Patrick Stewart, who played Jean-Luc Picard in “Star Trek” and Charles Xavier in the “X-Men” films while sustaining a celebrated stage career, has died at 86. His spokesperson said he died Wednesday after a brief illness involving Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia.
News Mash
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia amid an investigation into alleged leaks of classified information. Pentagon sources gave conflicting accounts of accusations tied to three polygraph tests.
Alaska’s governor has ordered an inquiry into allegations that Mary Peltola’s Senate campaign helped recruit a candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee deny involvement with the challenger.
Mohamed Soliman pleaded guilty to 12 federal charges in the 2025 Boulder firebombing that killed Karen Diamond and injured at least 12 others. He is already serving a state sentence of life without parole plus 2,128 years.
U.S. GDP grew at a 3.4% annual rate in the third quarter, powered by consumer spending and AI investment. Inflation and uneven household finances complicate the picture ahead of the midterm elections.
DoorDash says it will acquire Instacart for $17 billion, expanding the stores available to delivery customers. The companies expect to operate separately until the deal closes in late 2027 or early 2028.
Canada and the EU are pursuing closer economic and security ties at a Montreal summit, but a draft statement no longer uses the proposed “associate member” label. Both sides say the substance of the relationship matters more than its name.
Spain is mourning at least 68 people killed when a high-speed train struck a stationary train near Urda. The transport minister said a control center ordered the train to move despite an active stop signal.