Michael Douglas speaks with ABC News’ Diane Sawyer in an interview that aired on “Good Morning America” on Oct. 5, 2026. (ABC News)
Actor Michael Douglas is sharing new details about his decadeslong career in Hollywood, and the shadow he lived under as he climbed his way to the top.
Douglas, now 82, was born into Hollywood royalty as the son of actors Diana Douglas and Kirk Douglas.
It was his dad, a three-time Oscar nominee whom Michael Douglas describes as “larger than life,” whose shadow loomed large over his son, both as a father and in Hollywood.
“I think he meant well, but he was out of that generation where you smacked around a fair amount,” Michael Douglas told ABC News’ Diane Sawyer, describing his father’s temper that he said left him shy throughout his childhood.
In his 20s, Michael Douglas followed his dad into the world of acting, and said he soon had to turn down his own dad for a role.
While producing One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Michael Douglas said that though his dad desperately wanted the role of Randle Patrick McMurphy, the studio head and director felt that Kirk Douglas was too old for the part. Michael instead cast Jack Nicholson, who would go on to win an Oscar.
Over 50 years later, Michael Douglas told Sawyer that telling Kirk Douglas — who died in 2000 at age 103 — that he didn’t get the role remains the “hardest thing I ever had to do.”
In his new memoir, One Helluva Ride, Michael Douglas describes not only the familial relationships he had to navigate throughout his career, but also the personal ones.
The Fatal Attraction actor reveals for the first time in the book that he had an affair with his Romancing the Stone co-star Kathleen Turner, an affair they kept secret for 40 years.
Michael Douglas told Sawyer that he asked Turner and the other women mentioned in his memoir for their permission before writing about them.
“These are people I had relationships with over my 82 years and many of them long before Catherine was born,” Michael Douglas said, referring to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, his wife of over 25 years, with whom he shares two children.
“I mean, people date, Diane, they do,” he added when asked by Sawyer about the many women named in his memoir.
Tune in to Good Morning America on Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET on ABC for more of Diane Sawyer’s interview with Michael Douglas.
Michael Douglas speaks with ABC News’ Diane Sawyer in an interview that aired on “Good Morning America” on Oct. 5, 2026. (ABC News)
Actor Michael Douglas is sharing new details about his decadeslong career in Hollywood, and the shadow he lived under as he climbed his way to the top.
Douglas, now 82, was born into Hollywood royalty as the son of actors Diana Douglas and Kirk Douglas.
It was his dad, a three-time Oscar nominee whom Michael Douglas describes as “larger than life,” whose shadow loomed large over his son, both as a father and in Hollywood.
“I think he meant well, but he was out of that generation where you smacked around a fair amount,” Michael Douglas told ABC News’ Diane Sawyer, describing his father’s temper that he said left him shy throughout his childhood.
In his 20s, Michael Douglas followed his dad into the world of acting, and said he soon had to turn down his own dad for a role.
While producing One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Michael Douglas said that though his dad desperately wanted the role of Randle Patrick McMurphy, the studio head and director felt that Kirk Douglas was too old for the part. Michael instead cast Jack Nicholson, who would go on to win an Oscar.
Over 50 years later, Michael Douglas told Sawyer that telling Kirk Douglas — who died in 2000 at age 103 — that he didn’t get the role remains the “hardest thing I ever had to do.”
In his new memoir, One Helluva Ride, Michael Douglas describes not only the familial relationships he had to navigate throughout his career, but also the personal ones.
The Fatal Attraction actor reveals for the first time in the book that he had an affair with his Romancing the Stone co-star Kathleen Turner, an affair they kept secret for 40 years.
Michael Douglas told Sawyer that he asked Turner and the other women mentioned in his memoir for their permission before writing about them.
“These are people I had relationships with over my 82 years and many of them long before Catherine was born,” Michael Douglas said, referring to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, his wife of over 25 years, with whom he shares two children.
“I mean, people date, Diane, they do,” he added when asked by Sawyer about the many women named in his memoir.
Tune in to Good Morning America on Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET on ABC for more of Diane Sawyer’s interview with Michael Douglas.
A U.S. B-1 bomber taxis to the runway to depart for home at RAF Fairford on Oct. 4, 2026, in Fairford, United Kingdom. (David Brown/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The United States removed its heavy bombers from a base in the United Kingdom it had used to launch strikes on Iran, amid an investigation into a suspected plot to attack the base.
At least a dozen planes, including B-1 bombers, were redeployed to the United States from Royal Air Force Fairford, according to the Pentagon, which did not specify when or why the planes departed.
