. it‘s a complicated picture. and i‘m delighted that my colleague who has been following this campaign has joined me to make sense of it. we

have a significant change here, the democrats are now in control of the lower chamber of the house. but the republicans have done remarkably well in the senate. explain. the president has treated that this is a big victory conveniently ignoring the fact he lost the house of representatives. but in the senate this is a big victory for him. he personally knocked off democratic seminars to drop the senators in north dakota and indiana. the fact that he is expanding the senate, and has people who are very loyal to him, will help him. it means that the republicans can continue with their agenda of more conservative judges and cabinet appointments. if it ever comes to a question of impeachment he will have protection in the senate. but the house of representatives now have the power of subpoenaed. the power to call persons, paper, witnesses, and they

are sure they will look at the president‘s tax return straightaway. and of course that russian investigation which they feel the republicans held. in terms of the dynamic in this place, the fact that the democrats now have control of the house is very significant. there will be questions for both them and president trump, do they go for all—out confrontation or do they find a way of working together? any early signs of how that might go? that country is more divided than ever before. they could both work together. we know that the democrats have said they will work with the president where they can, for example on infrastructure, rebuilding roads and bridges. they could work with him to bring down the price of prescription drugs, that‘s common ground. the democrats don‘t want to make the president looked too good, because everyone is already talking about 2020 and re—election. it may suit the president to work with the democrats, but he always likes to

have a political enemy whom he can demonise. if there is an economic slowdown he can blame them for that too. it seems like gridlock is more likely than bipartisan ship at this point. it's point. it‘s almost certain that nancy pelosi will become the new speaker of the house. you talk about demonisation, and the republicans love to demonise her. she‘s already come out and said she wants to work ina bipartisan come out and said she wants to work in a bipartisan fashion. we‘ve talked about health care and immigration, do you really feel that there is any sort of hope that nancy pelosi and donald trump are going to dump all the baggage they‘ve got with each other and work together? they could, for example, on the question of those young undocumented immigrants who came here as children, donald trump has revoked their status and they are in legal limbo. this is where they could work together. it‘s very difficult, but nancy pelosi is the great survivor,

she‘s 78 years old, and loathed by republicans across the country. really, it didn‘t work in the wealthy suburbs where republicans really have had a bashing last night. thank you so much for your analysis. i know we‘ll hear much more from you. we‘ll now focus away briefly from washington, dc. many hopes were pinned on the state of florida. it‘s always a bellwether state. the democrats made gains in the house, but last races for the senate. and a high—profile race for governor of florida, a young rising democrats start, andrew gillum tasted defeat in florida after a close race. he would have been the state‘s first black governor. we have this report now from florida. it wasn‘t a good night for the democrats here in the crucial state of florida, for a start they lost

control of the one senate seat they held, it has been held by bill nelson for three consecutive terms, but tonight rick scott, the former governor of the state won the seat. that helped boost republican fortunes in the senate, as they hang onto control. also, the republicans held on to the governor seat here. the democrats were hoping that their candidate, andrew gillum would become the first black governor for the state of florida. in both of those races it wasn‘t necessarily a ringing endorsement for the republican party. both of the races were won by republicans by a very, very close margin ofjust under 1%. itjust gives you an idea of how close florida is. it always is in national elections. there were some good moments for the democratic party, they picked up two congressional seats, in somewhat surprise, some would say.

that‘s helped them to pick up control of the house of representatives in washington, dc. in many ways though, florida reflects the changing america. what we‘ve seen here in these tight races is just how polarised the state, and america, indeed it is. that is the situation in florida. let‘s consider the national picture. i‘m joined by the republican strategistjulianne i‘m joined by the republican strategist julianne thompson who i‘m joined by the republican strategistjulianne thompson who is in atla nta strategistjulianne thompson who is in atlanta for us. this is a very complex picture. there are different currents running through american politics right now. i guess all one can really say is this country is deeply divided and polarised. as a republican do you find reasons to be cheerful now? absolutely. we had a tremendous

night with picking up senate seats, we had between two and four in the salad which is extremely important for the agenda, especially when it comes to nominating supreme court justices. it looks like he will have another one within the next two yea rs. another one within the next two years. that is extremely important, because that‘s been the crown jewel of his presidency so far. those conservative justices. with regard to this it‘s been a very good night. with regard to the house we expected to lose the house so it‘s not a big surprise. it could have been lost in a much larger way than it was. typically, in a midterm, just like the first 0bama term, it‘s tradition in the usa, if you will, that the president in power in the white house loses the house in the first midterm. it‘s not a big surprise.

