Hurricane Isaias Makes Landfall Near Destin, Florida, as a Category 2 Storm; Power Outages Top 830,000 Customers in Florida, Alabama and Georgia
The season's first Atlantic hurricane came ashore Friday night and weakened to a post-tropical cyclone over Alabama. Flash flooding is the main threat now, and some gauges in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle have measured more than a foot of rain.
U.S.
U.S. Sanctions the International Criminal Court as an Institution; Rubio Says the Move Will Cut Off the Court's Resources
The State Department designated the Hague court itself under a 2025 executive order, with a 180-day license to keep it running for now. The ICC and the UN secretary-general condemned the move, and the European Commission called it "deeply regrettable" as some European officials pushed for an EU blocking law.
Chief Justice Roberts Pauses Appeals Court's Noon-Friday Deadline for FCC to Rule on Party Ad Rates; Administration's Separate Sept. 28 Request on Transgender Inmate Care Still Pending
Roberts issued a temporary order on Oct. 8 in the FCC case without ruling on the merits, and the inmates' lawyers filed their reply in the prison case the same day.
Judge Kelly Extends Order Keeping White House Passes for Nearly 80 CNN, MS NOW and Politico Staffers Through Tuesday, Says He Will Rule by Then
At a Thursday hearing, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly asked hard questions about the Justice Department's national-security defense of President Trump's ban on the three outlets. He said he will decide by Tuesday, Oct. 13, whether to block the ban for a longer period.
Pentagon Says Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan's Dec. 3 Firing-Squad Execution Will Be Livestreamed; U.N. Rights Office Says That Would Breach Torture Ban
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the execution of the 2009 Fort Hood gunman should be public. It would be the first U.S. military execution since 1961 and the military's first by firing squad since World War II. Hasan's lawyer says a civilian-court appeal is "a distinct possibility," and legal experts say one could delay the execution for years.
OpenAI Says Iran-Origin Accounts Used ChatGPT to Place About 100 Articles Critical of the U.S. War in Roughly a Dozen Outlets
OpenAI banned the accounts and says seven made-up "journalists" carried the bylines. It says it does not know whether the Iranian government was behind them.
Reuters/Ipsos Poll Puts Trump Approval at 32%, Matching the Series Low; Registered Voters Favor Democrats 44%-37%
The online survey of 4,506 U.S. adults, taken Sept. 30 to Oct. 5, found 24% of Hispanic Americans approve of President Trump, the lowest Reuters/Ipsos reading in either of his terms. The Nov. 3 midterms are less than a month away.
N.C.
Stein Signs House Bill 3, Suspending North Carolina's 41-Cent Gas Tax From Oct. 10 Through Nov. 30
Lawmakers passed the bill 111-1 and 41-0 in a one-day special session. Fiscal staff say it is the first suspension of the state's motor fuels tax. It will cost an estimated $362.3 million, paid from a state reserve fund.
Post-Tropical Isaias Puts Parts of 13 Western North Carolina Counties Under Flood Watch Through Sunday
Forecast rain totals for the Blue Ridge escarpment ranged from 4 to 10 inches depending on outlet and location. Gov. Josh Stein urged residents to "prepare, don't panic," and local officials stressed that the storm is not expected to be another Helene.
More Than 125 N.C. Faith Leaders Ask Stein and Legislators to Repeal Budget Rule That Makes Schools Excuse Students for Off-Campus Religious Classes
The rule became law with the state budget on July 7, 2026, and districts are already following it; an Oct. 6 letter from clergy calls it unconstitutional, while supporters say it protects parents' choices.
Duke Energy Files Data Center Cost Settlement With N.C. Public Staff; Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Defense Department Sign On
New customers of 50 megawatts or more would pay upfront for grid hookups that serve only them and post deposits or guarantees for shared upgrades; the N.C. Utilities Commission must still rule.
Tillis Memoir 'How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents' Goes On Sale; He Calls His Hegseth Vote His 'Biggest Regret'
The retiring North Carolina Republican's book prints profane texts he says he sent Trump and criticizes several Trump officials. A senior White House official answered the leaked texts with an insult; on 'The View,' Tillis said he hopes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gets fired.
GOP Super PAC Drops Its Remaining North Carolina Senate Ads After Spending More Than $30 Million for Whatley, Starts a Kansas Buy
The Senate Leadership Fund pledged $71 million to the race earlier this year. It is stopping the unspent part and moving some money to help Sen. Roger Marshall in Kansas. Polls show Republican Michael Whatley trailing Democrat Roy Cooper for North Carolina's open Senate seat.
