The U.S. pulls its bombers from a key base in England after a suspected terror plot, with British officials saying Iran may have played a role.
Plus, new questions surround the FlyDubai co-pilot accused of trying to crash a passenger jet, as investigators examine his background and possible gaps in pilot screening.
And a California woman is accused of spying for China after the FBI says she tracked the Taiwanese president’s son and sent information about his family to Chinese officials.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, Oct. 5, 2026.
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US pulls bombers from UK base days after arrests in suspected attack plot
The U.S. Air Force has pulled all of its bombers out of a key base in England, days after six people were arrested in an alleged plot to attack it.
All of the American B-1 bombers deployed to RAF Fairford have now returned to their home bases in the U.S., according to Pentagon officials.
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(Leon Neal/Getty Images) -
Mehmet Yaren Bozgun/Anadolu via Getty Images
The withdrawal involves at least 12 bombers, including several that had only recently arrived in England as part of a regular rotation. Officials told NBC News the sudden departure wasn’t triggered by a new threat but stemmed from existing threat reporting. They didn’t elaborate.
The move follows the arrests of six people in connection with a suspected plot to attack Fairford, a base the U.S. has used to launch strikes against Iran. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there are “strong indications” that Iran played a role. All six suspects have since been released on bail.
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump again said the U.S. has a “decision to make” about Iran.
“Iran’s been decimated,” he said. “So the only question is, it’ll either be the easy way or the hard way. We’ll have it the easy or the hard way.”
Trump’s comments follow his threat last week to bomb Iran before the midterm elections.
Israel orders foreign airline security review after FlyDubai attack
The investigation into the attempted attack on a FlyDubai flight has zeroed in on a key question: How was the co-pilot allowed to fly in the first place?
Investigators said the co-pilot attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with an emergency crash axe, then tried to take control of the plane as it flew from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The axe wasn’t smuggled on board. It was already in the cockpit as standard emergency equipment on passenger planes.
The plane began to descend rapidly.
A badly injured Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to enter and restrain the co-pilot. Reserve pilots on board took the controls and landed the plane in Saudi Arabia.
Investigators now believe the co-pilot likely acted alone.
U.S. officials said there’s currently no indication Iran directed the attack, though the investigation is still early.
But new questions have emerged about the co-pilot’s background. Sources told CNN that Oman’s national airline removed him last year after concerns about extremist views.
Yet, he later worked for FlyDubai, which cleared him to fly an Israel-bound passenger jet.
Aviation experts said no single international standard governs pilot background checks, and information about employment or security concerns doesn’t automatically follow a pilot from one airline or country to another.
Machchhar is recovering in Abu Dhabi, where Dubai’s crown prince visited him on Sunday.
The UAE is leading the investigation, but Israel and Saudi Arabia are also looking into the incident.
Supreme Court takes up climate lawsuit that could reshape similar cases
The Supreme Court will open its new term Monday with a dispute that could determine whether cities and counties may use state law to seek billions of dollars from oil companies for the local costs of climate change.
The justices will hear arguments in Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) Inc. v. County Commissioners of Boulder County, the first case on the court’s October calendar. The case asks whether federal law blocks claims by Boulder and neighboring Colorado governments that ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy should help pay for damage linked to greenhouse gas emissions.
Boulder, Colorado, is suing ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy, accusing the oil companies of misleading the public about fossil fuels and contributing to climate-related costs the community now faces.
The companies want the case thrown out.
But the justices will decide something narrower than the lawsuit itself.
“When this case is taken up by the Supreme Court, it’s not going to be about whether the oil industry, in fact, was deceptive in its marketing practices or whether fossil fuels, in fact, have caused climate change or imposed certain costs upon the local government entities. This case is really about, is this a federal law question or a state law question?”
Chris Winter, environmental attorney
Exxon and Suncor argue that climate change crosses state and national borders, so federal law should govern. The Trump administration supports them.
Boulder said its claims concern the companies’ conduct and allegedly deceptive marketing, and that state courts should be allowed to hear them.
