Today in Focus

What if someone told you the truth about the economy? For years, governments have tried spending more, spending less, cutting red tape, Brexit, levelling up – and still failed to increase growth per person in the UK. So what’s the lesson from the great British fairytale? On the latest episode of Radical Thinking with Aditya Chakrabortty, rebel economists Karel Williams and Sukhdev Johal explain why they believe praying for growth is a fool’s dream – and why it won’t improve your life. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Tributes have poured in for Patrick Stewart, who has died aged 86. The distinguished actor had a long and varied career that began on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company before going on to global stardom on the screen in the Star Trek and X-Men franchises. Stewart was born in Yorkshire in 1940, and had spoken of a challenging childhood marred by alcoholism and domestic violence – something he campaigned against for much of his life. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw – watch on YouTube -- Watch the full Patrick Stewart sketch: what has the ECHR ever done for us?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Washington bureau chief David Smith reports from Texas, where the Democrats are hopeful of a stunning victory that could also signal a much wider defeat for Trump in the midterms. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Spain has begun three days of mourning after at least 69 people were killed and more than 100 were injured in a crash between two high-speed trains. The town of Urda has become the site of a major operation, as emergency services continue to search through the wreckage and relatives wait for news of their loved ones. There is growing public anger over the incident, which is the second fatal train collision in Spain in less than a year. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s Madrid correspondent, Sam Jones – watch on YouTube. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

After two years of protests, a student-led movement has defeated Serbia’s authoritarian leader, Aleksander Vučić, at the ballot box. But can a leaderless movement govern a country? Send your comments and questions to tif.questions@theguardian.com. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus