Image source, Getty Images

Rod Dreher, a conservative journalist and friend of JD Vance, says he believes the vice-president's chances of winning the presidency in 2028 are not over, but "dimming quickly".

While Vance has publicly taken a stance against the war in Iran, Dreher says if it doesn't end as soon as possible, "it's only going to be worse and worse for the Republican Party", and "especially" for Vance.

"The war was a complete betrayal of people who voted for Trump... and has put so much stress on ordinary Americans," he tells Radio 4's Today programme.

He says while the war didn't lead to regime change in Tehran, it has "overthrown the regime in Washington," calling it an "extraordinary historical event".

Nick Edser
Business reporter

Image source, Reuters

The sharp fall in the price of oil since the midterm results shows the market is "clearly pricing the idea that the diplomatic track [between the US and Iran] is very much back on," says Bill Farren-Price, senior research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.

However, he adds: "I think it may be a little bit premature."

"We've been down this road many times before over the last few months, and this negotiation between the US and Iran is a very tricky one," Farren-Price tells the Today programme.

In addition, he says Iran will be seeking to get "a top price for fully opening the Strait of Hormuz and allowing commercial shipping through freely".

Remember, the outbreak of the Iran war led to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping channel that normally sees about 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas pass through it, and it was this that sent global energy prices soaring.

Image source, Reuters

Senior US Senator Bernie Sanders has told BBC Newsnight "Trump has got to be held accountable" after Democrats won control of Congress.

Asked if Democrats would now "go after" President Trump and his family, the influential left-wing senator replied: "Of course."

Sanders, who is an independent but has a close relationship with the Democrats, also said "it's no great secret that the Democratic Party today is not very popular", despite their victories in the midterms.

He told Newsnight: "What are the Democrats offering? I mean, you tell me, and I am a member of the caucus."

'The reason we lost is the war': Is Vance eyeing 2028 presidential run?published at 07:43 GMT 5 November

07:43 GMT 5 November

Daniel Bush
Washington correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Vice-President JD Vance sent shockwaves through Washington on Wednesday by blaming his party's midterm defeat squarely on the Iran war.

It was widely interpreted as an effort to distance himself from President Trump ahead of a potential 2028 White House run.

Vance's view on the war in Iran is an open secret in Washington. While he has repeatedly backed the conflict in public, he has reportedly expressed opposition in private meetings with administration officials.

But those disagreements had been kept out of the public eye - until now.

"If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so," Vance wrote in a 600-word statement on X.

"Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest."

It was a striking statement, and one with no recent precedent: it's hard to recall a similar moment in recent US political history when a sitting vice-president has so sharply broken with the president on a signature foreign policy issue.

Then came an arguably even greater surprise: Trump - who typically demands steadfast loyalty from his senior advisers - agreed with Vance that the midterms were "largely" decided by the war. He added that he would "do it again" if given the same choices.

It was an early sign that Trump - who has prized loyalty from his advisers - may give Vance a wide berth should he choose to launch a presidential campaign.

Former Trump loyalist Marjorie Taylor Greene says the president will be looking to figure out "who to blame" for the Republicans' losses.

"I'm sure the president is unhappy," she has told BBC Newsnight.

"He’s a man that believes in the life motto 'never apologise', which I think is absolutely horrible. So he won't blame himself", she says.

Greene adds that she believes there will be "a lot of difficult and long meetings to be had inside the White House. Watch his Truth Social. That’s where he usually lays blame on pretty much everyone except himself."

Greene was a staunch supporter of Trump when she entered office in January 2021.

But she later changed her tune, growing more opposed to Trump's decisions as he launched air strikes on Iran, supported Israel's war on Gaza, and showed an unwillingness to have the Justice Department release all its files on the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In late 2025 she announced her resignation, and has remained a vocal critic of the president ever since. In return, he has called her a "traitor".

The Democrats have won the Senate and the House in US midterm elections, taking control of Congress for the rest of Donald Trump's presidency.

While we know that the party will be the majority in Congress in January, we're still waiting on the results of multiple races. Most of the 435 House races were called on Wednesday, but outstanding results remain for some 24 races.

This includes in Tennesse, Louisiana and Virginia where the vote is too close to call.

Others that are yet to be called include districts in Arizona, California and Colorado.

Meanwhile in the Senate, two tight races are still under way in Mississippi and Alaska.

It could take weeks before we know the results in Alaska, which is one of the most competitive seats in the country. The expected delay is partly because Alaska has ranked-choice ballots, where voters can select more than one candidate in order of preference.

Image source, Reuters

Hakeem Jeffries, the current House minority leader, has announced his candidacy for Speaker of the House. If elected, Jeffries would be the first black speaker in US history.

The Democrats will control Congress in January, meaning that a representative from the party would become speaker. The speaker operates not only as the leader of the House of Representatives, but also as leader of the majority party.

In a letter to colleagues, Jeffries writes: "Against all odds, House Democrats were consistently successful in the minority. We must now deliver the dramatic change the American people are demanding in the majority."

He says that the newly-elected Congress must "aggressively fight for an affordable America," later adding that people "are suffering. Everyday Americans can’t thrive and can barely survive."

