by The Associated Press | Oct 1, 2026 | News, World, World News
JERUSALEM (AP) — The motive of the Omani copilot who stabbed his captain on a flight to Israel, causing the plane to plummet dangerously and forcing it to land in Saudi Arabia, remained unknown on Thursday as investigators across the region raced to learn more.
Passengers who were on the FlyDubai aircraft carrying 174 people from the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv have described how the bloodied Indian captain managed to open the cockpit door to let them in before they grappled with the copilot and stabilized a descent so sharp that the plane’s rudder was torn away.
“We felt helpless, suspended in midair, and I didn’t know who to turn to. But it was all instinct to survive,” one of the passengers, Asaf Rajuan, said in a new statement shared by Israel’s presidency.
A regional official briefed on the investigation said the suspect, an Omani citizen, was under arrest and confirmed that Saudi authorities were working with countries, including Israel, to try to determine a motive. He said the UAE, the United States and Oman were also involved. The official did not describe the extent of Israeli involvement.
“All possible scenarios, from terrorism to mental disorders, are being looked into. Nothing is ruled out for now,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the probe.
Israeli investigators will join the interrogation of the copilot
Israeli intelligence and security officials were investigating the copilot in Saudi Arabia, according to another regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Saudi Arabia does not have formal diplomatic ties with Israel, but there is longstanding security
by Steve Benen | Sep 28, 2026 | Maddowblog, White House, World, World News
It’s unclear if David Perdue, the U.S. ambassador to China, was trying to break new ground during his latest appearance on Fox News, but intentional or not, the former senator made an unexpected comment that reverberated loudly.
On “Fox News Sunday,” host Shannon Bream brought up the issue of Taiwan and congressional concerns about delayed assistance to the U.S. ally, specifically asking whether Donald Trump and his administration have delayed arms shipments as part of a White House effort to appease China’s Xi Jinping.
Perdue rejected the premise, insisting that the incumbent American president “is as strong on Taiwan as I’ve ever seen anybody.” But when asked about the timetable for additional arms shipments to Taiwan, the ambassador went considerably further. From the transcript:
Well, earlier, President Trump’s already approved $11 billion. There are continuing conversations about other sales. He and President Xi talk about that every time they get together.
But President Trump continues to say, ‘Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world.’ He actually asked President Xi, would he like to buy some at one point?
At that point, the interview moved on to other subjects, but Perdue’s seemingly off-hand comment did not go unnoticed. The U.S. ambassador to China had just told a television audience that Trump offered to sell weapons to the Chinese president during Xi’s White House visit.
If that is true, it reflects a dramatic shift. Indeed, The Associated Press noted that the prospect of arms sales by the United States to its ascendant geopolitical rival “would upend generations of U.S. policy toward China and Taiwan and potentially expose U.S. technology to a potential foe.”
The New York
by The Associated Press | Sep 25, 2026 | News, White House, World News
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Leo XIV told reporters they were welcome to cover him Friday, as he responded to the Trump administration’s attempt to bar U.S. media from the White House and affirmed the importance of journalists covering public figures.
Leo spoke to reporters as he travelled to France at the start of a four-day visit. Asked by a CNN reporter about the Trump administration’s attempt to bar CNN and other reporters, Leo said the media was welcome on his plane.
“I am very happy that here, you are all welcome,” he said.
A judge on Thursday handed CNN, MS NOW and Politico a reprieve to resume coverage.
Leo also apologized for missing an opportunity to speak with the press the last time he travelled internationally, when his Iberia charter broke down in the Canary Islands and he returned home solo on a private jet, skipping his traditional airborne press conference with reporters.
Leo told reporters travelling with him that he had “nothing to do with” the decision to accept the offer of the Spanish king to use his private jet to return to Rome. More than 70 reporters and the Vatican delegation waited for several hours at the airport in Tenerife for a replacement plane to arrive.
Leo addressed the media’s disappointment when he came to the back of the plane to greet reporters.
