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Lead President Donald Trump announced a postponement of planned strikes on Iranian power infrastructure after what he described as “productive” contact with Tehran, a move that followed a 48-hour ultimatum over the Strait of Hormuz and preceded a five-day pause in threatened attacks. The apparent opening toward negotiation sent US stocks higher and pushed global … Read more

Lead: A Santa Monica civil jury has found Bill Cosby liable for drugging and raping Donna Motsinger in 1972 and has ordered a combined award totaling $59.25 million after punitive damages were added. The jury initially returned $19.25 million in compensatory awards and later assessed $40 million in punitive damages. The verdict caps a two-week … Read more

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told Pyongyang’s rubber‑stamp parliament on Monday that his country will permanently entrench its status as a nuclear power and described South Korea as the “most hostile” state, state media reported. Speaking to the Supreme People’s Assembly, Kim framed the move as necessary to deter perceived threats and accused the … Read more

On March 23, 2026, the U.S. Senate confirmed Senator Markwayne Mullin to serve as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, elevating him to lead an agency facing a funding lapse and intense political scrutiny. The vote was 54 to 45, and Mullin replaces Kristi Noem amid criticism over her handling of two fatal shootings … Read more

On Monday, March 23, 2026, the women’s NCAA Tournament second round trimmed the field to 16 teams as eight Sweet 16 berths were decided across multiple sites. Several top seeds advanced in decisive fashion — UConn rolled past Syracuse and South Carolina dismantled USC — but the day also featured major upsets, most notably No. … Read more

Valerie Perrine, the actress who moved from Las Vegas showgirl and Playboy model to an Oscar-nominated performer, died on March 23, 2026, at her home in Los Angeles. Her longtime friend and documentarian Stacey Souther said the cause was complications of Parkinson’s disease, a condition diagnosed in 2015. Perrine built a four-decade career with nearly … Read more

Lead On March 23, 2026, the Defense Department announced it will remove media office spaces from the Pentagon after U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman struck down portions of the department’s credentialing policy in a lawsuit brought by The New York Times. The Pentagon said the long-used “Correspondents’ Corridor” will close immediately and that journalists may … Read more

March 23, 2026 — President Donald Trump paused a threatened strike on Iranian power plants on Monday after limited contacts between U.S. and Iranian officials, calling the exchanges “productive conversations.” The administration said it would extend a prior 48-hour deadline through the coming Friday to allow diplomacy to proceed, even as U.S. and allied strikes … Read more

Lead: A Southern California civil jury on Monday awarded Donna Motsinger $19.2 million after she sued Bill Cosby, alleging sexual battery stemming from an encounter in 1972. The lawsuit, filed in 2023 in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Santa Monica, seeks additional punitive damages that remain pending. Cosby, 88, has denied the allegation and … Read more

Sen. Markwayne Mullin was confirmed by the Senate on March 23, 2026 to lead the Department of Homeland Security, winning a 54–45 vote to become the agency’s next secretary. The Oklahoma Republican, 48, takes charge amid an ongoing DHS funding standoff that has left roughly 100,000 of the department’s more than a quarter-million employees working … Read more

Lead: On Monday the U.S. Defense Department announced it will close an area of the Pentagon long used by reporters after a federal judge ordered the reinstatement of seven New York Times journalists’ press credentials. The department said the hallway known as the “Correspondents’ Corridor” will shutter immediately and that reporters will be relocated to … Read more

Lead Actors Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly are officially returning as Rip Wheeler and Beth Dutton in the Yellowstone spinoff Dutton Ranch, which debuts globally on Paramount+ on May 15. Paramount+ released a teaser and first production stills showing the pair in moments that range from horseback riding to dancing, and hint at escalating conflict … Read more

Lead Apollo Global Management told investors this quarter it will honor only roughly 45% of redemption requests from its flagship private credit vehicle after demand far outpaced the fund’s limit. The Apollo Debt Solutions BDC received redemption requests equal to 11.2% of shares outstanding in the first quarter, exceeding its 5% quarterly cap. As a … Read more

Lead On the night of Sunday, March 22, at about 10:00 p.m., footage at San Francisco International Airport shows two plainclothes men restraining a crying woman while a young girl watches, provoking a large, vocal crowd. The Department of Homeland Security later identified the pair as Angelina Lopez-Jimenez and her daughter Wendy Godinez-Lopez, both from … Read more

Lead On March 23, 2026 in Iowa City, No. 10 Virginia completed a improbable run, beating No. 2 seed Iowa 83-75 in double overtime to become the first First Four team to advance to the NCAA women’s Sweet Sixteen. The Cavaliers, now 22-11, won three tournament games in five days, including a First Four victory … Read more