Finance
S&P 500 Rises 0.6% to 7,811.54 Friday and 1.15% for the Week; Brent Settles at $104.72 as Hurricane Isaias Shuts 71.5% of U.S. Gulf Oil Output
Stocks rose Friday after Thursday's AI-led tech selloff, and oil ended slightly higher after giving up early losses tied to President Trump's Iran remarks. Ahead are a hurricane landfall, the Oct. 14 inflation report and the start of earnings season.
Treasury Sells $39 Billion of 10-Year Notes at 5.30%, Highest Auction Yield Since 2000; Market Yield Slips From 2002 High
After the Oct. 7 auction drew more bids than usual, the 10-year yield fell back to about 5.29% from an intraday 24-year high. By Thursday morning yields were climbing again after a Fed governor said more rate hikes are needed.
Initial Jobless Claims Dip 2,000 to 197,000; 10-Year Treasury Yield at 5.23% Ahead of Oct. 14 CPI Report
Layoffs stayed near their lowest level since the late 1960s in the week ending Oct. 3. Hiring stayed slow. Treasury yields sit near their highest since 2002 and Brent crude is above $100, and that is the backdrop for next week's September inflation data.
Nasdaq Falls 1.25% to 27,193.34, Its Worst Day Since Mid-August, After Report Puts OpenAI's Annualized Revenue Near $50 Billion; Futures Rise Friday
Chip and AI-infrastructure stocks led Thursday's drop. A widely reported $70 billion figure turned out to count partner sales that OpenAI's own figure leaves out. On Friday, a Bloomberg report that OpenAI expects $70 billion or more by December lifted futures.
S&P 500 Falls 0.22% to 7,801.77 and Dow Drops 0.66% on Oct. 7, a Day After S&P 500 and Nasdaq Closing Records
The Nasdaq also fell 0.22% and the small-cap Russell 2000 dropped 1.31%. The 10-year Treasury yield touched its highest level since 2002 during the day, then eased after a $39 billion auction.
Fed Minutes: All 19 Officials Backed September Hike to 3.75%-4.00%; Most Said Another Increase Is Likely by Year-End
Minutes released Oct. 7 show officials agreed on the quarter-point hike but gave different reasons for it. Weak jobs data released since the meeting has cut market odds of an October move.
World
Russian Guided Bombs Kill at Least 11, Including Three Children, in Zaporizhzhia a Day After U.S., Ukrainian and European Talks in Miami; Later Reports Give 12 to 15 Dead
Ukrainian officials say 12 people are still missing after the Saturday strikes, which followed Friday's Miami talks and Trump's announcement of a diesel deal with Putin that eases some Russia sanctions. Zelenskyy has tied the bombing to the sanctions easing.
Two Attacks on Riyadh Airport Kill Three Saudi Citizens, Including a Saudia Pilot; Saudi-Led Coalition Says It Hit 82 Houthi Targets
Thursday's attacks on King Khalid International Airport killed three Saudi citizens and were the deadliest in the kingdom since a Saudi-backed offensive in Yemen began, the Associated Press reported. The Houthis claimed them, and the coalition tied its 82-target strikes to earlier airport attacks.
Iran Says It Agreed Hormuz Route Coordinates With Oman on Oct. 7; IRGC Navy Official Says Nightly Operations Against 'Violating' Ships Continue
Iran's foreign ministry calls the agreed routes a step toward restoring navigation, while a Revolutionary Guards naval official says its forces act every night against ships that break Iran's rules; the U.S. military says the strait is open and Iran does not control it.
Israel Shells Southern Lebanon Oct. 8; Next U.S.-Mediated Talks Reported for Tampa on Oct. 20, Not Rome
The "productive" Rome talks that ended early took place Aug. 4–6, not this week. A planned October Rome round has reportedly moved to Florida and will cover only military issues. Israel and Lebanon still disagree over Hezbollah's weapons and Israeli troops in the south.
Israel Marks Three Years Since Oct. 7 Attack as Gaza Truce Stalls Over Hamas Disarmament and Israeli Withdrawal
Israel says its troops will stay in Gaza until Hamas's disarmament is verified. Hamas says it is committed to the Trump-brokered ceasefire and accuses Israel of breaking it. Israel votes on Oct. 27.
Russian Missile Kills 22 in Pryluky Apartment Block During Overnight Barrage of About 70 Missiles and 130 Drones, Ukraine Says
The Oct. 7 attack came hours after Zelensky warned of a mass strike. Moscow says it hit military-industrial plants. A U.S. proposal for technical-level three-way talks by the end of October is still on the table.
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.