Daily News Briefing

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Thursday, October 15, 2026

Morning edition

AI

Eight state attorneys general sue OpenAI over ChatGPT and minorsThe attorneys general of Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Iowa, Kansas, West Virginia and Nebraska each filed a lawsuit against OpenAI on Wednesday, alleging the company did not put sufficient safeguards in place to protect vulnerable users, including kids, Bloomberg Law reported. The states want OpenAI to disgorge money made while minors were harmed and to stop making what they call inaccurate and deceptive statements about its safety practices, according to the report. OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said the company has built "industry-leading age-specific protections" into its product.
Sources: Bloomberg Law
xAI releases Grok Voice 3.0 in its Voice Agent APIxAI released Grok Voice 3.0, a speech-to-speech model, on Oct. 14, available in its Voice Agent API at $0.08 per minute, the same price as Grok Voice 2.0, according to the company's announcement. xAI said the model scored 86.9 on the Artificial Analysis Speech-to-Speech Index, ranking first, and that agents using grok-voice-latest were switched over automatically.
Sources: xAI

Financial

Thursday in Asia, per the AP: South Korea's Kospi fell 7.9% to 5,532.74, Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 5% to 64,340.84, Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.4% to 23,982.04 and the Shanghai Composite fell 2% to 3,692.18, while U.S. futures were mixed. Brent crude fell 1.6% to $104.34 a barrel, U.S. benchmark crude fell 1.2% to $93.98, and the 10-year Treasury yield was 5.11%, the AP reported.

Kospi	5,532.74	-7.9%
Nikkei 225	64,340.84	-5%
Hang Seng	23,982.04	-1.4%
Shanghai Comp.	3,692.18	-2%

Source: AP via The News-Gazette

TSMC reports third-quarter net income of NT$763.06 billionTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. reported third-quarter net revenue of NT$1,494.24 billion, up 50.9% from a year earlier, and net income of NT$763.06 billion, up 68.7%, in a Form 6-K dated Oct. 15, according to StockTitan's summary of the filing. Diluted earnings were NT$29.43 per share (US$4.60 per ADR unit) and gross margin was 66.4%, according to the filing.
Sources: TSMC Form 6-K via StockTitan
Netflix to lay off about 1,000 employees, Variety reportsNetflix plans to lay off about 1,000 employees, roughly 6% of its workforce, Variety reported Wednesday, citing an internal email from co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters, according to City News Service via NBC Los Angeles (single source). The email said: "Our business is strong and growing, and we remain on track to deliver our full year forecast." Netflix is scheduled to report third-quarter earnings on Tuesday, Oct. 20, according to the report.
Sources: NBC Los Angeles (City News Service)

Real estate

Average 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 7.449%, Fortune reportsThe average 30-year fixed conventional mortgage rate was 7.449%, up from 7.388% a day earlier and down from 7.515% a week earlier, Fortune reported Thursday using Mortgage Research Center data available Oct. 14. The average 15-year fixed rate was 6.607%, according to the report.
Sources: Fortune

Los Angeles

Taste of Soul festival set for Saturday on Crenshaw BoulevardThe 21st Taste of Soul festival runs Saturday, Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Crenshaw Boulevard between Obama Boulevard and Stocker Street in South L.A., and admission is free, LAist reported. The day opens at 10 a.m. with a parade featuring marching bands from Dorsey and Crenshaw high schools, and organizers say more than 100 food vendors will take part, according to LAist.
Sources: LAist
Original Farmers Market holds free Fall Festival Oct. 17-18The Original Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax holds its Fall Festival 2026 on Saturday, Oct. 17, and Sunday, Oct. 18, with free admission and no ticket required, NBC Los Angeles reported. The event includes a petting zoo both days, live music on the Plaza and West Patio, craft-making and a pumpkin patch, according to the report.
Sources: NBC Los Angeles

