International benchmark Brent crude futures traded 0.95% lower at $102.16 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures fell 3.16% to $95.59 per barrel. Brent crude, the international benchmark, slipped about 2.4% on Monday to $101.93.
Initial USDA projections had farmers harvesting approximately 87.4 million acres of corn with an average yield of 181 bushels per acre. The USDA revised its estimate of the 2024 soybean harvest from about 4.45 billionBushels to roughly 4.37 billion Bushels. For the 2025–2026 crop year, the USDA initially projected ending stocks near 295 million bushel's.
Trump calls on NATO allies to police the Strait of Hormuz amid the U.S. and Israel’s war in Iran. Iranian threats to strike shipping on the vital trade route continue to cause chaos in global markets. President Trump said he will remember if countries don’t send warships to the region.
200,000 Immigrant Truck Drivers Are Officially Losing Their CDLs. The new rule takes effect March 16. The Trump administration will point to high-profile fatal crashes involving immigrant truck drivers last summer as a reason for the ban, but that's really a load of dogshit at the end of the day.
Means Workwear, a clothing brand subsidy of independent streaming service Means TV, has released its own line of Tucker Carlson-inspired merchandise. On an Instagram post rounding up the different merch items, a user wrote: "I absolutely hate Tucker Carlson, but I'll admit the NYC beanie goes kinda hard"
Conan O'Brien hosted the annual awards ceremony on March 15, 2026. The show was hosted by Conan O’Brien, who is known for his irreverent take on popular culture. The ceremony was broadcast live on ABC, with a repeat broadcast on Sunday, March 20, at 8pm.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has been diagnosed with early stage cancer. Wiles was diagnosed with the disease in January. She has been with the White House since the start of the Obama administration. The White House says Wiles will remain in her role until at least the end of the year.
Iran open to talks over safe passage through Strait of Hormuz, foreign minister says. Israel on Sunday said it would “expand the scope’ of strikes against Iran. Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, said Iran is “ready to defend itself as long as it takes”
Explosions heard in Baghdad after missile strike on powerful Iran-backed group. Two members of Kataeb Hezbollah killed and two others wounded, security sources say. Israeli military says it has detected incoming missiles from Iran in the region. AFP journalists heard blasts in the capital followed by ambulance sirens.
The EU's Operation Aspides was launched in 2024 to help meet the threats to shipping posed by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. With a strength of just three warships, there does not appear to be a huge appetite among EU members to expand it. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says changing the mandate would be the ‘fastest’ way to improve security in the Gulf.
UAE has reported more than 2,000 missile and drone attacks since war began. Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia also have reported intercepting drones and missiles. Iran has fired more than 1,800 missiles and drones at the UAE, more than any other country targeted by Tehran in the conflict.
Since coming to office in November 2023, President Daniel Noboa has tried to quell drug-related violence. But nevertheless the murder rate rose by over 30% between 2024 and 2025. Ecuador’s geographical location – sandwiched between Colombia and Peru – has turned it into a key transit country for the illicit drug.
The French election is set to take place on May 7. The race for the French presidency is expected to be a tight one. The winner will be chosen by a secret ballot after a run-off vote on May 8. The result of the vote will be announced on May 11. The final result will be known on May 14.
China has frequently been on the receiving end of Trump's tariffs during his two terms in the White House. The investigation is taking place under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the U.S. to impose tariffs on countries it has found to engage in unfair trade practices. The war has pushed the United States to pressure China to take a more active role in stabilising the region.
Since the Trump administration began its immigration enforcement crackdown, Pennsylvanians have begun to ask their elected officials what they plan to do. Elected officials in places like Allentown, Easton, Reading, Upper Darby and Narberth have all passed some form of legislation or resolution aimed at restricting cooperation with immigration officials.
At least 10 have alleged that starting in the mid-1990s, Epstein groomed or abused them at the ranch. The only time the ranch came up was at a bail hearing in which Annie Farmer testified that Epstein had flown her to New Mexico and was “inappropriate” with her.