you may say it‘s not a big surprise but there are serious problems for your party there, aren‘t they? number one the gender gap, you lost the women‘s wrote big—time. you also lost some key districts across the nation from virginia in the east to california in the west, where it seems that women were completely turned off by donald trump, his message, particularly on immigration doesn‘t seem to have resonated well in the suburbs and amongst women. how do you think mr trump will respond? he‘s talked about softening his tone, do you think you should? there‘s no doubt and i‘ve said for a long time that we have the right message but not always the right messenger. it‘s absolutely necessary that we reach out to women and understand issues that are important to them. issues important to women are important to the vast majority

of the american electorate, that is jobs, the economy, public safety, creating a better environment for our children. it‘s not about the message, it‘s about the messenger. we have a lot of strong republican women who could be out there talking about these things. i do think we need to do a betterjob of that. as i‘ve said before, losing the house wasn‘t a big surprise. i actually think that the president, in the end, if nancy pelosi becomes speaker, which it looks like she will, that candidates that did the best were the ones who campaigned away from nancy pelosi and promised they would not vote for her as speaker. she may actually be voted in as speaker. and she does, have no doubt about the fact she will do everything she can to work against the president of the usa. they will try to work towards impeachment and

block everything that he possibly does which will give donald trump a catapult and 2020 21 on a ticket against nancy pelosi. the fact that they‘ve concentrated on attacking they‘ve concentrated on attacking the president and not doing the job of helping out the american people. we have to leave it there, there is so much to get through. america is waking up to the reality they divided congress. the republicans expanded their majority in the us senate but the democrats take their house. kellyanne conway, adviser and spokesperson for the president spoke to reporters, she said mr trump was in a buoyant mood — but she was asked whether he now feared being the start of impeachment proceedinga against mrtrump. we‘re not really talking about it. he said yesterday that they will do what they want to do and he will do what he needs to do. i don‘t know that there will be much of an appetite across this country and among constituents for members to be spending all of the time or even a fraction of their time

investigating, instigating and trying to impeach and subpoena people. that‘s a decision they‘ll need to make, but you have to really give the voters what they want. and as far as i can tell, there aren‘t many voters who have said, "i‘m going to give you an affirmative vote today because you‘ve promised to investigate everybody or impeach the president". there seems to be no appetite for that. i‘ve hardly heard the words "russian collusion" all night. and i think there is something to that. people are talking about the economy, health care and immigration. they certainly are talking about world... or i should say, national security around the world. the first reaction there from the white house as results were still coming in. chris buckler in washingtonjoins us now. this is a complicated result. we know that donald trump is going to

speak a little bit later on, do you believe we can take this notion seriously, that the white house is regarding what has happened as a tremendous success? if you take a look at the very latest thing that donald trump has treated, he said those that worked with me on this incredible election, embracing policies and principles did well, those that did not, say goodbye. that‘s donald trump saying he believes he has been a great success , believes he has been a great success, he led the republicans to victory, and those who didn‘t follow him and tried to distance themselves from him ultimately paid the price by losing their seats. it‘s donald trump attempting to spin this as a victory for the current white house, for the current administration. very much saying those who want not part of that in the circle and hamed attempted to follow him have paid the price for that. that's very

interesting. in a sense there are two different forms of politics here, donald trump went to those key senate races and he ramped up his very aggressive message on immigration, and that seems to have worked, to a certain extent. but at the same time his message didn‘t resonate in the suburbs and is congressional districts where republicans have lost seats. do you think the republican party is going to ta ke think the republican party is going to take away exactly the message you‘ve given me from donald trump, the party of trump might be split somewhat in interpreting these results ? somewhat in interpreting these results? i think we've got a really interesting question for the republican party over the next two yea rs republican party over the next two years as they work out how to fight 2020 presidential election. there is also this serious question about how the party operates in congress. they do need to reach out to the democrats, that kind of language that we get from president trump suggesting that it‘s his way, or the

