September 29, 2026

The confirmed case count for the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak surpassed 8,000 by September 26, 2026, according to the Associated Press and Congo's health ministry. The ministry reported 8,067 confirmed cases and 3,901 deaths across 63 health zones in seven provinces, a case-fatality rate above 48%.

The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus and first identified in Ituri Province in mid-May 2026, has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization. Health officials said the response has been hampered by insecurity, population displacement, and strikes by health workers over delayed pay, allowing the virus to spread faster than in past outbreaks. The WHO has warned the outbreak is on pace to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic, which killed roughly 11,000 people.

The question resolved yes: the case count topped 8,000 by the deadline. A majority of the Predict Six community, 77%, correctly forecast that the threshold would be crossed.

The rebooted "Resident Evil" did not hold the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office for the September 25-27, 2026 weekend. "Avengers: Endgame Encore," Disney's theatrical re-release of the 2019 film, won the weekend with $26 million from 3,060 theaters. "Resident Evil" finished second with $23.3 million from 3,684 theaters, while Brad Pitt's "Heart of the Beast" opened in third with $20 million domestically, plus $30.1 million overseas for a $50.1 million global start and an A- CinemaScore.

"Resident Evil" had posted franchise-record previews ahead of release, but the "Endgame" re-release, buoyed by nostalgia for the original Marvel saga, outperformed both new releases rather than the named rival doing so.

The question resolved no: "Resident Evil" did not stay No. 1, though it was a third film, not "Heart of the Beast," that displaced it. A majority of the Predict Six community, 60%, had forecast the wrong outcome, expecting "Resident Evil" to remain on top.

No new face-to-face meeting between U.S. and Iranian officials took place before September 29, 2026, following sideline talks held around the United Nations General Assembly roughly a week earlier. U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in New York around September 22, with Qatari officials facilitating, but the session produced no breakthrough.

Iran subsequently proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz and pausing regional fighting in exchange for the U.S. lifting its naval blockade and sanctions. Trump rejected that specific proposal on September 25, saying Tehran made the offer because it was "losing badly," while adding he still expected negotiations to resume "in the coming week." By September 29, Araghchi said Tehran was awaiting a formal U.S. response, but the exchanges remained indirect rather than another in-person meeting.

The question resolved no: the two sides did not hold face-to-face talks again before September 29. A majority of the Predict Six community, 71%, correctly anticipated that outcome.

Miley Cyrus' 10th studio album, "Bass Persuades," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated the week ending September 24, 2026, Billboard reported. The album earned 61,000 equivalent album units in its first tracking week.

It is Cyrus' sixth album to top the Billboard 200 and her first No. 1 since 2013's "Bangerz," ending a 13-year wait for the top spot. "Bass Persuades," released September 18, is her first album for Atlantic Records following her move from Columbia, and she billed the project simply as "Miley" rather than under her full name.

The question resolved yes: the album debuted at No. 1 as asked. A majority of the Predict Six community, 60%, correctly forecast the outcome.

Hurricane Nolo made its closest approach to Hawaii's Big Island on September 27, 2026, passing roughly 140 miles offshore without making landfall, according to the National Hurricane Center and Hawaii news outlets. The storm strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane and briefly neared Category 5 strength as it pulled away from the islands.

Even without landfall, Nolo brought nearly 18 inches of rain to the Big Island's northeast side over three days and produced waves of 12 to 20 feet along the south shore, causing flooding, at least one landslide, and downed trees. It was the fourth tropical system to affect Hawaii in 2026, a year of unusually active tropical weather linked to El Niño conditions.

No hurricane has made direct landfall in Hawaii since Iniki in 1992, and Nolo did not break that streak. The question resolved no. A majority of the Predict Six community, 64%, correctly anticipated that Nolo would not make landfall as a hurricane on the Big Island.

Carnival Corporation reported fiscal third-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.43 per share on September 29, 2026, beating the $1.35 consensus estimate compiled by Wall Street analysts. The cruise operator posted net income of $1.92 billion and revenue of $8.44 billion, topping the $8.36 billion analysts had forecast, and shares rose roughly 11% following the report.

The beat was driven by strong booking volumes and onboard spending, as cruise demand has continued to run ahead of pre-pandemic levels throughout 2026. Carnival's adjusted per-share figure matched the $1.43 it posted in the same quarter a year earlier, even though analysts had modeled a year-over-year decline to $1.35.

The question resolved yes: Carnival cleared the Street's bar. A majority of the Predict Six community, 55%, had forecast this correctly.