The Latest: 03/16/2026 04:59am ET

0:00This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human No one knows what the future holds, but you deserve a weather app that can help. Weatherbug is easy to use and provides forecasts for your every need. From storm warnings to pollen levels, write at your fingertips. Get the fastest local alerts and comprehensive 10-day forecasts wherever you are. It's hyper-local, real-time, customizable alerts. Make sure the weather never takes you by surprise so you can plan every day with confidence. Download the free weather bug app from the app store today and start getting accurate weather forecasts 24-7. This is your 24-7 News Update, the latest views this hour in just 4 minutes. Iran's foreign minister says his country has never asked for a ceasefire or negotiations as a conflict continues in the Middle East. A boss orangishly made the comment on CBS face the nation, adding they are ready to defend themselves as long as it takes. This is a lot of choice by President Trump and the United States, and we are going to continue our self defense.

1:05It comes as President Trump says he's not ready to make a deal to end the war with Iran. Trump made the comment in a wine-raging phone interview with NBC News, adding that the terms aren't good enough yet. Trump said Iran wants to make a deal, but he stressed any terms of a potential deal would have to be very solid. President Trump says Iran's military is defeated. Trump made the comments on board Air Force One while speaking to reporters Sunday, said their military was decimated, but he was not ready to claim victory. He went on to add that he felt it would take the country over a decade to rebuild at least, and that would be if the US pulled its troops out right now. When asked about what was going on with these straight-of-form moves, Trump said he was demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, adding that a case could be made that the US doesn't need to be there at all. Coming up in the business week ahead, the federal reserve is due to announce a decision on interest rates, Tamir Trujillo reports. The central bank is widely expected to hold its benchmark interest rate unchanged when it wraps up a two-day meeting on Wednesday. Fed Chair Jerome Powell will hold a press conference following the announcement. His remarks will be coming just days after a federal judge blocked Sabina served against him by the Justice Department, related to a renovation management probe.

2:12This all comes as President Trump has continued to pressure Powell to more aggressively lower interest rates. I'm Tamir Trujillo. In the film, one battle after another is the 2026 winner for Best Picture at the 98th Academy Awards. The film was nominated for 13 categories and won six, including Best Casting, Actor in a Supporting Roll, Adaptive Screenplay and Directing Categories. Some other films that were nominated in the Best Picture Category include Sinners, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, F1, and Frankenstein. I'm Mark Mayfield. March Madness is officially here. Rob Martyr busy filling out his brackets. The NCAA tournament released its 618 bracket on Sunday. Duke is the top overall seed in the tournament and will represent the East Region. Arizona is number one in the West. Michigan sits atop the Midwest and Florida is the final one seed in the South. Miami of Ohio slipped into the tournament, despite suffering its first loss of the season in the Mac quarterfinals. The tournament gets underway with the first four games taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, with the final four set for April 4th in Indianapolis.

3:15I'm Rob Martyr. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says a neural virus outbreak sickened over 150 passengers and crew on a Princess cruise ship. A total of 104 guests and 49 crew members reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illnesses during the cruise. The health agency said there were over 4,300 guests and over 1,500 crew members onboard the ship. The cruise line departed on March 7th for an 8-day voyage that was set to end on March 14th. The price of an ad-free prime video subscription is going up more from Lisa Carton. Amazon announced Friday upgrading to the ad-free tier will cost 499 per month starting April 10th on top of the cost for an Amazon Prime subscription. The ad-free tier will be rebranded as Prime Video Ultra. It will allow users to stream on as many as five devices at the same time. Other perks include up to 100 downloads to watch offline as well as access for K-U-H-D quality streaming. I'm Lisa Carton. In the southwesters bracing for an extreme heat wave, the National Weather Service as a Los Angeles area will be hit with an extremely rare long duration heat wave starting today, with temperatures up to 35 degrees above normal lasting possibly through Friday.

4:25The heat wave could break day-lead high temperature records across the region and could set some all-time records for the month of March. The extreme heat will hit Arizona later in the week when afternoon highs in the Phoenix area could hit the triple digits, possibly breaking a March record. A mark may field.