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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: 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 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 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 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 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: 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 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

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

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

On March 18, 2026, Tehran announced strikes on the South Pars gas field and multiple oil facilities across the Gulf, including damage reported near a major LNG site in Qatar. The report, first filed at 11:43 AM UTC and updated at 7:53 PM UTC, coincided with sharp moves in energy markets: Brent crude rose 3.8% … Read more

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

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

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 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