Mangione Pleads Guilty to Two Federal Stalking Counts in Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO; Sentencing Set for Dec. 18
He entered the plea without a deal with prosecutors, who say they will ask for life, while his lawyers moved to dismiss the separate state murder case on double jeopardy grounds.
U.S.
Trump Says U.S. Would Strike Oman Over Hormuz Talks as 60-Day U.S.-Iran Memorandum Expires Without a Deal
In an August 17 Fox News interview, President Trump threatened to bomb Oman if it "gets in the way" of U.S. efforts over the Strait of Hormuz, called on Iran to surrender, and said the U.S. has a backchannel to the IRGC — a claim the IRGC publicly denied the same day.
Carrier George Washington Transits Toward the Middle East to Relieve Abraham Lincoln, at Sea 265 Days as of Aug. 13
The Navy's Japan-based carrier is heading to the Arabian Sea as senators question conditions aboard the Lincoln and Pentagon officials call the reports misleading.
Trump Orders Pentagon to Cut U.S. Role in Korea Drills; 11-Day Ulchi Freedom Shield Began Aug. 17 as Scheduled
Trump directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to "substantially reduce" the joint exercise hours before it started, citing cost, his relationship with Kim Jong Un, and Seoul's refusal to help in the Iran war; South Korea's defense ministry said the drill is proceeding as planned.
Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Lift Block on White House Ballroom Work Before Aug. 21
Solicitor General John Sauer filed an emergency application on Aug. 13 seeking to pause a D.C. Circuit order halting above-ground construction; Chief Justice John Roberts told the challengers to respond by noon Eastern on Aug. 18.
Sen. Bill Cassidy Says Trump's Order to Split the MMR Vaccine Is 'Wrong on So Many Levels'
The Senate health committee chairman, a physician and Republican, said the August 10 executive order would mean more shots, more office visits and higher costs; the White House says it expands parental choice.
Judge Sullivan Orders DOJ to Unredact More Epstein Records and Presses Its Lawyers at Aug. 13 Hearing
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, ruling in independent journalist Katie Phang's suit under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, ordered the Justice Department to lift redactions or justify them, and questioned department lawyers in court on Aug. 13 about withheld FBI notes.
N.C.
North Carolina Elections Board to Decide Early Voting Plans for 20 Counties on Aug. 20 After Local Boards Split
State officials approved plans for 80 counties that agreed unanimously; 20 divided counties, most of them arguing over Sunday hours, now go to the state board.
Nippon Electric Glass Unit to Cut 282 Jobs at Shelby, N.C., Plant, With Separations Starting Aug. 31
Electric Glass Fiber America told North Carolina regulators it will end 282 jobs at its Cleveland County glass fiber plant, part of the Japanese parent's stated withdrawal from glass fiber production in North America.
NC Sen. Norman Sanderson Given Suspended 30-Day Sentence in June 10 Plea to Raleigh DWI
Court records retrieved in August show the Pamlico County Republican pleaded guilty in Wake County on June 10, 2026, to a Level 5 DWI stemming from an October 2025 arrest with a reported .16 blood alcohol level.
NC Gov. Stein Vetoes Two GOP Bills: One Cutting Primary Early Voting to 10 Days, One Letting the Chief Justice Suspend Trial Judges Without Pay
Stein rejected House Bill 958 and House Bill 377 on Aug. 17; both passed on party-line votes, and House Republicans say they will try to override.
Records Show NC Auditor's Staff Urged County Boards on Early-Voting Sites; Watchdog Asks Elections Board to Subpoena Ex-Liaison
American Oversight released texts from former auditor's-office elections liaison Dallas Woodhouse and asked the State Board of Elections to subpoena him, weeks after the board's Republican majority rejected a similar request 3-2.
U.S. Drought Monitor's Aug. 13 Update Shows North Carolina Drought Easing, but Exceptional Drought Persists in Western Brunswick County
Western Brunswick County remains the state's only area rated in the worst drought category even as conditions eased statewide, with extreme drought holding in parts of the Piedmont, the southern mountains and Columbus County.
Finance
Paramount Asks Federal Judge to Make 12 States and the Writers Guild Post a $1.88 Billion Bond in Merger Case
The company says a court-approved pause on its Warner Bros. Discovery deal will cost it about $7 million a day starting October 1; California's attorney general says Paramount agreed to that pause without asking for a bond.