For many Muslims, it’s a political moment that carries echoes from the early 2000s. The 9/11 attacks and the Afghanistan and Iraq wars generated hostility toward Muslim communities. Many Republicans point to a Muslim-centered planned community near Dallas as proof of “Sharia law”
Flights were also temporarily suspended at Dubai International Airport after a fuel tank nearby caught fire during a “drone-related incident” early this morning. Emirates says in its latest update that all of its flights there “remain suspended until further notice.” The airline says it is working with authorities to restart operations when possible.
FCC chair threatens to revoke broadcasters' licences over Iran coverage. US President Donald Trump criticised their coverage of the US-Israel war with Iran. Trump said Iran was being “decimated,” and the only battles they were winning were “those that they create through AI, and are distributed by Corrupt Media Outlets”
Shrapnel from Iranian missile barrage falls near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Shrapnel from an interception fell on the rooftop of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem, according to the Patriarchate. No reports of injuries after chunks of twisted metal smashed into areas of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, including the Old City.
Leavitt presses countries benefiting from Iran war to help secure Strait of Hormuz. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt: “I think the president is absolutel’s right.” Trump suggests other countries may provide military support to reopen Strait.
War has already displaced nearly a million Lebanese, and aid groups warn of a humanitarian crisis. In just 10 days, more than 800,000 people in Lebanon have been displaced by war. More than a million people were displaced in the last war, but that was toward the end of it after a year of limited fighting.
Matt Floca, the Kennedy Center’s vice president of operations for the last two years, has been named chief operating officer and executive director. Trump has been calling Floca directly to discuss his vision for the renovation, including specific preferences on “paint color, seating, and the addition of marble throughout the building,” Axios reported.
Three of the six Iranian women's soccer players who accepted asylum in Australia are returning to Iran. Over the past weekend and into Monday, the seven members of Iran's women’s soccer team who had accepted humanitarian visas in Australia dwindled to two. "Australia is making a terrible humanitarian mistake," says one of the players.
The Iranian Football Association said the team was expected to leave Malaysia for Tehran soon. The five women were “returning to the warm embrace of their family and homeland,” Tasnim News Agency said. Australia’s Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite described the situation as “very complex”
In October 2024, I took Honda on an invitation to visit the future. What I was presented with wasn’t a new car, but a new philosophy of car making. 18 months later in early 2026, Honda has spectacularly binned. The race is on to establish a globally recognized "AI-free" logo.
Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) shares surged in premarket trading on Monday, March 16, 2026, climbing 3.23% to $633.01 after closing the prior session at $613.71. The catalyst behind Monday’s premarket rebound is a Reuters exclusive report revealing that Meta is planning sweeping layoffs that could affect 20% or more of its nearly 79,000-person workforce.
Four members of the same Palestinian family, including two boys, have been shot dead by Israeli forces in the West Bank, officials say. The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Interior. The family was on their way home after breaking the Ramadan fast when the incident occurred.
UniCredit first took a stake of 9% in Commerzbank in September 2024. The Italian bank has since built up its holding to just under 30%. The move puts it on a collision course with the German bank’s board and stakeholders. The offer would push it beyond the “30% cliff edge that exists under German takeover law”
2 tankers are loading oil from Iran’s Kharg Island, a vessel-tracker says. Kharg is home to the primary terminal that handles the country's oil exports. On Friday, President Donald Trump said U.S. struck Iranian military facilities there. The island is strategically located in the Persian Gulf and is vital to Iran's oil industry.
The President said that he will know that the conflict is over when he feels it in his “bones” Condoleezza Rice, who served as national security adviser and then secretary of state under President George W. Bush, said that she sees the objective of the war to “render Iran a non-factor militarily in the region”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.S. President Donald Trump discuss the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Starmer said the U.K. would not be drawn into a wider war in the Middle East. The U.N. Security Council has called for the Strait to be re-opened.
