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November 10: Nvidia Faces Investigations as Democrats Flip Five Attorney General Offices
At the Booker Prize
M John Harrison has become the oldest Booker Prize winner at 81. Judges unanimously chose his dystopian novel, The End of Everything, about mysterious shapeshifting lifeforms invading a near-future Kent coast. He receives 50,000 pounds, surpassing Margaret Atwood’s age record of 79.
In tech and security
Meta has launched Muse Ember, a compact AI model for coding and business tasks. Artificial Analysis estimates its cost per benchmark task at 14 cents, compared with 41 cents for Anthropic’s Claude Haiku 5.5, with matching Intelligence Index scores. Haiku did better on a separate coding benchmark.
Nvidia is investigating reports of a foreign intelligence operation targeting CEO Jensen Huang, who acknowledged an affair with a woman accused of spying for China. Shareholders have sued Huang and the company over his alleged ties to a suspected spy. Semafor reports that lawmakers from both parties want investigations and tighter chip export controls. They also cite reports that Nvidia may have sought chip access for questionable Chinese companies.
In U.S. news
Reuters reports that Democrats flipped attorney general offices in Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Iowa and Kansas. The incoming officials could halt cooperation with federal immigration operations, strengthen abortion access and challenge Trump administration environmental and gun policies, according to Reuters.
The Supreme Court has allowed border wall construction to resume in Texas’s Big Bend region, including parts of Big Bend National Park. Its unsigned emergency ruling suspended a lower court’s halt. The justices said Congress’s law favors border control over environmental and recreational harm.
Outgoing Republican Congressman Thomas Massie has filed a resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over accusations of unlawful orders.
In Delaware, two teenagers have been indicted over a Halloween shooting that injured seven people in Newark. Prosecutors say each faces seven attempted murder counts and additional charges. Four people remain in the hospital. Both suspects are in custody.
In England’s schools
In a poll of headteachers whose schools underwent Ofsted’s new inspections, 52 percent said the experience had them considering leaving sooner than planned. Almost two-thirds of school leaders surveyed described the new regime as much more intense than its predecessor.
In China’s energy transition
A state-linked think tank projects China will invest about 940 billion dollars in alternative energy capacity and infrastructure in 2026. The China Enterprise Reform and Development Society expects greater emphasis on grid expansion and supporting infrastructure.
In Russia
Novaya Gazeta has closed its office after three decades, citing government pressure. It was the last major independent news outlet critical of the Kremlin still operating in Russia.
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