Taking Stock mid-terms special: The economy, Musk, Trump and data centres

The Democrats won big in the US midterm elections and have control of both houses of Congress. But Donald Trump still holds a presidential veto and is threatening to use it. Can the Democrats use their new congressional majority to tackle America's affordability crisis? What does their victory mean for Big Tech and the construction of data centres? And will they scrutinise companies that benefited from close ties to the Trump White House over the past two years? The BBC's North America business correspondent Michelle Fleury joins Rahul Tandon and Will Bain to discuss what the election result could mean for the US economy, businesses and households.Producer: Gideon LongYou can email the team: [email protected](Picture: US House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), and Democratic candidate for House of Representatives Suzan DelBene celebrate at an election night watch party in Washington, DC, US, November 3, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

Andy Uhler who's Energy Reporter in Residence at The University of Texas in Austin and Rema Rahman who is White House and Politics Editor at Bloomberg in Washington DC join Rahul Tandon to look at the fall out from this week's mid-term elections.The look at the role the economy played in how people voted. The impact the result could have on Elon Musk and what it means for the future of data centres.

As other tech giants spent 2026 pouring billions into AI, Apple seems to have taken a more cautious approach. Its new CEO, John Ternus, insists that "we don't want to ship AI for AI's sake" and says the company remains focused on developing products such as the iPhone, including the foldable Duo model, and other devices that made Apple a household name. But with the AI revolution in full swing, is that the right strategy? Or is Apple, which changed the world when it gave us the iPhone, in danger of falling behind? Hosts Michelle Fleury and Rahul Tandon are joined by Ron Johnson, who worked at Apple for years and was instrumental in developing the Apple Store.Producer: Gideon LongYou can email the team: [email protected](Picture: John Ternus, Apple CEO greets and takes photos with customers who came to purchase the new foldable iPhone Duo on the launch day at the Apple store in Austin, Texas, US, October 23, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Jan Sonnenmair)

Jerry Yue is the entrepreneur behind Brain Technologies. He believes artificial intelligence could replace many of the apps we use every day, changing how we interact with our phones and computers. Leanna Byrne talks to him about building technology businesses in China, his journey to Silicon Valley and why he thinks AI could reshape the future of computing.Producer: Huma ShahYou can email the team: [email protected](Picture: Brain Technologies founder Jerry Yue)

Gold is worth about twice what it was four years ago, so who profits when a Hindu family buys gold during the Diwali festive period? Sam Fenwick traces the gold supply chain from a mine that digs up 140 tonnes of rock for a single ounce of gold to a Delhi jeweller, examining the role of central banks and refiners along the way. (Photo: A jewellery shop in Bangalore, India, 13 October 2025. Credit: Jagadeesh Nv/EPA/Shutterstock)You can email the team: [email protected]: Josh Martin and Huma Shah

Why does artificial intelligence sometimes make things up? From law firms to consultants, businesses are grappling with the risks of AI hallucinations. What's causing them, and can they be prevented? Presenter/producer: Ed ButlerYou can email us: [email protected](Picture: Conceptual image of a large glowing pink holographic cube with "AI" text, positioned as a central hub within a vast, sparse crowd of silhouetted human figures.)

Rahul Tandon and Will Bain are joined by the BBC's Silicon Valley correspondent Lily Jamali to look at issues being faced by Google and if it's a sign of wider tech sector problems. Google and You Tube's parent company, Alphabet, saw its value fall by half a trillion dollars on Thursday after warning about spending on AI as its advertising revenue growth also cooled off. It's not the only tech company to warn of problems in the latest round of results. In this special edition of Business Daily, we ask is Google a victim of wider worries about AI spending, or is AI coming for the crown of the unquestioned king of search?

This week on Taking Stock, Rahul Tandon is joined by Katrine Kielos, journalist for Swedish financial broadcaster EFN based in London and Dan Ives, tech analyst based in New York. We look at Anthropic’s reported plans for a mega-IPO that could value the AI company at close to two trillion dollars, what the US midterm elections could mean for the consumers in America and across the globe and if the seasonal favourite Pumpkin Spice has gone too far.

Meta is a social media giant. It's so big, a second Hollywood movie about the company was released just last month. More than three billion people access its biggest apps - Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram - every single day. And those apps make the company a ton of cash. In the last three months alone, they generated $64bn in revenue. Meta now appears to be focused on developing AI, particularly wearable technology. So despite its enormous social media success, will Meta be primarily an AI company in the future?Presenters: Rahul Tandon, Michelle Fleury and Will Bain Producer: Guy Kilty(Picture: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg tries on Meta smart glasses during the Meta Connect event on September 23, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

Burning cars, looted shops and clashes on the streets of France have dominated headlines around the world. The chief executive of Carrefour has warned that the unrest is taking a toll on business. But beyond the violence lie deeper questions about living standards and the state of the French economy. Vishala Sri-Pathma hears from protesters, businesses and the French government about what recent protests tell us about France's economy.(Photo: A masked protester holding an umbrella and a French flag reacts as French police use a water canon amid clashes during demonstrations against the cost of living and rising fuel prices in France, 24 October, 2026. Credit: Hannah McKay/Reuters)You can email the team: [email protected]: Rebecca Smyllie Editor: Stephen Ryan