“While operational security precluded us from confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real-time, we can acknowledge now that all U.S. bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have re-deployed to their home stations in the United States,” a Defense Department official said in a statement on Sunday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday morning that the aircraft redeployment reflects a “regular rotation” and that he “wouldn’t directly tie” the suspected plot regarding RAF Fairford to the action.
“[I]t’s not unusual to see rotations happen and movement of assets to different parts of the world based on exercises, redeployments, people changing out and new people coming in, new planes coming in, old planes going out,” Rubio said.
The Pentagon’s statement on the departure came after five men were arrested last month on terror charges near RAF Fairford.
They were arrested in possession of three vans in the village of Whelford, which is about 2 miles from the base, which hosts the U.S. Air Force and has since February been serving as a key hub for American operations against Iran — including for heavy bombers like the B-1.
The five were later released on bail after “extensive interviews,” authorities said.
The suspects, who have not been charged, “remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of enquiry,” Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the United Kingdom, said on Sept. 28.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC News in late September that there were “strong indications” that Iran “played a part in what happened.”
The Department of Defense said in its Sunday statement that the “U.S. Air Force bombers routinely operate around the world to support global force readiness and operational requirements.”
“The Airmen that operate America’s bomber force, including B-1s, B-2s, and B-52s, remain ready to deliver precision global strike capabilities – including through operations that launch and recover from the continental United States – anywhere, anytime,” the statement said.
A U.S. B-1 bomber taxis to the runway to depart for home at RAF Fairford on Oct. 4, 2026, in Fairford, United Kingdom. (David Brown/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The United States removed its heavy bombers from a base in the United Kingdom it had used to launch strikes on Iran, amid an investigation into a suspected plot to attack the base.
At least a dozen planes, including B-1 bombers, were redeployed to the United States from Royal Air Force Fairford, according to the Pentagon, which did not specify when or why the planes departed.
“While operational security precluded us from confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real-time, we can acknowledge now that all U.S. bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have re-deployed to their home stations in the United States,” a Defense Department official said in a statement on Sunday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday morning that the aircraft redeployment reflects a “regular rotation” and that he “wouldn’t directly tie” the suspected plot regarding RAF Fairford to the action.
“[I]t’s not unusual to see rotations happen and movement of assets to different parts of the world based on exercises, redeployments, people changing out and new people coming in, new planes coming in, old planes going out,” Rubio said.
The Pentagon’s statement on the departure came after five men were arrested last month on terror charges near RAF Fairford.
They were arrested in possession of three vans in the village of Whelford, which is about 2 miles from the base, which hosts the U.S. Air Force and has since February been serving as a key hub for American operations against Iran — including for heavy bombers like the B-1.
The five were later released on bail after “extensive interviews,” authorities said.
The suspects, who have not been charged, “remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of enquiry,” Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the United Kingdom, said on Sept. 28.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC News in late September that there were “strong indications” that Iran “played a part in what happened.”
The Department of Defense said in its Sunday statement that the “U.S. Air Force bombers routinely operate around the world to support global force readiness and operational requirements.”
“The Airmen that operate America’s bomber force, including B-1s, B-2s, and B-52s, remain ready to deliver precision global strike capabilities – including through operations that launch and recover from the continental United States – anywhere, anytime,” the statement said.
Computer graphic image of a virus as seen like through a microscope. (Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images)
The U.S. State Department is monitoring a reportedly fatal case of “pneumonia of an unknown etiology” linked to a plague research laboratory in Russia.
“We are aware of reports of a fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. We are monitoring the situation closely with the CDC and our other interagency partners,” a spokesperson from the State Department said.
“Many details have not been confirmed. We encourage Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly,” the spokesperson added.
Where the case of plague has been detected
Health authorities in Russia’s Irkutsk region launched anti-epidemic measures after an employee of a plague institute was diagnosed with “pneumonia of an unknown etiology,” the country’s sanitary watchdog agency, Rospotrebnadzor, confirmed on Sunday.
The lab involved is the Anti-Plague Research Institute in Shelekhov, in southern Siberia, Russia.
The statement comes after some Russian media and public figures reported a death potentially due to the plague and linked to a lab worker. Russian officials did not provide further details on the worker.
The Russian agency’s statement said that “no accidents have been detected at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute while working with pathogenic microorganisms.”
Their statement added that “the sanitary and epidemiological situation” in the Irkutsk Region, the cities of Irkutsk and Shelekhov, is “stable.”