highway, very much, he is the one deciding what policies should be. it should be of a very specific and i suppose, some would say, uncompromising sort. that‘s the kind of question about whether or not going forward, republicans believe in donald trump, or they do believe in the bipartisan approach. they do have republicans and democrats working together. at this stage trump is going to give us a real sense in the hours ahead when he gives his news conference on what he believes the way for days. from his point of view, i think it‘s fair to say they will be plenty of biting of heads in the new congress, and he‘s not going to be someone who puts up with the democrats looking into his affairs, or trying to scupper what he believes is the right way forward. thank you very much indeed. we‘ve been getting reaction from all over the usa, of course, as the

shape of this midterm election result becomes clear. we are going to bring you reaction now from one of the key players on the left of american politics, bernie sanders, who, of course, challenged for the democratic nomination against hillary clinton. he is hugely influential on the left of politics in the usa. here was his reaction to what has been happening over the last few hours. we have a president of the united states who is a pathological liar. instead of bringing the american people together, he is trying to divide us up, based on the colour of ourskin, divide us up, based on the colour of our skin, based on where we come from, based on our religion, our gender, based on sexual identity. 0urjob is to tell this president,

that we will not tolerate policies which are racist, and sexist, and homophobic. that was passion from bernie sanders, it‘s become quite familiar to worse in recent months and years. the reactions are still coming in. i can now turn to a respected political analyst here in washington. with me is eric ham, a political analyst and author. eric, you are taking in this result, it‘s very complicated, the democrats control the house, the republicans have expanded their majority in the side. how do you read what happens next? right now we are seeing a divided government. now the question becomes can the democrats and republicans work together. one thing we know about president trump is that he is transactional. he has

reached across the aisle and worked with the democrats, and i do believe that there are a number of deals to be made on immigration and health care, ido be made on immigration and health care, i do think that nancy pelosi was honest in saying that she would be willing to work across the aisle. we are going to be watching, and voters, basically sends democrats to washington to work on this issue of health care. that‘s going to be one of the key issues we see them try to tackle, this issue of health care for pre—existing conditions. tackle, this issue of health care for pre-existing conditions. it's interesting that you have an optimistic spin. he was suggesting that there is ground for cooperation. we‘ve had donald trump tweeting out his delight with what he sees as a vindication for his campaign... he is campaigning was extraordinarily partisan, he wasn‘t interested in reaching out to democrats. we saw last night the

calcifying of two americas, the democrats took over the suburban areas, but it‘s also true that donald trump‘s rural america came through, particularly in the red states. that‘s what we saw last night. now the question becomes can both parties actually deliver on what they promised. here's an interesting thought for the democrats, they have to decide how to interpret these results, do they go to the progressive left, or do they try to find the centrist, centre ground ? they try to find the centrist, centre ground? what do you think the message is for them? that's the battle for democrats seeking to become a presidential nominee. we could see a major internal battle taking place. some of their biggest stars on the progressive left, be it andrew gillum, or beto 0‘rourke, they did well, but they didn‘t win. now what you need to do is get those

all—important independence. now what you need to do is get those all-important independence. that's going to be the place where the democrats are going to be able to ta ke democrats are going to be able to take the battle, to see if they can actually bring some of those independent candidates to their side. in a word or two what are the chances of two years of gridlock in us politics, going forward? very likely. just two words! not a happy thought to end on, but thank you very much indeed. to sum up where we are right now, the democrats can claim a victory, they have taken control of the house of representatives, but at the same time they have to acknowledge that in terms of the senate, they suffered a serious reverse. donald trump is hailing this as an success because of his intervention, and the fa ct because of his intervention, and the fact that the republicans held onto their majority. right now in washington, the feeling is that rather than healing the polarisation

and worms here, this election has simply deepen the divide, and exacerbated that polarisation. keep watching coverage here on world news. the first polls have closed here, in the us mid—term elections with control of both the senate and house of representatives big prize. it is going to be a squeaker of a night. god bless texas! this will mean that we have a good night for the republicans in the senate, a good night for the democrats in the house of representatives. thanks to you, tomorrow will be a

new day in america. good afternoon, many of us are seeing some rain at some point in the day today. fairly breezy as well. temperatures are a little above average for the time of year, but not feeling particularly warm. weather watchers have been sending in pictures for us. a lot of cloud and some rain, brighter spells. this photo was sent in earlier from a weather watcher in norfolk. the weather watcher in norfolk. the weather chart is a bit of a mess with low pressure and these weather fronts working their way east. a breezy day. more persistent spells of rainfora breezy day. more persistent spells of rain for a time pushing into western parts of scotland. they finally clear with showers across england and wales. heavy and blustery through the afternoon, easing as we move through tonight.

