Office of Governor Abigail Spanberger · Original source
Governor Abigail Spanberger announced the release of more than $67 million in Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative funds for home energy efficiency projects in Virginia. The money includes $15 million for the Weatherization Deferral Repair program, which will fund critical repairs to more than 1,000 homes so they can qualify for federal weatherization upgrades. The Department of Housing and Community Development runs the programs through a statewide network of 15 weatherization providers.
Office of Governor Abigail Spanberger · Original source
Governor Abigail Spanberger announced that the Virginia Nursing Workforce Center has awarded nearly $1.3 million in scholarships and incentives to nearly 350 prospective nursing students. The center was created this year under bipartisan legislation to streamline nursing scholarship funds that had gone underused. The release says Virginia faced a shortage of 17,000 registered nurses in 2025.
Office of Governor JB Pritzker · Original source
Governor JB Pritzker’s office said FEMA has denied Illinois’ request for a major disaster declaration after severe storms, a derecho, flooding and tornadoes struck the state in August. The request sought individual and public assistance for Champaign, Cook, Ford, Fulton, McLean, Tazewell, Vermilion and Will counties. Illinois plans to appeal, and Pritzker criticised the decision after issuing a state disaster proclamation for the storms.
Office of Governor JB Pritzker · Original source
Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Agriculture announced $1.8 million in available funding through the Local Food Infrastructure Grants program. Grants range from $1,000 to $250,000 for collaborative projects and up to $75,000 for individual projects covering processing, storage, aggregation or distribution infrastructure such as refrigerated vehicles. Applications will be available from November 2, 2026, on the department’s website.
Office of Governor JB Pritzker · Original source
Governor JB Pritzker hosted a bipartisan group of 13 governors and the Mayor of Washington, D.C. in Chicago for the 2026 Governors’ Summit on the State of PJM. Pritzker announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding formally creating the PJM Governors’ Collaborative to coordinate states’ positions on the regional grid operator. The group aims to lower electricity costs, improve reliability and increase state representation in PJM decision-making.
Office of Governor Jared Polis · Original source
Special Envoy and former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar issued a statement on a path forward for the disputed La Sierra/Cielo Vista Ranch in Costilla County, Colorado, a day after Governor Jared Polis released his report. Key components include the state acquiring 10,000 acres or more for public use and continued recognition of the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant heirs’ historic use rights. Salazar said he hopes for a defined agreement within 45 days.
Office of Governor Jared Polis · Original source
Governor Jared Polis joined Aurora Public Schools, the Community College of Aurora and UCHealth to break ground on a new Health Sciences High School in Aurora, funded by 2024 bond investments approved by voters. The school will let students in grades 9 through 14 earn industry credentials and college credit through the P-TECH model, graduating with a high school diploma and an associate degree. Its five career pathways are nursing, behavioral health, medical imaging, surgical tech and respiratory therapy.
Office of Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders · Original source
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the Department of Finance and Administration launched MyArkansas, a mobile app that brings more than 50 state services into one place. The app, built with Login.gov and available on Apple and Google stores, covers tasks such as renewing vehicle registration, buying hunting and fishing licences and booking state park lodging. The launch took place at the state Revenue Office in Springdale.
Office of Governor Joe Lombardo · Original source
Governor Joe Lombardo joined Amperesand in Reno to mark the opening of the company’s new advanced manufacturing facility. Amperesand, which makes medium voltage solid state transformers for connecting large power users to the grid, plans more than 1,200 high-skill Nevada jobs by 2028. The company has committed more than $65 million to Nevada manufacturing, including over $15 million for its current facility.
Office of Governor Joe Lombardo · Original source
Governor Joe Lombardo joined Ryder Homes to break ground on Wilson Landing, a 37-home for-sale development in Fernley, Nevada. It is among the first Northern Nevada projects supported by the Nevada Attainable Housing Account created under Assembly Bill 540, with a $5 million low-interest loan from the Nevada Housing Division. The homes of 1,300 to 1,700 square feet will serve households earning up to 150 percent of area median income.
Office of Governor Greg Abbott · Original source
Governor Greg Abbott announced that Blue Origin Manufacturing LLC is building an advanced manufacturing and operations campus in Hutto, Williamson County, with a $554.78 million capital investment expected to create more than 2,000 jobs. The state extended a Texas Enterprise Fund grant of $18,171,000 and a $10,000 Veteran Created Job Bonus. Abbott said the expansion supports the company’s satellite communications network.
