The United States has deployed troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East as President Trump weighs options about the next steps for war with Iran.

State of play: Axios reporter Colin Demarest was given exclusive access to one of the division's command centers earlier this month to observe what the 82nd Airborne is up to — and how unmanned tech is reshaping the way it engages in war.

The big picture: Axios watched portions of the Fort Bragg, N.C.-based division use drones and smart machinery as they honed strategies for infiltration, surveillance, fighting and resupplying.

Inside the room: The windows of the command post were plastered with black trash bags.

• The table at the center was littered with hot sauce, maps, cables and Nalgene bottles. Around it gathered a few men, faces painted, staring at small screens.

The plan for the night was simple: Use drones to spot, harass and kill the enemy. Taking out the mine-clearing line charges from afar would be critical to the defense of "Dara Lam," a make-believe city in Louisiana it was training to protect.

• "It kind of feels like cheating," one of the men said of using the drones called Switchblades.

Zoom out: The U.S. military has for years talked about man and machine working together seamlessly, but it's easier said than done.

• Battlefield connectivity is spotty at best. Messy electronic signatures are death sentences. Autonomy is still maturing. Trust must be built.
• And the price-point debate rages on. (One person told Axios what they really need is "the Honda Civic" of drones — widely available, effective and reliable.)

Go deeper into the technology

The Duke Blue Devils collapsed in the second half of their NCAA tournament Elite Eight game yesterday, allowing No. 2 UConn to sneak into the Final Four with a last-second 3.

Why it matters: Just like last year, Duke went into the tournament as a confident No. 1 seed, but will return to Durham in heartbreak.

• This time with a 73-72 loss to the Huskies.

Zoom in: The Blue Devils led in the first half by as much as 19 points. If that number sounds familiar, it's the same lead North Carolina blew when the Tar Heels crashed out of the tournament in the first round to VCU.

State of play: As the men's game was getting underway in D.C., the Duke women's game was also slipping away.

• UCLA beat Duke 70-58 in Sacramento, California, ending the Kara Lawson-coached Blue Devils' tournament run in the Elite Eight.

Flashback: On Friday night in the Sweet 16, the North Carolina women's team fell to the women's overall No. 1 seed UConn, 63-42.

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💰 UNC and Duke both significantly ramped up their spending on lobbyists in Washington as federal research dollars were on the cutting block. (Triangle Business Journal 🔒)

🚌 Durham Public Schools wants a significant increase in its budget. The Durham County Board of Commissioners, however, calls it unrealistic. (Indy Week)

🍺 Downtown Raleigh's Brewgaloo will have some fresh competition in the form of the Y'all Means All beer festival at Raleigh Brewing. (News & Observer)

• The move comes after Shop Local Raleigh's director made anti-trans comments in an anonymous comment on Facebook, The N&O reported. Shop Local puts on Brewgaloo.

🍻 Funguys Brewing in Raleigh has closed its taproom. (Instagram)

Population growth is slowing in most counties nationwide amid a massive drop in immigration, new U.S. Census data shows.

• But that isn't stopping the Triangle from remaining among the fastest-growing areas in the country.

Why it matters: The new data offers the best look yet at how tighter immigration enforcement is affecting America's demographic makeup, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes.

By the numbers: The Raleigh metro area was the 10th fastest-growing metro in the country between July 2024 and July 2025, growing 2.4% to nearly 1.6 million people.

Driving the news: International migration fell in nine out of 10 U.S. counties between 2024 and 2025 compared to the prior period, the Census Bureau says.

Yes, but: The Census data predates a surge in immigration enforcement activity, including immigration enforcement operations in the Triangle last fall.

Zoom in: Here are some highlights from the Census batch:

• Wake County had the fifth-most growth of any county last year — adding 27,760 residents, or roughly 76 people per day. But its growth rate has slowed from 2.4% to 2.3%.
• The entire Triangle's net migration was around 39,000 people, which included about 15,000 coming from out of the country and roughly 24,000 from other parts of the country.
• Durham County grew 1.4% in 2025, reaching more than 347,000 residents.
• Across the Triangle, there were around 10,000 more births than deaths.
• The Wilmington metro was the seventh fastest-growing metro, growing 2.6% to nearly 493,000 people.
• Asheville was the only metro area to lose population last year, seeing a decline of 0.1% in the year after Hurricane Helene hit the mountain region.

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Raleigh's Hillsborough Street gets magical this time of year, when it's warm enough to enjoy walking between spots as the night wears on.

• Last weekend, we got back out to Pantana's Pool Hall & Saloon.

🎱 If you go: It's got an abundance of well-maintained pool tables, affordable drinks and often a friendly dog taking in the action.

• Open daily 2pm-2am.
• 3112 Hillsborough St.