Iran Fires Missiles Toward Jordan's Aqaba as Trump Threatens Strike on 'Pickaxe Mountain' Nuclear Site
Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it hit U.S. targets in Jordan, and President Trump says the U.S. will soon strike a deeply buried Iranian nuclear site, as a June truce breaks down.
U.S.
Congressional Democrats Seek DHS Records on ICE Hiring After Reports Detail Maine Officer's History
New reporting that the ICE officer who fatally shot a Colombian man in Biddeford, Maine, had a documented history of mental-health and violence allegations has prompted Democratic lawmakers to demand records on the agency's vetting and training.
Renewed Flooding Across Texas Hill Country Collapses Uvalde County Bridge; State Reports 2 Deaths and Hundreds of Rescues
Record and near-record river crests hit the same region devastated by the July 2025 floods, testing warning systems installed in the past year.
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.
Epstein Survivors and AG Nominee Todd Blanche Give Opposing Accounts of Meeting Held to Secure a Republican Senator's Vote
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein at the demand of Sen. Thom Tillis; survivors called the session unproductive while Blanche's Justice Department called it productive, days before a committee vote on his confirmation.
Trump Declassifies China Intelligence in Primetime Speech, Renewing 2020 Election Claims and Pushing Voter-ID Bill
In a July 16, 2026 East Room address, President Trump released documents he says show Chinese interference in U.S. elections and urged Congress to pass the SAVE America Act; Democrats and the intelligence record dispute his conclusions.
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.
N.C.
Duke Energy Carolinas and Public Staff Reach Rate Settlement; State Attorney General Declines to Join
A proposed North Carolina settlement would cut Duke Energy Carolinas' rate-hike request and lower its allowed profit rate, but the state's attorney general says the increase is still too high.
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.
Dollar and Treasury Yields Hold Firm as Gulf Oil Shock Complicates the Fed's September Decision
A war-driven oil spike has pushed U.S. inflation risk back into markets, and traders are split over whether the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates in September or hold and wait.
Asian Chip Stocks Rally on July 21 as Samsung, SK Hynix and TSMC Reverse Early-July AI-Chip Selloff
South Korea's Kospi and Taiwan's Taiex jumped Tuesday, recovering ground lost in a July selloff driven by doubts over AI spending, aided by strong recent earnings from U.S. memory maker Micron.
War-Risk Insurance for Tankers in the Strait of Hormuz Jumps Again as U.S.-Iran Fighting Resumes
Marine insurers are quoting single-voyage war-risk rates as high as 10% of a ship's value after a mid-July collapse of the U.S.-Iran truce, raising the cost of moving oil through a waterway that carries roughly a fifth of the world's crude.
World
Israeli Strike Reported to Kill Family in Gaza City as Post-Ceasefire Death Toll Passes 1,100, Health Officials Say
Medics say an airstrike hit a home in the Sabra district of Gaza City on July 21, 2026; the incident is one of many disputed exchanges along the truce line nine months into a U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
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.
Wheat Prices Hit Two-Year High as Russia and Ukraine Escalate Black Sea Ship Attacks
Both militaries have stepped up strikes on merchant ships and ports; Ukraine's main farm union says export capacity is down about a third, and global wheat futures have risen to their highest level since 2024.
Analysis
Unbiased, evergreen deep-dives on the bigger questions — not breaking news.
Democratic Socialists in America: What They Say They Are, What Critics Say They Are, and What the Evidence Shows
A claim-by-claim analysis of the definitional fight, the polling paradox, and the 'do small reforms compound' question — with each side's strongest case and where it meets the data.
AI Data Centers and the U.S. Grid: What the Electricity Numbers Actually Show, and Who Pays
A meta-analysis separating the measured facts about data-center power use, grid strain, and household bills from the contested claims about cause, cost, and cure.