The Petersburg Post
Top News Stories for Saturday, March 21st 2026
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
What to know about the Iran war: U.S. temporarily lifts sanctions on Iranian oil at sea amid surge in gas prices The U.S. Treasury has authorized the purchase of Iranian oil that's already at sea, exempting buyers from the tight sanctions that have restricted the country's oil industry for years — a move aimed at stemming soaring prices amid the U.S.'s war with Iran. The sanctions license allows oil ...
Source: cbsnews.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
The Senate's draft proposal for national artificial intelligence (AI) legislation unveiled Wednesday would preempt state laws by focusing on regulations that protect the "4 Cs" – children, creators, conservatives, and communities. Led by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., the measure dubbed the is nearly 300 pages in length. , which preempted state AI legislation and called ...
Source: meritalk.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
A federal commission tasked with approving designs for coinage has approved a 24-karat gold coin featuring President Donald Trump, flouting precedent regarding commemorating living presidents and possibly violating federal law. The coin, formally meant to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the United States, shows Trump standing behind a desk , ...
Source: truthout.org
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
The reported winner of The Bachelorette season 22 is breaking his silence following the cancellation of Taylor Frankie Paul 's season. Contestant Doug Mason, 28, spoke out via Instagram Stories on Friday, March 20. "In light of everything that has happened, I am just sending prayers to Taylor because that was her moment, and her moment was blocked," he said. "All we can do right now is just be hopeful. I am headed ...
Source: instyle.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
– The Justice Department filed a new lawsuit Friday against Harvard University, saying its leadership failed to , creating grounds for the government to freeze existing grants and seek repayment for grants already paid. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Massachusetts, is another salvo in a protracted battle between the administration of President Donald Trump and the elite university. "The United States ...
Source: news4jax.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
Monitoring the mortgage interest rate climate on a daily basis is an integral part of the homebuying and refinancing processes. But, this March, it was arguably more important than usual. With multiple items on the calendar with the potential to impact mortgage rates , buyers and owners hoping to refinance needed to be more strategic than usual. Now, however, following new inflation and unemployment reports ...
Source: cbsnews.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
The banking industry is reviewing three proposals totaling more than 1,500 pages released Thursday by U.S. financial regulators aimed at streamlining the bank capital framework. While the full impact remains unclear, an initial review suggests the rules are more tailored than previous efforts. Processing Content The proposals cover Basel III, the global systemically important bank, or G-SIB, surcharge and revisions ...
Source: americanbanker.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
NEW YORK (AP) — A senior vice president of Super Micro Computer Inc. and two others affiliated with the company were charged Thursday with conspiring to smuggle billions of dollars of computer servers containing advanced Nvidia chips to China. The men violated U.S. export controls laws by scheming to divert massive quantities of the high-performance servers assembled in the United States to China between 2024 ...
Source: apnews.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
Everything about this week's record-shattering western heat wave is extreme On Wednesday in North Shore, Calif., the temperature soared to a stunning 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius)—matching the hottest March temperature on record for the state. And then, on Thursday, Phoenix, Ariz., hit 105 degrees F (41 degrees C)—the earliest such recording by more than a month. And that same day, the ...
Source: scientificamerican.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
Microsoft's Windows boss just sent out a long non-apology to frustrated Windows 11 users, promising big changes. Here's a translation of what you can really expect. Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Microsoft's customers have been grumbling about Windows 11 since the day it shipped, and lately, those complaints have gotten louder and angrier . They've ...
Source: zdnet.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
BARCELONA, Spain — James "Jimmy" Gracey, a college student from Elmhurst who was found dead after going missing while in Barcelona on a break, was likely the victim of an accident, Spanish regional police said Friday. Gracey's body was found Thursday afternoon in the waters off a beach, near where he was last seen outside a Barcelona nightclub with his friends early Tuesday. A spokesperson for Catalonia's ...
Source: chicago.suntimes.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
The federal government's student loan program has operated under the same roof for 45 years. That just changed. The Trump administration announced March 19 that it is transferring management of the nation's nearly $1.7 trillion federal student loan portfolio from the Department of Education to the Treasury Department The move, formalized in a 17-page interagency agreement, is the largest single step yet in ...
Source: bradenton.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
The states filed a temporary restraining order less than a day after the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department signed off on the $6.2 billion deal. California and seven other states filed an emergency motion on Friday to stop the merger of broadcasting companies Nexstar and Tegna, a corporate tie-up that would create the country's largest operator of local television stations. The eight ...