How Russian authorities are responding
Regional governor Igor Kobzev said in a statement on Friday that people who had contact with a resident who contracted a “particularly dangerous infection” were placed under medical observation.
Responding to the growing speculation, the governor on Monday said that “no microorganisms associated with the woman’s professional activities were found in her biomaterials” and that no other lab workers have sought medical help in recent days.
Officials said none of the identified contacts were showing symptoms so far and their laboratory tests were negative, according to Kobzev.
Before Rospotrebnadzor reported that the employee’s illness was due to pneumonia with an unknown cause, Alexei Tsydenov, the head of Buryatia, a region neighboring Irkutsk Oblast, suggested that a woman may have died of the plague.
Citing Buryatia’s health officials, Tsydenov wrote in a post on his Telegram channel on Friday that “the woman who died – possibly from the plague – in the Irkutsk Region had not visited Buryatia,” assuring Buryatia residents that “there are no plague outbreaks in the republic.”
Amid the investigation, some protective measures have been announced in the region. A mask mandate has been implemented at the Irkutsk Aluminum Plant in Shelekhov, according to the plant’s director, Artem Fominykh.
“Better safe than sorry,” Fominykh wrote in a post on his Telegram channel on Saturday, asking the employees to “follow the precautions.” He added that some conflicting information about the situation is circulating in Shelekhov, and urged the plant employees to seek medical attention immediately if they experience any symptoms.
US response
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement on Sunday that it is “monitoring the situation closely” with the State Department.
“The safety and security of U.S. citizens is our highest priority,” the CDC said.
“Many details have not been confirmed. We encourage Russian authorities to share accurate information quickly and openly,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement.
“Plague is a known disease and is treatable with common antibiotics, especially when treatment starts early. Cases occur naturally in many parts of the world,” the statement added.
What to know about plague and its transmission
Plague is a disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, according to the CDC.
Humans can contract the disease after being bitten by an infected rodent flea, coming into contact with contaminated fluid or tissue from an infected animal or by inhaling infected droplets in the air.
There are three types of plague: bubonic, pneumonic and septicemic. Symptoms often include fever, chills, and weakness.
Pneumonic is the most serious form and the only one that can potentially spread between people. It occurs when bacteria spread to the lungs of a patient with untreated bubonic or septicemic plague, or when a person inhales infectious droplets, according to the CDC.
Bubonic plague is infamously responsible for the deaths of millions of people in Europe during the 1300s. While the disease still exists, modern medicine and public health efforts have made it less threatening.
Plague can be treated with a course of antibiotics. The earlier antibiotics are received, the higher are the chances of a full recovery.
The U.S. averages about seven cases of plague each year, mostly on the West Coast in states such as Arizona and New Mexico, according to the CDC. It’s been more than a century since the U.S. has seen a documented case of person-to-person spread of plague, per the CDC.
A plane carrying passengers from an earlier Flydubai flight that was diverted to Saudi Arabia arrives at Ben Gurion Airport on Sept. 30, 2026, in Tzafria, Israel. (Erik Marmor/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The alleged attacker on the FlyDubai flight to Israel was intending to crash the plane into Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, according to two senior U.S. officials and an Israeli source familiar with the investigation.
As ABC News has previously reported, Hamam Al-Hammani, an Omani national, had been flagged by Oman Air as a security risk and was suspended as a trainee copilot for that airline in 2024 for possessing extremist materials, according to senior intelligence and law enforcement officials, raising questions about how he was hired at FlyDubai.
Officials investigating the incident are still trying to determine how the suspected attacker was subsequently permitted to fly for FlyDubai and how he ended up as the first officer in the cockpit of a plane headed for Israel, the sources said.
“We recognize that there are many questions at this stage; however, the circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation,” FlyDubai said in a statement to ABC News on Saturday.
“We are therefore not in a position to comment further beyond our published statements. We remain fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigation and are in close coordination with the relevant government authorities and regulators.”
FlyDubai issued a statement earlier Friday, attributed to its chief executive officer, saying that, at the request of the authorities, FlyDubai had “temporarily suspended operations to Tel Aviv until further notice,” and saying “a full official investigation, led by the relevant authorities and fully supported by FlyDubai, is underway.”
A disaster was averted when the flight’s captain, Smit Machchhar, fought back and a number of passengers subdued and restrained the attacker, who plunged the plane thousands of feet in an apparent attempt to crash it, in what Israeli officials are saying was an act of terror.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the intention was to “crash the plane, killing everyone on board” Flight 1073 from Dubai.
