Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Sign Trilateral Defense Agreement in Mecca
The three governments say an armed attack on any one of them will be treated as an attack on all three; the full text has not been released.
U.S.
Senate Confirms Erica Schwartz as CDC Director on 51-44 Vote
The August 5 vote fell almost entirely along party lines and fills a director's job that had sat vacant since the previous director was removed in August 2025.
Justice Department Unseals Five Indictments Against CJNG Leaders and Announces Over $100 Million in Rewards
At an Aug. 5, 2026 press conference, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel said senior Jalisco New Generation Cartel figures face drug, weapons, fraud and terrorism-support charges tied to a timeshare scheme the government estimates took more than $400 million from American seniors.
Hawaii Holds Statewide Primary for Governor, Congress and an Open Lieutenant Governor Seat; Rep. Ed Case Reported Winning His Democratic Race
Gov. Josh Green sought renomination against three little-known Democrats, while the closest-watched contest was Rep. Ed Case's primary against state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole in urban Oahu.
Pentagon Revokes Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall's Security Clearance, Citing Air Force One Disclosure
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Frank Kendall made an "unauthorized disclosure" about the Qatari-gifted presidential jet; Kendall says he was told nothing about what he supposedly revealed.
Senate Confirms 74 Trump Nominees in a Single 51-47 Vote, Including FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton
The Senate cleared a bloc of 74 executive nominees on Aug. 7, hours before its five-week recess, using a 2025 rules change that lets a majority confirm unlimited nominees in one vote.
Boston Judge Rejects Bid to Keep Temporary Protected Status for South Sudanese Nationals; Work Permits Set to Expire Aug. 10
U.S. District Judge Patti Saris ruled Aug. 7 that the Department of Homeland Security may end the 2011 TPS designation for South Sudan, and plaintiffs have appealed to the First Circuit.
N.C.
Wilmington Council Votes 6-0 to Join Federal Historic Review of Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, Asks for a Wider Study Area
The council agreed to sign a federal-state agreement on protecting historic sites from the bridge replacement, while asking that the review cover the whole downtown historic district and not only land near the bridge.
North Carolina Board of Education Approves Salary Schedules Carrying the Budget's 8% Average Teacher Raise
The board signed off on updated state pay tables for teachers and other school staff on August 6, 2026, as the Department of Public Instruction launched a public dashboard tracking its five-year strategic plan.
North Carolina Reports 867 Cyclosporiasis Cases and 33 Hospitalizations Since May 1; State Says Source Not Yet Identified
NCDHHS says most cases are in Wake County and that its investigation is separate from the national Taco Bell lettuce outbreak, even as the FDA added North Carolina to that multistate count on August 5.
Duke Energy Progress and North Carolina Public Staff Sign Settlement Cutting Requested Rate Increase by More Than Half
The August 5 agreement follows a similar July deal covering Duke Energy Carolinas customers; the North Carolina Utilities Commission has not yet ruled, and the state attorney general has declined to sign either settlement.
North Carolina Governor Says He Will Veto Election Bill That Shortens Primary Early Voting
Gov. Josh Stein announced a planned veto of House Bill 958, which cuts early voting for primaries from 17 days to 10 and moves the deadline for challenging ballots to after Election Day.
Three Dead, One Wounded in Caswell County, N.C., Shooting; Sheriff Says All Four Were Family, Names Pending
Deputies say a shooting at a home on Brooks Road in Prospect Hill killed three people, including the person they identify as the shooter, while the State Bureau of Investigation assists and identities await next-of-kin notification.
Finance
SpaceX Shares Rise About 23% Over Two Days to $133.27, Still Below the $135 IPO Price, After Lockup Opens
Nearly 1 billion insider shares became sellable on August 6; the stock rose instead of falling, following a revenue beat and a new Tesla-SpaceX chip plant announcement.
Atlassian Shares Rise About 35% on August 7 After Fourth-Quarter Results; CEO Announces Plan to Buy Up to $250 Million in Stock
The software maker reported quarterly revenue of $1.77 billion and 31% cloud growth, while guiding to slower growth in fiscal 2027 and a decline in its Data Center business.
Berkshire Hathaway Posts Second-Quarter Results, Its Second Report Under CEO Greg Abel
The conglomerate published its Q2 earnings and Form 10-Q on Saturday morning, with its near-$400 billion cash position and its pace of share buybacks the main points of investor attention.
White House Gives Fed Governor Lisa Cook Until Aug. 26 to Answer Mortgage-Fraud Allegations
A letter signed by Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino restarts President Trump's removal effort five weeks after the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that Cook was entitled to notice and a chance to respond.
Brent Crude Rises to $83.29 a Barrel on August 7 After Houthi Claim of Attack on Saudi Tanker
Oil gained for a second session as traders weighed a claimed missile strike near Yanbu against reports that Iran and Oman are close to a deal on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Payrolls Rose 73,000 in July, Below the Roughly 85,000 Economists Forecast; Unemployment Rate at 4.2%
The Labor Department's July employment report came in under consensus forecasts, with wage growth also slowing, and traders moved to price in a higher chance of a Federal Reserve rate cut in September.
World
Iran and Oman Say They Have Agreed on Separate Inbound and Outbound Shipping Lanes Through the Strait of Hormuz
Iranian officials say the two countries have settled the route's coordinates, but Tehran says the strait will not fully reopen to American-linked shipping until Washington meets further conditions.
Abelardo de la Espriella Sworn In as Colombia's President in Cali; U.S. Says It Plans $1 Billion in Security Aid
The new president said dialogue with armed groups is "completely exhausted," and the U.S. State Department announced a planned $1 billion security package pending congressional approval.
Reuters Reports Iran Warned Gulf States It Would Strike Their Oil, Power and Water Sites if U.S. Renews Attacks
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran delivered the warning through Saudi and Qatari channels after President Trump threatened Iran's energy network on July 28; Iran has not confirmed the message publicly.
Rome Talks End Without Agreement on Who Verifies Hezbollah Disarmament; Israel Strikes South Lebanon After Two Reservists Killed
Israeli and Lebanese delegates finished a seventh round of U.S.-mediated talks on August 6 without naming the countries that would inspect cleared zones, and Israel resumed strikes after a bomb blast killed two reservists in Majdal Zoun.
Houthi Missile and Drone Strikes Kill at Least 58 Yemeni Government Troops; Saudi Coalition Reports 11 Civilians Wounded in Najran
Yemeni military sources and the Saudi-led coalition reported the deadliest single day of the Yemen conflict since the April 2022 truce, after strikes on army camps in Marib and Hadramawt and a cross-border attack in southern Saudi Arabia.
Analysis
Unbiased, evergreen deep-dives on the bigger questions — not breaking news.
The 2026 Midterms, 100 Days Out: What the Polling and the Q2 Money Filings Actually Show
A snapshot of the generic ballot, presidential approval, the July 15 FEC filings, the redistricting fight, and the honest strengths and weaknesses of both parties as of July 26, 2026.
How Americans Rate Their Government: What the Polls Actually Show, 2005 to 2026
A look at party favorability, party ID, the generic ballot, and approval of Congress and the president over twenty years — and a test of the belief that all of it has fallen in a straight line.