Office of Governor Greg Abbott · Original source
Governor Greg Abbott reminded Texans that Free College Application Week runs October 12–18, 2026, when residents can apply to undergraduate programs at any Texas public college or university without an application fee. Applications must be submitted through ApplyTexas by 11:59 p.m. on October 18. Abbott also cited his undergraduate tuition freeze through 2026-27 and plans for three-year bachelor’s degree pathways.
Office of Governor Greg Abbott · Original source
Governor Greg Abbott announced the launch of online Texas Express services, letting businesses request same-day and next-day filings through the Texas Secretary of State’s SOSPortal. The state has more than 3.2 million active business entities, up from about 1.4 million in 2015. The launch is part of a broader modernisation effort that lets customers file business documents online and select expedited processing.
Office of Governor Wes Moore · Original source
Governor Wes Moore announced completion of the Maryland Horse Industry Strategic Plan, the state’s first coordinated plan for its equine sectors, set up by executive order in November 2025. The plan cites an estimated $2.9 billion economic impact and 28,434 jobs, and recommends steps including stronger workforce pipelines. It was published as Moore declared October 2026 the Sixth Annual Maryland Horse Month.
Office of Governor Henry McMaster · Original source
Governor Henry McMaster announced that President Donald J. Trump approved South Carolina’s request to raise FEMA’s federal cost share for Public Assistance after Hurricane Helene from 75 percent to 90 percent. The program reimburses eligible state and local governments and certain nonprofits for costs such as debris removal and infrastructure repairs. The release said FEMA Individual Assistance has provided $334 million to more than 250,000 survivors in the state.
Office of Governor Henry McMaster · Original source
New Orleans-based biotechnology company Obatala Sciences has selected Charleston County, South Carolina, for its first East Coast operation. The $656,000 investment is expected to create 46 new jobs and training opportunities. The operation at Blue Sky Labs in Charleston, run in partnership with MUSC, will support translational research, product development and scale-up of the company’s human-derived biomaterials and tissue models, and is already online.
Office of Governor Kathy Hochul · Original source
Governor Kathy Hochul issued a statement on the evening of October 8, 2026, about an incident in Marble Hill in which initial reports indicate ICE agents fired into a vehicle with a five-year-old child inside. Hochul said the child appears to have escaped without physical injury. She called on federal authorities to provide answers immediately, saying New Yorkers are outraged and immigrant communities are terrified.
NASA · Original source
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off Los Angeles on October 8 after 237 days aboard the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev travelled more than 100 million miles during the mission. NASA set a crew news conference at Johnson Space Center in Houston for 3:30 p.m. EDT on October 15.
NASA · Original source
NASA will hold a media teleconference at 4 p.m. EDT on October 15 to preview its contributions to JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan on October 19 EDT and reach Mars in August 2027 to survey Phobos and Deimos. NASA contributions include the MEGANE spectrometer built by Johns Hopkins APL and a sampler mechanism from Blue Origin’s Honeybee Robotics.
U.S. Department of Energy · Original source
The U.S. Department of Energy launched the Genesis Mission Graduate Fellowship Pilot, a funding opportunity to train domestic Ph.D. students in both Super Intelligence and core science and engineering. DOE plans to support an initial cohort of about 100 fellows through accelerated four-year doctoral pathways led by U.S. institutions, with research at national labs and industry partners. Planned funding is up to $100 million, including $20 million in fiscal year 2027.
U.S. Department of Energy · Original source
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science selected 67 early career scientists to share $96 million through its 2026 Early Career Research Program. Selectees come from 39 universities and 11 DOE national laboratories and user facilities across 26 states, working in areas such as Super Intelligence, fusion energy and quantum science. University awards are about $875,000 over five years, and selection remains subject to final award negotiations.
