Trump says King Charles agrees on Iran nuclear arms

April 29, 2026

Summary

Trump said Tuesday that King Charles III agrees Iran should not have a nuclear weapon, though the monarch is expected to remain politically neutral.

Why this matters

The remarks touched on the limits of the British monarch’s political role and highlighted differences between Trump’s position and the U.K. government’s approach to the Iran conflict. They also came amid broader strain in U.S.-U.K. relations and debate over NATO.

President Trump said Tuesday that King Charles III “agrees” that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon.

“We’re doing a little Middle East work right now, as you might know, and we’re doing very well. We have militarily defeated that particular opponent, and we’re never going to let that opponent ever—Charles agrees with me even more than I do— We’re never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.

Charles cannot comment on the war because the monarch is expected to remain neutral in political matters. Under U.K. constitutional convention, the king does not interfere in government policy or express partisan views.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month that he did not believe the U.K. should become involved in the war.

“This is not our war,” Starmer said. “We will not be drawn into the conflict.”

Starmer convened international meetings aimed at diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for global use, and he previously said Iran should not be able to obtain a nuclear weapon.

In early March, he urged Tehran to “abandon its aspiration to develop a nuclear weapon and cease its destabilising activities across the Middle East.” He added, “That has been the longstanding position of successive British governments.”

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South Carolina

South Carolina data center tax breaks revised to $828K

Six years ago, no companies claimed the exemption, and only a handful have used it since.

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South Carolina’s sales tax exemptions for data centers totaled $828,000 in the fiscal year that ended last June, according to corrected information from the state Department of Revenue.

The agency said it had mistakenly reported the amount in billions rather than millions, causing the tax break to be cited as $828 million instead of $828,000. The Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office based its calculations on Department of Revenue data, and the SC Daily Gazette had used those figures.

The exemptions apply to the state’s 6% sales tax on computer equipment and servers housed in data centers, as well as the electricity used to power them. The Department of Revenue reports the exemptions as a single total and does not track how much comes from equipment versus electricity.

The impact of the exemption had not previously been published in annual reports by state fiscal analysts because so few companies had used it, according to the Department of Revenue.

Meanwhile, a bill setting standards for where and how data centers are built, and how their power costs are assigned, advanced Tuesday from the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, introduced the proposal.

With eight days left in the legislative calendar, senators said passage remained unlikely.

The bill would create an office within the state Department of Environmental Services to permit data centers based on water use, noise, and proximity to environmentally sensitive areas. It would classify centers into three tiers by power use: less than 10 megawatts, less than 50 megawatts, and 51 megawatts or more.

The Public Service Commission would have to approve regulated utilities’ arrangements with data centers to ensure the centers pay the costs of producing and transmitting the power the
North Carolina

N.C. Democrats propose school immigration safeguards

The bill would prohibit public schools from collecting students’ immigration status unless required by law and from denying admission or excluding students based on that status.

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North Carolina House Democrats announced a bill Tuesday that would limit how public schools handle students’ immigration information and set procedures for immigration enforcement activity on campus.

House Bill 1061, the Plyler Educational Protections Act, is named for the U.S. Supreme Court case that barred schools from discriminating against undocumented students.

Rep. Julia Greenfield, D-Mecklenburg, the bill’s lead sponsor, said she was prompted by concerns after 27,000 students missed school in Charlotte during large-scale immigration operations in 2025.

The bill would require schools to develop response plans for immigration enforcement activity and designate an official to verify that immigration agents have a warrant before entering school grounds. It also would require schools to provide alternative instruction for students unable to attend because of immigration enforcement disruptions.

Greenfield said the proposal was not intended to interfere with lawful immigration operations.

School employees would be protected from retaliation for following a school response plan. The bill also would bar employees from disclosing students’ immigration status unless required by law, and it would allow lawsuits against schools or employees that violate the protections.

Rep. Monika Johnson-Hostler, D-Wake, said schools need clear guidance and training. Rep. Marcia Morey, D-Durham, said the bill would require schools to have a response plan if immigration officers come onto campus and would help keep parents informed.
North Carolina

NC House weighs override on concealed carry bill

Current law allows concealed carry only for people 21 and older who complete an approved firearms safety course and pass a criminal background check.

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Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead said Tuesday that a bill allowing permitless concealed carry would make law enforcement work more dangerous and could increase gun violence.

Birkhead spoke at a Raleigh news conference with gun control advocates urging House members to uphold Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of Senate Bill 50, which would allow more people to carry concealed handguns in public.

Under Senate Bill 50, anyone 18 and older who can legally carry a gun could carry it concealed without a permit or safety training.

Permitless carry “makes our jobs more difficult – to put a gun in the hand of someone who’s not trained, who’s 18 years of age – so we have to approach every encounter as if there’s a weapon, because we just don’t know,” Birkhead said. “It increases the risk of someone being harmed in that encounter, whether it’s the officer, the deputy, or the citizen. That to me is unacceptable.”

The North Carolinians Against Gun Violence Education Fund cited studies it said showed firearm homicide and suicide rates increased in states that loosened concealed-weapon permitting laws or adopted permitless concealed carry, and that officer-involved shootings of civilians rose more than expected in states with such laws.

