U.S. and Argentina launch minerals and energy corridor.
Today's events
Argentina corridor.
Deputy Secretary Landau and Argentina's foreign minister launched the Andes-Atlantic Corridor, steering U.S. financing into rail, ports, pipelines and power that carry Vaca Muerta oil and gas and critical minerals to Atlantic markets.1Sep 23 · StateSmall reactors.
The United States, Japan and South Korea adopted an implementation plan for exporting small modular reactors, as GE-Vernova, Hitachi, Samsung C&T and Poland's SGE formed a consortium to deploy the BWRX-300 across Europe.2Sep 23 · StateIndia talks.
Rubio and Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar discussed sanctions that could be levied against states that engage economically with Russia and Iran; Rubio said Washington can help regional partners with energy security.3Sep 23 · StateRate path.
Governor Barr said the Federal Reserve raised its policy rate last week and that further adjustments are likely, naming tariffs, the Middle East conflict and the artificial-intelligence buildout as sources of price pressure.4Sep 23 · FedGraphite electrodes.
Commerce preliminarily found critical circumstances in its subsidy case on large-diameter graphite electrodes from China, after petitioners showed imports rose 105.43 percent against the pre-petition base period.5Sep 24 · CommerceReactor rules.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission proposed rewriting licensing, decommissioning and oversight rules across nine parts of its code — seismic design, risk assessment, backfitting and post-Three Mile Island requirements — under a 2025 executive order.6Sep 24 · Fed. Reg.Ebola money.
State pledged another $267 million for the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, lifting U.S. spending to $887 million and fulfilling a Group of Seven commitment of up to $500 million.7Sep 23 · StateMichigan v. BP.
A federal court in western Michigan dismissed the state's antitrust suit against energy companies over climate change; the Justice Department had filed a statement of interest on the doctrines limiting the claims.8Sep 23 · DOJExploited flaws.
Four actively exploited vulnerabilities entered the federal catalog: two in Check Point products, one in Arista's VeloCloud Orchestrator and one in F5's BIG-IP access manager.9Sep 22 · CISA
This week
Arctic basing agreement.
Trump signed an agreement with Denmark and Greenland on September 22 granting the United States permanent basing rights on the island and barring any U.S. adversary from a base, military presence or sensitive investment there without American approval. It succeeds the 1951 arrangement governing Greenland's defense. NORAD F-16s flew missions over the island the same week under Operation Arctic Vanguard, and Rubio met eight Arctic foreign ministers in New York on September 21.1Sep 22 · WHXi state visit set.
The White House announced on September 22 that Trump will host Xi Jinping on September 24, the first Chinese state visit in more than a decade. The trade representative and Treasury secretary met Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York on September 20 to prepare it. Commerce spent the same week ruling against Chinese exporters, finding tin mill products sold below fair value and critical circumstances in a subsidy case on graphite electrodes.3Sep 22 · WHShield of the Americas.
The United States and 14 Western Hemisphere governments announced on September 22 that they would freeze assets, restrict visas and impose criminal liability on supporters of 24 narco-terrorist organizations, and will ask the Organization of American States to convene the Rio Treaty, the hemisphere's 1947 mutual-defense pact. Trump told the General Assembly the same day that strikes on cartel boats had destroyed 97 percent of drugs arriving by sea.4Sep 22 · StateIranian tankers destroyed.
Central Command disclosed that it struck three Iranian crude carriers on September 5 after the Revolutionary Guard fired ballistic missiles at two U.S. Navy warships; the tankers funded the Guard and its regional proxies. On September 17 the United States sanctioned two companies and three people running digital-asset exchanges that gave Iran's central bank and the Guard a route into the global financial system.5Sep 5 · CENTCOMSkilled-worker visa fee.
Trump extended the $100,000 fee on certain H-1B petitions for another 12 months, to September 21, 2027, and signed an executive order directing agencies to weigh an employer's recent layoffs of American workers when judging applications. More than 700 petitions have paid the fee since 2025. Both documents were filed for Federal Register publication on September 22.7Sep 18 · WH
Allied Governments
Undersea drone.
