Newt Gingrich
American politician and former speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Photo: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
- Oct 5
Dennis Hastert, longest-serving Republican US House speaker, dies at 84
Former US House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who led the chamber from 1999 to 2007 before serving prison time for a hush-money bank scheme, died of natural causes at his Illinois home at age 84.
- Sep 30
Pentagon names Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey to lead 120-day future warfare project
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth launched Project Meridian at Quantico, assigning tech executives Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey to review autonomous weapons, AI, and lunar defense over 120 days.
- Sep 30
Hegseth announces 20% cut to US generals and new Autonomous Warfare Command
Speaking at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined plans to eliminate 20% of general and admiral positions by January 2027 and establish a four-star autonomous systems command.
- Aug 10
Dukes of Hazzard actor and former US Congressman Ben Jones dies at 84
Ben Jones, who played mechanic Cooter Davenport in The Dukes of Hazzard and later served as a US Congressman for Georgia, died on 9 August 2026 at age 84 after a massive heart attack at his home in Virginia.