U.S. Department of Energy · Original source
The U.S. Department of Energy announced 12 Phase II Genesis Mission project awards totaling $159 million, plus six new Phase I awards, to apply Super Intelligence to scientific research. Projects include an AI-enabled digital twin for Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ SPARC device and RNA structure work led by UC San Diego. DOE said the selections complete a first-year cohort of 297 projects under the mission President Trump launched in November 2025.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security · Original source
The Department of Homeland Security said a Homeland Security Task Force investigation led by HSI St. Louis resulted in a 20-year prison sentence for Jose Luis Mata-Cedillo, a Mexican national previously deported twice. He was sentenced on October 1 for cocaine trafficking, firearm offences and illegal re-entry. The case began when a task force officer intercepted a courier carrying 27 kilograms of cocaine bound for St. Louis, Missouri.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security · Original source
The Department of Homeland Security said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more people it describes as criminal illegal aliens with convictions for crimes including murder, statutory rape and abduction. Cases listed include men from Jamaica, Cuba, El Salvador and Guatemala with convictions in New Jersey, Florida, Georgia, Virginia and Texas. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there will be no sanctuary for people in the country illegally.
Marco Rubio, Secretary of State · Original source
Secretary of State Marco Rubio took questions from reporters at Athens International Airport on October 8, 2026, before travelling to Portugal. He said the United States wants European allies to be strong because stronger members make NATO stronger, and declined to comment on a Wall Street Journal report about Ambassador Guilfoyle. Rubio also said Iranian threats do not constrain U.S. operations in Europe and described Portugal as a cooperative ally.
Office of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham · Original source
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that Fujitsu plans to set up a quantum computing research center in New Mexico, following her trade missions to Japan. The center will work on quantum hardware, software, algorithms and theory, and support education and workforce programs. It builds on Fujitsu’s 2025 research tie-up with New Mexico State University. The company will also partner with the Quantum New Mexico Institute at the University of New Mexico.
Office of Governor Spencer J. Cox · Original source
President Trump approved a major disaster declaration for Utah covering the June 2026 Cottonwood Fire and the flooding and mudslides that followed in July. FEMA public assistance will be available in Beaver and Piute counties, where a joint assessment found at least $47 million in possible eligible damage. Damage includes Beaver City’s hydroelectric system, water supplies and roads. It is Utah’s first major disaster declaration since 2023.
Office of Governor Bob Ferguson · Original source
Governor Bob Ferguson nominated 99 low-income and rural communities in Washington for the federal Opportunity Zones 2.0 program, which gives tax incentives for private investment. The areas span 27 counties and 17 tribal lands and were chosen from 152 applications, with 36 in rural communities. The nominations went to the U.S. Treasury Department, and the designations take effect on January 1, 2027.
Office of Governor Kay Ivey · Original source
Governor Kay Ivey released a video message urging Alabamians to prepare for Hurricane Isaias, which could hit the state as early as Friday. A state of emergency now covers 40 counties, and state offices in nine southern counties will close from noon on Friday. At local officials’ request, tourists and visitors in Baldwin County south of the Intracoastal Waterway, including Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, and on Dauphin Island must evacuate.
Office of Governor Brian P. Kemp · Original source
Governor Brian Kemp announced that Hyundai Transys will invest nearly $560 million to expand its powertrain plant in West Point, Georgia, creating 320 new jobs. The project will upgrade two existing plants and add a third to boost production of electrified powertrains for hybrid vehicles. The South Korean automotive supplier already employs about 1,250 people at the site.
Office of Governor Brian P. Kemp · Original source
Governor Brian Kemp issued an updated state of emergency covering all 159 Georgia counties ahead of Hurricane Isaias. He directed the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency to activate the State Operations Center from Friday afternoon. Forecasters expect landfall on the Gulf Coast on Friday evening. Strong winds, heavy rain, possible tornadoes and flooding could affect the state through Saturday.
Executive Office of Governor Ron DeSantis · Original source
Governor Ron DeSantis gave an update on Florida’s preparations for Hurricane Isaias, forecast to reach Category 2 strength and make landfall in the far western Panhandle on Friday night or early Saturday. He amended his emergency order to cover 27 counties. More than 6,000 power restoration workers are standing by. Nearly 400 State Guard members have deployed, alongside teams from state law enforcement, wildlife and corrections agencies.
Office of Governor Josh Shapiro · Original source
Governor Josh Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis announced that CP Industries will invest $21.7 million to expand its pressure vessel manufacturing in McKeesport, Allegheny County. The company plans a new 25,000-square-foot facility to more than triple composite cylinder output and will add 78 jobs while keeping 115. The state offered over $3.9 million, including a $3.06 million PIDA loan, after competing with Alabama and Michigan for the project.
