“Shares in Elon Musk’s SpaceX have plunged as tech and artificial intelligence stocks more broadly plummeted a day after the Democrats swept to victory in the midterms. Those losses dragged the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite stock index down, which had fallen by more than 5% at one point in early trading. The market has been reacting to possible tougher scrutiny of data centre construction and the artificial intelligence (AI) industry following Democrat wins in key data centre states including Texas. Following the election, some tech leaders have acknowledged they need to improve their communication around data centres and the benefits of AI. SpaceX shares were down more than 7% in early trading on Thursday, while Tesla shares dropped more than 9%.” (11/05/26)
“Jailed Hong Kong opposition activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung has been sentenced to 10 years behind bars for his role in a global campaign to instigate sanctions against mainland China and the city in the aftermath of the 2019 anti-government protests. The High Court ruled on Thursday that Wong and fugitive ex-lawmaker Nathan Law Kwun-chung had partly contributed to the imposition of sanctions and adverse measures against mainland and Hong Kong officials which significantly undermined national security. The 30-year-old, who earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, had been scheduled to complete a sentence of four years and eight months for conspiracy to commit subversion on January 7 next year.” (11/05/26)
“Six bodies were retrieved from the debris of a building in Kenya’s capital on Thursday, two weeks after the deadly collapse, bringing the confirmed death toll to eight as police said recovery operations were nearing completion. Sixteen people are still believed to be missing since the building fell on Oct. 23. Four people were rescued alive from the 18-story building, which collapsed along a busy commercial street in Nairobi, while its upper floors were still under construction. The ground and basement floors had been rented out to businesses, including an electronics shop, a grocery store, a textile shop and a butchery. Nairobi County Gov. Johnson Sakaja said the building had not been approved for construction and that the renting out of the completed floors was also illegal.” (11/05/26)
“The United States has imposed sanctions on companies and individuals in India and Turkiye that it accuses of helping Iran get around restrictions on its oil exports and its airlines. The US Department of the Treasury said on Wednesday that the measures target a ‘vast criminal network’ run by Suniel Kumar Sharma and his wife, Jaspreet Preeti Shahid, who are based in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh. Two other Indian nationals who head the couple’s businesses and nine entities linked to Sharma were also sanctioned. According to the Treasury, the couple falsely claimed to represent the maritime authorities of countries including Guyana, Eswatini and Laos.” (11/05/26)
“Department of Justice civil rights chief Harmeet Dhillon plans to resign as soon as Thursday after the GOP took a shellacking in the 2026 midterm elections, sources familiar with the situation told The Post. Dhillon, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment, has helmed the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division since April 2025, handling the Trump administration’s probes of US universities, hate crimes at houses of worship and election integrity efforts. The civil rights chief told ‘Pod Force One’ host Miranda Devine in December that she was proud to oversee ‘the biggest single personnel self-purge in DOJ history.’ Nearly 70% of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division workforce quit, either over differences with the administration or in response to offers of payouts from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) payouts.” (11/05/26)
“US drama ‘The Pitt’ is similar enough to medical series ‘ER’ for a lawsuit against its producers to progress, a court in the US has ruled. The widow of Michael Crichton, who created ‘ER’, argues ‘The Pitt’ is effectively a reboot of the series, which has been made without proper permission or credit. Sherri Crichton says her husband’s contract included a ‘frozen rights’ provision that prohibited any spin-offs, sequels or reboots of ER being made without his express consent. A three-judge panel said there are ‘clear and numerous similarities between The Pitt and ER’, which means the case can go ahead. Warner Bros previously described the lawsuit as ‘baseless’ and sought to have it dismissed. Listing the similarities between the two shows, the court cited the emergency room setting, the fast pace, use of medical jargon, graphic depictions of injuries, and younger doctors fresh from medical school being trained.” (11/05/26)
“American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan visited Pope Leo XIV at the pontiff’s residence on Wednesday as part of the Vatican’s wider effort to create a bridge between the Catholic Church and popular culture. The Vatican News said the visit between the two men was brief and included a few lighthearted exchanges. Pope Leo gave Dylan a rosary and the singer gifted the pontiff a copy of his book Chronicles: Volume One. … Pope Leo quoted Dylan’s 1963 song ‘Go Away You Bomb’ in the preface of a printed collection of his speeches and reflections released in July.” (11/04/26)
“Races between the candidates for U.S. Senate in Alaska and Mississippi are separated by razor-thin margins days after polls closed in the crucial midterm elections. In Mississippi, where 95.6% of the votes have been counted, according to the Associated Press, Democratic candidate Scott Colom leads incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith [R-MS], 464,926 votes to 463,788, as of Thursday morning. In Alaska, former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, leads incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan [R-AK] by less than 700 votes. While Alaska still has a quarter of its votes to count, according to the AP, if the gap between Peltola and Sullivan remains this slim, the introduction of a second candidate named Dan Sullivan will loom large in post-election analyses.” (11/05/26)
“San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan conceded her race for Congress on Wednesday evening, as state Sen. Scott Wiener continued to pull ahead in vote totals after voting concluded Tuesday. That puts Wiener on track to succeed Rep. Nancy Pelosi despite her endorsement for his opponent. Chan posted a message to X and shared a statement with CNN, writing: ‘While we expect the margin to narrow significantly, we do not have a clear path to victory. I congratulate Scott Wiener on his election and wish him success in serving San Francisco.’ The latest vote totals released Wednesday afternoon by the San Francisco Department of Elections had Wiener ahead with more than 55% of the vote. The New York Times estimated that 57% of votes have been counted.” (11/04/26)
“Orders for what one official called a ‘national no enforcement day’ began circulating on Monday inside U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Handed down through ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division through internal group chats and verbal commands, the directive called for a halt to all immigration enforcement operations on Election Day, according to ICE officials across the country who spoke to The Intercept. … According to multiple ICE officials who spoke to The Intercept, the orders were handed down quietly to avoid media attention.” (11/04/26)
