Edition 67 · Friday, October 23, 2026
Here's what happened.
Flu activity is rising on the U.S. West Coast earlier than usual, prompting health experts to stress the importance of annual vaccination. California’s flu test positivity rate reached 9.65%, compared with a typical 1% rate for early October, amid a mutation of an H1N1 influenza A strain.
Minnesota officials say the federal government has stopped sharing evidence related to the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers. State authorities say they need the materials for an independent investigation and have sued the Trump administration for access.
A new Medi-Cal asset limit is forcing some low-income seniors and people with disabilities to draw down their savings to keep health coverage. Beginning in July 2027, the limit will remove certain groups from Medi-Cal if they have more than $21,000 in savings.
California’s carbon market changed this year, and the next governor will inherit the consequences. Candidate Steve Hilton says he would suspend the market, while Xavier Becerra’s campaign has not said what it would do.
A Houthi strike on an airport in Dammam killed two people, according to the headline. The Iran-backed militia has spent weeks attacking Saudi Arabia’s aviation and energy sectors, while the United States has told some diplomats to leave.
Brazil’s tight presidential runoff pits a political giant against a Bolsonaro heir. The election is framed as a contest over the country’s political future between Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s legacy and Jair Bolsonaro’s political dynasty.
Microsoft blamed a China-aligned hacker for breaching IT provider ConnectWise and spying on thousands of companies. The campaign relied on AI agents to rapidly hack into the provider’s customers.
OpenAI is working on a new $30 billion fundraising round at a potential $1.25 trillion valuation ahead of an IPO. If completed at that valuation, it would make OpenAI the most highly valued private company ever.
Canva launched Canva Craft, an image-generation model that competes with models from OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google. Its two-stage architecture plans a design before generating the image, aiming for greater precision, consistency, and control.
A 35-year record of satellite altimetry is allowing scientists to compare this year’s El Niño with its strongest predecessors. The record provides a long-term perspective on the climate event’s current development.
New research published in Science finds that crows turn visual information into decisions twice as fast as humans and primates. The study also reports that their information processing is quite similar to humans’.
A new study offers a possible explanation for a mysterious 1,000-mile cloud on Mars. Astronomers have been puzzled by the feature since it was discovered in 2018.
The Ebola outbreak in Africa has reached its widest expansion ever, with Nigeria reporting its first case in the current outbreak. Health officials are urgently investigating the case’s origins as the outbreak has spread from Congo to several other African countries.
New research estimates that heat killed 50,000 people in European cities this summer, potentially a record. Scientists say climate breakdown contributed to two-thirds of the additional deaths, while health problems, loneliness and poverty increased vulnerability.
India will reduce the prices of 137 cancer drugs from next month after a patient’s court case challenged unaffordable medicine costs. The move is intended to help poorer patients who may otherwise forgo treatment, sell land or fall into debt.
Open enrollment for Affordable Care Act insurance has begun, with consumers facing rising premiums, additional identity checks and fewer brokers. The changes could make choosing coverage more complicated for people shopping for a plan.
The S&P 500 fell more than 1.4%, its largest daily decline since July, while the Nasdaq dropped nearly 2.5%, its biggest one-day decline since June. The sell-off came amid concerns about artificial-intelligence spending and oil prices.
The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell slightly to 7.32%, but remained above 7% as prospective buyers continued to struggle with affordability. Home prices are beginning to decline in some areas.
Holiday airfares are rising as jet fuel prices approach an all-time high in the United States. Jet fuel is one of airlines’ largest expenses, and travelers planning to fly this season should expect to pay more than last year.
A federal judge restricted Department of Homeland Security field operations aimed at identifying noncitizens who voted. The judge found the operations likely violated the Voting Rights Act, which bars voter intimidation.
California is bringing in more revenue than expected, partly because of artificial intelligence. Proposition 2 would let the state strengthen its reserves for an economic downturn, while critics argue it could enable greater future spending.
CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott defended the Trump administration’s planned $46 billion Big Bend border wall and related infrastructure in Texas. His defense came amid opposition from landowners, businesses and environmentalists, as well as a court-ordered pause on construction.
An unusually generational contest is shaping Sacramento’s race for Congress, with 82-year-old incumbent Doris Matsui facing a 41-year-old challenger. The contest centers on whether voters prioritize congressional seniority and familiarity or direct experience with today’s workers’ struggles.
Barclays says it will cut 5% of its workforce, amounting to 5,000 jobs, as it increases its reliance on artificial intelligence. The reductions make the bank’s use of AI a direct workforce story.
A bill in Congress would strengthen the United States’ unemployment insurance program amid concerns about potential mass layoffs caused by artificial intelligence. The proposal reflects growing political attention to the risks AI may pose to workers.
Reigning world women’s marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit after a sample tested positive for EPO. The case puts a prominent world champion at the center of an anti-doping investigation.
The World Series begins with the Tampa Bay Rays facing the Milwaukee Brewers, with both franchises seeking their first championship. The matchup follows a decade in which baseball’s biggest trophy was dominated by large-market teams.
Etsy is introducing stricter rules governing how sellers use AI in listings, aiming to reduce the volume of AI-generated “slop” on the platform. The company says buyers often cannot tell which items involve AI, while sellers are concerned about their work appearing alongside AI-generated items.
Retro video game projects have gone viral with unusual ports and adaptations, including Halo in a web browser, Wind Waker on an iPhone, and Super Smash Bros. in mixed reality. The Verge reports that new AI tools have helped drive the recent wave of unexpected projects.
EA has closed BioWare after 31 years, ending the studio behind Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Baldur's Gate and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. The closure also cancels Mass Effect 5, according to the supplied report, following EA's new Saudi and private-investment ownership.
A data breach at Capcom compromised more than 11.7 million Capcom ID accounts. The incident adds a major security story to the gaming industry, although the supplied summary provides no further details about the breach or affected users.
Phantom Blade Zero appears to be outperforming major upcoming games including Gears of War: E-Day and Control Resonant on Steam. The Chinese action game has shifted half a million copies on Steam despite being days from release, according to the supplied report.
As many colleges roll back or eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Sacramento State has expanded its offerings for students of color. The university’s approach illustrates the continuing divergence among colleges over how to support Black students amid political pressure on DEI.
Pupils at Mitchell House Special School in east Belfast have written a song to help give classmates a voice. Many students are non-verbal, but the school emphasizes that this does not mean they cannot communicate.
Final screen tests for the next James Bond are expected to take place this weekend, according to reports. Callum Turner and Jack Lowden appear to be among the actors in contention for the role.
Sarah J. Maas has returned with the latest book in her best-selling ACOTAR romantasy series after a five-year hiatus. “A Court of Splintered Harmony” is the newest installment for readers preparing to re-enter the series.
A powerful earthquake hit Tibet, killing 16 people, according to reports. The quake struck a mountainous, sparsely populated area in what China calls the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Hundreds of flights were cancelled after Typhoon Champi shut down parts of Taiwan. One person died after being swept away by waves on Taiwan’s Liuqiu island, authorities said.