Trump Tells Axios He Faces a 'Big Decision' on Iran, Days Before Meeting With Six Gulf States
In a Sept. 17 interview, the president said he is weighing whether to "annihilate" Iran's government or seek a deal, ahead of a planned Sept. 22 meeting with Gulf leaders at the UN General Assembly.
U.S.
Postmaster General Says USPS Stopped Building Mail-Ballot Barcode System After Supreme Court Left Injunction in Place
David Steiner told the Associated Press on Sept. 17 that work halted on the voter-data portal and barcode system from President Trump's March executive order, three days after the Supreme Court declined to lift a lower-court block.
FDA Approves Ultragenyx's Fayuvi, the First Treatment for Sanfilippo Syndrome Type A; Company Sets $3.95 Million Price
The agency granted standard approval on September 17, 2026, for a one-time gene therapy in children with MPS IIIA, based on a single-arm trial compared against untreated patients.
Appeals Court Pauses Order That Blocked HUD's $1.3 Billion Shift in Homelessness Grants
A three-judge First Circuit panel stayed a Rhode Island judge's ruling on September 16, letting HUD run its $4.04 billion Continuum of Care competition while the appeal goes forward.
State Department Clears Possible $24.3 Billion Sale of 48 F-35 Jets to Saudi Arabia and Notifies Congress
The proposed Foreign Military Sale, announced September 17, 2026, starts a 30-day congressional review period; no contract has been signed.
N.C.
Speakers at Two NCDOT Hearings Oppose 135-Foot Fixed-Span Option for Cape Fear Memorial Bridge; Comment Period Runs Through Oct. 15
More than 60 people spoke in Wilmington on Sept. 14 and about 30 in Leland on Sept. 15, with speakers backing the movable-span design and opposing tolls, as NCDOT says a roughly $773 million to $800 million gap remains on a project now estimated above $1 billion.
Navy Opens Leased Aircraft Maintenance Complex at N.C. Global TransPark in Kinston; State Loaned $350 Million for the Site in 2023
Gov. Josh Stein and Navy officials cut the ribbon Sept. 17 on a state-built, Navy-leased maintenance hangar that officials say will employ more than 400 people in Lenoir County.
UNC Board of Governors Committee Hears Athletics Finance Report: $640 Million in Expenses Against $412 Million in Revenue Across 15 Programs
System staff told the budget committee on Sept. 16 that no UNC campus covers its athletics costs from athletics revenue, and floated subsidy limits and new reporting rules; the committee took no vote.
UNC System Reports Record Fall 2026 Enrollment of 260,199, With Increases at 11 of 16 Universities
The public university system says total enrollment rose 1.4% over fall 2025, with five campuses down and the first in-state tuition increase in nine years taking effect this fall.
NC Court of Appeals Rules 2-1 That Elections-Board Appointments Can Stay With State Auditor; Stein Says He Will Appeal
The September 16, 2026 panel decision reversed a trial court and left Republican State Auditor Dave Boliek in control of appointments that the governor held for more than a century.
Charlotte to Host WTA Finals From 2027 to 2029 Under $14.4 Million State Grant; WTA to Move Headquarters From Florida
Gov. Josh Stein announced the Women's Tennis Association will hold its season-ending championship at Spectrum Center for three years and relocate its global headquarters to Charlotte, with $14.4 million from a state fund financed by sports-betting taxes and $5 million from the city and county.
Finance
U.S. Expected to Hold Off on Announcing New 'Excess Capacity' Tariffs Until After Sept. 24 Trump-Xi Meeting, Bloomberg Reports
A Section 301 report that would recommend a 7.5% tariff on Chinese goods is not expected before the Washington summit, according to people familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg; the administration has not given a public reason.
Copart Begins $10.50-a-Share Cash Tender Offer for ACV Auctions, Valuing It at About $1.9 Billion
The offer, launched September 17 through a Copart subsidiary and backed by both boards, runs until September 30 and carries no financing condition.
Nvidia CEO Says Chip Unit Sales Should Roughly Double in 2027; U.S. Stocks Rebound Sept. 17 After Fed-Driven Drop
Jensen Huang told reporters in Scotland that Nvidia expects to sell about twice as many AI chips next year; U.S. indexes and semiconductor shares rose the same day, recovering ground lost after the Federal Reserve's rate increase.
Trump Signs Memorandum Directing Agencies to Identify and Remove Canadian-Origin Goods From Federal Civilian Purchasing
The September 16, 2026 memorandum orders OMB and the U.S. Trade Representative to find Canadian goods in the civilian procurement system and take steps to remove them, but does not itself ban any purchase.
Fed Raises Rates a Quarter Point to 3.75%-4% in a 12-0 Vote, Its First Increase Since 2023; Dow Closes Down 631 Points
The Federal Open Market Committee cited elevated inflation, its updated projections point to one more increase in 2026, and the 10-year Treasury yield closed above 5% as President Trump repeated his call for much lower rates.
World
Iran Summons German Ambassador After Merz Calls on Tehran to End Hormuz Blockade
Iran's foreign ministry called in Ambassador Axel Dittmann on September 17 over Chancellor Friedrich Merz's September 15 remarks and what it described as interventionist activity by the German embassy.
Myanmar Deports American Adam Castillo After U.S. Officials Meet Junta Representatives in Naypyidaw
Castillo, a former U.S. Marine and ex-head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar, was detained June 11 and flown out September 16; Myanmar's presidency said the deportation was meant to maintain friendly relations with Washington.
Poland's Tusk Tells Parliament Intelligence Points to Russian Plans for Drone and Rocket Strikes on NATO States
Tusk told the Sejm on Sept. 17 that allied assessments indicate Russia may send drones or missiles into NATO territory and call the hits accidents; Russia's foreign minister said the day before that Moscow has no intention of attacking Europe.
Von der Leyen Proposes 'Associate Member' Status for Canada; Trump Threatens EU With Tariffs Over Possible 'Hostile Act'
The European Commission president floated a status that does not exist in EU treaties, Carney told the European Parliament the two sides are "stronger together," and Trump warned of "very heavy tariffs" on Europe.
Italian NATO Jet Downs Drone Over Lithuania, the First Such Shootdown in Lithuanian Airspace
Lithuania says the drone crossed from Belarus and flew about 30 minutes before Italian Eurofighters destroyed it near Pratkūnai; President Gitanas Nausėda later said it was a Russian-made Gerbera apparently pushed off course by Ukrainian electronic warfare.
U.S. Military Reviews Sept. 1 Strike on Iranian Wedding; Vance Says He Is 'Extremely Skeptical' of Tehran's Account
Iran says a U.S. munition hit a wedding in Kuhestak, killing four and later five; CENTCOM opened an internal review while Vice President JD Vance questioned Iranian state media's reliability.
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.