Kyodo News Reports China Told U.S. It Could Cancel the Sept. 24 Trump-Xi Summit if a New Taiwan Arms Sale Is Approved
Citing unnamed sources, Japan's Kyodo News agency reported on Sept. 13, 2026 that Beijing has told Washington it would call off Xi Jinping's planned White House visit if the Trump administration signs off on new weapons sales to Taiwan.
U.S.
CDC Reports 3,294 U.S. Measles Cases as of Sept. 10, 2026, the Most Since 1991
Federal data show 38 outbreaks across 47 jurisdictions this year, and a regional health commission is set to review the U.S. measles elimination status in November.
Federal Judge Grants Preliminary Injunction Against OPM Essay Question on Trump Executive Orders in Civil Service Job Listings
U.S. District Judge George A. O'Toole Jr. in Boston ruled on Sept. 11, 2026 that the required essay prompt likely violates the First Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act, while declining to block the use of answers already submitted.
D.C. Circuit Vacates Energy Department Emergency Order That Kept Michigan's Campbell Coal Plant Running
A three-judge panel ruled unanimously on September 11, 2026 that the Energy Department stretched its Federal Power Act emergency power beyond what the statute allows; the department says the orders prevented blackouts and is weighing an appeal.
Federal Judge Rules DHS Unlawfully Directed a 50% Cut to FEMA's Staffing Plan; Remedy Ruling Due Next Month
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston found the Department of Homeland Security took over staffing decisions Congress gave FEMA, and said she will decide what relief to order in a separate ruling.
CENTCOM Reports Biggest Wave of Tanker Strikes Since War Began as Iran Claims It Hit 10 Ships and a U.S. Base; Vance Says He Is "Extremely Skeptical" of Iran's Wedding-Strike Account
U.S. Central Command said it destroyed five Iranian tankers on September 9 — the largest exchange of shipping attacks since the war began — while Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed it hit 10 ships and a U.S. base in Jordan; Vice President JD Vance had said days earlier, on September 3, that the U.S. is investigating but doubts Tehran's account of a September 1 strike on a wedding in Sirik County.
N.C.
Charlotte City Council to Vote Sept. 14 on Nine-Month Extension of Data Center Building Pause
The city's 150-day moratorium on new data center construction expires Nov. 5; staff say they need more time to write rules on noise, air monitoring, water and power.
North Carolina and 11 Local Governments Reach $455 Million PFAS Settlement With Chemours, DuPont and Corteva, Plus a $135 Million Reserve Fund
State officials valued the deal at $590 million and called it North Carolina's largest environmental damages recovery; the cash is paid over 15 years, and Wilmington's water utility says its own lawsuit continues.
Trump to Campaign for Whatley in Gastonia on Sept. 16; Elon Poll Puts Cooper Ahead 49-38 Among Likely Voters
The Elon University Poll released Sept. 10 showed the same 11-point margin as its August survey, with more voters undecided; other recent polls show a tighter race.
VinFast Asks Court to Dismiss North Carolina's Suit Over Chatham Megasite, Says Concrete Footers Met Construction Deadline
In an 80-page state court filing this month, the Vietnamese automaker denies breaching its deal and blames delays on the state, while North Carolina's attorney general argues a missed "vertical construction" deadline lets the state buy the 1,765-acre site back.
National Weather Service Forecasts Rain From a Coastal Low in Central North Carolina Starting Sept. 15, With Isolated Flash Flooding Possible
Forecasters expect up to about 1.5 inches of rain in Raleigh and up to 3 inches east of the Triangle through midweek, with a 10% chance of up to 5 inches in Wayne and Wilson counties.
NC Utilities Commission Holds Sept. 9 Hearing on Duke Energy's 850-Megawatt Simple-Cycle Gas Plant in Rowan County
Duke Energy Carolinas is asking state regulators to certify two gas-fired combustion turbines at its Buck site, with data-center growth at the center of the fight over whether the plant is needed and who should pay for it.
Finance
Fed Meets Sept. 15-16 After August CPI Held at 3.4%; Futures-Implied Odds of a Rate Hike Near 90%
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Sept. 11 that consumer prices rose 0.4% in August and 3.4% over the year, and President Trump, Vice President Vance and Treasury Secretary Bessent have publicly urged Fed Chair Kevin Warsh not to raise rates.
SpaceX's Nasdaq-100 Weighting Set to Rise to About 2.8% From 1.3% in Sept. 21 Rebalance
Nasdaq's pro forma data show SpaceX's index weight more than doubling after lockup expirations expanded its tradable share count, a change analysts say will force billions in buying by funds that track the index.
Dollar Index Ends Friday at 99.04 After Touching 99.36 on August Inflation Data
The dollar gave back an early pop on September 11 as August core inflation came in at 0.3% and traders weighed roughly even odds of a Federal Reserve rate increase on September 16.
Oracle Reports 30% Revenue Growth and $664 Billion Backlog; Shares Close Down 1.7% After Intraday Rally
Oracle's fiscal first-quarter cloud-infrastructure sales rose 121% and its contracted backlog grew to $664 billion, while the stock gave up an early gain and closed lower on September 11.
World
Algeria Cuts Diplomatic Ties With the United Arab Emirates and Orders Its Ambassador Out Within 48 Hours
Algeria's Foreign Ministry cited unspecified "provocative and hostile" Emirati actions on September 10, 2026, and closed its airspace to UAE aircraft; the UAE said it hopes the break is temporary.
Bahrain Says It Will Not Attend Oman's Sept. 14 Meeting With Iran on the Strait of Hormuz
Bahrain's Foreign Ministry said on Sept. 12 that it will not join any group meeting that includes Iran until the two countries restore diplomatic relations, days before Oman is set to host Gulf and Iranian foreign ministers on shipping through the blockaded strait.
Saudi Arabia Shuts East-West Oil Pipeline After Drone Strikes; Baghdad Says the Drones Came From Iraq
Saudi Arabia says drones from Iraq hit pumping stations in the Riyadh and Madinah regions, and Iraq's government has dismissed two officials in the border province of Maysan while Iran-aligned militias deny responsibility.
Xi, Putin and Modi Open 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi; Bloc Adopts Joint Declaration
Leaders of the 11-member group met Sept. 12-13 at Bharat Mandapam and agreed on a declaration, a day after BRICS finance chiefs raised "serious concerns" about unilateral tariffs without naming any country.
European Commission Approves €6.1 Billion Ukraine Defense Tranche, Clearing About €2 Billion for U.S.-Made Patriot Interceptors
The Sept. 11 decision releases roughly $7.1 billion from the EU's €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan and grants five exceptions to the loan's buy-European rule, two of them for American PAC-3 missiles.
Houthi Fighters Take Yemen's Perim Island in Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a Day After Seizing Mokha Port
Yemeni government forces withdrew from the island overnight on September 11, 2026, and Houthi fighters moved in; Brent crude ended the week above $100 a barrel for the first time in nearly four months.
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.