Office of Governor Kathy Hochul · Original source
Governor Kathy Hochul announced an additional $10 million for the East Side Building Fund in Buffalo, which supports renovation, stabilization and infill development of commercial and mixed-use buildings. Launched in May 2025 and run by Empire State Development, the fund has already awarded $10 million to 35 projects from 300 applications. Hochul said the new funding round is expected to open in the coming months, with preference for key East Side corridors.
Office of Governor Kathy Hochul · Original source
Governor Kathy Hochul announced the completion of Medford Gardens, a $40 million, 67-unit affordable housing development for people aged 55 and older in Medford, Suffolk County. Developed by WellLife Network, it reserves 33 apartments with on-site support for tenants leaving homelessness or living with mental illness. Financing includes low-income housing tax credits expected to raise more than $19 million, $11 million in state subsidy and $8 million from state homeless housing funds.
Office of Governor Kathy Hochul · Original source
Governor Kathy Hochul and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority marked New York City’s one billionth subway rider of 2026, reached on October 8 at Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue station. The milestone came one week earlier than in 2025 and is the fifth consecutive year it has arrived sooner. The MTA cited average September weekday ridership above 4.2 million and a post-pandemic single-day record of nearly 4.7 million riders on September 23.
Office of Governor Kathy Hochul · Original source
Governor Kathy Hochul announced $2.75 million in state funding for the Spanish Action League, La Liga, at a statewide Hispanic Heritage breakfast in New York City. The money closes a funding gap for La Liga’s Westside Village project in Syracuse, which will provide 68 affordable homes. Of those, 29 will be supportive units for domestic violence survivors. Hochul also opened a Hispanic Heritage Month exhibit at the State Capitol.
Office of Governor Kathy Hochul · Original source
Governor Kathy Hochul announced the groundbreaking of a $21.5 million overhaul of the psychiatric unit at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center in Syracuse. The project is backed by a $16.9 million state Health Care Facility Transformation award. It will create 22 single and four double rooms, so the hospital can treat up to 30 patients in acute mental health crisis. Completion is expected in late 2027.
Office of Governor Kathy Hochul · Original source
Governor Kathy Hochul convened the first meeting of New York’s expanded Interstate Task Force on Illegal Guns at the State Police Academy. Nearly 100 law enforcement representatives from 11 states attended. Maryland and Delaware have now joined the group, which was formed in 2022 to share intelligence on interstate gun trafficking. Hochul said the expansion responds to federal firearm rule rollbacks, and her office credits state investments with a 67 percent drop in shootings in its GIVE communities.
Office of Governor Gavin Newsom · Original source
California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and University of Massachusetts Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco co-hosted a two-day summit on social connection at the Vatican’s Casina Pio IV under the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. Titled Belonging and Social Relations in the Age of Fragility, it brought together scientists, doctors, faith leaders and officials. Speakers framed loneliness as a public health risk and shared California programs on building social connection.
Office of Governor Gavin Newsom · Original source
Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California is delivering new swiftwater rescue vehicles, boats and equipment to the 13 local fire departments in the state’s Swiftwater Rescue Program. The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services is modernizing the teams ahead of a potentially severe El Niño storm season. The teams can be sent statewide through the mutual aid system. The upgrade follows the opening of a modernized State Operations Center and new disaster intelligence satellite services.
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency · Original source
CISA, the FBI, the NSA and international partners issued a joint advisory warning that Integrity Technology Group, a China-based cybersecurity company with government ties, is enabling attacks on critical infrastructure worldwide. The agencies say actors linked to the company, tracked as Flax Typhoon and other names, use botnets, VPN infrastructure and poorly monitored edge devices to gain long-term access. The advisory lists mitigations for network defenders.
National Institute of Standards and Technology · Original source
A National Institute of Standards and Technology study tracked how adulterants mixed into illicit fentanyl vary by region and change over time. Researchers analysed 4,563 drug residue samples collected nationwide between January 2024 and June 2026 using rapid mass spectrometry. Results were published in Drug Testing and Analysis through NIST’s RaDAR program. NIST says local data on substances such as the veterinary sedative xylazine can help first responders plan treatment.
National Institute of Standards and Technology · Original source
The National Institute of Standards and Technology said it will support the White House Science: A New Golden Age report with its data, standards and test beds. NIST highlighted open datasets such as the AM-Bench additive manufacturing benchmarks, the JARVIS materials database and its Public Data Repository. It also plans to join the Genesis Mission Consortium, with Director Arvind Raman saying the work will help turn scientific breakthroughs into industrial strength.
