The Latest: 03/17/2026 12:59pm ET

0:00This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human You know what I can really go for right now? Literally anything that comes in a McDonald's carton, wrapper, or bag, or a McDonald's cup. Yes, any of those items you do it. We've got your cravings covered. Now, stop in for the flaky filet of fish. The crispy snack wrap or a large fries for just $2.99. Limited time only, price and participation may vary. Cannot be combined with any other offer. This is your 24-7 News Update. The latest views this hour in just four minutes. President Trump says we don't need any help protecting the straight-of-form moves. In a meeting with Ireland's Prime Minister today at the White House, he made the comment to reporters when asked about getting more NATO allies to help secure the straight as the war in Iran continues. Despite the fact that we help them so much, we have thousands of soldiers in different countries all over the world.

1:03And they don't want to help us, which is amazing. He called it shocking, adding that he won't forget France, Germany, and Spain have rejected involvement in helping secure the strategic waterway where one-fifth of the world's oil passes through. The UK remains undecided on the issue. President Trump is postponing his upcoming trip to China because of the war with Iran. He told reporters today at the White House that he'll be traveling there in about five weeks. Trump insisted he has a great relationship with President Xi Jinping. The President said the two leaders look forward to seeing each other. President Trump's top counterterrorism official has stepped down over the war in Iran. In a post on next, National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent said he cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. He added Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation and it's clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel. Senate Democrats are issuing their latest Department of Homeland Security funding offered to the White House. House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized Democrats for vowing to block funding

2:04until the administration agrees to immigration enforcement reforms. They're perfectly content jeopardizing the security of our homeland and hurting their American people if it means protecting criminal illegal aliens. And there is no other way to explain this. The shutdown has led the long lines at airport security checkpoints as TSA workers go without pay. According to Politico, a White House official confirmed the offer is being reviewed, although a top GOP aid is already cast out on the seriousness of the proposal. It comes as both parties have made little progress in reaching an agreement that would fund agencies including TSA, FEMA, ICE and the Coast Guard. I'm Chris Caragio. The 200-year-old company behind the Merriam Webster dictionaries is suing open AI and Cyclopedia Britannica says the artificial intelligence firm is infringing on its copyrighted material by using the dictionaries online articles to train its technology. Britannica says this has cannibalized its web traffic and led to lost ad revenue. The New York Times has a similar ongoing lawsuit against open AI. Three unidentified miners are suing Elon Musk's AI company in a Northern California federal court

3:09for allegedly making sexualized images of children. The plaintiffs are seeking class action status for any kids who had their images altered and sexualized by XAI. All three of the plaintiffs say they were alerted to the alleged child pornography by classmates or law enforcement. Apple is unveiling its AirPods Max 2. They're going for $549 and include noise canceling features that premium headphones will be available for pre-order on March 25th. The U.S. recorded music industry is reaching a record high for 2025 sales, more from Mark Mayfield. The RIAA's year-end revenue report shows the industry made $11.5 billion in revenue in 2025 with vinyl sales surpassing $1 billion for the first time since 1983. Taylor Swift leads final sales from her album, The Life of a Showgirl, selling around $1.6 million units.

4:10Sabrina Carpenter's last two albums sold nearly $600,000 vinyl units last year. Vinyl also led last year's physical formats, almost tripling the revenue of CDs. A Mark Mayfield. Animie's sequestrian news on this date in 2008, Palm McCartney and Heather Mills arrived at a divorce settlement after six years of marriage. The settlement details revealed that Mills received over $48 million of the former Beatles $1.6 billion fortune. I'm Chris Caragio.