Donald Trump woke to a Republican party reeling from one of the largest midterm losses in US history.
Deep red states, Texas, Kansas and South Carolina, all elected Democrat senators, Republicans lost majorities in both chambers of Congress and the President will spend his final two years in office as a lame duck.
Yet, Trump apparently had bigger concerns on his mind.
He used his first speech in the wake of the devastating losses to talk up his controversial White House ballroom, before later taking to social media to fret over a long-time grievance: daylight savings.
How a lab grown ‘human lens’ may bring new eye treatments
Scientists have grown a realistic human lens from stem cells for the first time which could potentially pave the way for new treatments for cataracts and other eye conditions.
New stem cell eye
In a new breakthrough, researchers from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) created the “mini lenses”.
The team, which also includes experts from Cardiff University and the University of Osaka in Japan, said that the lenses closely resemble the natural lens inside the human eye.
It is hoped the new lenses will now be able to be used to test new medicines and better understand eye diseases.
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Hope for treating cataracts in the future
“This is a major step forward as it is very difficult to obtain and study human eye lens tissue while it is developing.”
Said Professor Barbara Pierscionek, from the Centre for Biomedicine and Health Innovation at ARU
The key nutrients you won’t get from drinking oat milk
Replacing dairy products with plant-based ones, such as oat and almond milks, could lead to people missing out on vitamins and minerals, a study suggests.
Milk alternatives might cause health issues
New research suggests that swapping normal milk for plant-based alternatives might cause health issues.
The research team, from the University of Surrey and Queen’s University Belfast, found that even a partial swap may lead to deficiencies in certain essential vitamins and minerals.
The findings
What was studied?
Researchers looked at the risks of dropping dairy in favour of plant-based items.
Vitamins and minerals
They examined the effect on micronutrient intake for iodine, calcium and vitamins B2 and B12.
The findings
They found that even modest replacements of dairy intake with plant-based alternatives led to declines in all four micronutrients.
The health impacts
Vitamin B12 helps , while B2 is important for skin, eyes and the nervous system.
Dr Sarah Bath, associate professor at the University of Surrey and lead author, warned of the impacts from a lack of iodine, which is “needed to make thyroid hormones to regulate our metabolism, support healthy growth and brain development“.
Calls for better food fortification
“Nutrition policy must evolve in tandem with environmental targets, however, it is important that shifts towards more sustainable diets do not compromise on public health.”
Dr Katie Nicol, co-author of the study and research fellow at the University of Surrey
Battle of the supermarkets – the cheapest, revealed
Consumer champion Which? has revealed which supermarket is the cheapest in the UK.
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The cheapest supermarkets revealed
Which? has published its list of the cheapest supermarkets in the nation, comparing the costs of a list of 87 grocery items across all the major supermarkets.
October’s items included a mixture of own-brand and branded products – including milk, cheese and Hovis sliced bread.
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The top three
Retaining the title of cheapest, Aldi’s 87 items came to (£154.34).
Lidl Plus followed closely at £157.17.
Tesco’s Clubcard prices came in third with a basket total of £181.77.
- 4Sainsbury’s Nectar scheme came in fourth with a basket total of £181.77 across 18 discounted products.
- 5Despite having beaten Tesco and Sainsbury’s member prices in September, Asda slipped to fifth place – outpaced in a competitive market (£183.47).
- 6Morrisons (£186.77) came in ahead of Tesco (£187.31) and Sainsbury’s (£191.56) but only without loyalty prices.
- 7Ocado and Waitrose brought up the rear both exceeding £200.
I like to think I’m ahead of the butter curve, but it’s having such a moment right now that I’m not sure anyone can keep up. The rise in popularity of real butter is somewhat curious.
The damning numbers behind the UK’s child obesity crisis
Obesity among children in England is on the rise, according to new data from the National Child Measurement Programme.
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New data on childhood obesity
- Some 10.7 per cent of children in Reception (ages four and five) are obese, which rises to 22.8 per cent for those in Year 6 (ages 10 to 11).
- The new data means that when figures from the pandemic are removed, obesity in Reception is at its highest-ever level since records began.
- Among children in Year 6, obesity is also higher than the previous year (22.2 per cent) and higher than pre-pandemic levels.
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Childhood obesity on the rise
- 1Overall, 1.1 million children were measured in state schools in England as part of the National Child Measurement Programme.
- 2The research found that 14 per cent of teenagers were active every day. In Finland, 28 per cent are active and in Canada, 25 per cent.
- 3Obesity in the most deprived regions is also more than double the most affluent areas both for Reception (14.2 per cent compared to 6.9 per cent) and Year 6 (30.3 per cent compared to 13.9 per cent).
A ‘gulf in children’s health’
“Today’s data shows worsening levels and that the gulf in children’s health between those living in deprived versus wealthy areas has widened.”
Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation charity
Five things will happen now that Trump has lost Congress
Former chief of staff of the US Department of Homeland Security
American voters just delivered a once-in-a-generation rebuke of a sitting president and his movement. Here are five things that will happen now Trump has lost Congress…
Midterm results
The Democrats made sweep victories in the midterm elections taking states such as Texas, Maine and Michigan to regain control of Congress.
