Microsoft is reportedly offering buyouts to as many as 60,000 employees to cut costs as it adapts to changing workforce needs and increased use of artificial intelligence. Bloomberg reported that employees in divisions including Xbox, Windows and Copilot may be eligible, while some roles in cybersecurity, data centers and marketing are excluded.
Key Facts
Microsoft has a global workforce of about 223,000 employees, according to the article.
In April, Microsoft offered voluntary retirement to about 7% of its roughly 125,000 U.S. employees at the time.
Microsoft executive Amy Coleman said the offer gives eligible workers support if they choose to leave and gives participating organizations another way to adjust staffing.
Meta announced plans in April to cut about 8,000 jobs, or 10% of its staff.
Oracle cut 21,000 jobs in June, nearly 13% of its workforce; the article links the cuts to AI.
A working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that 90% of 9,000 surveyed senior executives said AI had not yet increased productivity at their companies.
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A small UCLA study found that breast cancer survivors who took oxaloacetate for eight weeks reported improved cognitive-function scores and less fatigue. The study had 18 participants and no comparison group, so it cannot establish that the supplement caused the changes or confirm its effectiveness.
Key Facts
The study was published October 20 in JCO Oncology Advances.
Researchers enrolled 18 women with early-stage breast cancer who were at least 12 months past primary treatment and had no evidence of active or recurrent disease.
Participants took 500 milligrams of oxaloacetate twice daily for eight weeks.
The group’s average score on a self-reported cognitive-impairment scale rose from 29.1 to 55.5; scores below 54 indicate impairment.
The 16 participants who continued taking the supplement also reported improved fatigue-related symptoms.
Researchers reported improvement in physical functioning and small, statistically non-significant changes in insomnia, anxiety, and depression.
Two participants stopped the supplement because of adverse effects; the article does not provide further details about those effects.
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Walter Koenig, the actor who played Pavel Chekov in the original Star Trek series and films, died Sunday in Los Angeles at age 90, his agent confirmed. He also appeared in Babylon 5 and other screen productions, and received a 2026 Independent Shorts Awards honor for his performance in Mr Fleischmann.
Key Facts
Koenig played Chekov on Star Trek from its second season in 1967 through the series finale in 1969.
He reprised Chekov in six original-cast Star Trek films released from 1979 to 1991 and appeared briefly in Generations in 1994.
He voiced President Anton Chekov in Star Trek: Picard in 2023.
In Babylon 5, he played Alfred Bester, a telepath associated with the Psi Corps.
Koenig was born in Chicago and grew up in Manhattan; his parents were Lithuanian immigrants.
He married Judy Levitt in 1965. She died in 2022.
Koenig is survived by his daughter, Danielle Koenig.
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Senior figures in Keir Starmer’s government said officials discussed moving staff from 10 Downing Street to open-plan offices elsewhere, citing concerns that the historic building’s layout hindered collaboration. The discussions remained at an early stage, and it is unclear whether Starmer was consulted; there was no proposal to change the prime minister’s residence.
Key Facts
James Lyons, who led Starmer’s communications operation from October 2024 to September 2025, said moving out of Downing Street had been discussed.
Two other senior figures confirmed that staff relocation was discussed.
One possible location was an open-plan office in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office building.
Sources said the discussions did not advance beyond an early phase.
The proposed move concerned staff workplaces, not the prime minister’s residence.
10 Downing Street is more than 300 years old and comprises more than 100 rooms.
Lyons and Iceland boss Lord Walker criticized the building’s suitability as a workplace.
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Six private citizens sued President Donald Trump’s administration in federal court in New York over restrictions on White House media access. They say they rely on independent reporting for work in areas including education, journalism, research and advocacy.
Key Facts
The lawsuit was filed Monday in federal court in New York.
The plaintiffs include a human rights advocate, a media watchdog, a university history professor, a high school teacher, a legal journalist and a student journalist.
The plaintiffs say restrictions on White House reporters limit access to information they need for their work.
The suit is the first described in the article to challenge the restrictions on behalf of news consumers rather than the affected outlets.
