President Donald Trump says government leakers should be shot, while new reporting reveals the military is considering using its largest non-nuclear bomb against Iran.
Plus, new satellite restrictions disrupt Ukrainian drone operations, deepening Zelenskyy’s frustration with Washington as he questions whether the U.S. remains a reliable partner.
And Trump’s new press secretary faces scrutiny over her legal credentials after a watchdog group requests an investigation into whether she misrepresented them.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026.
Trump calls for leakers to be shot after Iran attack plans surfaced
As the military draws up new plans for possible strikes on Iran, Trump has said government leakers should be shot.
At a campaign rally in Arizona on Wednesday, Trump claimed he had to call off a planned attack on Iran after someone leaked the timing. He appeared to be referring to Operation Midnight Hammer, the U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites in June of last year.
Those strikes did go ahead.
A preliminary Defense Intelligence assessment later leaked to the media suggested the damage was less severe than the administration had claimed.
At Wednesday’s rally, Trump said leakers should face life in prison or worse.
“Leakers should be, in my opinion, leakers should be shot. They should be shot. In the old days, we used to shoot leakers, you know, when they leak what time you’re going to attack a country. And the reason you’re attacking is really for defense, because you don’t want them to have a weapon that can blow up millions of people at one shot. No, leakers should be dealt with very, very strongly. To me, they’re the scum of the earth. The leakers are the scum of the earth.”
President Donald Trump
Meanwhile, CNN reported the U.S. military has developed new strike plans for Iran, including the possible use of the so-called “Mother of all bombs.” It’s the largest non-nuclear bomb in the American arsenal.
Using it against Iranian energy facilities or nuclear sites would mark a significant escalation in the war. The plans are options for Trump to consider, not orders to launch an attack.
The president has said he wants to resume strikes, but has sent mixed signals about whether that could happen before the midterm elections.
Also, on Thursday morning, Iran insisted the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, as reports emerged of two ships being struck in the waterway this week. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard confirmed a cargo ship sank Wednesday but claimed it hit a naval mine while taking what it called an “unauthorized and hazardous route.”
A U.S. official disputed that account, telling ABC News the ship was most likely hit by an Iranian missile.
Pakistan school roof collapse kills at least 28, children remain trapped
At least 28 people died when a school roof collapsed in Pakistan on Thursday. Authorities in Peshawar said the collapse killed 27 students, most under the age of 13, and one teacher.
They warned the death toll could rise, with children still trapped under the rubble.
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AP Photo/Muhammad Zubair -
AP Photo/Maaz Awan
Rescuers have pulled at least 45 children from the debris, some in critical condition.
One first responder told NBC News that the roof of an upper floor gave way, bringing down the ceiling below and causing both stories to collapse. Authorities said they’re investigating what caused the collapse.
SpaceX restrictions disrupt Ukrainian drones
Ukraine is demanding answers after sudden restrictions on a satellite system its military relies on to fight Russia, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has now openly questioned whether he can still count on the United States.
Ukrainian officials said new speed limits on SpaceX satellite connections disrupted drone operations this week, including missions to shoot down incoming Russian drones.
Some connections were restored Wednesday, but Ukraine said the restrictions are still preventing its drones from reaching the speeds they require.
The timing has raised suspicions in Kyiv. The problems followed Trump’s deal to buy Russian diesel despite sanctions aimed at cutting off funding for Moscow’s war. Trump has also criticized Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil facilities and suggested that Zelenskyy be replaced.
During a visit to London on Wednesday, Zelenskyy raised concerns about both the satellite restrictions and problems with intelligence sharing.
“We have massive attacks today, and it’s a pity that we had also some difficulties,” Zelenskyy said. “What I want to discuss with Andy about Starlink and about intelligence. I mean, there are lots of different surprises. On which you can’t count when you have real partnership. And we count on partnership with the United States. We just want to be very honest, very clear and be strong partners.”
Ukrainian officials said they’ve been asking SpaceX and the U.S. government who imposed the limits.
Elon Musk said there’s an important distinction here.
SpaceX operates the commercial Starlink service, while the U.S. government operates Starshield, the military satellite system.
In a post on X, Musk said the U.S. military and, ultimately, the president decide any restrictions on Starshield.