The Legislature passed the bill last year. The Senate already overrode Stein’s veto along party lines, and the House now will decide whether to do the same. A three-fifths majority in both chambers is required to override a veto.

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North Carolina

North Carolina lawmakers approve $319M Medicaid bill

The bill said Medicaid coverage for noncitizens would be limited to federally required care, removing coverage guarantees for pregnant and postpartum undocumented immigrants, as well as some immigrants with legal status, including refugees.

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North Carolina lawmakers gave final approval Tuesday to $319 million in Medicaid funding to keep the program operating after months of uncertainty. The bill now goes to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, whose office said Tuesday evening that he was reviewing it.

The measure passed nearly unanimously in both chambers. Three Democratic lawmakers in each chamber voted against it, citing concerns that a provision could end Medicaid coverage for 27,000 pregnant women and children based on immigration status.

Senate Republicans said they were unsure whether the language would remove coverage for those 27,000 people and said they were awaiting guidance from federal partners before deciding whether changes were needed.

Other provisions require the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to collect information on patients’ immigration status and report suspected undocumented immigrants to Homeland Security. Advocacy groups also raised concerns about higher inpatient copays and work-requirement vetting periods, both set at the maximum allowed under federal law.

Sen. Benton Sawrey, R-Johnston, said Republicans were consulting attorneys, congressional bill drafters, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to determine whether revisions were needed. “We truthfully did not think it was an issue,” he said.

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North Carolina

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A Richland County jury found Prisma Health Richland Hospital liable for negligence in a medical malpractice case involving Jack Mills of Columbia and awarded $315,000.

Because the hospital is a charitable entity, the award was capped at $300,000 under state law. Jurors deliberated for about 3 1/2 hours before reaching a verdict.

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South Carolina

Hilton Head parents charged after child found alone

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Two Bluffton parents were arrested Saturday after deputies said they were intoxicated and failed to supervise their son at Fish Haul Beach Park on Hilton Head Island.

A 48-year-old woman and a 55-year-old man were charged with cruelty to children and public disorderly conduct, according to Beaufort County inmate records. Both charges are misdemeanors.

Beaufort County sheriff’s deputies responded to the north-island beach park around 5 p.m. after a report of intoxicated parents allegedly “failing to look after their child,” according to an incident report.

Deputies found the couple near the beach entrance and reported that both smelled of alcohol, had “severely slurred speech,” and had trouble standing. After deputies told them about the complaints, the parents said their elementary-age son had run off toward the parking lot less than 10 minutes earlier, sheriff’s office spokesperson Lt. Daniel Allen said.

According to the report, the parents provided little information about the missing child. When deputies asked for a photo to help search, both said they had lost their phones and wallets. The report also said “neither of them seemed even slightly concerned about the sudden disappearance of their child.”

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The couple was booked into the Beaufort County Detention Center on Saturday evening. Their son was picked up by his uncle, who lives on Hilton Head.

Both were released Sunday afternoon on personal recognizance bonds, meaning they will not have to pay unless they violate court conditions.
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North Carolina

Massachusetts woman charged after Onslow crash

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Two people were recovering from serious injuries after a single-vehicle rollover crash April 25 on U.S. 258 in Onslow County, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

Investigators said 36-year-old Justine Sweeney of Halifax, Massachusetts, was arrested Tuesday, April 28, in connection with the crash.

Authorities charged Sweeney with two counts of felony serious injury by vehicle, driving while impaired, reckless driving, driving left of center, and failure to wear a seat belt.

Arrest warrants said Sweeney allegedly caused serious injuries to two people while driving under the influence. One victim suffered a fractured leg. Another suffered facial fractures and internal injuries, including free fluid in the abdominal area.

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Hawaii

Hawaii budget talks stall over income tax bill

A House-Senate conference committee meeting on Senate Bill 3125 was scheduled for Tuesday.

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Hawaii lawmakers had several days left Monday to reach a final budget agreement as negotiations stalled over a separate income tax relief bill.

At an initial conference committee meeting Wednesday on House Bill 1800, Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz, chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, told House negotiators that further progress on the budget would probably depend on the outcome of Senate Bill 3125. A follow-up budget meeting scheduled for Friday was canceled, and no new face-to-face meeting had been scheduled by Monday afternoon. The deadline for a compromise budget draft was Friday.

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The Senate supported preserving the cuts except for higher-income households, including joint filers earning more than $350,000. The House proposed keeping standard deduction increases in 2028 and 2030, repealing bracket reductions in 2027, 2029, and 2031 for all taxpayers, and adding 1 percentage point to an upper income tier in the state’s three highest tax brackets beginning in 2027.

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Middle East

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The United Arab Emirates will withdraw from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the OPEC+ group on May 1, 2026, state media said Tuesday.

A statement carried by the official WAM news agency said the move was aimed at focusing on “national interests.”

“This decision reflects the UAE’s long-term strategic and economic vision and evolving energy profile,” the statement said.

“During our time in the organisation, we made significant contributions and even greater sacrifices for the benefit of all.

“However, the time has come to focus our efforts on what our national interest dictates.”

The announcement came as energy prices rose during the Middle East war. Gulf oil shipments have also been disrupted by Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

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