NEWSWORTHY
Invasion of the Bodysnatchers. In a surprise tweet storm (of course), Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced that Twitter would stop accepting any political advertising. "We believe political message reach should be earned, not bought," he explained. The move could pressure Facebook to copy the move, as the world's largest social network is still struggling with its policy allowing politicians, or even just people who say they are candidates for office , to lie with impunity. Hollywood writer Aaron Sorkin (who wrote The Social Network) penned an op-ed calling for Mark Zuckerberg to do better.
Young Frankenstein. The Department of the Interior grounded most of its fleet of drones, reacting to fears that the unmanned aerial vehicles with parts made in China might pose a threat to U.S. national security. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said drones not currently being used for emergency measures‚ such as combating wildfires, would be grounded pending further review.
Psycho. This one's a true Halloween fright. Just as excitement was building that Apple's rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro would include a redesigned keyboard, word comes that, no, we're still going to be stuck with the horrible butterfly design of other MacBooks. Like getting a box of raisins while trick or treating. Blech.
Hour of the Wolf. Going back to his old high school, Microsoft co-founder and mega-philanthropist Bill Gates had many words of wisdom for the kids. "For the curious learner, these are the best of times," he told the gathered students at Lakeside School in Seattle during his visit earlier this month.
Get Out. Content moderators on social networks like Facebook have a horrible task and poor working conditions and, oh yeah, they don't get paid much, either. Now comes news that one of the top outsourcing providers of such services, Cognizant, will exit the business by the end of next year.
Little Shop of Horrors. In addition to Apple, there were also quarterly results from Facebook, Lyft, and Samsung on Wednesday. Facebook said revenue increased 29% to $17.7 billion, better than Wall Street expected. The social network's shares, already up 44% this year, gained another 4% in pre-market trading on Thursday. Lyft reported a 63% revenue gain, to $956 million, and raised its forecast for the year . Its shares, previously down 39% from its March IPO, also gained 4% in premarket trading. Samsung said its third quarter revenue fell 5% to $53.4 billion, as strong phone sales were more than offset by weak prices for memory chips.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
As the political "techlash" against Facebook, Google, and Amazon rolls through Washington, D.C., one senator not running for president may lead the way. Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley has shown he can draw bipartisan support for his legislative proposals, making him one to watch on the techlash beat, according to Recode reporter Emily Stewart. In a profile of Hawley, she examines how he's approaching the subject.
Hawley's position as an anti-tech crusader is getting him attention both inside and outside of his own party, on Capitol Hill, and in the boardroom. He represents a marked shift away from the laissez-faire attitudes that allowed companies such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon to flourish. He's seen a political opening to attack Big Tech and he's capitalizing on it. Silicon Valley should be nervous, not only because of Hawley himself, but because his rise could signal more politicians will emerge with a similar attitude toward Silicon Valley. One tech industry insider put it succinctly: "If you don't take him seriously or find him to be really smart, you're not watching the right television show."
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BEFORE YOU GO
Baseball fans could not have asked for a more thrilling finish to the World Series. Just as the momentum seemed to have swung in favor of the Houston Astros, those pesky Washington Nationals broke open a close Game 7 with six runs in the last three innings to take the championship for the first time ever. Nationals catcher Yan Gomes was seen stashing the baseball used to make the final out. Experts say it could be worth half a million dollars, in part because Nats fans are so excited to finally be winners. Let the bidding commence.
Aaron Pressman
On Twitter:@ampressman
Email: aaron.pressman@fortune.com
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