Pennsylvania Reports Two Measles-Associated Deaths in Lancaster County, First U.S. Measles Deaths Recorded in 2026
State health officials said two unvaccinated Lancaster County residents died, as Pennsylvania's confirmed case count reached 393 and the CDC's 2026 national count reached 2,777.
U.S.
Treasury Announces Iran Sanctions Campaign, Designating About 60 Entities and Expanding Secondary-Sanctions Categories
Secretary Scott Bessent said on August 24 that the U.S. will extend penalties to Iran's digital-asset, gold, aviation, technology and shipping trade, but held off on immediately punishing third countries, calling the announcement a "warning shot."
Judge Rules USPS Violated Her Injunction by Issuing Mail-Ballot Rule, Imposes No Penalty
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani found the Postal Service and Justice Department broke her August 11 injunction when USPS issued a final mail-ballot rule on August 21, but she declined to block the rule's publication or order any sanction.
ICE Made 49,571 Arrests in July, Data Analysis Shows; DHS Puts the Figure Near 51,000
Two counts of the same month differ by about 1,400 arrests, and the two sides disagree over how many of those arrested had criminal records.
Darline Graham Nordone Wins South Carolina Republican Senate Runoff, About 52% to 48%, Over Ralph Norman
The appointed senator, sister of the late Lindsey Graham, won a Trump-backed special primary runoff on Aug. 25 and will face Democrat Annie Andrews on Nov. 3.
USDA Reopens Douglas, Arizona Crossing to Mexican Cattle; Trump Announces 90-Day Tariff Waiver on 300,000 Metric Tons of Ground Beef
The two actions were announced separately — a phased screwworm reopening set on July 24 and a price-focused import waiver posted August 21 — and cattle groups and Republicans from ranching states object to the second.
Timber Fire in Monterey County Passes 12,000 Acres at 25% Containment as of Aug. 24; Evacuation Orders Expanded
Cal Fire says the fire in the Ventana Wilderness of Los Padres National Forest grew over the weekend of Aug. 22-24, reversing an earlier partial reopening of Big Sur and closing about 10 miles of Highway 1.
N.C.
Great Southern Wood Announces $40 Million Lumber Treatment Plant and 43 Jobs in Scotland County, N.C.
The Alabama-based YellaWood maker will build at the Laurinburg-Maxton Airport with about $4.1 million in state, county and Golden LEAF support, all tied to hitting job and investment targets.
North Carolina Awards $69 Million in Federal Disaster Funds for 828 Rental Units in Helene-Hit Counties
State officials awarded federal Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery money to 10 rental projects across 10 western counties, and opened a separate $53.38 million application round for workforce homeownership housing.
ProVia Plans $120 Million Window Plant and 400 Jobs in Davie County; State Approves $3.28 Million Grant Over 12 Years
North Carolina's Economic Investment Committee approved a performance-based grant of up to $3,280,500 for the Mocksville facility, part of a state and local incentive package that also includes $720,000 in training funds and about $1.6 million in county property tax breaks.
NC Highway Patrol Has Not Yet Signed the ICE Agreement Required by an Oct. 1 State Law
Session Law 2026-19, enacted June 24 over Gov. Josh Stein's veto, orders four state agencies to sign 287(g) agreements with ICE by Oct. 1; the Department of Public Safety says talks are ongoing and it intends to comply.
Roanoke Rapids Police Say Death of Demetrius Fleming, 38, Found Hanging Aug. 21, Is an Open 'Equivocal' Investigation
Chief Lawrence Wiggins said officers responded to an attempted-suicide call and found Fleming dead and connected to a ligature, and that no cause has been ruled in or out pending an autopsy.
North Carolina Republicans Pick State Rep. Jennifer Balkcom for the NC-11 Ballot; Trump Endorsed Her on Aug. 18
A district GOP committee chose Balkcom on the first ballot on Aug. 10 to replace Rep. Chuck Edwards, who withdrew from his reelection race after the House Ethics Committee recommended he be censured.
