Democrats Sweep Midterms and Win Back Control of Congress
Democrats swept the midterms in a widely predicted blue wave, winning control of both the House and Senate. Yesterday also saw a new record set for women in state executive offices, with at least 17 set to serve as governor in 2027, up from the previous high of 14. Control of Congress gives the party the power to shape the final two years of the Trump administration, including investigations and oversight of the war with Iran and the AI spending that has driven the tech trade. Republicans lost their hold on Washington in a race that Vice President JD Vance blamed partly on the Iran conflict and the high price of oil that came with it.
Valkyries’ Game 7 Win Becomes Most-Watched WNBA Playoff Game in League History
The Golden State Valkyries clinched its first WNBA title in a Game 7 against the Atlanta Dream on Halloween. The game drew 3.3 million viewers across USA Network, CNBC, and Peacock, according to Nielsen, making it the most-watched playoff game in league history, breaking a record that had stood since 1999, and the second-most-watched WNBA game since the league’s opening weekend back in ’97. This year’s Finals averaged about 1.89 million viewers, also a league high. Gabby Williams took Finals MVP after scoring 30 points, 28 of them in the second half.
Cynthia Erivo Cast as Tupac’s Mother in Universal’s ‘Snoop’ Biopic
The Wicked star has joined Craig Brewer’s Snoop Dogg biopic, Snoop, to play Afeni Shakur, the Black Panther activist and mother of Tupac. Universal announced the casting Wednesday. Jonathan Daviss will play Snoop Dogg and Camron Jones will play Tupac, with Lauren London as Snoop’s mother, Beverly Tate. The film has been shooting in Southern California since mid-September and hits theaters August 6, 2027. Brewer, the Hustle & Flow director, is working from a Joe Robert Cole script, and Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer and Allan Mandelbaum are producing alongside Snoop Dogg and Death Row Pictures.
Caitlin Clark Signs Multiyear Deal as First-Ever Athlete Brand Partner for Dick’s and Foot Locker
Caitlin Clark has signed a multiyear partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods and Foot Locker, making her the first individual athlete either retailer has named as a brand partner. The deal covers national and global campaigns, promotions for her Nike Caitlin 1 signature shoe and apparel, retail and digital experiences, and community programming. Dick’s CEO Ed Stack said Clark’s influence reaches beyond the court, and Clark called it a “full-circle moment,” since Dick’s was a pre-season stop when she was growing up.
Pierce Brosnan Backs Callum Turner as Next James Bond
Former 007 Pierce Brosnan has endorsed Callum Turner as a top candidate for the role, telling Vanity Fair that Turner is “someone I’ve worked with, and he’s so strong.” The two co-starred in the 2017 film The Only Living Boy in New York. Brosnan, who played Bond in four films from 1995 to 2002, said he’s “just an audience member now” and is eager to see who lands the role. Turner is reported to be the frontrunner, with Jack Lowden and Josh O’Connor also among the actors reportedly offered screen tests. There’s no word on when a decision will be made.
Rian Johnson Releases Chromagraph Camera, an iPhone App Built on His Films’ Color Science
Rian Johnson, who directed The Last Jedi and Knives Out, has launched a $12.99 iPhone camera app called Chromagraph Camera. He worked with cinematographer Steve Yedlin and programmer Eric Cameron to build it. The app shoots RAW, skips Apple’s standard processing, and applies the custom color, grain, and halation processing used on Johnson’s films. Johnson announced it on X on October 28 after the app quietly appeared on the App Store on October 20, and it has since climbed the Photo & Video chart. Ironically, it’s still-photo only with video possibly coming later for newer Pro models.
Stocks Surge and Oil Drops Below $100 as Democrats Sweep Midterms
Wall Street rallied hard Wednesday after Democrats won control of both the House and Senate. The Dow jumped 1,569 points, or 3%, for its best day since April 2025 and its biggest post-midterm gain since 1982, while the S&P 500 rose 1.58% and the Nasdaq gained 1.44%. Crude fell about 9% to around $94 a barrel, dropping below $100 for the first time in nearly a month, as traders weighed the prospect of an end to the war with Iran. Vice President JD Vance blamed the conflict and the resulting oil spike for Republicans’ losses. Coincidentally, energy stocks took the hardest hit.
