China Holds Two-Day Live-Fire Drills Near Taiwan Strait a Day After Rubio-Wang Yi Talks
The exercises off Fujian's Dongshan Island followed a U.S.-China foreign ministers' meeting in Manila and come amid a paused $14 billion U.S. arms package for Taiwan.
U.S.
CDC Reports Record Cyclosporiasis Season Above 11,500 Cases; Lettuce Recall Tied to a Smaller Five-State Cluster
Federal officials link about 1,600 illnesses in five states to recalled Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce, while thousands more U.S. cases stay under investigation from possibly more than one source.
Blanche Attorney General Nomination Stalls in Committee as GOP Senators Withhold Votes
Two Republican senators are holding back their Judiciary Committee votes on Todd Blanche after Epstein survivors said their meeting with him was unproductive, and after questions about a canceled DOJ fund.
Bipartisan Bill Would Let Epstein Survivors and State Officials Sue DOJ Over Files Release
Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna introduced legislation that would give victims, state attorneys general and members of Congress the power to sue the Justice Department over how it has handled the original Epstein Files Transparency Act.
FBI Reportedly Told to Hand Off ICE Confrontation Probes to DHS; Justice Department and DHS Deny Any Change
The New York Times reported that FBI agents were told to stop investigating clashes with immigration officers, shifting cases to an ICE arm; the Justice Department and DHS say nothing has changed.
House Adopts $95 Billion Budget Blueprint to Start Reconciliation on Iran War Funding and Voter-ID Grants
The 216-214 vote instructs House committees to draft a bill of up to $95 billion, most of it for the Iran war and defense, plus money to push states toward voter-ID and proof-of-citizenship rules.
N.C.
Flash Flooding and Power Outages Hit Central North Carolina as Bertha's Moisture Feeds a Stalled Front
Heavy rain tied to a slow-moving front and leftover moisture from Tropical Storm Bertha flooded parts of the North Carolina Piedmont and knocked out power to thousands.
Chemours Reaches Out-of-Court Settlement With 2,658 North Carolinians Over PFAS Releases
The private deal, terms undisclosed, came days before trial and days after state officials attacked a separate federal PFAS settlement that left North Carolina out.
NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson Leads 18-State Group Urging EPA to Keep PFAS Water-Testing Rules
A coalition led by North Carolina's attorney general asked the EPA to drop its plan to end testing rules for four PFAS chemicals, including GenX, while the EPA says the Biden-era rules broke the law.
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.
Finance
AT&T Reports Higher Q2 Profit and Record Fiber Subscriber Additions
The carrier topped Wall Street earnings estimates and raised its stock buyback plan, even as its shares remain down for the year amid concern about satellite internet rivals.
IBM Trims 2026 Revenue Outlook After Q2 Miss and 42% Mainframe Sales Drop
IBM reported second-quarter revenue and profit below Wall Street estimates and lowered its full-year growth forecast, blaming delayed deals and a sharp fall in IBM Z mainframe sales.
Trump Imposes 50% Tariffs on Canada Under 1930 Law, Plans Wider Levies on About 60 Countries
The administration is using older trade statutes to rebuild its tariff program after the Supreme Court struck down the emergency tariffs Trump had used for most of the past year.
STB Orders Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern to Make Some Merger Job Data Public
The Surface Transportation Board said the railroads must file public versions of employee-impact data they had marked confidential, as their $85 billion merger review continues.
World
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.
Putin Thanks North Korea for Troops in Kursk After Third Russia-North Korea Strategic Dialogue
At a Kremlin meeting on July 19-20, 2026, Putin publicly credited North Korean soldiers for helping retake the Kursk region, as the two governments pledged to deepen a partnership sealed by a 2024 treaty.
Pakistan's Military Vows 'All Measures' Over India's Suspension of Indus Waters Treaty
Field Marshal Asim Munir's top commanders reaffirmed Pakistan's water threats as India keeps the 1960 river-sharing pact frozen after a 2025 attack in Kashmir.
UN Warns of Atrocity Risk as RSF Tightens Siege of Sudan's El-Obeid; U.S. and G7 Respond
Sudan's Rapid Support Forces have besieged the North Kordofan capital of El-Obeid, killing hundreds in nearby villages and drawing new U.S. sanctions, a G7 statement, and UN atrocity warnings for a city of about 500,000 people.
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.
Is Religion in the U.S. Growing, Shrinking, or Holding Steady? What the Latest Data Actually Shows
A measurement-first look at American faith in 2025-26 — affiliation, belief, practice, and the contested claim that young people are returning to church.
ICE in 2026: How Popular It Really Is, Whether Its Tactics Are Legal, and How the Numbers Compare With Past Presidents
An evidence-first analysis of three separate questions that get argued as one — public opinion, constitutional law, and the historical deportation record.
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.