Santa Clarita

College of the Canyons football hosts Native American Heritage Day Oct. 17College of the Canyons hosts Native American Heritage Day at Cougar Stadium in Valencia on Saturday, Oct. 17, with festivities starting at 10:30 a.m. and kickoff against East L.A. College at noon, KHTS reported. Activities include a land acknowledgement, a ceremonial coin toss and halftime entertainment; general admission is $10, $5 for children under 12 and seniors over 65, and free for college staff and students with ID, according to KHTS.
Sources: KHTS
Project Linus blanket drop-off set for Oct. 24 at Academy of the CanyonsThe Santa Clarita Valley/Sylmar/Antelope Valley chapter of Project Linus holds a Fall Make-A-Blanket Day drop-off on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Academy of the Canyons, 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, KHTS reported. The nonprofit makes and delivers handmade blankets for seriously ill and traumatized children, according to KHTS.
Sources: KHTS
Santa Clarita Master Chorale stages "One Night Only!" Oct. 25The Santa Clarita Master Chorale performs a Broadway program, "One Night Only!", on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 4 p.m. at Valencia Church, 25718 McBean Parkway, with tickets at $25, according to a news release published by KHTS. The concert is a fundraiser for the Chorale's operating budget and is followed by a dessert reception, the release said.
Sources: KHTS

Pullman-Moscow

University of Idaho Homecoming runs Oct. 18-24 in MoscowUniversity of Idaho Homecoming 2026 runs Sunday, Oct. 18, through Saturday, Oct. 24, starting with a 3 p.m. kickoff on Tower Lawn, according to the university. The 118th Homecoming Parade is at 10 a.m. Oct. 24 on Main Street, followed by Vandal football against Southern Utah at 2 p.m. in the P1FCU Kibbie Dome; a rally and fireworks show are set for Friday night, Oct. 23, the university said.
Sources: University of Idaho
Foley Institute co-hosts online panel on Washington's three ballot initiatives ThursdayWSU's Thomas S. Foley Institute and Braver Angels of Washington State host a Zoom webinar panel debate on Washington's three 2026 ballot initiatives on Thursday, Oct. 15, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., WSU Insider reported. The measures are IL26-001 on parental rights in public school education, IP26-645 on state and local taxes, and IL26-638 on K-12 school athletics, according to WSU Insider.
Sources: WSU Insider
WSU Press author Roberta Paul reads Thursday in PullmanAuthor Roberta Paul reads from her WSU Press book "Listening to the Birds: A Nez Perce Woman's Journey of Self-Discovery and Healing" on Thursday, Oct. 15, from 4 to 6 p.m., WSU Insider reported. The article lists the Quiet Study Lounge on the first floor of Terrell Library; the event is free and open to the public, according to WSU Insider.
Sources: WSU Insider

US politics

Trump rallies for Aaron Flint in Kalispell, MontanaPresident Trump held a rally Wednesday at the Majestic Valley Arena in Kalispell, Montana, backing Republican Aaron Flint for a Montana U.S. House seat against Democrat Sam Forstag, Montana Free Press reported. Trump asked Montanans to "just pretend I'm on the ballot," according to the report.
Sources: Montana Free Press
HHS says 189,000 ACA enrollees were double-enrolled or listed as deceasedHHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other officials said at a Wednesday briefing in Washington that a review found 189,000 people enrolled in subsidized Affordable Care Act coverage while also enrolled in a government program or listed as deceased, according to a report published by The Signal (single source). CMS Deputy Administrator Peter Nelson said 58,000 people who already have Medicare were removed from ACA coverage this year and 11,000 subsidized plans for deceased people were ended; flagged enrollees have 30 days to provide evidence, according to the report.
Sources: The Signal

Global risks

Rubio calls Ethiopia's Abiy, urges dialogue with EritreaSecretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone Wednesday with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and urged dialogue under the 2018 Ethiopia-Eritrea peace deal, telling him "all countries in the Horn of Africa must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their neighbors," according to a State Department statement reported by the AP. Human Rights Watch deputy Africa director Laetitia Bader told the AP on Tuesday the group had received reports of civilians killed and injured by shelling in southern Tigray (single source). Ethiopia ranks 12th and Eritrea 26th of 179 countries in the Fund for Peace's 2024 Fragile States Index.
Sources: AP via ClickOrlando, Fragile States Index 2024

Catastrophic events

Good news

Dog lost for 34 days in Yellowstone found aliveLuna, a 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier who escaped near Canyon Village in Yellowstone National Park, was found in a trap the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 14, after 34 days, Cowboy State Daily reported. Katie Boucher, president of Norris Arc Training and Recovery Center, who led the search, said "We got her!"; Luna lost about 10 pounds and was taken to a vet, according to the report.
Sources: Cowboy State Daily