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Lead University of Southern California officials abruptly canceled a planned gubernatorial forum late Monday, saying selection criteria had created a distracting controversy less than 24 hours before the event. The decision followed intense criticism that every prominent candidate of color was left off the invited list, and after calls from Democratic legislative leaders and excluded … Read more

Lead Pakistan said on Tuesday it is prepared to host talks between the United States and Iran to seek a “comprehensive settlement” of the war that began less than a month ago. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the offer on X, tagging President Donald Trump, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister … Read more

Lead The United States is preparing to deploy thousands more troops to the Middle East as officials report a major military buildup across the region, while Lebanon warns of an “existential crisis” after widening Israeli operations. President Donald Trump told reporters he believes Iran has “agreed they will never have a nuclear weapon,” and other … Read more

Lead: On Tuesday, waves of missiles and drones launched from Iran struck sites across Israel and the Persian Gulf, including a direct hit in Tel Aviv that severely damaged residential buildings and injured civilians. The attacks came as President Trump said the United States and Iran were holding “very strong talks” to end the conflict … Read more

Lead Dayton Webber, a 27-year-old professional cornhole player and quadruple amputee, was arrested in Virginia following an alleged shooting that killed 27-year-old Bradrick Michael Wells in La Plata, Maryland. Authorities say the confrontation occurred on Sunday and that Wells was found dead about two hours later in Charlotte Hall, roughly 14 miles from La Plata. … Read more

Lead: HBO’s new adaptation of Harry Potter released a first look image that unveils Hogwarts’ Quidditch pitch and a young Harry in Gryffindor robes. The photo, posted to the series’ official social channel, shows Dominic McLaughlin’s Harry walking toward the pitch amid a crowd of students with Gryffindor and Hufflepuff banners visible. Production is underway … Read more

March 24, 2026 — Two major U.S. managers in private credit, Ares Management Corp. and Apollo Global Management Inc., on Tuesday moved to restrict investor access to capital after unusually large redemption requests. Ares limited withdrawals from its $10.7 billion Ares Strategic Income Fund to 5% of shares following requests to redeem 11.6% of the … Read more

On March 24, 2026, reporting indicates that Iran has begun seeking ad‑hoc transit payments from some commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy chokepoint. Payments reportedly reach as much as $2 million per voyage and have been demanded on a case‑by‑case basis, with a handful of vessels said to have … Read more

Lead: Fighting between Iran, its proxies and Israel continued on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, as multiple missile and drone barrages struck Israel and Gulf states while markets digested contradictory signals from U.S. President Trump and Iranian officials. Israeli authorities reported at least nine people wounded after repeated waves of launches, and a missile impact in … Read more

Actor Tom Blyth publicly pushed back after online criticism of his girlfriend Daniela Norman’s sheer blue dress at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party on March 15. In a March 20 post sharing moments from the Vanity Fair event and subsequent nights in LA and NYC, Blyth responded directly to a fan who called the outfit … Read more

Lead: In hospitals across the United States this year, a growing number of parents have declined routine preventive treatments for newborns — not only vaccines but long-established interventions such as the vitamin K injection and erythromycin eye ointment. Clinicians report that refusals have risen sharply: a national analysis of more than 5 million births found … Read more

Lead: Twenty years after Hannah Montana premiered on the Disney Channel, an anniversary special filmed before a studio audience reunites the cast and revisits the sitcom that turned Miley Cyrus into an international star. The recorded event — presented as a celebration of the show’s defining moments — includes an on-stage interview, musical elements and … Read more

Lead Conflicting signals emerged this week about whether the United States and Iran are exploring a way to end the war, even as fighting spreads across the region and oil prices climb back above $100 a barrel. Tehran and Washington gave contrasting public accounts: an Iranian source told CNN there was outreach, while Iranian officials … Read more

Lead President Donald Trump cast a mail ballot in Palm Beach County on Tuesday, March 24, in a special election for Florida state legislative seats; county records show his ballot was counted. At the same time he has intensified public attacks on mail voting — calling it “corrupt as hell” — and is pressing Congress … Read more

Lead: Estée Lauder Companies and Spain’s Puig entered talks in late March 2026 about a potential business combination that could create a roughly $40 billion beauty-and-fashion group. Both firms confirmed discussions but said no agreement or final decision has been reached. Markets reacted sharply: Puig shares jumped while Estée Lauder’s stock fell after investors flagged … Read more