Top Stories for the Week of October 3rd.

British police evacuated homes near RAF Fairford, a Gloucestershire air base used by U.S. forces, and detained several men Sunday on suspicion of explosives offenses. Army bomb-disposal teams examined vehicles and counterterrorism police took over the investigation, though authorities said the incident was contained. The base has served as a staging point for American strikes on Iranian targets. Source

Eight U.S. Marines were injured on Sept. 14 when an Iranian cruise missile struck the ship they were operating on in the Strait of Hormuz, according to three U.S. officials. The previously undisclosed injuries were not serious, including smoke inhalation and possible concussions, and the Marines returned to duty soon afterward. Read More

The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to keep swiftly deporting migrants to countries other than their own while the justices consider whether the policy is legal. Under a series of largely undisclosed agreements, the administration has sent about 25,000 people to more than two dozen countries. Attorneys for the migrants say many have no criminal record and face imprisonment or safety risks on arrival. Source

Tennessee officials were unable to carry out the execution of Christa Pike by lethal injection Wednesday night, hours after the Supreme Court cleared the way for it, according to an emergency motion from her attorneys and accounts from media witnesses. Pike, who would have been the first woman executed in Tennessee in some 200 years, was taken to an off-site medical facility. The state Department of Correction said it followed every step of its approved execution protocol. Find out More

Christa Pike was in critical condition Thursday and receiving lifesaving care at a hospital, her lawyers said, a day after Tennessee’s attempt to execute her failed despite two doses of a lethal drug. Gov. Bill Lee called what happened “deeply disturbing,” ordered an independent review and postponed both her execution and another scheduled for this year. Pike, 50, was sentenced to death for the 1995 killing of fellow Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer. Source

Former “American Idol” contestant Caleb Flynn was found guilty of murdering his wife in their Ohio home in February, after he had told police a burglar broke in and killed her. Flynn broke down in tears as the verdict was read, and his defense attorney said he will challenge the conviction. Sentencing is set for October. Source

Lindsay Clancy returned to a Plymouth, Massachusetts, courtroom Tuesday for the first time since her murder trial ended in a mistrial earlier this month. Her attorney argued prosecutors never proved she killed her three children, while the district attorney said no decision has been made on a retrial. The judge set a November hearing on a defense motion targeting the lone holdout juror. Source

President Trump fired off at least 14 Truth Social posts attacking Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a Florida Republican, after she released a campaign ad saying some of his immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far. Some of the posts called her a backstabber and urged supporters to replace her as she faces a competitive reelection in a heavily Hispanic district. See Details

A pollster’s upbeat Senate forecast at the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s Sea Island, Georgia, retreat drew skepticism from GOP donors and operatives, with one attendee calling it “delusional.” The NRSC is seeking $9 million for races in Alaska, Iowa and Ohio, states Trump carried by double digits in 2024, as Senate Majority Leader John Thune acknowledged a tough environment. Read More

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo directing U.S. Cyber Command and other Pentagon agencies to work with the Department of Homeland Security to counter foreign cyber threats targeting American elections. Hegseth described protecting the vote as a no-fail mission for the department. Read More

Senate appropriators from both parties are searching for ways to block President Trump’s plan to cancel $810 million in congressionally approved spending through a so-called pocket rescission. Lawmakers denounced the move as illegal, noting it was announced with the fiscal year ending Wednesday, leaving Congress virtually no time to vote on it. Find out More

Georgia Democrats face a steep spending disadvantage in the tight race for governor as wealthy Republican businessman Rick Jackson pours tens of millions of dollars into advertising. Democrats expected to be outspent, but the size of the gap facing nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms has alarmed party officials. See Details

Two new Texas polls show Democrat James Talarico’s lead over Republican Ken Paxton narrowing in the U.S. Senate race, with one giving Talarico a five-point edge and the other just one point. The share of undecided voters has dropped to 3% to 4%, and both margins fall within the polls’ error ranges. Read More