NASA · Original source
NASA and the Department of Energy signed a memorandum of understanding on accelerating American leadership in space nuclear power and propulsion. Administrator Jared Isaacman and Energy Secretary Chris Wright signed the agreement at the White House science summit, and it takes effect on November 1. It covers research, fuel production, testing, launch integration and operations, supporting a December 2025 executive order calling for a launch-ready lunar surface reactor by 2030.
NASA · Original source
NASA announced two science initiatives timed to the White House science summit in Washington. The agency will set up a metascience effort in its Science Mission Directorate and expand dual anonymous peer review so proposals are judged on scientific merit. It will also fund 10 Genesis Mission Fellows, doctoral students skilled in both super intelligence and science or engineering, to work on NASA missions at agency laboratories.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services · Original source
The Department of Health and Human Services announced four actions on reported vaccine injuries. The National Institutes of Health opened a clinic in Bethesda on October 5 to study and treat people with health problems after vaccination. CMS proposed paying physicians to file reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, electronic health records will have to capture vaccine adverse events, and the CDC is modernizing that reporting system, including mobile access.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security · Original source
The Department of Homeland Security said Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported a group of noncitizens with serious criminal records in the past week. Examples include MS-13 members from Honduras and El Salvador with murder and manslaughter convictions, people convicted of sexual offenses against minors, and others with assault, burglary and drunk-driving records. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the department is focused on removing what it calls the worst of the worst.
U.S. Department of the Treasury · Original source
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned remaining vessels in Iran’s shadow fleet and the front companies that operate them, saying the action neutralizes most of what is left of the network. The tankers are registered across more than a dozen jurisdictions and carry Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the measures, taken under Executive Order 13902 as part of Operation Economic Outcast, aim to cut off the regime’s oil revenue.
Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice · Original source
The Justice Department and FBI announced court-authorized seizures of two hacking tools, Microscan and FishHub, which officials say were used to scan and sometimes breach critical infrastructure networks in the U.S. and abroad. According to documents unsealed in the Western District of Pennsylvania, the tools were operated by Integrity Technology Group, a China-based company that holds Chinese government contracts. It is the department’s second disruption of the company’s operations in two years.
Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice · Original source
The Justice Department filed summary judgment motions in four cases in California and South Carolina defending the rescission of the regulatory definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act. The government argues the law’s ban on “taking” listed species covers intentional acts against individual animals, not habitat modification. It says the old definitions relied on Chevron deference, which the Supreme Court abandoned in Loper Bright.
Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice · Original source
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division closed its investigation into Arrive AS’s proposed acquisition of Passport Labs, a rival provider of mobile parking payment apps used by U.S. cities. After a five-month review using a phased approach, the division concluded a substantial loss of competition was unlikely. It noted that smaller vendors had recently won municipal contracts and that Passport had lost or declined to bid for some notable contracts.
Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice · Original source
A federal jury in St. Paul convicted Sharmaine Meadows, 45, of Lake Elmo, Minnesota, of a $3.6 million scheme to defraud Minnesota’s now-defunct Medicaid Housing Stabilization Services program, the Justice Department said. Evidence showed she billed for housing services never provided, including hours claimed for workers based in other states or the Philippines and for beneficiaries who were in hospital. The department says the program shut down after costs far outran estimates.
Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice · Original source
The Justice Department sued the City and County of Denver, Colorado, along with its mayor, city attorney and police chief, over a local ordinance barring federal law enforcement officers from wearing masks and requiring them to identify themselves. The department argues the ordinance unconstitutionally regulates the federal government under the Supremacy Clause and endangers officers facing harassment and doxxing. It is the latest in a series of similar suits against states and cities.
Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice · Original source
A superseding indictment unsealed in the Southern District of New York charges former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Moros, 63, and his wife Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro, 69, with conspiring to commit torture, including of U.S. citizens. The new count adds to existing narcoterrorism, cocaine importation and weapons charges. The Justice Department alleges a decades-long system of repression and drug trafficking protected by Venezuela’s military and police. The charges are allegations only.
Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice · Original source
Oleg Korniev, 42, a dual Ukrainian-Russian citizen, pleaded guilty to helping lead Your Mule Cashout, an international money laundering organization that moved money stolen by hackers, the Justice Department said. The group recruited over 15,000 U.S.-based money mules, many deceived into thinking they worked for legitimate firms, to launder at least $10 million taken from more than 750 U.S. bank accounts. The case was prosecuted in the Western District of North Carolina; sentencing will be set later.
Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice · Original source
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald issued Directive 26-13, setting out how the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division will investigate and prosecute fraud. The directive tells prosecutors to combine tax, securities, consumer fraud and cybercrime authorities, and to use early pre-indictment asset seizures and takedowns of digital infrastructure. The department cites a Government Accountability Office estimate that federal fraud losses run between $233 billion and $521 billion a year.
The White House · Original source
President Trump presented National Medals of Science and National Medals of Technology and Innovation to six technology leaders at the White House Science: A New Golden Age Summit. Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, Jensen Huang and Lisa Su received the National Medal of Science. Michael Dell and Satya Nadella received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. The citations recognize work in computing, semiconductors, search, space exploration and hyperscale infrastructure.
The White House · Original source
The White House announced more than $6 billion in science investments from government, industry, academia and philanthropy at its Science: A New Golden Age Summit. The initiatives build on a July report by Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios. They include expanded access to computing and super intelligence tools for researchers, support for STEM students and early-career scientists, new national missions such as NASA–Energy Department space nuclear work, and independent research organizations called X-Labs.
Office of the Spokesman, U.S. Department of State · Original source
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, according to a brief State Department readout. The two discussed expanding U.S.-Greece energy cooperation, deepening defense ties and regional security. They also committed to working closely to defeat transnational criminal organizations and to protect critical infrastructure from emerging threats.
Office of the Spokesman, U.S. Department of State · Original source
The United States and Zambia signed a five-year health cooperation memorandum of understanding under the America First Global Health Strategy. The $2.49 billion partnership combines $1.52 billion in planned U.S. assistance with $975 million in new Zambian health spending, plus more than $13 million in U.S. global health security funding. Zambia will progressively take on commodity procurement and frontline health workers. The State Department says it has now signed 36 such bilateral agreements.
Office of the Spokesman, U.S. Department of State · Original source
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel in Lisbon, according to a State Department readout. The talks covered Portugal’s support for U.S. forces, deeper defense-industrial cooperation, and expanding trade and investment, including through the U.S.-Portugal CEO Forum. Rubio also said he looks forward to working with Portugal during its 2027–2028 term on the United Nations Security Council.
Marco Rubio, Secretary of State · Original source
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel held a joint press conference in Lisbon during Rubio’s first visit to Portugal. Rangel highlighted defense spending rising to 2 percent of GDP in 2025, growing U.S. tourism and investment, and the Lajes Air Base relationship. Rubio said no country should rely on another for 95 percent of critical goods such as pharmaceuticals, and said Portugal’s choice of a replacement for its F-16 fighters is a decision for its own government.
Office of the Spokesman, U.S. Department of State · Original source
A State Department fact sheet details new sanctions on Iran’s shadow fleet network under Operation Economic Outcast, covering ten entities, six individuals and five vessels. Targets include traders of Iranian petrochemicals, such as Türkiye-based Noorzad Petrokimya, which the department says bought about $3.8 million of Iranian-origin products in 2024, along with company executives and tanker operators. All designations were made under Executive Order 13846, and the fact sheet sets out the resulting asset blocks and penalties.
Office of the Spokesman, U.S. Department of State · Original source
The State Department sanctioned ten entities, six individuals and five vessels involved in trading Iranian-origin petroleum and petrochemical products, as part of the administration’s Operation Economic Outcast against Iran. The Treasury Department separately sanctioned 17 entities and their shadow fleet vessels. State’s designations were made under Executive Order 13846 and Treasury’s under Executive Order 13902, with the stated aim of cutting off revenue the Iranian regime earns from illicit oil shipments.
Office of the Spokesman, U.S. Department of State · Original source
The State Department released its 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report, its annual assessment of how governments worldwide combat human trafficking. In a press statement, spokesman Tommy Pigott said the report documents new methods criminal organizations and repressive regimes use to profit from trafficking. He said it calls for accountability for governments that fail to punish traffickers or protect their citizens, and that the administration will use all available tools against traffickers and their enablers.