Jeffries adds: "The days of the House functioning like a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump Administration are over. Congress will assume its place as a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch."

Referring to the "Trump Cartel", the representative for New York says that anyone "stealing from the American people, ripping off the American people or screwing over the American people can no longer hide. We are going to hold the crooks accountable."

Currently, the speaker is Republican Mike Johnson. The speaker ranks third in the US presidential succession order, following the vice-president.

Jeffries does not step into the role automatically as the present minority leader - he would need to be elected by the House of Representatives.

The fallout from the Democrats' resounding victory in the US midterms continues - here's the latest:

• Democrats lay out priorities: Senior party figures have pointed to high prices, the Iran war and accountability as issues they plan to tackle after flipping Congress - but marked political differences between the newly elected Democrats may make it harder to deliver what they’ve promised, our North America editor reports
• Republican blame game begins: After the party’s historic defeat, Vice-President JD Vance has squarely pointed to the Iran war as "the reason we lost". Donald Trump conceded this was "largely true" but said he would "do it again" if he had to
• Vance’s comments sent shockwaves through the US capital and were widely seen as a move to distance himself from the president, our Washington correspondent writes
• Oil falls and markets up: Global oil prices have fallen to their lowest level in two months while stock markets closed higher following the Democrats' victory. Traders are betting that the results will lead to an end or de-escalation of the war with Iran, our business reporter writes
• Knife-edge counts in final Senate races: Just a few hundred votes separate the Republican incumbents and their Democratic challengers in traditionally red Mississippi and closely fought Alaska, where the slow count continues - click through to hear our reporters explain what's at stake
• More results to come: Dozens of House and two gubernatorial races are also still to be called - you can follow the latest on our results page

Peter Hoskins
Business reporter, Singapore

Image source, Bloomberg via Getty Images

Global oil prices are losing more ground as traders bet that the midterm results will lead to an end or de-escalation of the war with Iran.

On Thursday afternoon in Asia, Brent crude was 0.9% lower at $93.74, while US-traded oil was down by almost 1.5% at $86.83.

Oil prices tumbled by more than 8% on Wednesday after Vice-President JD Vance blamed the impact of the conflict on fuel prices for Republican defeats in the elections.

As we reported earlier, oil prices have fallen to their lowest level in two months.

Sarah Smith
North America editor in Washington DC

After their thumping victories, the Democrats now need to work out how to deliver what they have promised the American people.

Hakeem Jeffries, the Democrat leader in the House of Representatives who is likely to become its first black speaker, has said his party would focus on affordability and accountability - acting as a check on what he called an out-of-control executive branch.

"We don't work for Donald Trump," he said. "We don't work for JD Vance. We don't work for the Supreme Court. We work for the American people. And the days of the House of Representatives functioning like a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump administration are over."

Meanwhile, Democrats Senate leader Chuck Schumer has promised to make ending the war with Iran a priority. He said cutting off funding to the Department of Defense could be considered if this were the only way to bring about a swift end to the conflict.

There are some marked political differences between the newly elected Democrats, who include some prominent left wingers now making their way to Congress.

Significant divisions - especially over policy toward Israel - may surface, making it harder for the Democrats to make good on their promises.

Ana Faguy
Reporting from Washington DC

Image source, Getty Images

All eyes are on Mississippi right now, where just over 1,100 votes separate Cindy Hyde-Smith, the Republican incumbent, and Scott Colom, her Democratic challenger - who are vying to represent their state in the Senate.

Cindy Hyde-Smith was the first woman to represent Mississippi in the US Congress, after being elected in 2018.

While we wait for all the ballots to be counted - and it could take a little while - here's what you need to know about her opponent:

• He currently works as a District Attorney and previously was a prosecutor and judge
• President Joe Biden nominated Colom to be a federal judge in the Northern District of Mississippi but his nomination was blocked in the US Senate by Hyde-Smith
• While the Mississippi Senate race was not on the radar for many Americans, some big name Democrats appeared to see the potential victory in recent weeks, with former President Bill Clinton, former Vice-President Kamala Harris and Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock all campaigning on his behalf
• When Hyde-Smith dismissed Mississippians' frustrations about high beef prices and suggested residents of her state "pick another protein", Colom took the remarks and ran, turning them into a television advert telling Mississippians to "pick another Senator" - which gained traction nationally
• If Colom wins, he’ll be the first Mississippi Democrat elected to the US Senate in nearly 40 years and he will be the state’s first Black senator since Reconstruction

• Colom is a seventh-generation Mississippian and father of two

Nadine Yousif
Senior Canada reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It was the midterm result that many in Canada had hoped for - a Democratic sweep that was in part a repudiation by American voters of Donald Trump's tariffs on close trade allies.

"I was doing cartwheels down the street," said Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Wednesday morning, calling it "a victory for Canada".

Tuesday night's result is unlikely to grant Canada relief from those tariffs any time soon, but there is anticipation that the political shifts could create a more favourable environment for Ottawa to get the best deal now that trade talks are back on.

