Evening Briefing Wednesday 4th November

0:00Hey, we're Nick and Jack, hosts of The Best One Yet. Behind every episode, there's research, which email spreadsheets and our shared Google doc, the headline hammer. With Google workspace with Gemini, Google's AI is built right into the premium versions of tools we already use like Gmail docs and sheets. No new tools or extra logins, just personalized AI for the way we work. That means less time on the work around the work and more time finding the stories worth talking about. Get AI tools for work. Upgrade to Google workspace with Gemini at go. GLE slash workspace with Gemini. That's go. GLE slash workspace with Gemini.

0:34Hello, this is your Times Radio Evening Briefing for Wednesday, the 4th of November, with me, James Kitchen. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance says Republicans suffered sweeping losses in the midterm elections because of the Iran war. The Democrats have taken control of both houses of Congress, meaning they have the power to vote down the president's agenda and launch investigations. The White House has posted a reminder on social media that Donald Trump is still the country's leader. But the former governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, told Times Radio this marks the end of the Trump era. He will have two more years as a lame duck president with overwhelming majorities of Democrats in the House and Senate and the largest number of Democratic governors in recent memory.

1:23And he'll have to deal with that and he's responsible for it. And so our party will now be looking to the future and what we're going to do about 2028. those elections for House and Senate and obviously for President. Meanwhile, Andy Burnham says the results of the midterms present a chance to end the conflict in the Middle East and its economic consequences. Speaking in the Caribbean, the Prime Minister insisted he's doing what he can to tackle the cost of living. President Trump has accepted the results and I feel the world has an opportunity now to unite around the issue that is affecting us all and that's the cost of living.

2:00That has been the issue that I have put front and centre in my first three months in Downing Street and we've made moves. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will speak at the European Parliament next week to promote awareness of the harms posed to children by social media. Harry and Meghan are travelling to Brussels to give a joint keynote address at the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial. It's expected to be the pair's first public appearance since Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, was reported to police over a haul of alleged child sexual abuse images. The Culture Secretary has decided to intervene in Sky's£1.6 billion deal to buy ITV's media and entertainment division.

2:41Lisa Nandy says she's asked both the CMA and Ofcom to report back by the end of January. The Times' deputy business editor, Graham Ruddock, says he's not surprised. We may get some concessions as a result of that. The whole deal may get blocked as a result of that. But I should say that markets have taken that news largely in their stride. The ITB share price is actually up today on the news. So we wait to see what happens. But it was kind of expected that this would be referred to the government. A British healthcare worker in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for Ebola. Reuters news agency reports the patient will be flown back to Britain by medical evacuation.

3:19They're said to be in a stable condition and will touch down in the UK before being transferred to a specialist ambulance to an infectious disease unit. The Foreign Office says the risk to the public is still low. Number 10 says any ban on ketchup sachets in Britain would be a decision taken by ministers rather than a consequence of closer ties with the EU. Downing Street's insisted proposals to outlaw single-serving packets of condiments were not part of Andy Burnham's planned reset with Brussels. Remember, you can follow The Times Radio News Briefing on Spotify, and you can listen live to Times Radio Online.

4:03Hey, we're Nick and Jack, hosts of The Best One Yet. Behind every episode, there's research, email, spreadsheets, and our shared Google Doc, the headline hammer. With Google Workspace with Gemini, Google's AI is built right into the premium versions of tools we already use, like Gmail, Docs, and Sheets. No new tools or extra logins, just personalized AI for the way we work. That means less time on the work around the work and more time finding the stories worth talking about. Get AI tools for work. Upgrade to Google Workspace with Gemini at goo.gle slash workspace with Gemini. That's goo.gle slash workspace with Gemini.

4:39Russell Brand is currently standing trial on charges of rape and other sexual offences. He has pleaded not guilty to them. Reporters from The Times and The Sunday Times will be in the courtroom every single day to watch what happens. Then they'll join me, Luke Jones, in the podcast studio to unpack everything they have heard. Search for The Trial of Russell Brand wherever you get your podcasts.