CVS Breakup, Wiretapping Scandal, & Walking Socks

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Adam Rogers
November 05, 2026

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CVS Health announced plans Wednesday to split into two publicly traded companies by the first half of 2028, separating its roughly 9,000 retail pharmacies from its insurance and health services businesses.
The new CVS Pharmacy company will operate the drugstore chain, while CVS Health will retain insurer Aetna and Caremark, which manages prescription drug benefits for insurers and employers. CVS Health will also keep its other health services businesses. The breakup would partly unwind CVS's $78 billion acquisition of Aetna in 2018.
CVS says the separation will give its retail pharmacies more flexibility to work with other insurers while preserving existing business relationships. Customers will continue receiving medicines and benefits without interruption.

Voters decided 145 ballot measures across more than three dozen states Tuesday, approving new abortion protections in some states while delivering mixed results on voting rules, redistricting, and other issues.
Virginia and Nevada approved constitutional protections for abortion rights while Missouri rejected an effort to restore restrictions that voters overturned in 2024. Idaho rejected a separate proposal to establish abortion rights in state law and will retain its existing ban.
Missouri also overturned a Republican-drawn congressional map backed by President Trump. Maryland approved a measure that could allow Democrats to redraw districts before the 2028 election. Florida approved a major homeowner property-tax break that could reduce funding for local services. California and Colorado rejected stricter voter ID requirements while Ohio and North Carolina joined Nevada in approving them.

Indonesia deployed more than 20,000 military personnel to its capital, Jakarta, as authorities detained three senior police generals accused of illegally wiretapping President Prabowo Subianto and other prominent figures.
Investigators say the surveillance began in 2025 and targeted government officials, politicians, journalists, and business leaders without proper authorization. Among those arrested was presidential chief of staff Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who previously led the national police. The president dismissed him Wednesday, and authorities are also investigating allegations that the suspects deleted surveillance records to conceal the operation.
Authorities have not established a motive, and the suspects have not publicly responded to the allegations. The presidential palace warned that the spying could amount to treason, but Indonesia’s law minister said investigators had found no indication of it. Military officials described the troop movement as standard security procedure and have not confirmed a connection to the investigation.

House Speaker Mike Johnson will not seek the House Republican leadership position in the next Congress following his party’s election defeat. (More)

New York’s attorney general appointed former federal prosecutor Jacqueline Kelly Wednesday to lead the criminal investigation into an alleged 2024 gang rape at Cornell University. (More)

Arizona voters restricted new traffic-camera contracts beginning in 2027 and required local votes to retain existing programs. (More)

French blood banks thwarted a cyberattack that raised plasma-storage temperature settings at three sites Monday without losing blood products or interrupting collection and distribution. (More)

North Korea launched multiple missiles toward the sea Wednesday, according to South Korea’s military. (More)

South Africans voted in local elections Wednesday as unreliable water and electricity supplies made public services a central issue. (More)

U.S. stock markets closed higher on Wednesday (S&P +1.58%, Nasdaq +1.44%, Dow +3.03%), as Democrats’ decisive midterm victory and Trump’s acceptance of the results eased political uncertainty. (More)

SpaceX selected Qualcomm to supply technology for Starlink Mobile’s planned nationwide 5G network as it prepares to compete with Verizon and other major U.S. carriers. (More)

Brent crude fell more than 8% Wednesday to below $100 a barrel as traders weighed whether the midterm results could hasten an end to the Iran war. (More)

Investment firm BC Partners pulled out of a proposed $300 million financing deal intended to relaunch LIV Golf in 2027. (More)

Rams cornerback Jaylen Watson will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, while defensive end Myles Garrett returned to limited practice Wednesday after missing seven games following knee surgery. (More)

Conductor Herbert Blomstedt died at 99 after a seven-decade career that included leading the San Francisco Symphony. (More)

Ancient DNA revealed a migration into Scandinavia about 4,000 years ago that researchers suggest may have carried an early ancestor of Germanic languages. (More)

An online training program reduced anxiety before and after childbirth compared with usual care alone in a randomized trial involving 268 participants. (More)

Scientists identified blood-related molecules and mineralized red blood cells inside 115-million-year-old dinosaur bones from Brazil that preserved evidence of the animal’s original biology. (More)

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