Trump Says U.S. Has Reached Deal for Majority Share of a New Venezuelan Oil Venture Covering 17 Fields
The August 28 announcement describes a private joint venture with 100-year concessions and an effective 55% U.S. share of output; House Democrats and legal scholars question the legal basis, and no signed text has been released publicly.
U.S.
Federal Judge Vacates Pentagon's 'Supply Chain Risk' Designation of Anthropic, Citing First Amendment and Due Process
U.S. District Judge Rita Lin ruled on August 27 that the designation was arbitrary and capricious and amounted to retaliation; the government is expected to appeal, and a separate case in Washington remains open.
U.S. Strike Kills Four on Alleged Drug Boat in Caribbean, the Second Strike Since a Pause That Began June 21
U.S. Southern Command said a strike on Aug. 25 destroyed a go-fast boat and killed four people, days after the first strike since June 21, while Colombia's new president has invited U.S. forces to operate on Colombian soil.
Justice Department and FBI Seize Domains Behind Two China-Linked Hacking Platforms, Naming NASA, the Federal Reserve and the Senate Among Targets
Court-authorized seizures announced August 26, 2026 disabled the QScan and QTRouter tools that U.S. officials link to a Chinese group active since 2018; Beijing calls the allegations false.
FDA Approves Updated 2026-27 COVID Vaccines Targeting XFG Variant, Limited to Ages 65+ and High-Risk Younger People
The agency cleared XFG-adapted shots from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Novavax-Sanofi on August 27, keeping the narrowed eligibility rules it first set in May 2025.
N.C.
Friday Storms Prompt FAA Ground Stop at Charlotte Douglas; Duke Energy Outage Reports Range From 18,100 to More Than 45,000
Severe thunderstorms hit the Charlotte metro during the Aug. 28 evening commute, halting inbound flights and downing trees and power lines, while eastern North Carolina was also under a National Weather Service flood and severe-storm outlook the same day.
North Carolina Set to Receive at Least $451 Million From Meta Settlement, Up to $645 Million if Rivals Adopt Similar Teen Limits
Attorney General Jeff Jackson announced the state's share of a multistate deal that ended a federal trial in Oakland; Meta agreed to new default limits for teen accounts and denied the states' allegations.
NC Rules Review Commission Approves 15 Election Rules; Objection Letters Send 7 to Legislative Review After Gov. Stein's Delay Request
Gov. Josh Stein asked the commission to hold off on rules that would let a majority of a county elections board reject a voter's photo-ID exception form; the commission approved the rules on Aug. 27, but written objections mean lawmakers must sign off on several of them.
Public School Forum Releases Two-Year Study of Weighted School Funding for North Carolina, Modeling Base Amounts From $5,133 to $9,450 Per Student
The report, released August 27, follows a 2026 state budget provision that funds a work group to plan a possible move away from North Carolina's allotment system, with recommendations due July 15, 2027.
North Carolina's Aug. 27 Drought Map Lifts Dry Designations in Parts of Onslow and Jones Counties While Most of the State Stays in Drought
State environmental officials say recent rain helped a few areas, but part of Brunswick County remains in the map's most severe category and conditions worsened in parts of Edgecombe and Halifax counties.
NC Announces $375,000 Grant for Boater's World Plan to Add 179 Jobs at Chocowinity Boat Plant
Gov. Josh Stein's office says Boater's World Manufacturing Group will spend more than $6 million on the former NauticStar/Fountain site in Beaufort County, with a state grant paid only if hiring targets are met.
Finance
Gap Inc. Posts 2% Sales Drop and a $417 Million Tariff-Refund Gain, Raises Profit Outlook; Shares Rise About 14%
The company beat adjusted profit estimates, missed on revenue, named a new Old Navy CEO, and booked a large one-time benefit from tariff refunds ordered after the Supreme Court struck down the IEEPA tariffs.
Marvell Shares Close Down 10.3% After Fiscal Q2 Beat and Raised Fiscal 2028 Revenue Outlook
Marvell reported record quarterly revenue of $2.739 billion and lifted its fiscal 2028 forecast to about $18 billion, but investors focused on gross-margin guidance and on when the Google chip agreement starts adding meaningful revenue.
BLS Preliminary Estimate Cuts U.S. Payroll Growth Through March 2026 by 79,000, or 0.1%
The Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday that its yearly check against tax records points to 79,000 fewer nonfarm jobs and 178,000 fewer private jobs as of March 2026 than its monthly surveys had shown.
Victory Capital Agrees to Buy First Eagle Investments for About $7 Billion
The August 26 agreement pairs roughly $4.4 billion in cash with about $2 billion in new Victory stock, and the companies say the combined firm would manage about $571 billion.
Weekly Jobless Claims Fell to 203,000 in the Week Ending Aug. 22, Below the 208,000 Forecast
The Labor Department's Aug. 27 release came a day before the annual benchmark revision to payrolls and Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's first Jackson Hole speech.
Fed Chair Kevin Warsh Delivers First Jackson Hole Keynote With 30-Year Treasury Yield at Its Highest Since 2007
Warsh, sworn in May 22, 2026, spoke at 10 a.m. ET Friday with headline CPI inflation at 3.4%, core CPI at 2.5%, and futures markets split on whether the Fed's next move is a rate hike.
World
Israel Strikes Southern Lebanon and Sites Near Damascus in Same Week as U.S.-Mediated Talks in Jordan
Syrian and Israeli officials met in Jordan on August 23 with U.S. mediation, while Israeli strikes continued in southern Lebanon and southern Syria through August 27.
North Korea Warns of "Powerful Response" After U.S. Clears Possible $125 Million Sidewinder Missile Sale to South Korea
The State Department approved a possible sale of 103 AIM-9X Block II air-to-air missiles to Seoul on August 21; Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry called it a hostile act six days later.
Chad and U.S. Blame Sudan's Army for Border-Area Drone Strike; Death Tolls Reported as 12 and 13
Chad's military and a Chadian security source say a Sudanese strike near the frontier killed 12 people on August 27; a Darfur outlet reports 13 killed, including three Chadians, at a fuel market on the Sudanese side, while Khartoum denies responsibility and demands an independent inquiry.
Russia Strikes Nine Ukrainian Cities Overnight; Kyiv Air Force Says It Downed Seven Ballistic Missiles
Ukraine's air force reported intercepting seven ballistic missiles and about 90% of incoming drones as Kyiv logged a record 13 air raid alerts in 24 hours on August 27; Russia's Defense Ministry said it hit ports, steelworks and a refinery.
At Least Three Killed in Israeli Strikes in Gaza as Netanyahu and Katz Threaten to Evacuate Areas Where Kites Are Launched
The strikes came while the U.S.-backed 15-point Gaza roadmap remains unimplemented and envoy Jared Kushner shuttles between Israeli and Hamas leaders over whether disarmament or withdrawal comes first.
WHO Reports Ebola in 57 of Congo's Health Zones; 5,713 Cases and 2,744 Deaths as of Aug. 25
The Democratic Republic of the Congo's outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus, a strain with no licensed vaccine or drug, and has drawn U.S. entry restrictions and disputes over the effect of 2025 foreign-aid cuts.
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.