U.S. Strikes Iranian Nuclear Construction Site as Iran Hits Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan; U.S. Troop Toll Reaches 17
On the ninth night of renewed U.S.-Iran fighting, both sides traded strikes across the Gulf, oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz stayed largely halted, and U.S. gas prices neared $4 a gallon.
U.S.
CDC Director Nominee Erica Schwartz Questioned by Senators on Vaccine Policy and Independence From HHS Secretary Kennedy
At her July 15 confirmation hearing, Dr. Erica Schwartz praised vaccines but declined to say whether she would resist political direction from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Justice Department Appeals Court Order to Release More Unredacted Epstein Records
A federal judge ordered the DOJ to unredact additional Epstein files or justify each redaction; the department declined by the deadline, defended its redactions as victim protection, and is appealing.
FBI Reportedly Shifted Probes of ICE Shootings to ICE's Own Investigative Unit; Justice Department and DHS Deny Any Change
News reports citing anonymous sources say the FBI told managers it would stop investigating assaults and shootings involving immigration officers, moving that work to ICE's Homeland Security Investigations; the Justice Department and DHS say oversight has not changed.
Pentagon Extends Washington, D.C. National Guard Deployment Through January 2029 as Court Fight Continues
The Defense Department says the roughly 5,000-strong deployment, begun in August 2025 under a declared crime emergency, will run until Inauguration Day 2029 or until the President ends it, while the D.C. attorney general's lawsuit against it proceeds.
Rhode Island Judge Declines to Pause His Order Requiring USCIS to Resume Immigration Processing for 39 Countries
U.S. District Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. denied the government's request to halt his ruling while it appeals, leaving in place an order that USCIS restart asylum, green-card and naturalization cases for nationals of dozens of countries.
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.
N.C.
NC Attorney General Files Testimony Opposing Most of Duke Energy Progress's Proposed Two-Year Rate Increase
Jeff Jackson's office asks state regulators to cut the utility's requested return on equity and shift more grid costs onto data centers; the Utilities Commission will decide this fall.
North Carolina's Driest Year on Record Prompts Mandatory Water Restrictions Across Triangle and Charlotte Regions
State officials report all 100 counties in drought as reservoirs including Falls Lake sit below normal, and more utilities move to enforceable conservation rules.
Nippon Electric Glass to Close Shelby, N.C. Fiberglass Plant, Ending 282 Jobs; Sells Lexington Plant to Saint-Gobain
The Japanese company says it is exiting North American glass-fiber production; workers face an Aug. 31 shutdown as the sale of a sister plant transfers about 90 jobs to a French rival.
NASCAR Cup Series Returns to North Wilkesboro Speedway After State and Federal Money Helped Rebuild the Track
The historic North Carolina short track hosted its first Cup Series points race since 1996, drawing fresh debate over the roughly $18 million in COVID-relief funds and a state MEGA Fund grant used to revive it.
North Carolina Budget Provision Authorizes Placement of License-Plate Reader Cameras on State Roads
A section of North Carolina's new state budget lets the State Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Transportation put automated license-plate readers along state-maintained roads statewide, extending a pilot that privacy groups across the political spectrum oppose.
North Carolina Reports 300-Plus Cyclosporiasis Cases, Centered in Wake County; State Says It Is Separate From Taco Bell Lettuce Outbreak
State health officials report over 300 cases and 13 hospitalizations of the parasitic illness since May, and say the source remains unidentified and distinct from a larger multistate outbreak tied to Taco Bell lettuce.
Finance
South Korea's Kospi Falls Sharply as U.S. AI-Chip Selloff Spreads to Samsung and SK Hynix
Doubts over whether record AI infrastructure spending will pay off dragged Asian memory-chip makers lower after a trillion-dollar rout in U.S. semiconductor stocks, while U.S. futures showed a partial rebound.
June Housing Starts Rose 19% and Retail Sales Grew 0.2% as Fed Weighs July 29 Rate Decision
A multifamily surge lifted overall home construction while consumer spending cooled, leaving the Federal Reserve with conflicting signals days before its late-July meeting.
10% Global Tariff Set to Expire by Law July 24 as Appeals Court Keeps It in Force Pending Ruling
A blanket 10% U.S. import tariff imposed under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 is scheduled to lapse automatically on July 24, 2026, even as a trade court's ruling that it is unlawful remains stayed on appeal.
Tesla and Alphabet Report Earnings This Week as Investors Weigh Payoff From Record AI Spending
Both companies report during the July 20 trading week, days after a semiconductor selloff, with capital-spending guidance the metric markets say they are watching most.
Senate Crypto Market-Structure Bill Released in Revised Form With No Democratic Backing Ahead of August Recess
A merged Senate draft of the CLARITY Act, combining Banking and Agriculture Committee text, surfaced in mid-July without the ethics provision Democrats are demanding; a July 16-17 White House meeting with Trump aimed at resolving the impasse did not produce revised text, and the bill still lacks the Democratic votes it needs to reach 60, with disputes over ethics rules, developer protections and stablecoin yield unresolved.
Fed July Rate-Hike Bets Swing as Oil-Price Spike and Soft Wholesale Data Pull in Opposite Directions
Market-implied odds of a rate increase at the Federal Reserve's July 28-29 meeting fell after a weaker-than-expected June producer price report, even as renewed Strait of Hormuz tensions pushed oil higher.
World
Taiwan Reports Elevated Chinese Naval Activity Around the Island During July Defense Exercises
Taipei's defense ministry logged rising numbers of Chinese warships and coast guard vessels as Taiwan ran drills to defend supply chains and infrastructure; the two governments describe the same movements in sharply different terms.
State Department Reissues Departure Guidance for Americans in the Middle East as Iran War Widens
Amid renewed U.S.-Iran fighting and a global "Worldwide Caution" alert, the U.S. is urging citizens across the Gulf to leave by commercial routes while embassies operate under ordered-departure status.
Israeli Forces Kill Eight in Gaza and Advance Positions Beyond Ceasefire Line as U.S.-Brokered Truce Nears Ten Months
Israeli troops moved concrete markers of the "yellow line" westward in central Gaza and struck two Gaza City neighborhoods, while Israel and Hamas trade blame over who is breaking the October 2025 deal.
RSF Forces Encircle Sudan's El Obeid as UN, U.S. and European Governments Warn of Possible Mass Atrocities
About 500,000 civilians are trapped in the North Kordofan capital as the paramilitary RSF besieges an army-held city, drawing warnings, disputed casualty numbers, and scrutiny of U.S. and UAE policy.
Ukrainian Drones Strike Two Warehouses and an Oil Depot Deep Inside Russia, Killing at Least Eight
Overnight strikes on July 18 hit logistics sites in the Tambov and Moscow regions and an oil depot near Moscow; Ukraine calls the sites military supply hubs, Russia calls them civilian retail warehouses.
Analysis
Unbiased, evergreen deep-dives on the bigger questions — not breaking news.
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.
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.