“A special mention I would like to make for those of you who were travelling with me when we returned to Rome from Spain,” he said. “I want to apologize personally for an incident, that I had nothing to do with, but which I know left a number of
by Steve Benen | Sep 24, 2026 | Maddowblog, White House, World, World News
Around this time seven years ago, Donald Trump came up with a rather outlandish plan. As the White House prepared to host a G7 summit, the president decided the ideal location for the international gathering would be at the Miami-area Doral Resort and Spa — which Trump’s family business happens to own.
Two days later, amid bipartisan pushback, the Republican abandoned the plan and presented himself as a victim.
In his second term, Trump appears far more indifferent to pushback, which is probably why he decided that Doral would be the ideal location for the upcoming G20 summit.
The implications of such a move are significant for reasons the White House ought to understand. The U.S. Constitution includes a provision known as the “Emoluments Clause,” which prohibits U.S. officials from receiving payments from foreign governments; and in this case, the president is effectively telling many of the world’s most powerful leaders that if they wish to participate in an international gathering, they’re required to spend money at a for-profit business owned by the Trump Organization, fueling unavoidable corruption concerns.
But as it happens, that’s not the only problem. MS NOW reported:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. had invited [Vladimir] Putin to the Group of 20 leaders’ summit in Miami in December, saying it would be an opportunity for the Russian president to engage with world leaders.
“We think it’s an opportunity for him to engage not just with the president but with other world leaders,” Rubio said after his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. “We hope that’s an invitation he’ll accept.”
The Wall Street Journal published an analysis after the announced invitation,
by Steve Benen | Sep 23, 2026 | Maddowblog, White House, World, World News
At an event in Las Vegas last month, Donald Trump offered some rather candid comments about his perspective on Venezuelan oil. “We’re taking a lot of oil from Venezuela, and we’re getting along great with them,” the president said. “Billions and billions of barrels of oil is coming out of Venezuela. … It’s the old-fashioned way, right? It’s the old-fashioned way. To the victor belong the spoils, right?”
As the Republican characterized it, the United States is entitled to a foreign country’s natural resources, not as the result of a diplomatic agreement but because we launched a military attack on it.
The White House has been credibly accused for months of treating Venezuela more as a U.S. colony than as an independent foreign nation, and those public comments certainly didn’t help. Trump nevertheless repeated the rhetoric again Tuesday while speaking to the United Nations General Assembly. MS NOW reported as part of the network’s live blog coverage:
Trump hailed the oil deal struck between the U.S. and Venezuela last month, after American forces captured then-President Nicolás Maduro in January. Under the agreement, the U.S. will have majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela’s oil reserves, a deal that the White House said “secures our energy dominance for the next century — all at zero cost to the United States.”
“When you add the United States and Venezuela together, we have more than 60% of the oil in the world,” Trump said. “So, it’s perhaps the biggest deal.”
He added, in an apparent summary of the White House’s position, “‘To the visitor belong the spoils,’ you’ve all heard that.”
Trump: “In January, at my
by The Associated Press | Sep 20, 2026 | News, World, World News
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Ed Sheeran opened a concert Saturday with comments about Gaza after controversy swirled around his tour and supporting acts withdrew in solidarity with opener Macklemore, who was dropped after making pro-Palestinian comments onstage.
Sheeran began the concert alone on stage with no opener, but was joined by other musicians later in the show.
Sheeran said he wants his music and shows to be about unity and humanity, not politics. But he said the attacks in Israel of Oct. 7, 2023, were horrific and what is happening in Gaza “catastrophic and unjustifiable.”
“I don’t want to disappoint fans, and I’ve never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet,” Sheeran said during his performance at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
The comments before a nearly full stadium came after a tumultuous week that began with rapper Macklemore, Sheeran’s original U.S. opener, being dropped in response to exclaiming “Free Palestine” during a Sept. 5 show in New Jersey.
Sheeran has said he was not responsible for the decision, which came at the urging of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. His company owns a stadium where Sheeran’s tour was scheduled to play on Friday.
Within hours of Sheeran’s statement Tuesday, his supporting acts withdrew.
Sheeran has performed many songs solo during his Loop Tour concerts, but was joined for several songs at each stop by the Irish folk band Beoga before they dropped out in support of Macklemore.
Macklemore was replaced by Danish band Lukas Graham and Irish singer Aaron Rowe before