Denim Tears and Adidas Launch Multiyear Partnership With Stan Smith and Superstar
Adidas has announced a multiyear partnership with Tremaine Emory’s Denim Tears, and the first collaboration is a pair of sneakers that nods to New York’s Canal Street. The Stan Smith ($160) and Superstar ($180) feature uppers inspired by plaid plastic tote bags, with “Denim Tears” branding on the side panels. Emory says the print is meant to be read as American, because the people who carry it are part of the country. The pair drops Saturday, Nov. 7, exclusively at African Diaspora Goods at 176 Spring St. in New York City.
Scientists Find Dinosaur Blood Preserved in 115-Million-Year-Old Fossil
Yes, for real. For the first time, researchers have chemically identified blood compounds inside a dinosaur fossil. A study led by an international team of scientists found intact biomolecules and mineralized red blood cells in the bones of a juvenile Aratasaurus museunacionali, an Early Cretaceous theropod discovered in Brazil in 2008. The key find is heme, the iron-containing molecule that carries oxygen in blood, which had never been identified this way in a fossil. Researchers credit a fast burial in an oxygen-poor, microbe-rich environment, along with a manganese oxide called hausmannite, for preserving the cell structures. Curtin University chemist Kliti Grice, a study co-author, called it “a landmark discovery” that challenges long-held assumptions about how long biomolecules can survive.
Ravens Finalizing Trade for Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett After Jackson and Huntley Injuries
With its QB room depleted, Baltimore is bringing in Jacoby Brissett from Arizona, with the deal expected to be completed this weekend, according to ESPN. The move comes after Lamar Jackson suffered a potentially season-ending thumb injury that will require surgery, and backup Tyler “Snoop” Huntley’s turf toe injury ended his season. Brissett was benched by the Cardinals this week after starting 20 straight games. The move will reunite him with Ravens quarterbacks coach Israel Woolfork, who coached him in Arizona last season. The Ravens, currently 4-4, have lost three straight and sit last in the AFC North.
CVS Health Will Split Into Two Companies, Spinning Off Its Retail Pharmacies by 2028
CVS is breaking up the drugstore-and-insurance conglomerate that it spent decades building. The company announced Wednesday that it will separate into two publicly traded firms, with the retail arm, about 9,000 pharmacy locations, the mail-order pharmacy, and MinuteClinic, becoming CVS Pharmacy. The original CVS Health keeps Aetna, Caremark, and specialty pharmacy. The split is expected in the first half of 2028 and is intended to be tax-free to shareholders. The Financial Times reported the plan Tuesday and said the move comes amid federal and state scrutiny of vertically integrated healthcare giants. The retail business generated about $139 billion last year, roughly a third of the company’s revenue.
NASA’s Swift Telescope Falls to Earth After Failed Rescue Mission
NASA’s Swift observatory fell back to Earth Wednesday morning, re-entering the atmosphere at 7:39 a.m. ET over northern Sumatra. The 3,200-pound telescope launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts and had been running well past its two-year primary mission. A private rescue attempt by Katalyst Space’s LINK spacecraft, funded by a $30 million NASA contract, was meant to boost Swift to a higher orbit, but LINK suffered propulsion and reaction wheel problems and never reached it. NASA expects most of the spacecraft to burn up on reentry, with the odds of surviving debris hurting anyone estimated at 1 in 2,100. Swift observed more than 2,000 gamma-ray bursts and 1,400 supernovas during its lifetime.
HYBE Posts Record Quarter as BTS World Tour Drives Revenue to $1.13 Billion
HYBE hit an all-time quarterly high in July through September, bringing in 1.5257 trillion won ($1.13 billion) in revenue and 188.5 billion won ($140 million) in operating profit. BTS’s world tour did most of the heavy lifting here with concert revenue reaching a quarterly record of $540.5 million. The group brought out about 70,000 fans per show across Europe and the U.S. Merchandise and licensing also set a record at $248.8 million, with BTS’s North American tour merch alone accounting for $79.6 million. KATSEYE, which sold out all 31 of its shows, helped round out a quarter that puts HYBE on pace to become the first South Korean label to post 4 trillion won in annual revenue.
Image: Bruce Glikas / WireImage / Getty Images
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