U.S. Strikes Two IRGC Launchers on Iran's Larak Island; Iran Fires Missiles and Drones at Bases in Jordan and the UAE
U.S. Central Command said the Aug. 30 strike hit minelaying forces near the Strait of Hormuz; the IRGC said it retaliated against bases in Jordan and the UAE hosting U.S. forces, and both countries said they intercepted the attacks with no major damage.
U.S.
Federal Judge Narrows Idaho Abortion Health-Exception Injunction to Apply Only to the Doctor Who Sued
U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill's Aug. 25 order limits his Aug. 13 injunction to Dr. Stacy Seyb, citing the Supreme Court's 2025 ruling against nationwide injunctions, while Idaho's appeal goes to the Ninth Circuit.
House Returns to Vote on Senate-Passed Stopgap Funding Bill Ahead of Sept. 30 Deadline
The Senate passed a continuing resolution 90-6 on Aug. 8 to fund the government through Dec. 11; the House, back in session Aug. 31, passed its own version through Dec. 4 in July and is now set to take up the Senate bill.
24 Attorneys General and Pennsylvania Sue USPS Over Finalized Mail-Ballot Rule; Judge Issues 14-Day Block, Administration Appeals
Days after the Supreme Court lifted one injunction on President Trump's mail-voting executive order, a coalition of mostly Democratic-led states sued over the Postal Service's now-final ballot rule, drawing a temporary restraining order that the administration is appealing.
Justice Department Does Not Appeal Texas Ruling That Voided NFA Registration for Suppressors and Short-Barreled Guns for Case Parties
U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix ruled on Aug. 5 that National Firearms Act registration rules for suppressors and short-barreled firearms lost their constitutional basis when Congress cut the tax to $0; the government let a seven-day stay lapse on Aug. 13 and has until Oct. 5 to appeal.
Shootings at Large Gatherings in Chicago and Trenton Kill 3; Police Raise Combined Wounded Count to 23
Chicago police say 15 people were shot at a Washington Park reunion late Saturday, and Trenton police say 11 were shot at a street gathering about 12 minutes later; the two cities' totals were revised upward through Sunday.
CIA Director Ratcliffe Met Russian Intelligence Chiefs in Moscow on Aug. 25; Axios Reports He Floated a Trump-Putin-Zelensky Summit
The Kremlin confirms the meetings and says Putin was briefed but did not attend; U.S. officials told Axios that Zelensky was briefed on a trilateral summit idea that Moscow has not accepted.
N.C.
Four Health Systems Apply for North Carolina Approval to Add 92 Hospital Beds in Buncombe County
HCA's Mission Hospital, AdventHealth, Novant Health and UNC Health each filed certificate-of-need applications for beds the state says western North Carolina needs; a state decision is expected by the end of 2026.
Duke Energy Settlements Would Cut NC Rate Request; Attorney General Declines to Sign, Disputes 6.8% Figure
Duke's two North Carolina utilities settled with the Public Staff in July 2026 at a 9.8% allowed profit rate, but Attorney General Jeff Jackson declined to sign either deal — rejecting the Duke Energy Carolinas settlement over its own disclosed 9.5% residential increase, and separately rejecting the Duke Energy Progress settlement because he says residential bills there would rise 9.3%, not the 6.8% Duke testified to — as Utilities Commission hearings continued through August.
NC House and Senate Convene Aug. 31 Under Adjournment Resolution; Leaders Said in August That Voting Resumes Nov. 16
The North Carolina legislature's calendar lists a noon convening on Aug. 31, one of several limited sessions set by the adjournment resolution passed in early August, after leaders said they did not plan to hold votes before the November election.
One Inmate Dies After Assault at Harnett Correctional Institution; Another Inmate Charged With First-Degree Murder
North Carolina's prison agency says Christian Kahlil Bridges, 29, was assaulted by other offenders in a dormitory Friday night and died early Saturday; Lillington police have charged inmate Isaiah McKoy, 24, with first-degree murder.
NCDHHS Says Central North Carolina Teen Is Critically Ill With Naegleria fowleri Infection
State health officials announced the case on Aug. 27, 2026, and said the source of the teen's water exposure is still under investigation.