The ruling could reach well beyond Colorado. Nearly 60 state and local governments have filed similar lawsuits against fossil fuel companies.
A win for Exxon and Suncor could lead to the dismissal of many of those cases.
Only eight justices will hear arguments Monday. Justice Samuel Alito has recused himself, and the court has not explained why.
A decision is expected by the end of June.
FBI arrests suspected Chinese agent accused of tracking Taiwan president’s son
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested a woman accused of spying for China in California on Sunday.
Agents arrested Wanying “Heather” Zhang at Los Angeles International Airport as she prepared to board a flight to China, allegedly for tracking the son of Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te.
We just arrested a Chinese foreign agent at LAX attempting to depart for China. Wanying Zhang, aka “Heather,” 34, of Irvine, was arrested today by @FBILosAngeles on a federal complaint charging her with acting as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China. According to the affidavit, Zhang traveled to Seattle in 2025 and, at the direction of PRC officials, surveilled a close relative of a Taiwanese government official, sending photos, videos, and license plate information to those officials. She coordinated the trip with an associate and used tradecraft to avoid detection. She never notified the Attorney General she was acting for a foreign government, a federal offense. She will appear in federal court in Los Angeles tomorrow for her initial appearance. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) October 4, 2026
Federal prosecutors have charged Zhang with acting as an unregistered foreign agent. They said she entered the U.S. through Seattle in 2025 and has surveilled one of Taiwan’s president’s sons, Lai Ting-yu, who reportedly lives in the U.S.
The Justice Department said she sent Chinese officials photos, video and license-plate information involving the president’s son and his family.
Taiwan’s presidential office called the alleged plot a “typical case of transnational repression” and thanked the U.S. government for protecting Taiwanese citizens.
Zhang will make her first appearance in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday.
Trump creates ‘Super Intelligence Force’ focused on coordinating federal AI efforts
Trump has formally created what he’s calling the “Super Intelligence Force,” a new White House task force focused on AI. He has put Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton in charge.
The group also includes Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Andrew Ferguson, Pentagon technology chief Emil Michael and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the task force will coordinate the federal government’s approach to AI, including its work with tech companies, consumer groups and critical-infrastructure providers. He said the goal is to keep the U.S. ahead in what he calls “super intelligence,” his term for AI.
But there’s still a lot we don’t know about what this group will do. Trump didn’t announce any specific new regulations or enforcement powers.
The task force will report directly to him and to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
Hawaii sea arch collapses after standing for more than 500 years
A Hawaii landmark that stood for centuries has disappeared.
The Hōlei Sea Arch off Hawaii’s Big Island collapsed into the Pacific Ocean late last month.
The National Park Service said the arch within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was more than 500 years old. Its collapse wasn’t entirely a surprise. The U.S. Geological Survey had warned that waves were constantly eroding the rock and that the arch would eventually disappear.
The park was closed around that time while Nolo moved through the Pacific.
Quick update on that storm: Nolo crossed the International Date Line, so it’s now classified as a typhoon rather than a hurricane.
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‘They want money, pure and simple:’ Singles push regulators to crack down on dating app algorithms
In America’s most densely populated city, singles are everywhere. Yet, despite her best efforts, 33-year-old Lauren Conrad isn’t seeing anyone.
How “chronically single” are we talking? Conrad has done the math: Since she turned 18, she’s been on 31 in-person dates — about two per year.
“Like 99% of those are just a coffee date,” she told Straight Arrow. “Very few of them lead to that much.”
The New York-based technical writer and self-described “history nerd” has tried just about everything to land meaningful dates. She’s paid to attend singles mixers that promise intimate access to like-minded people. Instead, she said, it’s “absolutely and utterly exhausting” to keep running into the same unattractive men at events who “just didn’t seem like they had any sort of career aspirations or stability.”
And, like millions of others these days, she’s turned to a dating app, leaving the matchmaker role to an algorithm controlled by a $9 billion technology company. She’s spent thousands of dollars on subscriptions to Hinge, the Match Group-owned service billed as “the dating app designed to be deleted.”
That hasn’t worked, either — at least not yet.