Democratic leaders like Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, now newly empowered, have both pushed to rein in the tariffs on Canada in recent months.

Still, Democratic control of Congress might not do much to move the needle on tariffs. Trump's levies have been largely enacted using executive orders without approval from Congress.

We're still waiting on the results of Alaska's Senate race, where Democrat Mary Peltola leads Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan by some 600 votes.

But following the Democrats' resounding result on election night, the race that they were determined to win has become a "nice to have", reports North America correspondent Shaimaa Khalil.

Will Grant
BBC correspondent

After its most bruising night in more than 30 years, the introspection – and finger pointing – have begun inside the Republican Party

Voters across the country had made it clear their ballots would be a reckoning for Trump's decision to go to war with Iran.

Now some of his closest allies are distancing themselves from the conflict, most noticeably Vice-President JD Vance.

"The reason we lost is the war," he wrote on social media. "And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there."

It was a point which Trump begrudgingly accepted as he spoke to journalists at the construction site of a new ballroom at the White House.

But he insisted he still would not have done anything differently. "You can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon," he said.

Many interpret the vice-president's comments as an unofficial launch of his own presidential bid in 2028.

The results are also being seen as a sign that the US is witnessing the beginning of the end of the MAGA movement under Trump.

Image source, Getty Images

Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz says the midterm results amount not just to a "blue wave", but a "blue tsunami".

"Nowhere are the consequences of this election greater than Texas," he writes on social media, after the state elected a Democrat to the Senate for the first time in decades in 37-year-old James Talarico.

Democrat Gina Hinojosa also ousted Greg Abbott, one of the nation's most high-profile Republican governors.

Pointing to the cost of living and poverty, Cruz says there was "very real pain from real Americans, and too many Republican politicians seem like they didn't understand or they didn't care".

"Texas is blue. That is a hard sentence to utter," he writes, and says the Republicans need to rebuild as a "true blue-collar party" after losing core support among rural communities, Hispanic voters and young people.

Brandon Drenon
US reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Democrat Shomari Figures won re-election to Congress in Alabama, despite having to run in a district that Republican state lawmakers specifically designed to defeat him.

"We never felt that we were an underdog in this race," Figures told the BBC, after his victory in a district that Trump won in 2024 by double digits.

The Alabama Democrat was one of several candidates targeted this election in a process called redistricting – or gerrymandering – where lines on voting maps are redrawn, often to favour one party.

Both Democrats and Republicans employed the tactic this election cycle, but Republicans led the way, heeding a direct request from Trump.

But the move backfired.

Texas, which redistricted five congressional seats to Republicans' advantage, lost four of those seats to Democrats, and Florida Republicans are on track to lose all four seats they redrew.

Asked about Democrats' sweeping victories, Figures said: "I think people are just tired, man. They're tired of the overall economy. They're tired of being lied to. They're tired of the country kind of being run like it’s a reality show."

Just hundreds of votes separate the candidates in Mississippi's Senate race, which has become an unlikely battleground in traditionally Republican territory.

The BBC's Carl Nasman looks at how we got here and when the results might be called.

Lily Jamali
North America Technology Correspondent

Image source, Reuters

OpenAI president and co-founder Greg Brockman has said he was caught off guard by the backlash to data centres in these elections.

"I don't think anyone could say they were not surprised by that," Brockman said while speaking at the WSJ Tech conference in California on Wednesday.

"It is definitely an issue that's very singular. No-one's ever seen something like that in American politics."

"A lot of our shift over the course of this year has really been to realise that, from San Francisco trying to build infrastructure in Texas, Georgia, and other places, you can’t just tweet and say, like, 'this is going to be good'.

"You need to be in those communities," Brockman continued.

"We need to do a better job of really communicating to people, to local communities, about why data centres can be beneficial to them."

Mississippi's Senate race remains on a knife-edge with some 96% of the votes counted.

The latest tally shows Democratic candidate Scott Colom leading by a margin of 1,138, - about 0.1% of the total votes - as of about an hour ago.

An hour before that, his lead on Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith was just 65 votes.

Gary O'Donoghue
Chief North America correspondent in Austin, Texas

I first met Mario Guerrero, a businessman who lives in South Texas near the Mexican border, a few weeks ago. He has voted for President Donald Trump three times.

The main issues on his mind during those elections? Immigration and border security.

But years later, those same issues have driven him to flip his ballot. He voted Democrat in yesterday's midterm election, which sent Texas Democrats to the US Senate and governor's office for the first time in decades.

Guerrero tells me today he doesn't necessarily identify with either party, and Democrats will still have to prove themselves.

"I don't think that anybody gets a free pass here. Just because they (Democrats) won doesn't mean that it's all sunshine and rainbows. There's work we have to do," he says.

But "the immigration enforcement has been something that's been mishandled by the current administration," he tells me.

And he's not alone.

Hispanic voters in Texas have voted for Democrat James Talarico over Republican Ken Paxton by two to one, according to voter poll data.

This group previously backed Donald Trump in the 2024 Presidential election. Now many say the "cruelty" of US immigration enforcement has pushed them away from the Republican Party.

Read more here on how the tide change in the state began.