A passenger, Yaniv Hayun, was able to drag the suspect from the cockpit, take control of the plane and level it before a third pilot took over and flew the jet to Saudi Arabia, according to other passengers.
The plane was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it made an emergency landing.
Al-Hammami was transferred Thursday from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates and remains in custody.
“He came to crash the plane with all passengers on board,” Netanyahu said in a video released by his office. “We are investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
A plane carrying passengers from an earlier Flydubai flight that was diverted to Saudi Arabia arrives at Ben Gurion Airport on Sept. 30, 2026, in Tzafria, Israel. (Erik Marmor/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The alleged attacker on the FlyDubai flight to Israel was intending to crash the plane into Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, according to two senior U.S. officials and an Israeli source familiar with the investigation.
As ABC News has previously reported, Hamam Al-Hammani, an Omani national, had been flagged by Oman Air as a security risk and was suspended as a trainee copilot for that airline in 2024 for possessing extremist materials, according to senior intelligence and law enforcement officials, raising questions about how he was hired at FlyDubai.
Officials investigating the incident are still trying to determine how the suspected attacker was subsequently permitted to fly for FlyDubai and how he ended up as the first officer in the cockpit of a plane headed for Israel, the sources said.
“We recognize that there are many questions at this stage; however, the circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation,” FlyDubai said in a statement to ABC News on Saturday.
“We are therefore not in a position to comment further beyond our published statements. We remain fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigation and are in close coordination with the relevant government authorities and regulators.”
FlyDubai issued a statement earlier Friday, attributed to its chief executive officer, saying that, at the request of the authorities, FlyDubai had “temporarily suspended operations to Tel Aviv until further notice,” and saying “a full official investigation, led by the relevant authorities and fully supported by FlyDubai, is underway.”
A disaster was averted when the flight’s captain, Smit Machchhar, fought back and a number of passengers subdued and restrained the attacker, who plunged the plane thousands of feet in an apparent attempt to crash it, in what Israeli officials are saying was an act of terror.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the intention was to “crash the plane, killing everyone on board” Flight 1073 from Dubai.
A passenger, Yaniv Hayun, was able to drag the suspect from the cockpit, take control of the plane and level it before a third pilot took over and flew the jet to Saudi Arabia, according to other passengers.
The plane was diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it made an emergency landing.
Al-Hammami was transferred Thursday from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates and remains in custody.
“He came to crash the plane with all passengers on board,” Netanyahu said in a video released by his office. “We are investigating whether he was sent, and whoever sent him will pay a very heavy price.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Even more stars have joined the cast of The Trial of Louise Woodward. Natalia Dyer, John Magaro and Jack Reynor have signed on to be part of the cast of the upcoming HBO true crime limited series. They join an ensemble that includes Catriona Chandler in the titular role alongside Meghann Fahy, Sagar Radia, Chloë Sevigny and Hugh Laurie …
The cast of the upcoming Dolly Parton Broadway musical has been revealed. Producers have announced that Parton herself handpicked Katie Rose Clarke to star as the late country music icon in DOLLY: A True Original Musical. Also starring are Carrie St. Louis, Norah Nunes, John Behlmann and Gabriel Ebert …
Jennifer Lawrence is set to star in a new rom-com. The Oscar winner will reteam with her No Hard Feelings director Gene Stupnitsky in the upcoming film One Month Mark. Deadline reports Stupnitsky is in final negotiations to direct the movie for Apple Original Films. Lawrence will also produce the movie that was written by Sophie Fleur de Bruijn …
Even more stars have joined the cast of The Trial of Louise Woodward. Natalia Dyer, John Magaro and Jack Reynor have signed on to be part of the cast of the upcoming HBO true crime limited series. They join an ensemble that includes Catriona Chandler in the titular role alongside Meghann Fahy, Sagar Radia, Chloë Sevigny and Hugh Laurie …
The cast of the upcoming Dolly Parton Broadway musical has been revealed. Producers have announced that Parton herself handpicked Katie Rose Clarke to star as the late country music icon in DOLLY: A True Original Musical. Also starring are Carrie St. Louis, Norah Nunes, John Behlmann and Gabriel Ebert …
Jennifer Lawrence is set to star in a new rom-com. The Oscar winner will reteam with her No Hard Feelings director Gene Stupnitsky in the upcoming film One Month Mark. Deadline reports Stupnitsky is in final negotiations to direct the movie for Apple Original Films. Lawrence will also produce the movie that was written by Sophie Fleur de Bruijn …