President Trump and leaders of major artificial intelligence companies signed what was billed as a “morally binding” agreement to self-police AI development. At a Senate hearing later Wednesday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal blasted the voluntary pledge as worse than ineffectual, and Google unveiled a new Gemini model the same day. Find out More

Four astronauts aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule docked with the International Space Station on Thursday after launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida, that morning. The Crew-13 team is NASA’s Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. They will spend about six months aboard and relieve the Crew-12 astronauts, who are due home next week. Find out More

An Ohio jury deliberated just over two hours Tuesday before convicting former “American Idol” contestant Caleb Flynn on all nine counts, including murder, in the killing of his wife, Ashley. Prosecutors argued he wanted to keep both his mistress and his daughters, and he now faces possible life in prison without parole. Source

The Trump administration finalized its repeal of Biden-era Title IX protections for LGBTQ students, Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced Monday. The final rule returns Title IX to what McMahon called commonsense language and was expected to be published Tuesday. Find out More

OpenAI canceled the release of its newest ChatGPT model, GPT-6.1 Astra, after testing showed it tended to mislead users about its work and stray beyond its instructions without asking. The decision comes a week after the company announced a temporary training pause on its most advanced models. Find out More

The U.S. and China agreed to cut tariffs on $30 billion in “non-sensitive” goods after the Trump-Xi summit, with China lowering duties on U.S. farm products, seafood and medical devices and the U.S. trimming tariffs on toys, small appliances and holiday decorations. China also committed to import 10 million metric tons of U.S. coal in both 2027 and 2028, though rare-earth mineral issues remain unresolved. Source

The economy grew at a 2.2% annualized rate in the second quarter, sharply revised up from 1.5%, even as consumer confidence sits at its lowest level in more than a decade. Business investment, driven heavily by AI and data center construction, grew about twice as fast as consumer spending. Source

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to 7.28% this week, its highest level in nearly three years. Mortgage applications fell 6% from the prior week, and adjustable-rate loans climbed to 10.3% of applications. Rates have risen along with 10-year Treasury yields since the start of the Iran war in February. See Details

The sell-off in government bonds deepened Thursday as the 10-year Treasury yield touched 5.34%, its highest level since 2002. It ended the day at 5.24%. Yields are climbing overseas as well, with France’s 10-year rate reaching as high as 4.95%. Source

Inflation stayed stubbornly elevated in August as the war-driven energy shock continued to lift prices, though annual data revisions show prices haven’t been rising as fast as previously thought. The September jobs report is due Friday, with economists expecting about 94,000 jobs added. Source

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook warned that artificial intelligence appears to be adding inflationary pressure in the near term, delaying inflation’s return to the Fed’s 2% target. She cautioned against using interest rates to fight price increases confined to narrow sectors, but flagged concern that the data center boom is pushing up construction, labor and energy costs across the broader economy. Source

The Trump administration finalized lower vehicle fuel economy standards Monday, reversing a Biden-era push toward more fuel-efficient and electric vehicles. The Transportation Department’s own estimates show the rules will lower new-vehicle prices but increase fuel use and emissions, with automakers praising the change and the Sierra Club vowing to fight it. Find out More

More than 100 Israeli settlers attacked the West Bank village of Jalud on Tuesday, blocking Israeli security forces from returning a displaced Palestinian family to its home. The settlers set fire to the family’s property and car and injured several Israeli border police officers, drawing a rare condemnation from the Israeli government. Read More

The last U.S. troops have left Iraq, ending a 12-year mission against the Islamic State group, and President Trump hailed the departure on Wednesday. Iraqis marked the withdrawal with celebratory convoys in Baghdad as security was tightened around the capital. See Details

Student protests are spreading across the Paris region and other parts of France, bringing school blockades, clashes with police and tear gas. Hundreds of people have been arrested. French officials say outside agitators have helped escalate the unrest. Read More

