Patrick Stewart, ‘Star Trek’ Captain and ‘X-Men’ Superhero, Dies at 86  —  He's forever known for playing Jean-Luc Picard and Charles Xavier, whom he “admired for their morality, for their kindness, for their sensitivity, for their compassion.” … He was 86.

DOJ Orders Criminal Probes of California Officials on Voting  —  Justice Department leadership directed top federal prosecutors in California to pursue criminal subpoenas of state and local officials regarding their roles administering allegedly illegal voting, according to two people familiar with the situation.

Trump hypes New York Times hack job about Alaska Senate race  —  Republicans are worried about losing the Senate race in Alaska, a state President Donald Trump easily won by 13 percentage points in the 2024 election, so they are clinging to a shoddy story published in The New York Times.

Nvidia Chief Seen as Target of Chinese Spy Plot … Jensen Huang, the chief executive of Nvidia, is influential at the White House on technology policy and has developed a close relationship with President Trump.Manuel Orbegozo for The New York Times  —  American spy agencies had gathered striking intelligence.

Trump and His Aides Helped Bolsonaro Flee Brazil for the U.S.  —  President Trump ensured Flávio Bolsonaro, who lost a presidential election in Brazil and faces multiple criminal investigations there, could enter the United States, U.S. officials said.

Ilhan Omar Investigation Involves New Scrutiny of Long-Disputed Marriage  —  Several current and former law enforcement officials said an Obama-era investigation found some evidence that Ms. Omar had entered into a sham marriage with a man suspected of being her brother.

Trump ‘Front Row Joe’ Arrested on Vile Sex Crime Charges … A Trump superfan who regularly sits in the front row at the president's events has been busted for possessing disturbing images of children.  —  Adam Radogna, a 37-year-old Ohio restaurant owner, was indicted by a grand jury …

Pope Leo will vote from the Vatican, by mail, in Illinois' midterm election  —  That mail ballot had to travel a long way — from Joliet to the Vatican City, where Pope Leo XIV has led the Catholic church since white smoke appeared from the Sistine Chapel in May 2025.

Hegseth reportedly fires U.S. top military planner as Trump downplays Iran peace talks … U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reportedly fired the Pentagon's top military planner amid concerns that Washington may restart strikes on Iran after the midterm elections.

‘Contrary to law’: Judge strikes down Trump admin's definition of ‘medically frail’ in Medicaid work requirements  —  A federal judge in Boston sided on Thursday with a coalition of 25 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's requirement …

Trump Aides Are Leaning on U.S. Firms to Accept Russian Diesel  —  Trump administration officials are privately encouraging U.S. firms to accept Russian diesel currently crossing the Atlantic, industry groups familiar with the conversations said, despite warnings that doing so could place …

Hegseth Fires General He Accused of Leaking Information to the News Media  —  Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia was fired as part of a broad and highly unusual campaign to find and punish senior military officers who speak to reporters.  —  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired a top Army general this week …

Alphabet shares tumble in $500bn rout  —  Google owner admits ‘AI mode’ has hurt traditional search as sales and profits undershoot expectations  —  Alphabet shares tumbled 13 per cent on Thursday, wiping a record $500bn from its market value, after the Google owner burnt through cash …

Nearly 1 in 5 federal workers left under Trump.  Black workers took the biggest hit.  —  A Washington Post analysis shows that President Donald Trump has succeeded in reshaping the federal bureaucracy, with the largest impact on Black workers.  —  SummaryLoading...

Democrats in striking distance: New CNN polls in four states highlight party's path to Senate majority  —  Donald Trump Congressional news Election polls Senate election  —  CNN polling across four key Senate races in the final days of the midterm campaign finds Democrats well-positioned …

Head of Vietnam veterans group says he was misled before it endorsed Trump's arch  —  The White House has sought to rally support from veterans before a court showdown on Friday.  —  SummaryLoading...  The head of the Vietnam Veterans of America says he was misled before the group endorsed …

Trump Erupted After Learning of Alina Habba's $50 Million Deal  —  Angry about the scale of a contract signed by one of his former lawyers with the family of a wealthy pardon seeker, the president told allies he wanted some of the money to go to his future presidential library.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's team acknowledged screwup in case against former FBI officials  —  A Pirro aide said they'd made a problematic mistake in their politically charged case against Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, an FBI agent testified.  —  WASHINGTON — A top aide …

Video Shows ICE Agents Slashing Portland Couple's Car Tire Then Driving Off  —  Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents slashed the tires of a couple who were recording the agents in an incident near Portland, Oregon, earlier this month.  The agents then drove away without arresting …

Can Democracy Survive the Next Financial Crash?  —  If the AI bubble bursts, Donald Trump will control a bailout apparatus with essentially limitless authority.  —  The bailout clock is ticking.  In September, Oracle invoked “force majeure” to delay paying debt on a data center, which led to a drop in the corporation's stock price.

A Defense Contractor Gave Their Personal AI Agent Access to a Secure Pentagon System  —  Sources tell WIRED that an Accenture employee's personal Claude agent ran on a DOD network for two months before it was identified and the vulnerability could be patched.

The Supreme Court's Gutting of the Voting Rights Act is Mobilizing Black Voters.  Look at Alabama.  —  Twelve days before the midterm elections, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and former Montana Senator Jon Tester traveled down to Alabama to campaign in one of the country's most unexpected battleground districts.

Local Maine broadcast TV news largely failed to contextualize increasing energy prices  —  More than half of recent segments failed to connect increased prices to the Iran war, while just 20% connected rising energy costs directly to Trump policies … The war in Iran and subsequent disruption …

Trump Scraps a Weekend Trip to Kansas  —  President Donald Trump's Kansas campaign event with Sen. Roger Marshall has been canceled, Kasey Windhorst of the Salina Airport Authority confirmed to The Washington Sun.  —  The Saturday event would have included a noon speech from Trump, Windhorst said.

Obama's Great Skewering of Trump  —  The former President's riff on Saddam Hussein, the Cheesecake Factory, and our gold-besotted leader was not only funny but politically brilliant.  —  Leave it to Barack Obama to deliver the Democratic line of the midterms, a brilliant if slightly obscure riff …

Trump fast-tracks Florida disaster aid days before tight elections  —  President Donald Trump approved disaster aid Thursday afternoon for Florida residents hit by a recent hurricane, acting in near-record speed for his administration, days before two tight statewide elections.

Trump warns Democrats against impeaching Pete Hegseth if they win the House  —  President Donald Trump cautioned congressional Democrats against impeaching War Secretary Pete Hegseth in the event they win back control of the House during next week's midterm elections.

AI spending spree collides with elections  —  With help from Mike Blanchfield in Canada, Hannah Northey and Zack Colman in the U.S., Zia Weise in Belgium, Brian Dabbs in Singapore, Nicolas Camut in France, and Charlie Cooper in the United Kingdom  — Tech companies announced tens of billions …