News Wrap: Health care unions reach tentative agreement to end Kaiser Permanente strike

Geoff Bennett:

In the day's other headlines: Health care unions reached a tentative agreement with medical giant Kaiser Permanente after a strike over wages and staffing. Last week, 75,000 workers walked out for three days across multiple states. A coalition of unions had warned that a weeklong strike might be coming in early November. Nearly 13 million Americans use Kaiser's hospitals and clinics.

The ongoing auto industry strike will head into a new phase. That's the message today from the United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain. He says the union will start expanding the strike to new factories on short notice, instead of every Friday. In a video appearance today, Fain said the companies have been waiting until Fridays to make any moves in contract talks.

Shawn Fain, President, United Auto Workers:

They thought they had figured out the so-called rules of the game. So we changed the rules. And now there's only one rule: Pony up.

We're at a point in this process where we are looking for one thing only, a deal, a tentative agreement.

Geoff Bennett:

The strike started a month ago at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis plants. So far, nearly 34,000 workers have walked off the job.

The United States charged today that there's evidence of North Korea supplying Russia with weapons for its war in Ukraine. The White House released images that purportedly show containers of equipment and munitions loaded onto a Russian-flagged ship last month. A spokesman said more than 1,000 containers have been delivered.

Today marks the final day of campaigning in Australia on changing the Constitution to create an indigenous committee that would advise the government. Both sides held rallies and made their final case before tomorrow's referendum. If approved, it would be the first time the country's Constitution will be amended since 1977.

Anthony Albanese, Australian Prime Minister:

Kindness costs nothing. Thinking of others cost nothing. This is a time when Australians have that opportunity to show the generosity of spirit that I see in the Australian character, where, at the worst of times, we always see the best of the Australian character.

Peter Dutton, Australian Opposition Leader:

I hope it's a no-vote on the weekend, because it hasn't been properly explained. It's divisive. It's permanent once it goes into the Constitution. And I just don't think in the millions Australians are going to support it, in fact, quite the opposite. And I think they're angry because the detail hasn't been provided.

Geoff Bennett:

Indigenous Australians comprise just under 4 percent of the country's population. Pre-election polls suggest the amendment will be rejected.

Microsoft has finally closed its deal to buy video game maker Activision Blizzard for $69 billion. Today's announcement follows nearly 22 months of regulatory review in the U.S. and Europe over concerns the deal would hurt competition. Activision makes the popular games "Call of Duty" and "Overwatch," among others.

NASA fired a new asteroid mission into space today, chasing a rare space rock that's believed to be largely metal. The Psyche spacecraft wrote a SpaceX rocket into the sky above Cape Canaveral. It'll take six years to reach an orbit the asteroid it's named for, one that could hold secrets about the origins of Earth.

On Wall Street today, worries about the war in the Middle East stoked fears on the stock market. The Dow Jones industrial average managed a slight gain of 39 points to close at 33670. But the Nasdaq fell 167 points, more than 1 percent. The S&P 500 lost 21 points.

And a Minnesota man pleaded guilty today to stealing a pair of the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz." Terry Jon Martin is now 76. He admitted taking the shoes from the Garland Museum in her hometown, Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005. He said he thought the rubies were real. The FBI recovered the slippers in 2018. They're one of four pairs known to exist.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart weigh in on the week's political headlines, and legendary actor Patrick Stewart reflects on his long life and career in a new memoir.