The Latest: 03/18/2026 08:59am 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. The war in Iran is now in its 19th day. There's still no clear word on which nations, if any, will help bring the situation and the Strait of Hormuz under control. The narrow waterway normally sees about a fifth of the world's oil supply pass through, but Iran has effectively shut it down as a result of Operation Epic Fury.

1:04The governor of Ohio says he'll be at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware today for the dignified transfer of three Ohio airmen who died overseas. The airmen were among the six who died in Western Iraq last week when two tankers collided in mid-air while refueling an aircraft. President Trump's pick to replace Christy Nome as the Department of Homeland Security Chief has his confirmation hearing today, more from Mark Mayfield. Republican Senator Mark Wayne Mullin of Oklahoma will go before the Senate Homeland Security Committee during a tumultuous time at DHS. Democrats have blocked funding to DHS since mid-February until there are reforms to ICE following the deadly shootings in Minneapolis involving ICE agents. Trump fired Nome earlier this month and appointed her as Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas, a new anti-drug initiative in the Western Hemisphere. Mullin is widely expected to get support of a simple majority in the full Senate vote after the hearing, a Mark Mayfield. Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton is celebrating after winning the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Illinois.

2:10The Chicago native spoke to supporters Tuesday night after beating out U.S. Representative Roger Krishnamurtha and Robin Kelly and a crowded field of candidates. The voice like mine, a voice like ours, are desperately needed and today we are one step closer to making that happen. Stratton is vying to replace longtime Senator Dick Durban who's set to retire. I'm Michael Casner. The partial government shutdown could force small airports to close with more and more unpaid TSA agents calling out Scott Pringle with more. During a recent interview, Adam Stahl, the acting deputy administrator at the TSA, says if the government shutdown continues, the agency may be forced to shut down smaller airports of call-out rates go up. TSA officers have been working without pay a little over a month and more than 10% of them did not show up to work Sunday and Monday. There's been long lines at Newark, JFK, LaGuardia and other airports with the TSA thin on staff, as well as more delays.

3:16It's not even officially spring, but it will feel like summer across much of the southwest this week as a massive heat drone sends temperatures soaring, more from Rory O'Neill. In Los Angeles, daily heat records could fall through Friday as temperatures climb into the upper 90s. In Las Vegas, record breaking temperatures could shatter previous records by up to 10 degrees. Phoenix could see its earliest 100 degree day ever, beating the previous record set in 1988 when it hit 100 degrees on March 26. Temperatures over 100 degrees are expected in Phoenix through Saturday. 9-1-1 call from a woman believed to be the ex-wife of the Michigan synagogue attacker has been released by Dearborn Heights Police. She called just after he killed himself at Temple, Israel, after ramming his pickup truck into the facility and starting a fire last week. He's like suicidal. I called him. I'm trying to call him. He kept like, he answered me and he said,

4:18my family, and he's not, he's not. His name is Amen. Amen, Gazali. The caller said he was suicidal, had relatives in Lebanon who had been killed in a military strike by Israel and had stopped answering his phone. The attacker came to the US legally in 2011 and became an American citizen in 2016. I'm Michael Casner.