Source: nbcnews.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
MIAMI — A 19-year-old Mexican migrant died at a county jail in Florida that has been holding immigrant detainees, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to ICE, Royer Perez-Jimenez "died of presumed suicide," although an official cause of death remains under investigation. The death of Perez-Jimenez on Monday is the 46th reported under Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody ...
Source: npr.org
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
Nearly 90,000 bottles of children's ibuprofen are being recalled because they may contain a foreign substance, according to a notice issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The recall affects Children's Ibuprofen Oral Suspension, a pain reliever that comes in liquid form. The product was manufactured in India by Strides Pharma for Taro Pharmaceuticals. The medication is intended for ...
Source: cbsnews.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
A woman in Georgia was charged with murder last week after she attempted to have an abortion nearly three months ago. Alexia Moore, 31, faces felony murder charges for her attempt to abort her fetus using the abortion medication Misoprostol. She also faces charges for possession and use of a controlled substance, as she reportedly used Oxycodone to deal with the pain she believed she would experience from the ...
Source: truthout.org
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
Amazon is developing a smartphone that will integrate artificial intelligence capabilities and sync with the company's voice assistant Alexa , Reuters reported Friday (March 20), citing unnamed sources. Known internally as "Transformer," the phone will offer personalized features that will enhance the Amazon shopping experience and services such as Prime Video and Amazon Music , according to the report. Amazon's ...
Source: pymnts.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson sprained his left ankle in the opening minutes of the second-seeded Cyclones' 108-74 rout of No 15 seed Tennessee State on Friday, leaving the All-American's status in question for the rest of the NCAA Tournament . The Cyclones' second-leading scorer and top rebounder did not appear to be touched as he drove the lane for an open layup. But his entire 240lb body came down on his ...
Source: theguardian.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
Sitting federal judges speaking at a panel discussion Thursday said there are increasing threats against them and their family members and warned about the dangers of such threats becoming "ordinary." The was hosted online by the organization Speak Up for Justice. "What's most problematic is that the extraordinary has become ordinary," said U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes of the District of Columbia, according to an ...
Source: abajournal.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Donald Trump's health chief illegally blocked states from their own medical regulations, lawsuit says Removed from bookmarks A federal judge is blocking Donald Trump's administration from restricting gender-affirming healthcare to minors after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared that such ...
Source: independent.co.uk
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
Jury finds Musk owes damages to Twitter investors for his tweets The verdict, while not a complete loss, could still cost him billions. On Friday, a jury in California determined that Elon Musk had misled investors in Twitter via public statements that depressed the price of the company's stock ahead of Musk's purchase of the service. Because this was a class action lawsuit, Musk is likely to owe damages to a huge ...
Source: arstechnica.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
March 20 (UPI) -- Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit said she was "manipulated and deceived" by late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in her first interview about the relationship that lasted years. Mette-Marit, who is married to Crown Prince Haakon, had a long-term friendship with Epstein, as shown in their emails released in the Epstein files in February by the U.S. Department of Justice. She said in the interview ...
Source: upi.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
Lawsuit alleged changes gave DoD free rein to punish reporters and outlets over coverage it did not like A federal judge has blocked key portions of the Pentagon's press access policy, siding with the New York Times and ruling that the Trump administration's controversial policy was unconstitutional. The policy , which was introduced in October, prohibited journalists from soliciting information that the defense ...
Source: theguardian.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
A humanoid robot couldn't stop feeling the beat at a California hot pot restaurant where it's employed, leading to a dance frenzy caught on camera that's gone viral. Unfortunately, the dance moves were too much for close proximity; dishes were broken by the dancing bot, and it took several employees to restrain the robot before it could cause further damage to property or the mood. The incident took place at ...
Source: cnet.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
The data broker loophole is top of mind for privacy advocates following FBI Director Kash Patel's congressional testimony earlier this week , during which he confirmed the Department of Justice component is paying for data that is then used in law enforcement operations. When asked by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., if he could commit to not buying Americans' location data, Patel said the FBI "uses all tools" to do ...
Source: fedscoop.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
About 24.3 million Americans were enrolled in healthcare plans within the Affordable Care Act marketplace last year, but a survey released Thursday by KFF found that about 1 in 10 of those people had no choice but to make a difficult and risky calculation at the end of 2025 when ACA subsidies expired due to Republicans ' refusal to support an extension. According to the research, 9% of people enrolled in plans ...
