BBC News Briefing

14 November, 2024

Sofia Lotto Persio

Hello. With the Republican Party projected to retain control of the US House of Representatives, President-elect Donald Trump enjoys a so-called governing trifecta. Gary O'Donoghue explains what that means, and why Trump may still struggle to get his way. In Spain's Valencia region, Nick Beake speaks to survivors of the devastating floods who are trying to rebuild following the disaster. We're also reporting on the lack of menopause support in India and, finally, a "forbidden" song South Korean students are trying desperately to avoid during exam season.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Trump wins Republican trifecta

Republicans have officially taken control of Congress. Credit: Getty Images

Donald Trump is due to return to the White House with his party in control of Congress. In Washington political parlance, it's called "a governing trifecta". Both Trump and Joe Biden have enjoyed that position for their first two years in the White House. Having such control is no guarantee that presidents can get their way, as Trump himself experienced last time he was in power. However, the judicial landscape has since changed in Trump's favour. That, combined with an astutely managed trifecta, opens the way for the possibility of major legislative initiatives, writes senior North America correspondent Gary O'Donoghue.

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New appointments: The nomination of firebrand Congressman Matt Gaetz to be Trump's attorney general has sent shockwaves through Washington DC, writes North American correspondent Anthony Zurcher.

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Pete Hegseth: Trump's pick of the Fox television host and former veteran as defense secretary is seen as an unconventional choice, Phil McCausland and Madeline Halpert report.

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Vetting process: Each person chosen for a key spot in Trump's cabinet or administration must go through further checks. Christal Hayes explains how it all works.

WORLD HEADLINES

Bombing attempt: A man who tried to attack Brazil's Supreme Court in the capital Brasilia is believed to have been killed by his own explosives. Nobody else was hurt in the incident, officials said.

Marine Le Pen: The Paris prosecutor has asked for a prison sentence of five years and a five-year ban from political office for the far-right leader in an illegal party funding case.

Weapons in Sudan: French military technology is being used in the north-eastern African country's civil war in violation of a UN arms embargo, rights organisation Amnesty International has said.

Honorary knighthood: In a letter to Buckingham Palace, three Bahraini activists now living in exile have called on King Charles to rescind the honour awarded to King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain.

Largest coral ever: Scientists in the southwest Pacific Ocean have found a mega coral - a collection of many connected, tiny creatures that together form one organism rather than a reef - that could be more than 300 years old and is bigger than a blue whale.

AT THE SCENE

Valencia, Spain

Fragments of hope in time of disaster

Volunteers and emergency services are working to clean the streets in Paiporta, in Spain, two weeks after the region was hit by deadly floods

Volunteers and emergency services are working to clean the streets, two weeks after the deadly floods. Credit: BBC

Extreme weather returned to the Valencia region on Wednesday night, but this time the areas previously hit by deadly floods were ready and escaped further disaster. Rebuilding will take time, and in that time stories of remarkable courage are giving locals a cause for celebration. One example is what happened at the Whitby English language school.

Nick Beake, Europe correspondent

As the whole road became engulfed in water, the college’s co-director, Daniel Burguet, repeatedly pounded against a door with a chair leg that he’d just picked up. Filmed from a 3rd floor balcony across the street, Daniel is seen smashing constantly against the glass. He is trapped with his 11-year-old daughter, Noa, and three younger children inside the school, unable to reach a higher floor. Eventually, Daniel breaks down the door of the next building along and, one by one, he pulls the children to safety. “When I got through that door, I felt so relieved. Finally, we were safe,” Daniel tells me as he carries on repairs to the school.

Watch the video

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

The menopause taboo in India

TV host Mini Mathur pictured in a shoulderless black dress and a black and white

TV host Mini Mathur says it was difficult to find a doctor in India who would take her symptoms seriously. Credit: Getty Images

Indian women on average hit menopause a few years earlier than their counterparts in the West, studies show. Yet there are few resources to help them deal with it. In a country where conversation on menstruation still comes with stigma and taboo, menopause awareness is lagging, Meryl Sebastian and Anagha Pathak report.

Read now

Several small plates of Turkish grilled dishes.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Turkish delights

Istanbul-born chef Fatih Tutak shares his hometown's culinary gems.

See the list

And finally...

A brief yearly silence has once again enveloped South Korea. Planes have been grounded, construction work halted, and car honking discouraged as the Suneung, an eight-hour university placement exam billed as one of the toughest in the world, kicks off. But this year, there's one sound that students are especially scared of - a "forbidden" pop song so catchy some students fear it could cause them to lose focus during the test.

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– Sofia

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