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Lead: The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday approved Nexstar Media Group’s $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna, a deal that would make the combined company the largest local television-station operator in the United States. The agency waived a 39% national ownership cap, saying the merged group would reach at least 60% of U.S. households. The announcement … Read more
Lead: Renewed fighting between Hezbollah and Israeli forces since March 2, 2026 has intensified divisions inside Lebanon’s Shi’ite community. The exchange of rocket fire and Israel’s large-scale response — including a targeted ground operation announced on March 16 — has displaced hundreds of thousands and, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, left more than 900 … Read more
Lead Inside the Justice Department, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) has quietly become a central engine of immigration policy, altering how courts handle detention, bond and removal. Since President Trump took office, the board was cut from 28 seats to 15 within weeks and refilled with his appointees, a change that coincided with a … Read more
Lead On March 20, 2026, public-health and weather forecasts warned that spring pollen is already increasing across much of the United States, an early sign of a difficult season for people with allergies. An estimated 106 million Americans live with allergies or asthma, and many will face worse symptoms as tree, grass and weed pollen … Read more
U.S. equity indices opened lower on Friday, March 20, 2026, as investors prepared for a major options expirations session and weighed escalating Middle East tensions. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 86 points (about 0.2%), the S&P 500 fell roughly 0.2%, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped about 0.5%. Oil prices remained elevated—Brent near $108.16 a … Read more
The NCAA tournaments resume Friday after a first day defined by upsets, tight finishes and a handful of marquee tests for top seeds. On the men’s side mid-majors carried momentum into the Round of 64 while several power-conference favorites were pushed harder than expected. The women’s tournament also begins, with top squads such as Texas, … Read more
Lead As the conflict between Israel, the United States and Iran entered its third week around the Persian new year (Nowruz), energy markets reacted sharply: Brent crude climbed to about $110 a barrel while key Gulf shipping lanes remained effectively closed. Israeli forces carried out strikes east of Tehran, and Iran responded with missile and … Read more
March 20, 2026 — Iran carried out strikes that damaged a major Kuwaiti oil refinery and set off explosions over Tehran on Friday, officials and media said, in a dramatic escalation nearly three weeks after the conflict began on Feb. 28. The attacks came as Iranians observed Nowruz and regional air defenses intercepted incoming fire … Read more
Lead: On March 19, 2026 (updated March 20), global bullion traded near $4,660 an ounce as investors pushed gold toward its steepest weekly decline in six years. The selloff—exceeding a 7% drop for the week—followed a spike in crude, natural gas and fuel prices tied to the war in the Middle East. Rising energy costs … Read more
Jill Duggar Dillard issued her first public response after her brother Joseph Duggar was arrested on Mar. 18, 2026, on charges of lewd and lascivious behavior involving a minor. The arrest followed a report to investigators and a forensic interview in which a now-14-year-old victim said misconduct occurred when she was 9 during a family … Read more
Federal prosecutors on Thursday charged three men tied to server maker Supermicro with conspiring to divert advanced Nvidia AI chips into China in violation of U.S. export controls. The indictment alleges the defendants moved roughly $2.5 billion in servers through a Southeast Asia intermediary and that $510 million worth of those servers containing banned B200 … Read more
March 20, 2026 — Travelers encountered unusually long and erratic security lines on Friday as many Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees worked without pay amid a partial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding lapse. Major hubs including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental reported waits ranging from two hours to more than three hours, … Read more
Lead: Health chiefs in Kent are responding to an outbreak of meningitis that has reached 29 confirmed cases as students line up for vaccination. The family of sixth-form pupil Juliette — who died after falling ill following a school day — issued a public statement on the morning of the response, published at 08:30 GMT. … Read more
March 19, 2026 22:24 UTC — Updated March 20, 2026 11:29 UTC Markets in Asia were poised to open steadier after U.S. equities pared earlier declines following a renewed bout of risk-off trading sparked by turmoil in the Middle East. S&P 500 futures were down about 0.4% as the benchmark moved toward a fourth consecutive … Read more
Lead: Since the war that began on Feb. 28, 2026, Yousef Pezeshkian — a 44-year-old physics Ph.D., college professor and adviser to President Masoud Pezeshkian — has posted a daily Telegram diary mixing personal detail and political observation. His entries, read by reporters including Farnaz Fassihi, describe a leadership under pressure as multiple senior figures … Read more
