Three Vans, a Startled Farmer and an Iranian Plot Against the U.S.

What exactly happened near an air base in Britain used by the United States? Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent for The New York Times, discusses what he’s learned about the mysterious events around the base, including the abrupt withdrawal of U.S. Air Force bombers. Guest: Eric Schmitt (https://www.nytimes.com/by/eric-schmitt) , a national security correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading:  • A mysterious call near a military base used by the United States set in motion a huge counterterrorism response and days of uncertainty in Britain (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/wo...) . • The United States withdrew 12 bombers from the base (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/05/us...) after information emerged about a potential Iranian drone attack, U.S. and British officials said. Photo: Getty Images For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily (http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-t...) . Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts (http://nytimes.com/podcasts) or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-acce.... For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.