At least six states are offering tax credits to businesses that adopt the Trump administration policy. They're using a policy backed by President Donald Trump, who spent much of the fall deriding Obamacare as the “Unaffordable Care Act” The tax credits allow businesses to give workers a tax-exempt subsidy to purchase ACA coverage, as opposed to offering a traditional plan.
Loving your donor conceived child and grieving over your genetics are two separate issues. Donor conceived or not, your child will see you as their parent. You can grieve over the loss of not having a genetically related child and have a wonderful family. Many parents take comfort in believing that a genetic link will help them feel "naturally" connected.
Days of 100-degree temperatures forecast to break monthly records. Weather service warns of various levels of heat-related health impacts. 47.3 million people across California, Arizona and Nevada are under an extreme heat warning, watch or advisory as "rare summerlike heat in March" plagues the Southwest.
The BBC has asked a US court to throw out Donald Trump’s $10bn (£7bn) lawsuit. The BBC said the Panorama documentary, Trump: a Second Chance, was simply not published in the US, including Florida, meaning the court had no jurisdiction to hear the case.
March 17, 1891: West Virginia State University was founded as the West Virginia Colored Institute. March 19, 1925: Basketball teams from 11 of West Virginia’s 24 Black high schools took the court for the first West Virginia Athletic Union state basketball tournament. March 16, 1954: Award-winning bluegrass musician and songwriter Tim O’Brie was born in Raleigh County.
The Strait of Hormuz is the vital waterway off Iran through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passes. “In short, if Iran effectively mines the strait, all U.S. response options are suboptimal,” Talmadge warned.
Iran’s leadership has called for assurances that the U.S. and/or Israel will refrain from further offensives, as well as for reparations. Outstanding concerns include the fate of Iran's missile and drone capability and stockpile of enriched uranium. Iran's relations with Gulf Arab states that have been badly damaged by evidence of Iranian willingness to strike them at will.
PBS reporter says Trump told her "I don't believe it will be long" before war is over and oil prices "drop like a rock" Trump said oil prices are "going to come tumbling down as soon as it's over, and it's going to be over pretty quickly," but did not provide a timeline.
It was by far the warmest March on record in 25 states. March 2012 was actually warmer than April in over 20 cities, including Chicago and Pittsburgh. Some cities in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, New Hampshire and Maine reached temperatures that would have been above average even in mid-July.
President Trump is urging nations that depend on oil exported through the Strait of Hormuz to "come and help us with the Strait" Without confirming any specific international commitments, President Trump said in a social media post on Saturday that "many Countries ... will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe" The White House says Trump right to ask allies to help reopen Strait because they're "benefiting greatly"
Ayman Ghazali’s ties to Lebanon have prompted a sharp discourse about news coverage of the Michigan attack. Some allege that focusing on his brother's death runs the risk of suggesting that attacking a Jewish institution in the United States is an appropriate response to grief during wartime.Ghazali's family members were killed in a Hezbollah stronghold where Israel had recently warned civilians to evacuate.
Israeli strikes have killed 826 people, including 106 children and 65 women, since the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel reignited on March 2. In just 10 days, more than 800,000 people in Lebanon have been displaced by war, just over a year since the last conflict uprooted over a million Lebanese from their homes.
The mobilization is the first major stress test of Europe’s abilities since President Donald Trump came under pressure. Diverting hardware and munitions to Arab allies in the Persian Gulf has also undercut Europe's ability to support Ukraine's defense against Moscow. Gaps in Europe's military ability “are well known — we just have not been doing enough about them for a long, long time,” Arnold added.
Since 1985, teams seeded 1-3 are collectively 1,201-445 (73 percent) When seeded ninth or worse, SEC teams have lost their first game more than 70 percent of the time since 2008. There were only four upsets last year in the entire tournament, but the overall frequency is trending up.