Europe braces for bruised Trump

Europe Edition - Today's top story: Donald Trump's Republicans suffer landslide defeat – what this means for the world November 5, 2026 Europe Edition   Donald Trump’s Republican party suffered a resounding defeat in Tuesday’s US midterm elections, with the Democrats taking control of Congress. The White House will now be forced to negotiate over legislation, while the president and some of his officials will face greater scrutiny over their conduct while in office. For the rest of the world, however, little may change. Andrew Gawthorpe of Leiden University explains that Congress tends to be less involved in foreign policy than domestic affairs, and history suggests that US presidents whose parties perform badly in the midterms often become more active abroad than previously. An even more erratic and unpredictable White House could spell trouble for Europe in the months ahead. Elsewhere, we look at how a proposed solution to Europe’s housing crisis that has been championed by far-right populist parties in Spain could end up making the problem worse. And new research sheds light on why people speak Germanic languages such as English in England and Swedish in Sweden, but Celtic languages in Ireland, Wales and Brittany.   Sam Phelps Commissioning Editor, International Affairs, London   Michele Ursi/Alamy Live News Donald Trump’s Republicans suffer landslide defeat – what this means for the world Andrew Gawthorpe, Leiden University Facing a hostile Congress, the US president is likely to focus on foreign policy to secure his legacy. Democrat Jocelyn Benson, the Michigan governor-elect, reacts to winning her election race in Detroit, Michigan, on November 4. Sarah Yenesel / EPA US midterms: why a Democrat Congress could mean less political gridlock, not more Massimo Morelli, Bocconi University; Dmitrii Petrukhin, University of Cambridge History shows that opposition control of both chambers of US Congress need not mean less legislation. Pressmaster/Shutterstock ‘National priority’ policies claim to solve Europe’s housing crisis. They may make it worse Martin Lundsteen, Universitat de Barcelona The controversial rules have already been adopted in some regions.   We used ancient DNA to track the origins and spread of the Germanic and Celtic languages – new research Guus Kroonen, Leiden University; University of Copenhagen; Eske Willerslev, University of Copenhagen; University of Cambridge; Hugh McColl, University of Copenhagen The findings are based on analysis of DNA from thousands of prehistoric human remains from Europe. From Kenya to France: how face masks are becoming a rallying symbol Joseph Bohbot, Sorbonne Université Masks that were a thing of the not so distant pandemic past are making a comeback on the streets. They now serve a dual purpose: protecting protesters from tear gas and covering up their faces. Massive sinkholes open up across Turkey as it struggles with drought and climate change Nima Shokri, United Nations University; Technical University of Hamburg As Turkey prepares to host Cop31, the massive global conference on environmental issues, it is also being confronted with a dangerous sinkhole problem. Spain’s high-speed train network is plagued by old signalling systems. They may have caused the deadly crash Carlos Gutiérrez Hita, Universidad Miguel Hernández The crash has killed 69 people, and injured scores more.   Stone-age hunters in northern Europe may have used poison arrows to hunt big prey Sally Christine Reynolds, Bournemouth University The small size of some stone-age arrow heads from Denmark suggest they were used together with poisons. Speaking in a second language may shift your moral compass – but it can’t overpower it Irini Mavrou, Universidad Nebrija; UCL; Andreas Kyriakou, Universidad Nebrija Moral identity shapes how we react to wrongdoing, regardless of the language we speak. How the Sphinx is helping answer a riddle about extinct crocodiles Philip Mannion, UCL New technology is helping to identify extinct fossil species. Can democracy be taught? Brazil is about to find out Gabriel Marmentini, European University Institute Brazil has just made civic education compulsory in schools. Whether it takes hold will depend less on the law than on what happens in the classroom. Dementia with Lewy bodies: what you should know about the little-known, progressive brain disease Frédéric Blanc, Université de Strasbourg Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in after Alzheimer’s. Jonathan Swift foresaw the pitfalls of AI in Gulliver’s Travels Daniel Carey, University of Galway On Gulliver’s third travel he meets the Projectors who have come up with a device that is surprisingly similar to our modern large language models. From Wales to Finland, minority language speakers still face prejudice Kaisa Pankakoski, Cardiff University Research with Welsh-speaking families reveals a generational shift, while experiences in Finland show the problem is not unique to Wales. Corporate green reports: do independent checks really help companies deliver measurable action? Rizwan Mushtaq, EDC Paris Business School; Ammar Ali Gull, Pôle Léonard de Vinci A new study shows that companies whose green claims are vetted tend to follow through and deliver on their promises to cut greenhouse gas emissions or reduce waste.     You’re receiving this newsletter from The Conversation The Conversation France (assoc. 1901) 14, rue Sainte-Cécile 75009 Paris