Terrorist Attack Foiled at Fairford, Where US Bombers Fly From

It was a near thing. An attentive resident spotted three suspicious vans with suspicious Middle Eastern-looking men outside RAF Fairford and called local police, thwarting a planned terrorist attack. New York Times: The British police arrested five men on Sunday on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism after receiving a call around 1 a.m. about three suspicious vehicles headed toward an air force base used by the American military. The base, R.A.F. Fairford, is primarily used by the United States Air Force to deploy some of its largest bombers and has been at the center of controversy this year over its role in the American-Israeli war against Iran. It is not yet clear whether Sunday’s incident is connected to the conflict in the Middle East, but investigators are looking into whether there is any link to Iran or Russia. Both have been accused of orchestrating attacks on British soil. In July, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps issued a statement warning the British government that a decision to allow American bombers to conduct strikes against Iran would make “London responsible for” any consequences. (New York Times.) This is a developing story.

UK Admitted Hamas Terrorist, Gave Him Citizenship, He Plots Terrorist Attacks

If you wondered how the UK Security Services apparently missed a large terrorist cell and nearly allowed them to car bomb RAF Fairford, here’s a clue: they have a soft spot for terrorists. The Sunday Times: A former bodyguard to the leader of Hamas secured asylum and citizenship in Britain before “plotting” a terrorist attack against Jews in Europe before the second anniversary of the October 7 massacre. Mr X, who cannot be named for legal reasons, served in the personal security team of Ismail Haniyeh, who was then the leader of Hamas in Gaza and later chairman of its political bureau, before moving to the UK more than a decade ago. At the time he was awarded refugee status, it was public knowledge that he had worked for Haniyeh, was the son of another senior Hamas official, and had been arrested in Egypt for operating a tunnel allegedly used to smuggle firearms and gold into Gaza. Yet Mr X was granted sanctuary and apparently able to operate under deep cover as an IT consultant living in the suburbs of a large English city. The married father, in his forties, changed his legal name more than once and is not thought to have been a priority for the British security services as he began co-ordinating with Hamas terrorists on the Continent. (The Sunday Times.) It’s a good thing the security services are laser-focused on policing memes. Who knows what damage they might have done to Mr. X’s ego.

Iran Offers Bad Ceasefire Deal; Trump Rejects Bad Ceasefire Deal

Donald Trump is not known for accepting bad deals, and he stayed true to form when Iran made him an offer he most certainly could refuse. CNBC: President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s conditional proposal for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, telling aides he expects to resume bombing the country after November’s midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday, quoting unnamed U.S. officials. In a gaggle with reporters later on Saturday, Trump confirmed he had rejected Iran’s latest offer: “They made a proposal but I rejected it.” … Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday proposed reopening the strategically vital strait and resuming nuclear talks with the U.S. within seven days if the Trump administration accepts its conditions. “If certain conditions are met, the Strait of Hormuz will be open at the end of seven days, and talks will be restarted,” Araghchi told reporters on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Tehran’s conditions include a halt to what it calls U.S. “acts of aggression,” an end to the naval blockade and economic warfare, and the release of Iranian assets, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said this week. (CNBC.)

Trump Reaffirms Deportation Policies After ICE Agents Given Confusing Orders

Trump cleared up confusion that led ICE agents to believe they were not to deport illegal aliens who were not on the “worst” list. Fox News: The Trump administration denied reports Saturday evening that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had temporarily instructed agents to limit arrests to illegal immigrants with criminal records. The clarification comes as immigration enforcement remains a central pillar of President Donald Trump’s agenda. The administration has promised an aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration and expanded deportations, and officials said that effort has not been scaled back. Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, who spoke with Trump and nine ICE and Department of Homeland Security sources, reported that verbal guidance instructing field offices to prioritize the “worst first” was distributed nationwide earlier this week. The guidance alarmed some ICE agents, who described it as shocking and frustrating, Melugin wrote on X. Sources later said the confusion stemmed from internal conversations about prioritizing the most serious offenders and that the directive was the result of a “miscommunication,” rather than a formal change in policy. “There is no change in immigration enforcement policy,” Melugin wrote on X. (Fox News.) Rumors had circulated online that Trump was pulling back on his strong immigration policies.

Six Weeks Out, Things Look Bleak for Republicans in House

Cook shifted 15 House ratings toward Democrats on Friday and put the likely outcome at a slim Democratic majority, a net gain of five to 15 seats. NBC’s new average has Democrats up 52–43 on the generic ballot. Reuters/Ipsos has Trump’s approval at 32 percent, with 17 percent approving his handling of the cost of living — the issue voters say will decide November. Republicans who disapprove of that handling now outnumber those who approve, 51–44. Washington Post: The nonpartisan Cook Political Report, an election prognosticator that rates competitiveness, on Friday moved 15 House races into Democrats’ favor. Two of those GOP-held districts — Arizona’s 1st and New Jersey’s 7th — went from toss-ups to lean Democrat. Three races, including Rep. Monica De La Cruz’s (R-Texas) went from likely Republican to toss-ups. Cook also shifted six races from likely Republican to lean Republican, downgrading incumbent Republicans’ chances in places including Florida and Texas. Four races went from solid Republican to likely Republican. Erin Covey, Cook’s House races analyst, said the most likely outcome in November is Democrats winning a slim majority and picking up five to 15 seats. (Washington Post.) (Washington Times.) (NBC News.) (Reuters.)

