Lead Ali Larijani, Iran’s top national security official and a longtime power broker, was reported killed on March 17, 2026, according to the Israeli military and Iranian state media. He was 67. Iranian and foreign statements say he died in an Israeli airstrike amid a broader campaign of attacks that began on Feb. 28, 2026. … Read more
Lead: Illinois’ March 17, 2026 primary closed at 7:00 p.m. local time, and vote-counting through the evening produced a string of key projections: Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton led and was later projected to win the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, Daniel Biss was projected the winner in the crowded 9th Congressional District, and Republican Darren Bailey … Read more
Venezuela defeated Team USA 3-2 in Miami on March 17, 2026, clinching the country’s first World Baseball Classic title after a tense ninth-inning finish. Eugenio Suárez’s go-ahead extra-base hit in the bottom of the ninth and Daniel Palencia’s closing strike sealed the victory after Bryce Harper had tied the game in the eighth. Eduardo Rodríguez … Read more
Lead: On March 17, 2026, the United Farm Workers (UFW), the nation’s largest farmworkers union, announced it will not participate in Cesar Chavez Day observances scheduled for March 31, 2026, after allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior linked to Chavez resurfaced. UFW said it has no direct reports but described the claims as serious enough to … Read more
On March 17, 2026 in Dayton, Ohio, Howard University secured the first NCAA Tournament victory in program history, edging UMBC 86-83 in a First Four game at UD Arena. The No. 16 seed Bison built a 49-41 halftime lead and withstood a late UMBC surge to finish the comeback-resistant win. Bryce Harris hit a key … Read more
Lead: Taylor Frankie Paul spoke publicly about domestic violence allegations tied to an open investigation as she attended a press preview for ABC’s The Bachelorette in New York City ahead of the show’s March 22, 2026 premiere. The inquiry involves Paul and her ex, Dakota Mortensen, who has appeared on the Hulu series The Secret … Read more
Lead: Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton won the Illinois Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday, projected by NBC News, defeating U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin. The decisive edge came from vote-rich Cook County, where Stratton led with 40 percent to Krishnamoorthi’s 29 percent and Kelly’s 23 percent with roughly … Read more
On March 17, 2026, U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth ordered the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) to return 1,042 full-time Voice of America (VOA) employees to work, concluding that agency senior adviser Kari Lake’s overhaul was arbitrary and unlawful. The ruling found Lake had assumed powers beyond her legal authority and failed to … Read more
Lead Chief Justice John Roberts warned Tuesday at Rice University’s Baker Institute in Houston that personally directed attacks on federal judges threaten the rule of law and “got to stop,” a statement delivered two days after President Donald Trump publicly denounced a judge who ruled against the administration. Roberts avoided naming any one person or … Read more
Lead: On March 16–17, 2026, Arizona prosecutors filed the first-ever criminal charges against Kalshi, a New York–based online prediction market, accusing the platform of operating an unlicensed gambling business that allowed state residents to wager on sports and elections. The state alleges Kalshi failed to obtain required Arizona approvals and that some markets—like election betting—are … Read more
March 17, 2026 — The Academy Awards telecast on ABC and Hulu drew an average audience of 17.9 million viewers on Sunday night, a 9 percent decline from the prior year, Nielsen reported. The fall interrupted a four-year upward trend and came as other major awards shows also posted lower totals this season. Critics largely … Read more
Lead At LoanDepot Park in Miami on 17 March 2026, Venezuela led the United States 2-0 in the World Baseball Classic final as the game entered the top of the seventh. Wilyer Abreu’s solo home run in the fifth supplied both runs; Eduardo Rodríguez and Venezuela’s bullpen have largely silenced a star-studded U.S. order. Nolan … Read more
Lead: On March 18, 2026, two people in their 70s were killed in Ramat Gan after being struck by shrapnel from Iranian missiles intercepted over Israel. Emergency services reported five others lightly wounded and multiple suspected shrapnel impact sites across central Israel, including near Tel Aviv Savidor Center train station. Authorities suspended train services to … Read more
Lead On March 17, 2026, Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned from the Trump administration, citing opposition to the U.S.-Israeli campaign in Iran and alleging outside pressure on policy. His departure is the first senior administration resignation explicitly tied to the Iran war and surfaced amid rising unease in the Republican coalition. … Read more
Lead: Pakistani authorities denied on Tuesday that their forces struck a hospital in Kabul, after Afghan officials said an air attack on the Omar Addiction Treatment Hospital late Monday killed 400 people and wounded about 250. Islamabad’s information minister told Al Jazeera Arabic the country targets only terrorist infrastructure and military sites. Afghan spokespeople described … Read more