Finance
Brent Crude Falls 2.6% to $86.20 as Iran and Oman Report Progress on a Temporary Hormuz Shipping Corridor
Oil dropped for a third straight session on August 26, 2026, after Iranian and Omani officials described an interim plan for a narrow shipping lane through the Strait of Hormuz, and an industry group reported a larger-than-expected U.S. crude stockpile build.
Fed Governor Lisa Cook's Written Response to White House Removal Letter Is Due Aug. 26
A letter from the White House gave Cook 21 days to answer mortgage-fraud allegations in writing, the step the Supreme Court said was missing when it refused on June 29 to let President Trump remove her.
Dick's Sporting Goods Stock Falls 30.68% After Q2 Earnings Miss and Lowered Full-Year Outlook
The retailer reported $5.59 billion in quarterly sales, a $31.9 million loss at newly acquired Foot Locker, and cut its full-year adjusted earnings forecast to $11.00–$12.00 a share from $13.50–$14.50.
BEA Releases July PCE Inflation Report on Aug. 26; Forecasters Had Put Core at 3.2%–3.3%, Two Days Before Warsh's Jackson Hole Speech
The Bureau of Economic Analysis was scheduled to publish the July personal income and outlays report at 8:30 a.m. ET, with economists expecting the Fed's preferred core inflation gauge to stay near 3.2%–3.3%, above the central bank's 2% target.
Nvidia Falls 2.9% on Aug. 24 for a Seventh Straight Down Session Ahead of Its Aug. 26 Earnings Report
The chipmaker's shares have fallen seven sessions in a row, its longest such run since September 2022, as investors debate how much of the AI buildout is being paid for with money supplied by chipmakers themselves.
U.S. 50% Tariffs on About $20 Billion of Canadian Goods Took Effect Aug. 22 After Talks Ended; Carney Sets Sept. 8 Retaliation
Negotiations in Washington broke off late Friday, the suspended Section 338 duties took effect at 12:01 a.m. ET Saturday, and Canada says its matching tariffs begin Sept. 8.
World
Yemeni Government Says Six Died in Aug. 11 Houthi Missile Strikes on Cargo Ship Tihamah in Bab al-Mandeb
The Houthis said they hit a Saudi ship carrying military equipment; Yemen's internationally recognized government said the Tanzania-flagged, Egyptian-owned vessel was carrying food, and that a second strike killed two rescuers.
Projectile Strikes Oil Tanker Off Oman's Coast, Disabling Its Engine Room; No Group Has Claimed Responsibility
The UK Maritime Trade Operations center said an unidentified projectile hit a tanker about 9 nautical miles northeast of Ash Shishah, Oman, on the night of Aug. 24, damaging the engine room and leaving the crew reported safe.
Pakistan Says Tehran Talks Made 'Significant Progress' Toward Restoring Lapsed Iran-U.S. Memorandum
Pakistan's army chief and interior minister met Iran's president and top negotiators in Tehran on Aug. 24; Iranian and U.S. officials have not confirmed any agreement, and Washington announced a new global sanctions campaign the same week.
Settlers Attack Palestinian Residents, Israeli Activists and AFP Journalists in West Bank Village of Jannatah; No Arrests Reported as of Aug. 25
Five people were treated for injuries near Bethlehem on Aug. 25, 2026, after settlers attacked Palestinian residents, Israeli activists and AFP journalists with stones and pepper spray while Israeli soldiers were present and declared the area a closed military zone.
U.N. Says at Least 47 Killed in Overnight Gang Raid on Kenscoff, Haiti; Local Mayor Counts 40
Armed men attacked homes and a church sheltering displaced people in the hillside farming town above Port-au-Prince late Sunday, August 23, 2026, with death tolls reported between 30 and 47 depending on the source.
Saudi Supertanker Amzan Hit by Projectile 63 Nautical Miles West of Yanbu; Houthis Claim Missile Strike
Saudi shipping company Bahri confirmed one of its very large crude carriers was struck in the Red Sea on August 24 with no crew injuries, and Yemen's Houthi movement said it fired a ballistic missile as part of the naval blockade it declared on Saudi shipping in July.
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.