WNBA, Players’ Union Reach Verbal Deal on New CBA

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Lead: Early Wednesday morning the WNBA and its players’ union announced they have reached a verbal agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The framework calls for maximum player salaries above $1 million, minimum salaries above $300,000, and a starting team salary cap of $7.5 million. The figures mark a sharp rise from the … Read more

Updated top-five 2026 NFL Draft prospects by position — Nussmeier moves up QB board

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Lead Published Mar 18, 2026, this update revises the top five prospects at each primary position after the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine and the start of pro days. The list separates specialized roles — slot vs. outside receivers, defensive ends vs. outside linebackers, and cornerbacks vs. nickelbacks — to reflect modern NFL usage. Garrett Nussmeier … Read more

US intelligence chief says Iran regime ‘appears intact but largely degraded,’ declines to discuss Trump briefings

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On March 18, 2026, before the Senate Intelligence Committee in Washington, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told lawmakers that Iran’s regime ‘appears to be intact but largely degraded’ while repeatedly refusing to disclose whether she or other intelligence officials had warned President Donald Trump about the possible fallout from the weeks-old war. Gabbard also … Read more

Oil prices jump after major Iran gas field is attacked: Iran war updates – USA Today

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The attack on Iran’s Pars gas field on March 18, 2026, sparked a sharp rise in global energy prices and heightened financial market volatility. Brent crude climbed roughly 5%, pushing prices above $108–$110 a barrel, while U.S. gasoline averages rose toward $3.86 per gallon. U.S. equity benchmarks fell, with the Dow and S&P 500 sliding … Read more

Trump temporarily waives the Jones Act to try to lower gasoline prices. Will it work? – NPR

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Lead: The White House on March 18 issued a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act to ease domestic shipping of oil, natural gas, fertilizer and coal as the war with Iran has driven U.S. energy prices higher. The move, announced by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, is intended to speed deliveries to U.S. ports … Read more

Healthy Returns: Stopping GLP-1s raises risk of heart attack, stroke and death, study says

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Lead A large observational study published on 18 March 2026 in BMJ Medicine by Washington University School of Medicine reports that interruptions in GLP‑1 therapy are linked to higher rates of heart attack, stroke and all‑cause death among adults with Type 2 diabetes. Researchers tracked electronic health records for more than 333,000 people with diabetes … Read more

Apple highlights 13 enhancements coming to iPhone with iOS 26.4

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Apple has issued the first iOS 26.4 release-candidate (RC) to testers and published detailed notes outlining 13 changes headed to iPhone. The RC suggests a public rollout as soon as next week, while developers continue beta work toward iOS 26.5 — expected to introduce the first Gemini-powered Siri and expanded Apple Intelligence features. Apple’s notes … Read more

US eases Venezuela oil sanctions as Trump moves to boost global supply amid Iran war

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Lead: The U.S. Treasury on Wednesday issued a broad license allowing U.S. companies to transact with Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA, marking a major shift from years of strict sanctions as the Trump administration seeks to augment global oil supplies amid the ongoing war with Iran. The authorization permits PDVSA to sell oil directly to … Read more

Israel faces stiff Hezbollah resistance as it attempts to push deeper into Lebanon

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Lead On 18 March 2026 Israeli forces pushed deeper into southern Lebanon and met intense resistance from Hezbollah fighters in at least three strategic sectors, according to local residents and a Lebanese security source. Clashes have been concentrated around the hilltop city of Khiam and border villages such as Aita al-Chaab and Kafr Shouba, as … Read more

Miley Cyrus on Reclaiming Hannah Montana After 20 Years, Sobriety and Reuniting with Billy Ray

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Lead On a sweltering Friday in February, a select group of about 215 fans gathered at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood to see Miley Cyrus revive the character that launched her career. The event—filmed for an hourlong Hannah Montana 20th-anniversary special that premieres on Disney+ on March 24—mixed faithful performances of the original songs with … Read more

WNBA and Players’ Union Reach Tentative, Transformational CBA

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Lead: The WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement in the early hours of Wednesday in New York, ending an intense eight-day negotiating stretch. The agreement would raise the league salary cap to $7 million from $1.5 million, lift average player pay to about $600,000, and set minimum … Read more

Iran-Israel Escalation: South Pars Struck, Khatib Killed

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Lead: On March 18, 2026, the conflict between Iran and Israel intensified: Iran reported strikes on the South Pars offshore gas field while Israel said an airstrike killed Iran’s intelligence minister, Esmaeil Khatib. The attacks came after days of targeted strikes that have removed multiple senior Iranian officials and widened fighting into Lebanon, where Israeli … Read more

Ancient Gaul skeleton unearthed seated in Dijon

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Lead On 18 March 2026 children at the Joséphine Baker primary school in eastern Dijon discovered a remarkably well-preserved human skeleton seated upright at the bottom of a circular pit. Archaeologists from France’s Inrap say the body is one of several recently exposed in central Dijon that were intentionally buried in a seated position facing … Read more