The Latest: 03/19/2026 11:59am ET

0:00This is an iHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human. From the creators of Jury Duty comes a new installment full of high jinks, hilarity, and hot sauce. This season we're taking the comedy out of the courthouse and into the mountains for an annual company retreat. The catch? Everyone but the new guy is an actor. Oh yeah, and the company is fake. Season 2 arrives with bigger laughs, higher stakes, and the same heart that made season 1 a cultural phenomenon. Such Jury Duty presents company retreat, now streaming on Prime Video. This is your 24-7 News Update, the latest views this hour in just 4 minutes. Japan's first female prime minister is meeting with President Trump today at the White House. It comes as the president calls on allies, including Japan, to help secure the straight of hormones. Iran has repeatedly attacked tankers in the vital waterway where about one-fifth of the world's oil passes through, which is led to a surge in gas prices in the US.

1:02It is now day 20 of Operation Epic Fury, and the war in Iran is showing no signs of winding down. NBC's Richard Engle reports that according to a social media post by the president, Israel attacked a major Iranian gas field yesterday out of anger without giving the US the heads up. In his post, President Trump continued that if Iran attacks Qatar again, the US will massively blow up the entirety of the South Power's gas field at an amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before. That has sent oil prices up further in retaliation overnight. Iran struck more oil and gas sites in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and Kuwait. And Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister says they are losing patience with Iran, and its attacks on its neighbors in the Middle East. The Senate Homeland Committee advanced Senator Mark Wayne Mullins' nomination to lead the DHS, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, was the only Republican to vote no, while Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman voted, yes, yesterday Paul accused Mullin of having

2:04anger issues. First-time jobless benefits saw a dip last week. The Labor Department says it received 205,000 initial requests in the week ending March 14. That's down 8,000 from the previous week's revised total, and less than the 215,000 most analysts were expecting. The NCAA men's basketball tournament tips off today, there are 16 first round games on the schedule. Overall, number one seed duke will take on Sienna at 2.50 PM Eastern, meantime South region number one Michigan will play Howard at 7.10 PM Eastern. I'm Chris Caragio. Actor Sean Penn is being hailed as a great friend of Ukraine for his decision to skip the 2026 Oscars award ceremony and proceed with his trip to the war torn country, more from Mark Mayfield. Penn won his third Oscar for his supporting role as Colonel Lockjaw in the film One Battle After Another. The actor was not present to collect his trophy, but the CEO of Ukrainian Railways resented Penn with an iron Oscar, crafted from rail car metal that survived a Russian missile

3:07attack. Penn also gathered praise from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for his activism efforts. The U.S. Postal Service is warning that it may be unable to pay its workers and vendors by February of next year. Postmaster General David Steiner appeared before a House Oversight subcommittee and shared that at its current run rate, the Postal Service will be out of cash in less than 12 months. Steiner is pushing for Congress to act quickly to lift borrowing limits and reform outdated regulations. However, lawmakers at the hearing signaled a mix of urgency and caution. California is recording the hottest winter day in U.S. history. Weather station in the Coachella Valley yesterday recorded a temperature of 108 degrees that ties a record set in Texas in 1902 for the hottest winter day ever. The National Weather Service says the measurement is still preliminary. Heat records were also set in other parts of the Southwest. Las Vegas recorded an all-time march high of 94 degrees. Phoenix hit 102 degrees yesterday, which was the earliest day in the year that the famously

4:08hot city has ever reached 100. Finland is still the world's happiest country. The World Happiness Report is out with its annual list of the happiest countries on Earth. And for the ninth year in a row, Finland is ranked number one. Iceland claims second place followed by Denmark and third. The U.S. once again failed to crack the top 10 coming in 23rd this year. Anime Music History News on this date back in 2001, Aerosmith, Steely Dan, Queen, and Paul Simon were among the inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I'm Chris Krasio.