Last month, Trump barred journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico from attending White House news conferences.
A federal judge ruled that the ban violated the First Amendment and ordered access restored; the administration continues to challenge the ruling.
Trump said he is considering moving the press to another location to free up space.
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Brazil’s real fell 12 percent against the U.S. dollar after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won re-election. Stocks and interest-rate futures also moved sharply as investors assessed his fiscal plans and uncertainty over Jair Bolsonaro’s response to the result.
Key Facts
The Bovespa stock index fell 10 percent, triggering a 30-minute trading halt.
Bovespa futures fell nearly 15 percent on Monday.
Interest-rate futures rose 3.1 percent after Lula’s victory.
Lula’s team aims to achieve a budget surplus of about 1.3 percent of GDP by 2030.
Brazil’s public debt exceeds 82 percent of GDP, while required spending limits potential savings.
Investors are watching Lula’s choice of finance minister for clues about his fiscal approach.
The article reports that Jair Bolsonaro had not conceded the election and that his objections added to market uncertainty.
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Voters in Massachusetts will decide whether to keep a 2024 law that requires firearm registration and expands restrictions on certain guns. Idaho voters will answer a nonbinding question about choosing an official state gun from six historic firearms, including the M1 Garand.
Key Facts
Massachusetts Question 9 asks voters whether to uphold the 2024 firearms law.
The Massachusetts law requires firearms to be serialized and registered with the state.
The law also restricts ghost guns and devices that enable rapid firing, expands the ban on assault-style weapons, and broadens the state's red-flag law.
Massachusetts residents face a registration deadline six days before the referendum, according to the article.
The law took effect in 2024 after Gov. Maura Healey signed an emergency provision, rather than waiting for the referendum.
Idaho's Republican-led Legislature placed a nonbinding question on the ballot asking voters for advice on naming a state gun.
Idaho voters will choose among six historic firearms; Neill Goodfellow said he plans to vote for the M1 Garand.
An estimated three in five Idaho adults live in households with guns, according to the RAND Gun Policy in America initiative.
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Recent storms have raised Lake Powell’s level, while Lake Mead remained near historically low levels. The reservoirs are part of a Colorado River system strained by years of drought, low snowpack and disputes over how states will share its water.
Key Facts
Lake Powell rose about 7 feet in the week before October 26, reaching roughly 3,530 feet.
Lake Powell was about 23 percent full as of Saturday and remained far below its full-pool level.
Lake Mead stayed near 1,037 feet over the same week, below a record low recorded earlier in 2026.
A meteorologist said roughly 0.5 to 3 inches of rain fell across the region in the prior week, with some areas receiving up to twice that amount.
October rainfall reached 5.69 inches in Flagstaff, Arizona, and 4.28 inches in Durango, Colorado, according to the article.
The Colorado River supplies water to tens of millions of people in seven states and supports farms, hydropower, recreation and wildlife habitat.
Key agreements governing Colorado River water are set to expire in 2026.
Nevada filed a federal lawsuit in August challenging the Interior Department’s new framework for operating the river.
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The article discusses whether companies built around artificial intelligence can grow with smaller workforces and fewer management layers. It cites venture investment data and analyses of AI-native firms, while noting that AI’s usefulness depends on reliable data, effective workflows, and human oversight.
Key Facts
KPMG’s Venture Pulse report put U.S. venture investment at $144.9 billion across 3,644 deals in the second quarter of 2026.
The article says artificial intelligence accounted for a substantial share of the largest U.S. venture deals that quarter.
A 2026 Forbes analysis reported that some AI-native firms generate more revenue per employee than traditional software companies.
A separate Forbes article examined research into more than 2,900 startups and reported that AI-native companies tend to have smaller workforces and fewer management layers.
The article says these findings do not prove that smaller teams are always more productive.
It describes AI uses in business operations such as pricing, product management, reporting, and fulfillment.
The article says AI systems’ effectiveness depends on data quality, the processes they support, and human oversight.
