Iran Says It Will Charge Ships 'Service Fees' in Hormuz After 60-Day Window; U.S. Rejects Any Toll as Khamenei Funeral Draws Revenge Chants
Iranian officials say they will levy fees on vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz once a war-ending truce's free-passage period expires; Washington says no state may charge for passage through an international waterway.
U.S.
Preliminary Hearing Ends in Tyler Robinson Case; Judge to Rule September 1 on Whether Charlie Kirk Killing Goes to Trial
After a five-day hearing in Utah, a judge set September 1 to decide whether the capital murder case against the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk should proceed to trial.
Record Heat Across Eastern U.S. on July 4 Cancels D.C. Parade and Pushes Power Grid to Record Demand
As roughly 160 million Americans faced heat alerts, Washington canceled its Independence Day parade and the Energy Department invoked emergency powers over the region's largest grid, reigniting a dispute over climate change and energy policy.
Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump Executive Order Limiting Birthright Citizenship in 6-3 Ruling
In Trump v. Barbara, the justices held that the 14th Amendment's Citizenship Clause covers nearly all children born on U.S. soil, invalidating Executive Order 14160; Chief Justice Roberts wrote for the majority, and three justices dissented.
Trump Reverses One-Day DHS Pause on ICE Vehicle Stops After Fatal Maine and Houston Shootings
President Trump ordered ICE to resume traffic stops roughly a day after the agency suspended most of them following two fatal shootings of men who were not the targets of the underlying operations.
Pentagon Says National Guard Anti-Crime Mission in Washington Could Run Through January 2029 as Some States Pull Out
Federal officials confirmed the D.C. deployment has no fixed end date and costs more than $3 million a day, while several Democratic-led states withdraw their troops and courts weigh its legality.
Graham Platner Formally Withdraws From Maine Senate Race; Democrats Move to Pick Replacement by July 27
After a rape allegation and a second misconduct allegation he denies, Platner filed withdrawal paperwork, triggering a Maine Democratic convention as Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and others enter the race to face Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
N.C.
North Carolina Legislature Sends Two-Year, $34.4 Billion Budget to Gov. Stein After a Year-Plus Impasse
The Republican-led General Assembly gave final approval to a spending plan with income-tax cuts and pay raises; Gov. Josh Stein has 10 days to sign it, veto it, or let it become law.
North Carolina Gov. Stein Signs $34 Billion State Budget Without Vetoing It
The budget cuts the personal income tax rate to 3.49%, raises teacher and state-worker pay, and became law after bipartisan majorities gave it veto-proof support.
Central North Carolina Drought Hits 'Exceptional' as Record-Breaking Heat Wave Strains Health Systems and Duke Energy Runs Plants Past Pollution Limits Under Federal Order
Record-breaking heat pushed Durham into the U.S. Drought Monitor's most severe category, drove a rise in heat-related illness, and prompted federal emergency orders letting Duke Energy exceed environmental permit limits to keep the grid running.
NC State Health Plan Puts Duke in 'Access' Tier and WakeMed in Top-Cost Tier for 2027
North Carolina's State Health Plan board finalized a new tiered provider network for 2027 that gives Duke Health mid-range pricing while pushing most WakeMed care into the highest out-of-pocket tier.
Wake County Democrats Petition Commissioners for $200,000 After NC State Early Voting Site Is Moved Off Central Campus
The Wake County Board of Elections relocated an early voting site from NC State's Talley Student Union to a building about a mile away, and county Democrats are asking commissioners for contingent funding to reverse or offset the move.
National Weather Service Forecasts Renewed Extreme Heat for Eastern North Carolina This Week
After a brief break, forecasters expect heat index values as high as 108 degrees across eastern North Carolina Thursday through Saturday, prompting First Alert Weather Days and public-health warnings.
Finance
Oil Jumps After U.S. Reinstates Iran Blockade and Trump Proposes 20% Hormuz Transit Fee
Crude prices rose sharply as the U.S. moved to blockade Iranian ships near the Strait of Hormuz and President Trump proposed charging a 20% fee on cargo crossing the waterway, a plan the UN maritime agency and shippers call unlawful.