Source: commondreams.org
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
HONOLULU (AP) — Muddy floodwaters from severe rains inundated streets, pushed homes off their foundations, swallowed vehicles and prompted evacuation orders for thousands of residents in towns north of Honolulu on Friday as officials warned of the possible failure of a 120-year-old dam. Emergency sirens blared along Oahu's North Shore, where rising waters damaged homes in a community world-renowned for its ...
Source: apnews.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
Two former FBI special agents who say they played minimal roles in the investigation that led to criminal charges against President Donald Trump have filed a lawsuit against FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi, alleging their "unlawful" firings violate the U.S. Constitution. Patel has routinely fired FBI special agents who were tied to investigations into Trump. The most recent round of firings ...
Source: nbcnews.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
HHS is looking into the states for 'alleged disregard of, or confusion about' the federal Weldon amendment The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Thursday that it is investigating 13 states that require state-regulated health insurance plans to cover abortion services. HHS officials said in a news release that the department's office for civil rights (OCR) is looking into the states for ...
Source: theguardian.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
Politics A Serious Senate Debate About an Unserious Bill The most pressing question about the SAVE America Act is not whether it's going to pass, but why President Trump and his allies are so determined to see the Senate put up a bill that's doomed to fail. Stefani Reynolds / Bloomberg Save T he United States has launched a war in Iran. Soaring gas prices are pounding an economy that many Americans already ...
Source: theatlantic.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
Wondering how early to get to the airport as some TSA officers call out sick during a partial government shutdown? There are a few ways for passengers to check security checkpoint wait times before their flights. Security lines are growing longer at some airports, with about 10% of the TSA's roughly 50,000 officers calling out sick on Wednesday. TSA workers have now gone without pay for a 34th straight ...
Source: cbsnews.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
Defense secretary had said relatives of service members killed in refueling tanker crash told him 'do not stop until the job is done' The father of a US military member killed in the Iran war has contradicted Pete Hegseth's claim that bereaved families urged him to "finish" the job in the Middle East. Hegseth, the defense secretary and a former weekend Fox News host, told reporters at a Pentagon briefing on ...
Source: theguardian.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
Monte Verde site gets a new date, but the big picture doesn't change Stop trying to make "Clovis First" happen; it's not going to happen. A landmark site in the peopling of the Americas is several thousand years younger than we thought. While that means very different things about the site itself, it doesn't change the big picture as much as the researchers who generated the new date are claiming. University of ...
Source: arstechnica.com
Friday, Mar 20th, 2026 -
Authorities seized infrastructure powering four botnets that hijacked a combined three million devices and launched more than 300,000 DDoS attacks collectively, the Justice Department said Thursday. The botnets — Aisuru, Kimwolf , JackSkid and Mossad — enabled operators to sell access to the infected devices for various cybercrimes. The aftermath spanned thousands of attacks, including some demanding ...
Source: cyberscoop.com
Thursday, Mar 19th, 2026 -
Topics More from TechCrunch Meta According to an Instagram post from Meta's CTO Andrew Bosworth, Meta is not shutting down VR support for Horizon Worlds after all, which should come as a huge relief to, like, five people. "We have decided, just today in fact, that we will keep Horizon Worlds working in VR," Bosworth said as part of an Instagram Stories Q&A after a fan of the app reached out to say they were ...
Source: techcrunch.com
Thursday, Mar 19th, 2026 -
Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. The key aide to outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem called the accusations 'absolutely false' and denied any wrongdoing Removed from bookmarks the top aide of outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem , sought payments from companies seeking contracts with the Department of Homeland Security, ...
Source: independent.co.uk
Thursday, Mar 19th, 2026 -
Uber has teamed with carmaker Rivian to boost both companies' autonomous vehicle efforts. The two companies expect to deploy 10,000 fully autonomous R2 robotaxis in the first phase of that effort, Rivian said in its announcement Thursday (March 19). The initial deployments are set to begin in Miami and San Francisco in 2028 and expand to 25 cities by 2031. As part of the arrangement, Uber will invest up to $1.25 ...
Source: pymnts.com
Thursday, Mar 19th, 2026 -
ICE Is Ignoring Rules Put in Place to Avoid Family Separations, Researchers Say Many mothers "had no contact with their children…for days or weeks." Get your news from a source that's not owned and controlled by oligarchs. In November, a 22-year-old woman disembarked from her deportation flight in Honduras, five months pregnant and distraught. Immigration officers in the United States had flown her out of ...
Source: motherjones.com