I was in the White House the last time Trump lost part of Congress, in the 2018 midterm elections. Here’s what to expect out of Washington in the weeks and months ahead.
Five things that will happen
- 1Trump will axe members of his administration. His chief of staff, Susie Wiles, and defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, are in the firing line.
- 2Democrats will gear up for the biggest investigations in Congressional history.
- 3The companies and firms that cosied up to Trump will have to explain their decisions under oath.
- 4Before Democrats officially take power, Republicans will start to abandon Trump.
- 5Trump will re-focus on foreign policy.
The results that reveal Trump’s historic humiliation
Democrats have taken control of both chambers of Congress after momentous US midterm elections that will tip the balance of power in Washington DC and shape the rest of Donald Trump’s presidency. The results represent a humiliation for the President, who had asked Republicans to vote as if he was on the ballot.
Watch more from The i Paper
The ways HMRC will be able to raid your bank account
New debt recovery powers allowing banks access to accounts could be a “sledgehammer” leaving some people struggling to pay their bills, warn tax experts.
Healey’s plan
John Healey’s plan to let HMRC raid bank accounts over unpaid taxes has sparked fears it could push some people into financial hardship.
The Chancellor revealed at the Budget that the tax authority will get stronger powers to collect overdue tax “from those who can clearly afford to pay”.
How HMRC will raid bank accounts
From July 2029, HMRC will be able to order banks to start taking regular deductions from a person’s current account to recover tax debt that is owed.
- HMRC will also be able to recover money from a couple’s joint bank account to pay for just one partner’s debt.
- “Eligibility verification measures” (EVMs) were issued last month, asking banks to identify claimants who may have undeclared savings or remain abroad longer than benefit rules allow.
- These checks can be made on people receiving universal credit, Pension Credit and Employment and Support Allowance.
Issues with the new powers
Nimesh Shah, of tax firm Blick Rothenberg, told The i Paper the new powers could become a “sledgehammer” that will unfairly hit pensioners, people on low-incomes, and those with mental health issues.
Meanwhile, the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG) is worried that non-engagement with HMRC may reflect genuine financial problems or difficulty understanding tax debt requests, rather than a refusal to pay.
Disability Rights UK said it is worried that the DWP could use EVMs to “undertake fishing exercises with absolutely no evidence of fraud”.
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Only needed when necessary
“The Government is not interested in where people do their weekly shop or how much they’re spending on new clothes.”
Banks will only be asked “to identify if somebody may no longer meet the rules for the benefits they receive, allowing us to investigate further where necessary”, Lilian Greenwood, DWP minister for fraud and debt said.
Who will actually be better off after this Budget? The i Paper writers’ verdicts
Following the Chancellor’s somewhat underwhelming Budget, The i Paper’s team of experts explain how it will affect your pocket.
Why daylight savings?
Trump has spent months pushing Congress to make daylight savings time permanent, even going as far as publicly posting the phone number of a Republican Senator online in a bid to secure support.
The President has argued changing the clocks twice a year is dangerous for workers and that sunshine is better in the afternoon and evening than in the morning.
He has also argued implementing year-round daylight savings would reduce crime.
“CRIMINALS DON’T LIKE WORKING IN THE LIGHT,” he claimed in an October social media post.
A keen golfer, Trump added the change would additionally allow for more time spent on the links.
There is some evidence to support the President’s position, with research finding incidents of robbery fall as much as 40 per cent during daylight savings.
Supporters of the plan also argue changing clocks results in sleep disruptions and increases the risk of traffic accidents and workplace injuries.
Critics, however, note it would result in children and workers commuting in the dark throughout much of winter, which could put some at risk of harm.
Will Congress listen to Trump?
It appears highly unlikely Trump will succeed in getting Congress to act on his request.
Even before Democrats swept back into power, Republican efforts in the House to legislate on daylight savings had largely stalled.
A July vote on the Sunshine Protection Act, which would have implemented Trump’s change, passed 308-117, but the Senate repeatedly refused to take up the bill.
In October, Trump lamented: “The United States Senate is letting the Daylight Saving Time bill die” as his efforts to force a vote fell flat.
So frustrated was the President, he posted the personal phone number of Republican Senator Tom Cotton on social media along with a message: “GET IT DONE!”.
Cotton was one of a number of Senate Republicans opposed to the change.
With Democrats decisively flipping control of both chambers it appears any hope of passing the bill is now all but gone, even though it enjoys modest bipartisan support.
Democrat leaders have suggested their focus will be on other issues, including ending the Iran war and bringing down healthcare costs.
Trump preoccupied with personal projects
Trump’s focus on daylight savings reflects a recent pattern, with the President appearing more focused on personal, non-political projects than governance issues.
Rather than use his closing message to voters to promise action on the cost of living, a key midterms concern, the President spent around 20 minutes discussing his botched renovation of Washington’s Reflecting Pool, including a joke about renaming it after himself.
The morning after Republicans’ electoral wipeout, Trump summoned reporters to the White House to trumpet about progress in the construction of his controversial ballroom – all the while deflecting blame.
“This has been a structure the likes of which has never been seen anywhere,” he declared.
“It’s going to be top of the line.”