A senior U.S. official has denied that the Trump administration had anything to do with the reported service restrictions. But Zelenskyy’s frustration with Trump has since become public.
Here’s what he told host Piers Morgan on Uncensored:
Piers Morgan: When you found out President Trump had done this deal with Putin 21 days after new sanctions, what was your immediate response to that?
Zelenskyy: It’s a pity that we are losing a strong partner. So this is my option.
Morgan: So you think you’re losing America?
Zelenskyy: Yeah, but not because of us. I mean, we can’t be weak. We are not selling our country, look, guys.
Ukraine continues to push for the satellite restrictions to be removed entirely. Its officials said they need an explanation for why some Russian missile attacks occurred without the advance warning they normally receive from Western partners.
Trump said the U.S. has not stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine.
Watchdog seeks probe after no record found of Katie Zacharia’s law license
Just days into the job, Trump’s new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, faces questions about her legal credentials.
Zacharia has repeatedly described herself as a lawyer, but there’s no public record showing she’s licensed to practice law.
On Wednesday, the nonprofit watchdog Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint with the State Bar of California, asking it to investigate whether she misrepresented her credentials.
Zacharia holds a law degree. She graduated from Pepperdine University in 2011 and later worked at a law firm in China. But a law degree is not the same as a license to practice.
A review of bar records across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., found no record of her admission.
After her first White House briefing Tuesday, Zacharia told reporters she passed the bar after moving to China. She later said she had misunderstood the question, thinking she was asked where she went after law school.
Zacharia maintains she worked in international transactional law with the appropriate credentials.
In a post on X, White House communications director Steven Cheung dismissed the watchdog group as politically motivated, calling it a “Radical leftist organization” and saying nobody takes it seriously.
This group that filed the “complaint” is a radical leftist-organization run by rabid numbskulls suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome. Nobody takes them seriously because they are deranged low lifes.
— Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) October 14, 2026
The State Bar has not confirmed whether it is conducting an investigation.
New sunscreen ingredient blocks both types of harmful UV rays
For the first time in more than 25 years, a new sunscreen ingredient has been approved for use in the U.S.
It’s called bemotrizinol (BEMT). Europe has used it for years, but products containing it are just now hitting American store shelves.
Dermatologists say it has real advantages. It protects against both types of harmful UV rays without leaving the white streaks that some mineral sunscreens leave. It also doesn’t appear to be absorbed into the bloodstream in significant amounts, a concern with some older sunscreen ingredients.
The FDA approved it in June after reviewing safety studies involving more than 500 people. It can already be found in some new sunscreen products, including those from Neutrogena.
Ancient shipwreck found off Turkey may be 4,700 years old
A remarkable discovery off Turkey’s coast: Divers believe they’ve found what may be the world’s oldest known shipwreck. Researchers estimate the remains could date back 4,700 years.
Archaeologists believe the ship sank during the Bronze Age. To put that in perspective, that’s around the time the Great Pyramids of Egypt were being built.
Researchers located the wreck about 100 feet below the surface. The ship’s wooden frame is long gone, but divers found more than 30 clay pots, which helped researchers estimate its age. Some of those pots still contain residue that scientists believe may be from olive oil or wine.
Researchers hope the discovery will help them better understand how people traded goods by sea thousands of years ago.
More from Straight Arrow:
In 2026, does the truth trump a lie? Talarico’s fate may answer the question
Just weeks before a highly contentious Senate election in Texas, Democratic contender James Talarico halted all public appearances.
A bad bout of the flu, aides said, had kept Talarico off the campaign trail for more than a week — a bitter pill to swallow as polls showed him tied with Republican Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, in one of the nation’s most closely watched races this election cycle.
But a since-debunked smear campaign from conservative political operatives that was amplified by right-wing media offered an alternative explanation: An unstable Talarico, viral social media posts claimed, had checked into a mental health facility in Ohio.
The story was proven false — but is that enough to put a conspiracy theory to rest in 2026? The question is relevant in races across the country this year, in which false claims — and, in some cases, outright fabrications created with artificial intelligence — have gained currency in an election cycle that could flip control of Congress from Republican to Democrat.