their romance of clear skies tonight mean it will be chillier than we‘ve seen of late. these are the temperatures in towns and cities. some of us could wake up to a touch of frost. in the early hours, more cloud pushing in, heavy showers. we see a more persistent spell of quite heavy rain pushing into the south west of england and parts of wales later in the day. a breezy day across the board. windy in the south and west. temperatures between ten and west. temperatures between ten and 14 celsius. as we move into friday, all eyes to the west, another area of low pressure brings stormy conditions for western parts of the uk. some she was as we move through the morning, actually working their way east. we can see that wet, windy weather working into the west. heavy and persistent rain, and severe gales at times. the best of any and severe gales at times. the best ofany dry and severe gales at times. the best of any dry and bright weather in the

east. temperatures fairly similar, ten to 14 celsius. into saturday that rain pushes its way fairly quickly east, so for saturday we will have seen that wrinkly and another breezy day. some she was around for western areas and southern areas. the best of the dry and bright weather in the east. saturday sees temperatures looking fairly similar. highs of around 14 celsius. hello this is bbc newsroom live. the headlines: in a blow to president trump, democrats capture the house of representatives for the first time in eight years. but republicans gain ground in the senate, taking a number of seats from the democrats and increasing their majority. marks and spencer has reported a fall in sales and warned of further challenges on the high street in the months ahead. french officials say they will inspect all marseille buildings considered "unsuitable" for habitation, after two buildings collapsed in the french city.

the environment secretary, michael gove, has called for the cabinet to be given full legal advice on the irish backstop. madrid‘s atocha train station was evacuated by police followed by a security alert at barcelona‘s main station when a possible explosive device was found in a suitcase. let‘s recap what has happened overnight in the us midterm elections. both main parties are claiming victory in the ballots, which are widely seen as a referendum on donald trump‘s presidency. the democratic party has taken control of the house of representatives, the lower chamber of congress, for the first time in eight years. some results are still being counted but this is the current make up of the chamber. blue for the democrats, red for the republicans. the democrats will now have more power to block president trump‘s legislative agenda. nancy pelosi is the house democratic leader. today is more than about

democrats and republicans. it is about restoring the constitution‘s checks and balances to the trump administration. but in the senate, the upper house of congress, the republicans have retained their control and extended their majority, ensuring that president trump will be able to confirm his executive and judicial appointments. this is the current make up of the senate. some results are still to come there as well. the key gains for the republicans came in florida, missouri, indiana and north dakota. the former republican presidential candidate ted cruz narrowly held his seat in texas. this election was a battle of ideas. it was a contest for who we are and what we believe. and president trump was quick to celebrate his party‘s gains, calling the night a ‘tremendous success‘. the government is facing calls

to reveal legal advice on how a post—brexit plan for northern ireland‘s border could work. environment secretary michael gove wants cabinet ministers to see the full details of the so—called "backstop" that would prevent a hard border. northern ireland‘s dup, which supports the government in key votes, wants it released in full. the border is proving the main sticking point in reaching a brexit deal. 0ur chief political correspondent vicki young joins us now from westminster. how much pressure is there on the government for this advice to be published? i think it could end up being quite difficult for theresa may because there are clearly some in her own cabinet, including michael gove and the dup and labour now suggesting they would back a call for this legal advice to be made public. people want to see what they are signing up for,

particularly in the case of the dup. they want to know how northern ireland is going to be treated. even though the plan is for the uk to leave together and this so—called backstop position to prevent a hard border coming into force if there is no trading arrangement that deals with that issue, then they want to make sure they are not being treated differently. will they have to follow different rules rather than mirroring them? follow different rules rather than mirroring them ? that follow different rules rather than mirroring them? that is a major problem. labour will be trying to find a way in parliamentary terms to force a vote on all this. this is what the dup had to say today. we wa nt what the dup had to say today. we want the prime minister to get the best outcome for the uk, we want her to get a good deal and that includes northern ireland. and that we leave together as one country. that is why we want to see the legal advice, not because we doubt the prime minister, but because we need to understand when it comes to a meaningful vote

in the house of commons the basis on which we are taking our decision. related issue is about how the uk might be able to get out of this customs arrangement. there is concern among some in cabinet and brexiteer backbenchers that the uk could just end up staying in and then there is no incentive for the eu to get this trade deal sorted out. there are discussions about all of that as well with the cabinet wanting the attorney general to look at the detail of whether there is some kind of mechanism, arbitration committee, something that can show that the uk can leave that arrangement rather than being stuck in it, having no say in eu rules but having to follow those rules. would it have to be unilateral? i think thatis it have to be unilateral? i think that is unlikely. brexiteers i have spoken to don‘t think it has to be that. it could be some mutual committee. but it is incredibly complicated and cabinet is very keen to know exactly what the legal basis

is for anything they will have to sign up to. what is known about exactly what is being looked at in that legal advice? i think the attorney general is the person at the forefront of all of this but in times gone by governments have been very reluctant to publish their legal advice and part of that is because these things are not always clear—cut. lawyers argue over things in court endlessly so it is not the case that the government lawyers will give a ruling and it is very clear what it means, they quite often is a political decision attached to that. we all know from before, the iraq war probably the most contentious issue of all. the legal advice wasn‘t published at the time, a summary was given which suggested the most senior government lawyers thought it was legal. when the full version came out it seemed

a bit more ambiguous. that is why this is not often done. it is not clear—cut and they don‘t want to set the president of —— set a precedent of putting it out there. thank you very much. joining us now is anna soubry, conservative mp for broxtowe. do you think this should be published? no, there is a convention that we don't publish legal advice. i understand it is normally disclosed to the cabinet and i think thatis disclosed to the cabinet and i think that is right but what we really needis that is right but what we really need is for politicians to do the right thing now and actually lead on this, the biggest decision our country has made since the second world war and face up to the realities of brexit. the reality is, it can't be done, it can't be delivered, and it is time we faced up delivered, and it is time we faced up to that with honesty and put it back to the british people and realise the best deal is the one we

have at the moment. going back to the advice, you say it is the convention not to publish, but when we think back to the iraq war, the summary that turned out to be misleading, what are the arguments against transparency? isn‘t transparency the best way?m against transparency? isn‘t transparency the best way? it can be, but if you are a lawyer giving advice to your client, you don't expect that to be disclosed to a wider audience. that is one of the important principles. the other important principles. the other important principles. the other important principle is that you do wa nt important principle is that you do want somebody to be able to give advice without a scrutiny that might actually make you more cautious in giving a frank advice. that is why as government you ask for legal advice on the basis that the person who provides it will do so in a robust, open way, where they aren't going to be frightened or in any way

being put off from being robust because it might get to a wider audience and picked over in a way that then detracts from the force of that then detracts from the force of that advice. might it not help to give greater clarity on what will happen going forward on something thatis happen going forward on something that is a fundamental issue of getting a deal? we are not going to getting a deal? we are not going to get a deal, let's be clear about that. this is the withdrawal agreement, even though we were promised a deal before we left the european union. we are not going to get a deal. if we get one at all, it will be many years after we leave the european union. this is about politicians being open and honest with the british people and a member of parliament, a leader of a party, ourcabinet, our prime of parliament, a leader of a party, our cabinet, our prime minister, is more than capable of understanding that legal advice and leading the people based on that advice and explaining things to them in an open

and honest and transparent way. that is what we now need to have. open honesty from our politicians, especially from government, about the realities of brexit, and the truth is it is impossible to deliver on what the british people voted for. but isn't that what the prime minister is doing. she is taking soundings behind—the—scenes, taking advice from lawyers, negotiating on the basis of the referendum result and she says she is trying to get the best deal. right now it is about the best deal. right now it is about the importance of getting the best deal. i have no doubt for one moment that the prime minister is working extremely hard to deliver on the result of the referendum. the difficulty is, as the reality of brexit is now revealed, all these complexities, all these difficulties... this is the first government in the history of our country which is embarking on a course which on their own assessments will actually reduce the