Britain fired a U.S. torpedo from a Plymouth-made undersea drone for the first time, and London and Washington opened a partnership on artificial intelligence and autonomy to protect critical national infrastructure.aSep 22 · UK GovSpace squadron.
The Royal Air Force stood up No. III Space Effects Squadron, its first unit tasked with disrupting, degrading and denying hostile activity against British satellites, including through electronic warfare.bSep 23 · UK MoDSaudi refuelling.
Britain agreed to send a Royal Air Force Voyager tanker aircraft to Saudi Arabia after renewed Houthi attacks, adding to air-defence equipment and personnel already deployed in the kingdom.cSep 22 · UK MoD
Voices
“Mineral, oil, and gas exports will increase via U.S. and U.S.-backed investments in rail, waterways, ports, pipelines, and energy generation and transmission infrastructure.”
Joint Statement on the Launch of the Andes-Atlantic Corridor · Sep 231
“Economic growth is strong and the labor market is solid, but inflation is above our 2 percent target and not clearly trending toward target in a timely way.”
Gov. Michael S. Barr, Federal Reserve Board · Sep 234
“This dismissal should make states rethink the use of lawfare to enact climate change policy.”
Assoc. Atty. Gen. Stanley E. Woodward, Jr., DOJ · Sep 238
“[This] international consortium aims to deliver reliable baseload nuclear power to millions of people across Europe and promote over $150 billion in reactor investments.”
U.S. Dept. of State, Civil Nuclear Initiatives Media Note · Sep 232
“[These] changes would yield significant efficiencies and reduce regulatory burden while continuing to provide reasonable assurance of adequate protection of the health and safety of the public.”
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, proposed rule · Sep 246
“These types of vulnerabilities are a frequent attack vector for malicious cyber actors and pose significant risks to the federal enterprise.”
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency · Sep 229
Sources
- U.S. Dept. of State, “Joint Statement on the Launch of the Andes-Atlantic Corridor,” September 23, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/andes-atlantic-corridor
- U.S. Dept. of State, “The United States Announces Civil Nuclear Initiatives on the Margins of the United Nations General Assembly,” September 23, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/civil-nuclear-initiatives
- U.S. Dept. of State, “Secretary Rubio's Meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar,” September 23, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/rubio-jaishankar-meeting
- Federal Reserve, Gov. Michael S. Barr, “A Long-Term View on the Costs of Shelter,” September 23, 2026. federalreserve.gov/newsevents/…/barr20260923a
- U.S. Dept. of Commerce, “Large Diameter Graphite Electrodes From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Affirmative Critical Circumstances Determination in Countervailing Duty Investigation,” September 24, 2026. federalregister.gov/…/graphite-electrodes-china
- Federal Register, “Regulatory Enhancements for Reactor Licensing, Decommissioning, and Operational Oversight” (Nuclear Regulatory Commission, proposed rule), September 24, 2026. federalregister.gov/…/reactor-licensing-enhancements
- U.S. Dept. of State, “United States Pledges Additional Life-Saving Health Assistance in Response to Ebola Outbreak,” September 23, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/ebola-outbreak-assistance
- U.S. Dept. of Justice, “Justice Department Issues Statements on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan's Decision in People of the State of Michigan vs. BP, P.L.C., et al.,” September 23, 2026. justice.gov/opa/pr/…/michigan-v-bp-decision
- CISA, “CISA Adds Four Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog,” September 22, 2026. cisa.gov/news-events/…/four-kev-additions
- UK Government, “Prime Minister drives global work on artificial intelligence at UNGA as UK and US make history with firing from undersea drone,” September 22, 2026. gov.uk/government/news/…/undersea-drone-firing
- UK Ministry of Defence, “RAF launches first ever space squadron dedicated to defending Britain's satellites,” September 23, 2026. gov.uk/government/news/…/raf-space-squadron
- UK Ministry of Defence, “UK military support to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” September 22, 2026. gov.uk/government/news/…/uk-support-saudi-arabia