March 19, 2026

U.S., ISRAEL, IRAN WAR | Day 20.

• U.S. President Donald Trump yesterday said the U.S. did not participate in Israeli airstrikes on Iran's South Par natural gas field and that Israel would not strike the field again. After Iran launched retaliatory strikes targeting energy facilities in Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, Trump pledged to "massively blow up" the South Pars field if Iran attacks Qatar again. [more]
• Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said today that Europe will not be “blackmailed” into the U.S. and Israeli military campaign against Iran and ruled out Austrian participation in efforts to re-open the Strait of Hormuz. [more]
• Oil and gas prices continue to rise amidst the ongoing Middle East war and the new targeting of energy facilities in the Persian Gulf region by Iran and Israel. International benchmark Brent crude oil prices spiked today to nearly $119 per barrel, up from about $73 per barrel prior to the war. [more]
• According to Lebanon's government, 968 people have been killed, more than 2,400 have been wounded, and more than 1 million have been displaced since Israel began its renewed military operations against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon earlier this month. [more]
• Nearly three weeks into the U.S.-Israel-Iran war, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, speaking before the Senate Intelligence Committee, said yesterday that Iran's government "appears to be intact but largely degraded." [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,482 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Officials in Moldova say a Russian attack on Ukraine's Novodnistrovsk hydropower plant earlier this month caused oil to pollute the Dniester River and that related health-related water supply cuts have deprived tens of thousands of Moldovans of water. [more]

U.S. NATIONAL DEBT | According to newly released Treasury Department data, the U.S. national debt surpassed a record $39 trillion earlier this week, just five months after the debt reached $38 trillion and seven months after reaching the $37 trillion level. [more]

U.S. WAR FUNDING | The Washington Post cites unnamed Trump administration sources as saying the Pentagon has asked the White House to approve a more than $200 billion request to Congress to fund the war in Iran. Asked about the funding request today, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, "It takes money to kill bad guys," and suggested the amount to be requested from Congress may be subject to change.  [more]

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY | The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is expected to advance Senator Markwayne Mullin's nomination to be the new Secretary of Homeland Security to the full Senate in a vote later today. Committee chair Rand Paul said he expects Mullin's nomination to move forward despite Paul's own "no" vote. [more]

NEBRASKA | Officials say four ongoing wildfires in western and central Nebraska that have been burning for a week amidst strong winds and dry conditions have burned about 1,300 square miles of land. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | Citing persistent inflation and labor market risks, the Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate unchanged yesterday at 3.5%-3.75%. [more]

U.S. OIL AND GAS | The Department of the Interior said yesterday that 11 companies submitted $163 million in oil and gas lease bids on 187 tracts covering 1.3 million acres of land in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve region in the first such lease sales since 2019. [more]

U.S. TRAVEL VISAS | The State Department yesterday added 12 countries to the list of nations whose citizens will be required to post bonds of up to $15,000 to apply for U.S. visas. The countries newly added to the existing list of 38 that require such bonds include: Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia. [full State Department list] [more]

U.S. AND JAPAN | Trade issues, Asian regional security, energy, and the war in Iran are expected to be among the main topics of discussion when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House today. Reports note that Japan is among the countries Trump has criticized for not agreeing to help re-open the Strait of Hormuz amidst the ongoing Middle East war and that the topic is also likely to be discussed at today's meeting. [more]

GLOBAL HAPPINESS | In its 2026 World Happiness Report, researchers at the University of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre say Finland is the happiest nation in the world for the ninth year in a row, followed by Iceland, Denmark, Costa Rica, and Sweden. Other rankings of note include Israel at No. 8, Ireland at No. 13, the U.S. at No. 23, Japan at No. 61, Russia at No. 79, Iran at No. 97, and Afghanistan, with the worst ranking, at No. 147. The report also notes that heavy social media use appears to contribute to significant declines in well-being among young people, especially in teenage girls, and that high social media use was seen as a major contributor to quality-of-life evaluation declines in people under the age of 25 in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. [full report] [full rankings] [more]

E.U. LEADERS SUMMIT | The war in Iran, energy prices, migration, sanctions on Russia, and a massive new loan for Ukraine are expected to be among the main topics addressed at a summit of European Union leaders today in Brussels, Belgium. [more]

PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN | Amidst their nearly month-long ongoing conflict, Pakistan and Afghanistan have announced a temporary cease-fire ahead of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The outlawed Pakistani Taliban militant group also announced a three-day cease-fire ahead of the holiday. [more]

U.K. | The UK Health Security Agency says 27 cases of meningitis have been confirmed in an outbreak of the disease that has affected students at four schools in the county of Kent and one in London. [more]

PAKISTAN | Emergency service officials say at least 15 people were killed, and more than two dozen others were injured, overnight in weather-related incidents when heavy rains and strong winds struck Karachi, Pakistan. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1918, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signed the Standard Time Act, which established Daylight Saving Time in the United States. The legislation also gave the federal government oversight of the country's time zones. [more history]