future prosperity of our country. that has never happened before. in barking on a course which by your own admission is going to be worse for our country. and so we need this honesty of approach. what i am finding among leave voters in my constituency is a real sense now that this is not the message they voted for and they are worried. this is not what they were promised by brexit, they were made false promises and they are worried and they want to have the opportunity, many of them, to revisit that question. things have changed since 2016. people are entitled, as they know far more about what the brexit reality is, they are entitled to have a rethink and that people's vote. the real danger, i believe, is that we now have the leadership of both political parties, if we are not careful, are basically conspiring together to prevent the

british people from revisiting the decision that they made in all good faith in 2016. that cannot be right. thank you. neighbours have spoken of their concern and shock after a 98—year—old man has been attacked and robbed at his home in north london. peter gouldstone was found with bruising and a head injury at the property in the bounds green area on tuesday morning. the met police described it as a "brutal and senseless" attack involving "completely excessive" violence. no arrests have been made. 21 people, including children as young as 12—years—old, have been found inside a refrigerated lorry entering the uk. the group, thought to be from vietnam, were concealed among a load of sparkling water. they were discovered at the port of newhaven in sussex on thursday. details of the border force operation are just emerging, but a criminal investigation is under way. a romanian man has been charged with assisting unlawful entry into the uk. french officials say they will inspect all marseille buildings considered "unsuitable" for habitation, after two buildings collapsed in the french city.

a sixth body was recovered from the rubble this morning. up to eight people are feared dead, after the buildings crumbled suddenly on monday morning. madrid‘s atocha train station has been evacuated by police. authorities gave no reason for the evacuation but it followed a security alert at barcelona‘s main station when a possible explosive device was found in a suitcase. there have been 119 violent deaths in london so far this year, more than the whole of last year. in a special programme on knife crime, victoria derbyshire brought together the met police and people affected to talk about what‘s behind the surge in violent crime and how it can be tackled. 21—year—old rico finlayson spent six weeks in hospital after he was repeatedly stabbed by a gang in london last year.

i was stabbed ten times, all over my arms and legs. i had to go into hospital. you are comfortable in showing our audience your scars, because i ask you earlier. would that be ok? that is perfectly fine. around my wrist. hold that up to the camera so that we can see that. and i have got one more also. cani can i ask about the ones on your chest? are you comfortable with that? this is where my cooperation happened. i have also got some around here. are you able to describe or put into words what it feels like when you are stabbed ten times? at that moment, i had a lot

of adrenaline, to be honest, but i remember the knives piercing through my remember the knives piercing through d remember the knives piercing through my body and it was shocking, to be honest, because once i was stabbed, ididn‘t honest, because once i was stabbed, i didn‘t have any strength to move, i collapsed to the floor, i had to protect my face because they were trying to get my face for some reason. when you are providing over 119 deaths in yourjurisdiction and you are telling me it is perfectly safe for children to travel. r u seerius? i don't know one family memberwho seerius? i don't know one family member who feels it is safe for children to channel —— travel. i wa nt children to channel —— travel. i want to be in your world. i don't see it. sorry. there are far too many deaths in london it is important to say, those 119 deaths are not all young people, they have not all taken are not all young people, they have not all ta ken place are not all young people, they have not all taken place on the street. we need to be really clear about that. and i am not saying that

everyone is or isn't, so clearly there are too many violent crimes happening, but in our city and the scale of our city, i don't equally think it is every single person is unsafe all the time. they feel unsafe. i understand that entirely. they don‘t feel safe on the streets and we are hearing parents don‘t feel like their children are safe on the streets. one of our youth leaders the other day when to pick up leaders the other day when to pick upa young leaders the other day when to pick up a young person to take him for the day and the mother came out and said, don‘t forget your knife. the day and the mother came out and said, don't forget your knife. to the child? how old was the child? about 13 years old. what is going on? that is unbelievable. the pa rents on? that is unbelievable. the parents don‘t feel they are safe, the young people don‘t feel safe. parents don‘t feel they are safe, the young people don't feel safe.” have had a six—year—old threatened me with a knife so the situation is getting worse. and they are getting

younger. i think you need early intervention in primary schools. year one, yea two, talk about safety on the streets, the risk and rewards of factors, because children don't understand the consequence of what holding a knife does. the problem now is that gangsters are waiting outside primary schools and picking off the most vulnerable parents and targeting them. we need to meet sure that we get in early to prevent this from ever happening. pa rt from ever happening. part of the debate on knife crime this morning. passengers at heathrow airport have experienced flight disruption because of a problem with runway lights. international flights were grounded overnight because some planes were unable to land in the dark. an airport spokesperson said the issue had been resolved but warned passengers to contact their airline before travelling. there‘s been a 20% increase in the number of times members of the public have stepped in to prevent people

