The recent strikes on upstream gas production sites in the Gulf represent a marked escalation in the Middle East conflict, with immediate operational effects and the potential for long-term disruption to global energy markets. Over two consecutive days this week, a drone strike forced suspension of operations at Abu Dhabi’s Shah gasfield and a separate … Read more
Lead: Miami (OH) RedHawks and SMU Mustangs meet in the First Four of the 2026 NCAA Tournament on Wednesday, March 18, with tip-off at 9:15 p.m. ET on truTV. SMU enters as a 7.5-point favorite and a -310 moneyline, while Miami (OH) is a +7.5 underdog with a +245 moneyline; the market total is 162.5 … Read more
This week, director Denis Villeneuve reiterated that Dune: Part Three is intended for the largest possible screens, saying the film was conceived as an IMAX-first experience. Ahead of the film’s December 18 theatrical release, an online remix — dubbed a “Franken‑IMAX” cut — has given many viewers a stronger sense of that scale by combining … Read more
Lead The U.S. federal debt exceeded $39 trillion on Wednesday, a record high reached just weeks after the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran. The milestone arrives amid competing priorities in Washington — including major tax legislation, stepped-up defense spending and immigration enforcement — even as officials and advocates debate how quickly to rein … Read more
This week, users discovered that Kagi Translate — the LLM-based translation tool from search company Kagi — can be asked to render text in improbable styles, including a prompt described online as “horny Margaret Thatcher.” The behavior, first noted in community threads and visible in Kagi’s web interface, has prompted both amusement and concern about … Read more
Lorde, the New Zealand singer-songwriter, announced on March 18, 2026 that the long-running agreement she first signed with Universal Music Group at age 12 has ended. In a series of voice memos to fans she said the contract lapsed in December and described stepping away from label control as a deliberate move to regain creative … Read more
Lead As the United States and Israel press military action in Iran, disruptions to oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz have pushed global energy markets into turmoil. China, however, has continued to receive shipments and sits atop record onshore commercial crude inventories, positioning it to weather the shock. Combined with large investments in an … Read more
Lead Authorities are investigating an outbreak of meningococcal disease centered in Kent, southeast England, where at least 20 young adults have been identified as infected and two people have died. The cluster has been linked in part to Club Chemistry in Canterbury, with health officials advising antibiotics for attendees on March 5–7. Six of the … Read more
Lead: On March 18, 2026, Sen. Markwayne Mullin faced the Senate Homeland Security committee amid an unusually personal and combative confirmation hearing for his nomination as Secretary of Homeland Security. What began as routine vetting quickly centered on a bitter feud with committee chair Sen. Rand Paul, who recounted a 2017 assault that left him … Read more
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
Lead: On March 18, 2026, Dolores Huerta, the longtime labor ally of Cesar Chavez, publicly said she was sexually coerced and later forced by Mr. Chavez in the 1960s, a disclosure that followed a New York Times investigation reporting decades of sexual abuse by Chavez. Institutions across the United States, including Fresno State and the … Read more
Lead On March 18, 2026, in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Vice President J.D. Vance said he regarded the resignation of Joe Kent — the senior counterterrorism official who quit over the Iran war — as appropriate because Kent openly opposed the administration’s approach. Vance, speaking at a manufacturing event where he promoted the president’s economic agenda, … Read more
Lead: On Wednesday Sarah Michelle Gellar publicly asked Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans not to read or judge a circulating version of the cancelled reboot pilot, saying the filmed episode was unfinished and misrepresents the creative team’s intentions. The pilot, directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao and written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman, was not … Read more
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
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