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday the world is living through a dangerous moment and warned the West not to threaten the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. He said a direct attack on Russian territory would immediately raise the question of using every weapon at Moscow’s disposal, including nuclear arms. Putin also said he is ready for a three-way meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Trump once an agenda is worked out. See Details

Britain’s MI5 issued an unprecedented alert warning that a Chinese organization has been funding academic research into AI and other technologies on behalf of Beijing’s state security service. The warning targets universities and researchers working in sensitive fields. Source

British police released on bail five men arrested near RAF Fairford, an English air base used by U.S. bombers, as questions mount over a suspected terror plot. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the incident clearly involves a foreign actor but offered no evidence, and local politicians have raised concerns about how the investigation has been communicated. Read More

“Avengers: Endgame Encore,” a theatrical re-release of Marvel’s 2019 blockbuster, led Friday’s box office with $11.2 million. A24’s Robert Pattinson film “Primetime” followed in second place, with Brad Pitt’s “Heart of the Beast” also opening this weekend. Source

Knicks star Jalen Brunson hosted the Season 52 premiere of “Saturday Night Live,” bringing New York’s starting five on stage for his monologue. KATSEYE was the musical guest, and the season also introduced new cast members Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter. Source

Taylor Swift became the most-awarded artist in VMAs history after receiving the show’s inaugural Artist Director Honors. She dedicated the top prize to the late Dolly Parton. See Details

Warner Bros. released a new ad for Tom Cruise’s “Digger” that touts both negative and positive reviews and invites moviegoers to decide for themselves. The film opens in theaters and IMAX on Friday following its Los Angeles premiere Monday night. Source

Jim Carrey has married his girlfriend, Min Ah, in a small private ceremony in Los Angeles. The couple made their public debut together at France’s César Awards in February. Read More

Bradley Whitford said at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony that it may be time to bring back “The West Wing” as a limited series. Co-star Dulé Hill said the cast would return if creator Aaron Sorkin writes it. Source

AEW wrestling star PAC was found unresponsive inside a car outside an Illinois restaurant shortly before he was pronounced dead. The Cook County Medical Examiner performed an autopsy, but the cause and manner of death are pending additional tests that could take several weeks. Find out More

Fox Business Network announced a new weekday lineup following Maria Bartiromo’s exit, filling her old time slot with “Big Money in the Morning.” Dagen McDowell and Brian Brenberg move to mornings, ending their 6 p.m. show “The Bottom Line,” which will be replaced by reruns of “Kudlow.” Liz Claman adds a Friday evening interview program, “Claman’s Power Players.” See Details

The Baltimore Ravens beat the Dallas Cowboys 34-31 in Rio de Janeiro on Tyler Loop’s 56-yard field goal as time expired. The Brazil matchup was one of the league’s international games this season. Find out More

LeBron James wore his new No. 23 Philadelphia 76ers jersey at media day and heaped praise on center Joel Embiid, saying he wants to help him win his first championship. James said he is prepared to fill whatever role the team needs on a roster that also added Jaylen Brown this offseason. Find out More

Alec Bohm hit a go-ahead home run in the 10th inning as the Phillies beat the Braves 4-3 to force a decisive Game 3 in their NL Wild Card Series. Bryce Harper’s eighth-inning homer had tied the game. Find out More

NASCAR legend Richard Petty criticized the sport’s new Chase format, warning the title could be decided before the final races after Kyle Larson’s dominant Kansas win. Denny Hamlin pushed back, saying fans should relax with six races left. Source

A brown bear known as Backpack, Bear 89, was crowned the 2026 Fat Bear Week champion at Alaska’s Katmai National Park after edging Bear 910 in Tuesday’s final vote. Backpack’s mother, Holly, won the title in 2019, while last year’s champion, Chunk, was knocked out in the first round. Read More

Researchers searching for Noah’s Ark drilled more than 60 feet into Turkey’s Durupinar formation during their latest field season. The team collected more than 300 soil samples and sent them for analysis, looking for possible signs of human activity or decayed wood. Source