It notes that businesses operating internationally must account for differences in consumer preferences, pricing, product availability, and purchasing behavior.
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Elon Musk accused Ukraine of using SpaceX’s commercial Starlink service for offensive drone strikes, which he said violated its terms of service. Ukrainian officials denied the accusation, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said satellite speeds had been restored after SpaceX imposed and then lifted restrictions.
Key Facts
Musk said SpaceX closed a loophole that had allowed Ukraine to use Starlink for offensive drone strikes.
A Ukrainian defense technology adviser said speed limits on Starlink terminals made the alleged strikes physically impossible.
The adviser also said Starlink does not work over Russian territory.
Musk pointed to a Zelenskyy post describing the use of Starlink for mid-range strikes in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.
Ukrainian officials have sometimes used the names Starlink and Starshield interchangeably, complicating claims about which service was involved.
Ukraine officials said satellite connectivity had been restricted for drones traveling faster than 161 kilometers per hour.
Zelenskyy said Starlink and Starshield speeds had returned to their pre-restriction levels.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Starshield was again working at speeds above 400 kilometers per hour.
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Senate Majority Leader John Thune is campaigning with Republican candidates in competitive Senate races as the party works to retain its majority in the midterm elections. In Iowa, he joined Rep. Ashley Hinson, who faces Democrat Josh Turek in a close race to replace retiring Sen. Joni Ernst.
Key Facts
Thune said Hinson must win for Republicans to keep their Senate majority.
Hinson and Turek are competing in Iowa, which the article describes as a tight race despite its Republican lean.
Thune has campaigned with Republican Senate candidates in Nebraska, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Kentucky, Florida and Minnesota.
Thune plans to campaign in Ohio with Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who faces former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.
Republicans have faced voter frustration over President Donald Trump, the war in Iran, and high gasoline and grocery prices.
Thune supports the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote and voter ID nationwide.
Thune has refused Trump’s calls to end the Senate filibuster, which means most legislation needs 60 votes to pass.
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A CBS News report says new polling suggests that voters are going to the polls in the upcoming midterm elections because of specific issues. The excerpt does not identify those issues or give poll results for Democrats or Republicans.
Key Facts
The report focuses on why Democrats and Republicans are voting in the midterm elections.
CBS News says the midterm elections are days away.
The report says new polling data points to issues as a reason voters are heading to the polls.
The excerpt does not name the issues voters cited.
The excerpt does not provide poll numbers or explain differences between Democratic and Republican voters.
Fin Gómez, Nancy Cordes and Ed O’Keefe are named as CBS News reporters covering the poll.
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Senate candidates in Texas and Michigan are challenging U.S. weapons transfers to Israel. The article asks whether the midterm elections could give Congress enough votes to block military support, but the supplied text does not provide an answer.
Key Facts
The article focuses on U.S. midterm elections.
Senate candidates are challenging weapons transfers to Israel.
The candidates mentioned are in Texas and Michigan.
The article examines whether election results could change congressional support for military aid.
The supplied text does not identify the candidates or describe their proposals.
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Downing Street said Andy Burnham has not proposed restoring freedom of movement with the EU and has not taken a firm position on the option. Burnham said the public should decide the UK’s long-term relationship with the bloc, while ruling out rejoining the EU during the current parliament.
Key Facts
A Downing Street spokesperson said the prime minister was not advocating any specific option for the UK’s long-term relationship with Europe.
The spokesperson said the government had not decided whether the public would vote on proposals to bring the UK closer to the EU.
Burnham said he would not allow the UK to join the EU’s freedom-of-movement scheme without a referendum.
Burnham said he would like to see the UK rejoin the EU in his lifetime but would not get ahead of public opinion.
He ruled out rejoining the EU during the current parliament and said there would not be an early general election on a change of policy.
Burnham said the UK would not rerun the Brexit referendum and that the public would decide what happens next.
Burnham is due to attend the UK-EU summit in Brussels on 20 November to seek a better deal with the bloc.