Fed Chair Warsh, in First Congressional Testimony, Calls Inflation Fight Unfinished as Soft June CPI Lowers July Rate-Hike Odds
Kevin Warsh told the House Financial Services Committee the Fed has 'no tolerance' for elevated inflation and gave no signal on the July 28–29 decision, hours after a surprise 0.4% June price drop cut market-implied odds of a July hike.
Morgan Stanley and BlackRock Report Second-Quarter 2026 Earnings; BlackRock Assets Reach Record $15.3 Trillion
The two firms reported Wednesday, a day after five large U.S. banks posted record profits, extending a Wall Street earnings season powered by a trading and dealmaking boom while bond yields stay high.
Markets Swing as U.S. and Iran Trade Strikes Across the Gulf; Oil Climbs Anew, Gold Slips
Iran says it hit U.S.-linked bases in Bahrain and Kuwait after fresh American strikes on Iran; crude briefly topped $80 earlier in the week, eased, then climbed again toward $79 as the Gulf strikes landed, while gold fell for a second session and equity futures swung as investors gauged the odds of a wider war.
June Employment Report Arrives Early as Fed Chair Warsh Says Inflation Is 'Too High' and Weighs a Rate Increase
The Labor Department released its June jobs data on July 2, a day ahead of the July 4 holiday, amid an unusual debate over whether the Federal Reserve will raise rates rather than cut them.
SK Hynix and Samsung Fall Sharply in Mid-July Chip Rout; Kospi Triggers Trading Curbs
South Korea's two largest chipmakers posted steep declines during a multi-day selloff tied to doubts about AI-related valuations, dragging the Kospi below 7,000 and echoing losses in U.S. semiconductor stocks.
World
Iran Strikes U.S.-Used Bases in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait as U.S. Bombs Iran for a Fourth Night; Senate Democrats Block $1.15 Trillion Defense Bill
As a June ceasefire collapses into open warfare, Iran says it hit U.S.-linked bases in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait while U.S. Central Command struck Iran's coast; in Washington, Senate Democrats blocked the annual defense policy bill in protest of the war.
Trump Endorses Bipartisan Russia Sanctions Bill as Senate Weighs Floor Vote Following Graham's Death
President Trump has signaled support for legislation authorizing steep tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil, gas and uranium, days after the bill's chief sponsor, Sen. Lindsey Graham, died unexpectedly.
Syria Says It Arrested an ISIL-Linked Cell Behind Damascus Bombings That Struck During Macron's Visit
Syrian officials say raids netted the group responsible for July 7 blasts that killed one and wounded dozens while France's president met the country's post-Assad leader; the Islamic State has not claimed the attack.
Venezuela's Official Earthquake Death Toll Passes 3,500 as Opposition and Protesters Press Acting President for Elections
Twin June 24 quakes killed thousands amid a U.S.-backed transition; sides dispute whether the crisis reflects government failure, U.S. control, or the sidelining of Venezuela's elected opposition.
Russia Strikes Kyiv With Missiles and Drones a Day Before NATO Summit; Casualty Counts Vary
Overnight missile and drone strikes hit residential and other sites in Kyiv on July 6, 2026, with early death tolls ranging from about 7 to 15, as President Trump prepares to meet President Zelenskyy at a NATO summit in Turkey.
Analysis
Unbiased, evergreen deep-dives on the bigger questions — not breaking news.
Do the Official U.S. Inflation Numbers Tell the Truth About the Cost of Living?
A meta-analysis of the long-running debate over whether the CPI and PCE accurately capture what Americans pay to live — and why the headline rate can be honest yet still feel wrong.
The 'Activist Judges' Fight: What the Record Shows About Courts, the President, and the Will of the People
A meta-analysis of competing claims that the courts are thwarting the elected branches, separating the grounded data from the contested interpretations on the right and the left.