Trump Faces Backlash Over Attacks on Abdul El-Sayed, Microsoft Offers Buyouts, and Jay-Z Will Headline the Super Bowl

Mimi Brown (0:05)

President Trump is facing backlash over what he said about a Muslim candidate running for the US. Senate. And one comment in particular is raising eyebrows.

Donald Trump (0:13)

He would be the only senator that will have to go through a metal detector.

Mimi Brown (0:17)

And Microsoft is offering thousands of employees money to walk away from their jobs, while the company pours billions into artificial intelligence.

And Jay-Z is getting ready to take the Super Bowl stage. But there's a reason this halftime show is years in the making. It's Wednesday, October 28th. From the Black Effect Podcast Network, I'm Mimi Brown. This is FrontPage. And here are the day's biggest stories. Stay with me.

At a campaign rally on Sunday, Trump called Democratic Senator Abdul El-Sayed a jihadist, accused him of having ties to extremist groups, and even brought up the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Donald Trump (0:59)

I'm here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States Senator. And that's the fact.

We're not going to let that happen.

Mimi Brown (1:11)

Trump introduced the father of Todd Beamer, one of the passengers who fought back against the hijackers aboard the United Flight 93 on 9-11. And then the president made another comment about El-Sayed that is drawing criticism.

Donald Trump (1:25)

He would be the only senator that will have to go through a metal detector before he's allowed to go into the Senate. I want him to have a metal detector.

Mimi Brown (1:33)

Now, El-Sayed was born in the United States to Egyptian parents. He's Muslim, but he denies having any connection to extremist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood. Critics are calling Trump's remark islamophobia, and that includes a former leader of Arab Americans for Trump who call the president's comments racist.

El-Sayed is also firing back.

Abdul El-Sayed (1:54)

I don't care how he pronounces my name. I don't even care that he remembers my whole name, because he can just go on and call me Senator after November.

Mimi Brown (2:01)

El-Sayed says Trump is focusing on his name and religion to distract voters from what they are paying for, for groceries, gas, and healthcare.

The White House is standing by the president's comments, arguing that El-Sayed's policies would hurt Michigan families. El-Sayed is running against Republican Mike Rogers for a Senate seat currently occupied by Democrats. With election day next week, this is one of the races that could help determine which party controls the Senate.

Microsoft is offering about 60,000 employees money to quit their job and it's happening as the company spends billions expanding its artificial intelligence business. Here's how it works. Microsoft is offering certain employees what's called a voluntary buyout. That means if you agree to leave the company, Microsoft will give you a financial package to help you make that transition. That offer covers workers in the United States, Canada, India, and the United Kingdom. We're talking about more than one out of every four Microsoft employees worldwide. The company is making this move while investing heavily in AI, including the massive data centers needed to run that technology. Microsoft expects to spend more than $50 billion in just one quarter on AI related infrastructure. At the same time, it's trying to control costs. Remember, Microsoft already announced 4,800 layoffs back in July. Employees who qualify for the new buyout have until December to decide whether to accept it. Those who take the offer will leave on December 31st. Microsoft hasn't said how many employees it expects to take the deal. It raises a bigger question. As companies spend more money on artificial intelligence, what does that mean for people who work there?

And finally, Jay-Z is going from helping choose who performs at the Super Bowl halftime show, to taking the stage himself. The NFL announced that Jay-Z will headline next year's halftime show on February 14th, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. And this is something that's been years in the making. Since 2019, Jay-Z's company, Rock Nation, has worked with the NFL to help produce the halftime show and choose its performers. But when that partnership first started, Jay-Z wasn't interested in performing himself. Now, seven years later, he's ready. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says when they first made the deal, he had just one request, that Jay-Z would eventually perform at the Super Bowl himself.

The timing is especially meaningful. Jay-Z is celebrating 30 years since the release of his debut album, Reasonable Doubt. He just wrapped up a series of sold out anniversary concerts, including shows at the very same stadium where he'll perform in February. Those concerts featured some of the biggest names, including Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and his daughter, Blue Ivy. Jay-Z has won 25 Grammy Awards and his wife, Beyoncé has already performed twice at the Super Bowl. So, everybody wants to know who Jay-Z is bringing out during halftime. I guess we'll find out on Super Bowl Sunday.