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Western Sydney International, Sydney’s first commercial airport designed to operate 24 hours a day, opened for flights on Sunday. Some nearby residents may still face long trips to reach it: the metro line is delayed and is not expected to be complete for at least another 12 months.
Key Facts
Western Sydney International opened for flights on Sunday.
The airport is Sydney’s first commercial airport designed for 24-hour operations.
The airport was built to serve Western Sydney.
Some residents who live nearby may not have a faster trip to the airport.
A metro line is being built to serve the airport.
The metro line has faced delays and is expected to take at least another 12 months to complete.
The article describes the airport as costing $5 billion.
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María Corina Machado is back in Venezuela while demands for a democratic election continue. CBS News correspondent Lilia Luciano reports on her return, but the provided article text does not explain what may happen next.
Key Facts
María Corina Machado is back in Venezuela.
Demands for a democratic election continue.
CBS News correspondent Lilia Luciano reports on Machado's return.
The headline asks what will happen next.
The provided article text does not describe any next steps.
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The November 3, 2026, midterm elections will decide control of Congress, where Republicans currently hold majorities in both chambers. Voters will also choose governors and state and local officials, while the results could affect President Donald Trump’s ability to advance his agenda.
Key Facts
All 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are contested, including special elections in Florida and Ohio.
Voters in 36 states will elect governors.
Democrats need to gain three House seats and four Senate seats to take control, according to the article.
A 50-50 Senate split would leave Republicans in control because Vice President JD Vance can cast tie-breaking votes.
Republicans currently hold 218 House seats to Democrats’ 214; one independent aligns with Republicans, and two seats are vacant.
House members serve two-year terms, and 218 seats are needed for a majority.
Since 1946, the president’s party has lost an average of 26.5 House seats in midterm elections, according to the article’s cited professor.
The article cites an estimate that about 35 House races could decide control of the chamber.
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Jill Yahnite, a fractional sales leader, argues that businesses can use AI to generate ideas but still need human judgment to assess and implement them. She says leaders who rely on AI without checking its recommendations risk poor decisions that can affect employees, customers, and early-career workers.
Key Facts
Yahnite says business leaders use AI for tasks such as identifying customers, choosing lead-generation platforms, building sales processes, and forecasting growth.
She describes working with a company that had $2 million in revenue whose CEO brought an AI recommendation to use ZoomInfo.
Yahnite recommended Apollo instead, saying it better matched the company’s budget and needs.
The article says AI-generated advice may not account for a particular company’s customers, resources, market, or objectives.
Yahnite argues that leaders must assess AI outputs, test assumptions, choose what to implement, and monitor the results.
The article says routine tasks performed by sales development representatives and junior marketing employees are being automated.
Yahnite says those entry-level roles have helped workers learn about customers, commercial relationships, negotiation, rejection, and uncertainty.
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The United Nations warned that Israel’s operation in Hebron raises serious concerns of ethnic cleansing after Israeli forces displaced thousands of Palestinians. The operation followed an attack in which two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers near the city; UN officials called for it to end and said displaced residents should be allowed to return.
Key Facts
Hebron’s municipality said 3,189 people had been forced from their homes by the ongoing operation.
Israeli forces entered Ein Deir Baha, the neighbourhood where the two attackers lived, and ordered residents to leave.
The two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint near Hebron on Friday and were killed in a shootout.
UN rights chief Volker Turk said the operation had demolished homes and commercial property and restricted residents’ movement.
Turk said collective punishment violates international law and called for compensation and reparation for unlawful evictions and demolitions.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was deeply alarmed by Israeli actions in the West Bank and called for them to end.
The operation began days before Israel’s Tuesday elections.
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine, Russia and the United States agreed to restart trilateral peace talks next month. He also renewed his call for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss territorial issues.
Key Facts
Zelenskyy said Ukraine, Russia and the United States agreed to hold trilateral talks.
The talks are planned for next month.
The talks concern efforts to reach peace.
Zelenskyy renewed his push for a meeting with Putin.
Zelenskyy said he wants to discuss territorial issues at such a meeting.
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