NATO Opens Ankara Summit Focused on 5% Spending Target and $80 Billion Ukraine Aid Pledge
Leaders of NATO's 32 members, joined by Ukraine's Zelensky, gathered in Turkey as Washington pressed for faster defense-spending increases and Europe restated an $80 billion aid figure that critics note contains no new money.
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.
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 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.
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.
Anson County Reports Discolored Tap Water After Repeated Main Breaks as State Lawmaker Seeks $100 Million for Repairs
A rural North Carolina county remains under a boil-water advisory following two July water main breaks, while a Republican legislator pushes for state money to overhaul an aging system officials say needs roughly $1 billion.
Wake County Reopens Cooling Stations as Heat Index Tops 100 in Central North Carolina
County officials opened air-conditioned public buildings from July 16 through at least July 20 after the National Weather Service forecast dangerous heat, part of a broader U.S. heat wave that has renewed debate over climate change and federal energy aid.
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.
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.
June Producer Prices Fall 0.3% and Retail Sales Rise as Investors and Fed Weigh Rate Path
Wholesale prices dropped in June on cheaper gasoline while consumer spending held up, but annual inflation stayed elevated and a new, hawkish Fed leadership left the direction of interest rates in genuine dispute.
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.
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.