AI Companies Keep Letting Their Agents Roam Free Online

AI companies are determined to scare the pants off everybody, and perhaps they are right. They certainly aren’t very good at network security and should probably put some adults in charge. Los Angeles Times: OpenAI said it has paused training of its latest artificial intelligence models as reports of AI agents going rogue mount. The decision to halt development came just hours after the company disclosed Friday that it was reviewing several incidents from the summer in which OpenAI agents searching federal government websites acted in unexpected ways beyond what was asked of them while gathering and distributing information. Separately, AI evaluator Transluce said agents that appeared to come from OpenAI tried unsuccessfully to hack into a Department of Education website, a detail that OpenAI has not confirmed.OpenAI said in a statement that it will resume training “only when we are confident that we have additional safeguards” in place, adding that it expects it will have to “hit pause” again as AI develops and other issues emerge. AI labs are facing pressure from lawmakers and tech experts to slow development so they can build guardrails to stop agents from acting on their own, hacking websites and disclosing nonpublic information. The heads of both OpenAI and rival Anthropic have called for a slowdown too. (Los Angeles Times.) At least some of these events have been blown out of proportion, with agents reading public-facing websites reported as hacks. New York Times: A Commerce Department spokeswoman said OpenAI had gotten access to information that was publicly available on the Census Bureau’s website and available to anyone, but not to any private data. An Education Department spokesperson said “system operations reviews have found no evidence of any impact to our website or databases.” Separately, a representative for the Chicago mayor’s office said OpenAI had recently made the city government aware that its technology obtained publicly available information from a municipal website, and that it did not appear that any sensitive information was obtained. (New York Times.) Whenever you read these stories, remember this: these companies are trying to get regulations that will create an oligopoly.

Australia Government Plans to Use Spam Bots to Spread Propaganda

A social media term insiders use is “sock puppet,” describing fake accounts that individuals and governments use to spread false narratives or manipulate people. The Australian government wants to ban them, except… for itself. It plans to use fake accounts for propaganda purposes. Public: the advocates of government censorship of legal speech are demanding the legal power to wage information warfare through anonymous accounts and an explicit “sock puppet” strategy. Buried in the Australian government’s new censorship bill is a definition: “A sock puppet identity is a false or fictitious identity assumed by a person in the course of using, or carrying out any activity in relation to, an online service.” The legislation goes on not to warn of bad actors using sock puppets but rather to authorize the eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, to create and use sock puppets to “disseminate” information. Defenders of the legislation say the sock puppet power is limited to research and regulatory testing. “This is just not true,” wrote Cameron Wilson, an Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reporter on X, referring to the sock puppet language. He said “the legislation limits the sock puppet powers to ‘performing the Commissioner’s functions or exercising the Commissioner’s powers’ and may only ‘engage with users only to the extent necessary to prevent closure of the account.’” The section “legitimises and protects certain uses of accounts run with false identity information in order to test features and protections that digital platforms claim to have put in place,” said Tama Leaver, a professor at Curtin University. (Public.) It’s hard to imagine a government using anonymous bots to spread propaganda. Right?

Ro Khanna Demands Israel Release Terrorist Who Killed 3, Wounded 87

Ro Khanna is running for president in the “far left” lane, and has decided that appealing to antisemites is the key to success. Townhall: “Barghouti has a unique standing among all Palestinian factions,” Khanna said in a video posted on X. “He’s seen as non-corrupt, a strong leader, and secular. Barghouti could deliver a Palestinian state living in peace with Israel.” “Releasing Barghouti does not provide him with a pardon or moral absolution of crimes he may have committed,” Khanna said. “In fact, a number of human rights groups say he did not even receive a fair trial. But the release is needed to move peace forward…” Marwan Barghouti was one of Yasir Arafat’s top lieutenants. “Palestinians must choose their own leaders,” Khanna said. “Barghouti has a unique standing among all Palestinian factions. He’s seen as non-corrupt, a strong leader and secular. Barghouti could deliver a Palestinian state living in peace with Israel.” Barghouti planned a suicide bombing in Jerusalem on March 2002 on King George V Street that killed three civilians and wounded 87. (Townhall.) Question for Ro: If a terrorist has “unique standing among all Palestinian factions, what does that say about them as partners for peace?

Boston Has Program to Train Illegal Immigrants to Be Community Activists

Of course Boston has a program to train illegal immigrants to become community activists. Michelle Wu is mayor, after all. Immigrants Lead Boston is a 10-week civic-leadership course run by the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement. Participants learn organizing, public narrative, and how to work City Hall. There is a $575 scholarship. The city’s own page tells applicants they are welcome “regardless of their immigration status.” The fall 2026 class is already selected. (City of Boston.)

Trump Encouraged Xi to Execute Fentanyl Providers

Economic and foreign policy issues weren’t the only ones on the table when Trump met with Xi Jinping. New York Post: The Trump administration has “strongly encouraged” China to execute some of its criminals who make and distribute chemicals used to produce illegal fentanyl, the White House has revealed. Concerns about illicit fentanyl supplies flowing from China to the US loomed over President Trump’s high-stakes summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during their three-day DC summit last week. Beijing has already answered some of those concerns by taking steps to crack down on illegal distribution of the deadly synthetic drug’s precursor chemicals, which have resulted in hundreds of thousands of American deaths over recent years, the Trump administration said. “In August 2026, acting on information from U.S. law enforcement, China arrested 21 Chinese citizens for the manufacture and distribution of precursor chemicals to illicit drug producers in North America,” said a White House release on part of last week’s summit. “The United States strongly encouraged maximum sentences, including the death penalty where applicable.” (New York Post.)