Dollar Index Falls Near 99.4 as Traders Cut Odds of a September Fed Rate Hike to About 31%
Weak July jobs and retail sales data and in-line inflation led futures markets to price a Fed hold on Sept. 15-16, pushing the dollar to its lowest level since June 2026 and lifting emerging-market currencies.
Home Depot Reports 1.7% Comparable-Sales Growth in Q2, Reaffirms Full-Year Guidance
The retailer's first results since CEO Ted Decker began a temporary medical leave beat analyst estimates on sales and earnings, while the CFO described U.S. housing conditions as "frozen."
Gold Trades Above $4,400 an Ounce, Still Below Its January Record, as Weak July Jobs Data Cuts September Fed Rate-Hike Odds
Spot gold has climbed back above $4,400 after a July payrolls report showed U.S. job losses, lowering market odds of a Federal Reserve rate increase, while central banks bought a record amount of gold in the second quarter.
Bloomberg Reports Stripe Has Agreed to Buy AI Model Router OpenRouter for More Than $7 Billion
Neither company has publicly confirmed the deal, which reports value at over five times the $1.3 billion valuation OpenRouter received in a May 2026 funding round.
U.S.-China Business Council Says Talks on Investment Board Agreed at May Summit Have Not Started
The U.S.-China Board of Investment, announced after the May 14 Trump-Xi summit in Beijing, has seen no formal consultations and is not expected among deliverables for Xi's September 24 Washington visit, while a separate tariff-relief mechanism moves ahead.
World
Spanish F-18 on NATO Patrol Shoots Down Drone Over Romania; Fourth Drone Downed Over Romanian Territory So Far in 2026
Romania's Defense Ministry says the drone entered from Moldova early Sunday and was destroyed over an unpopulated area; Moldova identified it as a Shahed-type craft that arrived from Ukrainian airspace, while NATO says the drone "appears to be Russian" and Moscow denies responsibility.
Philippines Calls China's Activity Near Thitu Island 'Escalatory'; Military's Aug. 4-10 Tally Logged One Chinese Coast Guard Ship There
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro says Chinese conduct in the Spratlys is provocative, while the armed forces' own weekly count for Aug. 4-10 recorded 18 Chinese vessels across the West Philippine Sea, one of them near Thitu.
China Bars Firms From Complying With U.S. Sanctions on Five Chinese Refiners, Its First Use of the 2021 Blocking Rules
MOFCOM Announcement No. 21 of May 2, 2026 followed two State Council regulations issued in March and April, and leaves banks, traders and insurers facing opposite legal duties in Washington and Beijing.
Iran's Quds Force Commander Met Iraqi Officials in Baghdad on Aug. 10 as Sept. 30 Militia-Disarmament Deadline Approaches
Esmail Qaani discussed the disarmament plan with Iraq's prime minister and Shia faction leaders, according to Iraqi sources cited by regional media; Baghdad says all weapons outside state control must be surrendered by Sept. 30, the same date the U.S.-led coalition's mission is set to end.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Sign Mecca Joint Defence Agreement; Trump Praises Pact, Turkey Says Egypt Could Join
The August 7 agreement says an armed attack on any one of the three states is an attack on all, and Turkish officials have said other countries may be added.
Iran's Army Chief Announces $30,000 Reward for Killing or Capturing U.S. Soldiers
Major General Amir Hatami said Iran's army will pay the equivalent of $30,000 — doubled if the act is carried out by a woman — to anyone who kills or captures what he called an invading American service member.
Analysis
Unbiased, evergreen deep-dives on the bigger questions — not breaking news.
What Fauci's Released Diary Documents About the U.S. COVID-19 Response — and What It Leaves Unresolved
A 1,141-page personal diary released by Sen. Rand Paul's committee is roughly one-third routine administrative logging; a minority of entries bear directly on contested questions, and a few conflict with contemporaneous public statements.
Eight Months of Mamdani: What New York's Record Actually Shows, and What It Cannot Yet Show
A claim-by-claim audit of what Zohran Mamdani has delivered, how New Yorkers judge it, and what the evidence does and does not license anyone to conclude about the rest of the country.