The Morning Briefing: November 12, 2026

Nvidia’s board is preparing to remove chief executive Jensen Huang after the Wall Street Journal reported two extramarital affairs, one with a woman U.S. intelligence officials believe works for Chinese intelligence. The report sent Nvidia shares down 8% in after-hours trading and put the future of the chipmaker at the center of the AI boom in doubt. In Moscow, U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived for talks with President Vladimir Putin after two days of negotiations in Abu Dhabi. Mississippi elected Democrat Scott Colom to the Senate, the first Black senator from the state since Reconstruction. A building collapse in Brooklyn killed at least two people, and an Israeli strike on a Gaza hospital killed six. In sports, Houston ended Golden State’s eight-game winning streak as Stephen Curry left the game injured.

Nvidia board prepares to remove Jensen Huang

Nvidia’s board is preparing to oust chief executive Jensen Huang after he had two extramarital affairs, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The board planned to meet as soon as Wednesday to decide his future, according to people familiar with the matter. Nvidia shares fell about 8% in after-hours trading on the report. The stock had already fallen by more than 25% over the past month.

Huang acknowledged on Sunday, in a letter to staff, that he had been unfaithful to his wife and apologized for violating his family’s and his employees’ trust. One affair involved Alice Huang, an executive at the Singapore-based data company Megaspeed, a major Nvidia customer, whom U.S. intelligence officials believe works for China’s intelligence services. The New York Times reported a second affair with Kimberly Powell, a senior Nvidia executive who runs the company’s health care business. The Justice Department is now leading several investigations involving Alice Huang, and Megaspeed faces scrutiny over claims it moved billions of dollars in export-restricted Nvidia AI chips to China. Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Chris Coons asked the administration to preserve all records tied to Nvidia’s chip exports to China, and House Republicans asked Huang to brief lawmakers next week. Read our full report: Nvidia Board Prepares to Remove CEO Jensen Huang as Shares Fall 8% After Hours.

U.S. envoys arrive in Moscow for talks with Putin

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Thursday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, following two days of negotiations in Abu Dhabi involving American, Russian and Ukrainian representatives. Russia and Ukraine also agreed to a large prisoner swap during the Abu Dhabi talks, the first trilateral meeting of the three sides since February.

The Moscow meeting is the next step in a U.S.-led push to end the war in Ukraine. The outcome of the talks with Putin, and the reaction in European capitals, will show whether the Abu Dhabi round produced anything that can hold. Read our full report: U.S. Envoys Arrive in Moscow for Talks With Putin After Abu Dhabi Peace Negotiations.

Mississippi elects its first Black senator since Reconstruction

Democrat Scott Colom won Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race, defeating Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith. Colom is the first Black senator elected from Mississippi since 1874, and the first Democrat to win a Mississippi Senate seat in more than 40 years.

The result came a week after the midterm elections in which Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress. Colom’s win in a state that has not sent a Democrat to the Senate in decades adds to a Democratic Senate majority that will take office in January. Read our full report: Scott Colom Wins Mississippi Senate Seat, Becoming State’s First Black Senator Since Reconstruction.

Brooklyn building collapse kills at least two

A three-story building at 1321 Flatbush Ave. in Brooklyn partially collapsed just after 4 p.m. on Wednesday, falling into an open construction site next door where workers were digging. At least two people were killed and 17 were hurt, four of them in critical condition, the Fire Department said. The building held a store and apartments.

Rescue teams searched the rubble through the night for anyone still trapped. The cause of the collapse remains under investigation. Read our full report: Brooklyn Building Collapse Kills at Least Two and Injures 17 as Rescue Search Continues.

Strike on Gaza hospital kills six

An Israeli strike on the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, killed six people, including a surgeon, and wounded about 20 others, according to Palestinian health and civil defense officials. The strike hit the hospital’s surgery department early on Thursday and caused heavy damage to the facility.

The attack came during a fragile ceasefire agreed in 2025. The strike was the latest test of that ceasefire, which has held through repeated clashes in recent weeks. Read our full report: Strike on Nasser Hospital in Gaza Kills at Least Six, Including a Surgeon.

Inflation runs hotter than expected

Consumer prices rose 0.4% in October from September, above the 0.3% forecast, and core prices, which leave out food and energy, rose 0.3%, above the 0.2% forecast for the third month in a row. Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said a half-point rate increase in December should be considered if core inflation stays high, and markets now put high odds on at least a quarter-point increase at the Fed’s December 8-9 meeting.

Technology shares rebounded on Wednesday despite the hot inflation reading: the Nasdaq 100 rose about 3% and the S&P 500 gained 1.6%. The 10-year Treasury yield sat at 4.88% at Tuesday’s close, up from 4.87% at the end of last week, as traders priced in higher rates for longer.

Reporting based on coverage by the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Reuters, ABC7 New York and the Associated Press.