taking their own lives around the railways. a campaign by the samaritans, in conjunction with network rail and the british transport police, is encouraging commuters to strike up conversations with people who seem vulnerable and are near railway tracks. the charity says small talk could be enough to interrupt someone‘s negative thoughts and encourage them to get help. public confidence in the police has been "severely dented" as forces become increasingly stretched, according to a group of mps. the commons public accounts committee says it‘s taking longer to charge suspects and neighbourhood policing is being stripped back. the home office says more money is going into policing than three years ago, but the committee‘s chair meg hillier says that the thin blue line is "wearing thinner" with "potentially dire" consequences for public safety. the headlines on bbc news. in a blow to president trump, democrats capture the house of representatives for the first time in eight years. but republicans gain ground in the senate with a number of democrats losing their seats. and president trump was quick to celebrate his party‘s gains, calling the night a ‘tremendous success‘. i started off by asking

her about persimmon, where it was announced today that the boss jeff fairburn is to leave after a row over his 75 million pound pay award. here‘s what she had to say. persimmon has said in a statement that this issue is continuing to have a negative impact on the company and on the firm‘s reputation and so it has really affected his ability to continue in his role. it seems to have come to a head over an interview when he walked away from a bbc reporter when he asked about what had happened. persimmon did well this year, did well la st persimmon did well this year, did well last year, that is reflected in your bonus. do you have any regrets

about the fraud rate surrounding it? ithink... -- about the fraud rate surrounding it? i think... -- flore about the fraud rate surrounding it? ithink... -- flore surrounding it. ithink... -- flore surrounding it. it follows on from how well be persimmon are doing.” it follows on from how well be persimmon are doing. i would rather not talk about that. it has been well documented. so you don't want to discuss that today? have you learned any lessons from that? it was the biggest bonus in the uk. no? fine. i think that is really unfortunate you've done that. there he was speaking or not speaking to the bbc. but it is important to stress that the company who awarded him this bonus are now saying that he has to leave because of the outcry over that very bonus. what happens with the money? he keeps it because it is a bonus, £75

million worth of shares, and it is known as a long—term incentive award, so the company says it can‘t claw it back, but he will not receive any further pay, he was paid around £650,000 a year. it is a long—term incentive but he‘s not going to be there for the long term. the company‘s chairman has pointed out today in a call to analysts that the company‘s stock market value since 2013 whenjeff fairburn was the boss has doubled to £7.5 billion. also the amount of money given back to shareholders was £2.2 billion. that is a huge amount and his bonus was linked to that. the amount given back to shareholders. has he had anything to say about it? he said he was going to give a fair portion to charity but today he said that he hopes his plans for a

charitable trust will enable the company to put the issue behind it but that has not been the case so it is in everyone‘s best‘s interest that he steps down. marks & spencer is, disappointing figures. particularly food, because food sales down by around 3%. but also clothing and home sale, those are down as well by around 1.1%. very disappointing for the chief executive, steve rose, who has been trying to turn the big ship around. he was speaking to the bbc earlier and told us exactly what his plans were for food. we are turning every stone in the business over to make sure that we build a business fit for the future and that means there is an awful lot of work going on across every area. our of work going on across every area. 0urteam is of work going on across every area. our team is focused clearly on making a difference and it means we've got to get through this next stage before we see an improvement in those numbers. with food, we are improving value for our customers,

protecting the magic of m85 food, we believe it is the best on the high street, but we want to bring prices down and take away difficult and confusing promotions. and profits are up. yes, and you think how was that possible when sales are down, because they are slashing through the business, cutting capital investment, cutting back its marketing spend, so expect less glitzy, expensive promotions this christmas, for example, but its share prices are down because investors are saying, you can‘t continue to cut costs. ultimately, there won‘t be anything left to cut, you have to invest for the long—term future of the business. it is not clear what is going to happen there but at the moment it is slash and burn. but as far as store closures are concerned, there would be any more the moment other than that 100 announced in may. but steve rose says he can‘t make any promises because of this push towards online.

