Daily Digest
Thursday, October 29, 2026 — the most important stories, distilled to just the facts
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Alphabet lost more than $500 billion in market value after its shares fell nearly 13 percent.
The company reported that AI summaries were affecting search advertising sales, while investors weighed heavy AI spending against the returns. Patrick Stewart, the actor known for “Star Trek” and “X-Men,” died at 86. Israel’s election left both major blocs short of a parliamentary majority, and a local ceasefire in Oleshky held for a third day.
Key Developments
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired top Pentagon general Brett Sylvia over allegations that he leaked classified information to journalists.
- Thirty-five states and Washington, D.C., reached a $220 million settlement with General Motors over allegations that it sold drivers’ data to insurers.
- Atlanta beat Golden State 80-69 to force a winner-take-all Game 7 in the WNBA Finals.
- The Senate is unlikely to take up a bill making daylight saving time permanent before the end of the year, despite President Donald Trump’s support.
- Finnish police opened a criminal investigation into Google’s clearing of hundreds of acres of forest for a planned data center before environmental reviews were complete.
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