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 Lindsey Pipia | Sep 30, 2026 | Iran, News, World
Lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee conducted an in-person oversight visit to the USS Abraham Lincoln on Sunday to investigate concerns about the aircraft carrier’s extended deployment, including mental health challenges, supply shortages and conditions faced by the nearly 5,000 sailors and Marines at sea.
Members of the bipartisan delegation — Reps. Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz.; Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.; Sara Jacobs, D-Calif.; Ronny Jackson, R-Texas; Cory Mills, R-Fla.; and Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii — spoke with sailors, Marines and Navy leaders aboard the carrier as it returns to its home port in San Diego after facing a 10-month deployment that was extended at least twice because of the ongoing war with Iran.
“For months, I’ve taken the concerns shared with me about mail delays, food and supply shortages, low morale, and mental health crises aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln straight to CENTCOM and the Navy,” Jacobs said. “Unfortunately, their answers have been wholly insufficient.”
The oversight visit came less than a week after acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao revealed to Congress that eight service members of the carrier strike group tied to the USS Lincoln attempted suicide during the extended deployment.
Jacobs said sailors and Marines told her they struggled to “wash clothes, get medicine and healthcare, and eat enough food.”
Houlahan also met with chaplains, support staff, officers and enlisted service members, including some of her constituents from Pennsylvania’s 6th District. She said she learned what went right and what went wrong but declined to provide further details, citing safety and security concerns for the troops.
“I will say this: no servicemember should ever feel like they have been denied decent treatment. Ever,” Houlahan said. “And
by Ebony Davis | Sep 29, 2026 | News, Science, White House, World
Pope Leo XIV on Monday urged that warnings about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence be taken seriously, pushing back on President Donald Trump’s recent dismissal of concerns about the rapidly advancing technology.
Aboard the papal plane returning to Rome from a four-day trip to France, Leo called on governments and technology leaders to confront the potential risks posed by increasingly powerful AI systems.
“I do think that the concerns raised by many of the experts, specialists in AI, should be taken seriously,” Leo told reporters. “I don’t think that that is ‘fake news,’ as some have said.”
His comments offered a direct contrast with Trump, who told world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly last week that fears about AI posing a threat to humanity were a “hoax.” Trump has pushed for rapid U.S. development of the technology, arguing that the country must remain ahead of China in the global AI race.
But Leo said the risks warrant discussion rather than dismissal.
“This is a problem that I think we need to sit down and talk about,” Leo said, adding that the tech industry cannot assume nothing will happen.
The pope stopped short of saying catastrophic risks from AI are inevitable, but said he was not in “panic mode” and remained “relatively optimistic” that safeguards could be developed.
Leo has made artificial intelligence a major focus of his papacy. His first encyclical, published in May, addressed AI and the need to protect human dignity as the technology advances.
“In order to protect the human person in the age of artificial intelligence, I believe that today we must once again reflect on the common good, the universal
by Priya Sridhar | Sep 28, 2026 | Iran, News, World
“the boat is finally getting to me”
The 19-year-old aircraft mechanic sent that text to his wife from the decks of the USS Abraham Lincoln, deep into a combat deployment with no end in sight.
Weeks later, on Aug. 3 — the 255th day of deployment — he started sprinting and launched himself over the catwalk at the edge of the ship, falling 67 feet into the sea off Iran’s southern coast. He was still in his boots and standard-issue “float coat” that sailors must wear at all times on the flight deck.
For months, the sailor had been texting that he was depressed, exhausted by long shifts without breaks. He was frustrated that he couldn’t talk regularly with his wife, infant daughter or 3-year-old son. And that he was having suicidal thoughts.
His wife described the jump as an attempt to take his life. She learned about it from one of his squadron mates. Nearly five days passed before the Navy notified her.
What came next shocked her. She had wanted the Navy to help him. Instead, he faced discipline and was accused of faking an injury to get out of the deployment.
Five weeks after the jump, he was on the phone with his commanding officer for a disciplinary hearing. The sailor had been medically evacuated to San Diego, while his commanding officer was still aboard the carrier. He was found guilty of “jumping from a vessel,” and on Sept. 10 was given an oral reprimand.
Next, he will face a separation board that will decide if he should be discharged from the Navy, and whether that discharge should be characterized as “honorable,” “other than
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 Jen Psaki | Sep 26, 2026 | The Briefing with Jen Psaki, White House, World
This is an adapted excerpt from the Sept. 24 episode of “The Briefing with Jen Psaki.”
On Thursday morning, journalists from MS NOW, CNN and Politico were granted access to the White House grounds for the first time in days after a judge ordered the Trump administration to reinstate press passes to reporters from those networks. However, later that evening, reporters from MS NOW and CNN were blocked from attending an event at the White House.
Now, what makes this all so on the nose, and maddeningly ridiculous, is that the event those reporters were denied access to was a greeting ceremony that Donald Trump hosted for the leader of a country with a truly reprehensible record on press freedom: China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping was in Washington this week for a three-day state visit. According to Thursday’s print pool report, American and Chinese photographers were separated and brought in for two sprays with the leaders. And during the second spray, Trump made a joke about how the Chinese had the friendliest press corps. That’s right: Trump praised China’s state-run media while actively battling to prevent American media from covering his administration.
For context, the Chinese government has a long history of suppressing independent media outlets and keeping independent press from other countries out of events like this in China. U.S. presidents are supposed to condemn that behavior, even when they’re conducting delicate diplomacy.
In 2016, during a trip to China, President Barack Obama called out the Chinese government for restricting press access.
“We think it’s important that the press have access to the work that we’re doing, that they have the ability to answer questions,”