a fifth of sales come from online so thatis a fifth of sales come from online so that is the place where they need to improve. this sunday, 10,000 members of the public will process past the cenotaph in central london, to pay tribute to those that served during the first world war. our correspondent robert hall, is in neuve—chapelle on the french border with belgium, to find out about the role played by soldiers from india, thousands of whom lost their lives in the fighting. mohammed khan is one of my great—grandfather‘s and also the captain as well. nottingham gp irfan malik, is on a mission. he spent four years tracing his family history back to a village that was once part of british india. a village that sent over 400 of its fathers and sons to fight for the empire. born and bred in nottingham, i didn‘t really understand or have this information and i thought world war i and world war ii was mainly a white war, i didn‘t really understand the massive contribution from commonwealth troops from africa, west indies and undivided india. that is the reason i wanted to give this information and educate more people, especially youngsters, about our very strong shared history.

the memorial at neuve—chapelle, close where indian troops fought their first action in 1915, carries the names of nearly 5000 with no known grave. well over a million soldiers from south asia served in british forces, over 74,000 of them were killed in europe, africa and the middle east. but stories of that contribution and that heroism have not been widely told over the decades. he was actually on a ship from south africa heading back to india... mahatma gandhi had supported the war and indian independence, when the guns fell silent, india‘s struggle for self—rule overshadowed the bravery and self—sacrifice shown by so many. over time i think we have had an element of selective amnesia on both sides, as india fought for its own independence. but now as two mature democracies, actually we are rediscovering those

contributions and the khadi poppy is a symbol of that. these are the khadi poppies, made of cotton, similar to the clothing which ghandi wove and wore. it really symbolises india's self reliance. i think we need to move rememberance into the second century and this is one of the powerful ways we can engauge the next generation. back in nottingham, dr malik believes remembrance can, and should, bridge the divides in today‘s communities. when i was younger i used to walk past remembrance functions and events and i didn‘t really feel a part of it, but now i realise we should be there and in the last four years i have gone out and laid wreaths myself because of the strong, shared history that we have.

we are part of remembrance and we need to be out there as well. in a moment, it‘s time for the one o‘clock news with ben brown, but first it‘s time for a look at the weather. hello. many of us seeing some wet weather through the day today. fairly rosy as well. the temperatures although not particularly warm are touch above average for this time of year. this double rainbow sent in earlier from wolverhampton. they have been some bright intervals at times. if we look at the pressure chart, low pressure towards the west and these weather fronts gradually pushing north through the day. there will be somewhat persistent rain for northern ireland and western parts of scotland. you can see the show was working their way in from the south—west. tonight, the showers

will ease, as will the rain. there will ease, as will the rain. there will be simply spells and under the clear skies it is going to be a chilly night than of late. these are the temperatures in towns and cities. we could wake up to a touch of frost in northern ireland and scotla nd of frost in northern ireland and scotland tomorrow morning. we have already seen more showers pushing into western areas. they will work their way north and east and then their way north and east and then the next area of rain starts to work its way into western parts. heavy rain and quite gusty winds. but over in the south—east, largely dry and bright. as we move into friday, it is all eyes to the west again and this next area of low pressure brings some stormy conditions to the west as we move into friday. it will be another breezy day. the best of any dried and bright weather in the east. we will see that heavy, persistent rain pushing into northern ireland and western parts

of the uk. some strong winds with that as well. some gales or severe gales at times. a maximum temperature of 14 celsius in the south—east. that rain does push across a fairly quickly overnight as we move into saturday and then saturday will bring a fairly u nsettled saturday will bring a fairly unsettled day. it will be breezy again with some showers. the showers generally the further south you are. and the temperatures on saturday fairly similarto and the temperatures on saturday fairly similar to what we are looking up through much of the rest of the week. highs of around 14 celsius in the south, around ten or 11 further north. a setback for donald trump as his republicans lose control of the house of representatives in america‘s midterm elections. but there‘s also good news for the president as the republicans strengthen their hold on the senate. this was an election about hope and about the future, and the people of texas rendered a verdict that we want a future with morejobs and more security and more freedom.

cheering the democrats celebrate regaining control of the house and the election of the first female muslim to congress. we must do the work to create the america we believe in, the america we deserve. we are who we've been waiting for.