North Carolina Heat Index Figures of 110-112°F Trace to a July 15, 2024 Alert, Not a Warning for the Week of Aug. 31, 2026
The National Weather Service retired the term "excessive heat warning" in March 2025, and eastern North Carolina's most recent alerts this month were heat advisories issued by the Wilmington office.
Finance
Gold Rose About 10% in August Through Aug. 28, Then Fell 3.2% After Fed Chair Warsh's Jackson Hole Speech
Gold closed Friday, Aug. 28 near $4,454 an ounce — its strongest month since January — after a one-day drop that followed hawkish remarks from Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh, and it remains more than $1,100 below the record set Jan. 28.
McKesson Signs Agreement to Buy Precision Medicine Group for About $2.25 Billion
The drug distributor said on August 25, 2026 that it will fold the Maryland-based clinical-research and drug-commercialization firm into its Oncology & Multispecialty segment, pending regulatory clearance.
Ulta Beauty Reports 8.9% Second-Quarter Sales Growth and Raises Full-Year Outlook
The beauty retailer said quarterly net sales reached $3.04 billion for the period ended August 1 and lifted its fiscal 2026 sales and profit forecasts; the stock fell after hours as gross margin slipped and second-half guidance implied slower growth.
Consumer Confidence Index Reads 89.4 in August; New-Home Sales Ran at a 607,000 Annual Rate in July
The Conference Board's index slipped 0.8 points to its lowest level since January, while the Census Bureau put July new-home sales 10.5% below June — a change the agency flagged with a margin of error wide enough to include no change at all.
Brent and WTI Post Weekly Losses of About 5% for the Week Ending Aug. 28 as Iran and Oman Announce a Temporary Hormuz Corridor
Crude fell for the week after Gulf exports recovered to roughly two-thirds of pre-war volumes and Tehran and Muscat announced a temporary 7-mile shipping lane, though Iran says the Strait of Hormuz is not reopening and U.S. pump prices are near record August highs.
Fed Governor Lisa Cook Answers White House Removal Letter, Saying There Is No Legal Basis to Fire Her
Cook's lawyer replied on August 26 to an August 5 letter from deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino that gave her 21 days to respond to mortgage-fraud allegations; President Trump has not announced a decision.
World
Colombia's President Ends 'Total Peace' Talks and Signs Extradition Orders for Five Armed-Group Leaders
Abelardo de la Espriella issued resolutions closing the negotiation tables his predecessor opened and stripped the peace-negotiator status that had blocked five men's extradition to the United States.
Niger's Junta Says It Put Down an Army Mutiny in Niamey; Russia's Africa Corps Backed Loyalist Troops
State television said dozens of soldiers were killed or arrested after mutineers hit Air Base 101, the state broadcaster and the presidential palace on August 29; Algeria sent four fighter jets the next day.
Russia Extends Diesel Export Ban to September 30 After Ukrainian Drone Strikes on Refineries
A government decree signed August 29 keeps Russian producers from exporting diesel, marine fuel and gasoil for another month; separate bans on gasoline and jet fuel exports were set earlier in 2026 and run into November and January.
Kremlin Says Ukraine Peace Talks Are on a "Deep Pause," With No Date Set for the Next Round
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on August 28, 2026 that he had no information on dates for the next round of U.S.-mediated talks, as Russian forces pressed attacks in Donetsk Oblast and Kyiv refused to give up the region.
Nepal and China Report 750 Dead and More Than 3,000 Missing as of Aug. 30 in Himalayan Flood; U.S. Raises Aid to $3.6 Million
A glacier collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border on Aug. 26 sent a wall of ice, rock and water down the Trishuli River; U.S. officials say about 90 Americans are unaccounted for, while Nepal's own list names 65.
Sweden to Send Gripen Jets and a Visby Corvette to Help Patrol Finland's Territory Through End of 2026
Stockholm and Helsinki announced on August 28 that Swedish aircraft and a warship will join Finnish territorial surveillance under Finnish command, days after Finland accused a Russian reconnaissance plane of crossing its airspace.
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.