NEWS - FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2026 - NEWS
Deposed Venezuelan tyrant Nicolás Maduro is set to appear before a New York court Thursday for the first time since his stunning arrest – as he desperately tries to get his drug trafficking indictment thrown out. New York Post
VOA VIEW: It should not be thrown out.
Israel said it killed the naval commander, Alireza Tangsiri, in an airstrike on Thursday morning. New York Times
European politicians risk angering their voters if they join America’s war. Yet they could also face domestic upheaval if they take no action to reopen shipping routes that Iran has blocked and ease an energy crisis. New York Times
VOA VIEW: They will suffer if they don't join the US.
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A pair of verdicts held social media companies accountable for harming young users, highlighting a growing backlash as Congress struggles to pass legislation. New York Times
Ahead of the midterms, President Trump told a Republican gathering that he wants to go after repeat offenders and “rogue judges that are criminals.” New York Times
The administration has yet to find a candidate who aligns with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda while avoiding his unpopular stance on vaccines. New York Times
Forecasters were watching an area just south of the Great Lakes, where storms were expected to move through on Thursday afternoon and evening. New York Times
After nine days and more than 40 hours of deliberation, a Los Angeles jury delivered a landmark verdict on Wednesday, finding Instagram (Meta) and YouTube (Google) liable for intentionally designing their platforms to "hook" young users. OANN
VOA VIEW: It's about time.
King Charles III of the United Kingdom is scheduled to visit Washington, D.C. next month in his first state visit since taking the throne in 2022. OANN
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First Lady Melania Trump kicked off the second day of her Fostering the Future summit at the White House with a visit from a special guest — a walking, talking robot. OANN
The founder of the now-defunct nonprofit "Violence in Boston" (VIB) received an order of forfeiture on Monday of more than $224,000 after pleading guilty to fraud last year. OANN
VOA VIEW: He asked for what he got.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston has become the symbol for how the ongoing partial government shutdown has wreaked havoc on the nation's air travel system. Washington Times
All but four of the passengers injured in Sunday's deadly collision between an Air Canada plane and a fire truck have been released from the hospital, the airline said Wednesday, as crews began moving the mangled aircraft off the runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport. Washington Times
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday opened applications for a major resilience grant program that the agency canceled last year, less than three weeks after a federal judge ordered FEMA to make the funding available. Washington Times
VOA VIEW: Another judge interfering.
A Florida man has been charged with making threatening phone calls to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa two days after a suspicious package was found outside a gate, though investigators haven't accused the caller of planting any devices. Washington Times
Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed legislation Wednesday limiting face coverings worn by law enforcement, including federal ICE agents, making New Jersey the second state this year to enact such a law. Washington Times
VOA VIEW: He does not have the authority.
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The Trump administration will now allow high-ethanol gasoline to be sold year-round as the White House seeks to relieve concerns and ease energy costs for consumers over rising gas prices amid the Iran war. Washington Times
The TSA's top official says the situation at U.S. airports could get even worse if the partial government shutdown that has frozen officers' paychecks continues. CBS
VOA VIEW: Dems are at fault.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren's bill would raise taxes on households worth more than $50 million and on billionaires. CBS
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida is accused of using part of the $5 million to bolster her campaign and on luxury goods. CBS
In a post on X Saturday, Musk offered to pay the salaries of TSA workers during the DHS shutdown. CBS
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The U.S. Postal Service is raising some postage prices to help offset the federal agency's rising transportation costs as fuel prices surge. CBS
Trump's comments come amid ongoing confusion over whether the U.S. and Iran have held negotiations over ending the war. CNBC
VOA VIEW: Iran is looking for trouble.
The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, said President Trump did not have authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs. CNBC
VOA VIEW: They are a disappointment.
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Officials in Tehran have drafted legislation to create a toll system where ships pay for safe passage through the waterway. CNBC
VOA VIEW: Iran is pushing themselves.
The presidents family businesses have been heavily scrutinized during his second term in the Oval Office. CNBC
A long-awaited meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will take place in Beijing on May 14 and 15, the White House said. CNBC
The Gorman family is demanding accountability from Chicago and Illinois leaders, rejecting their 'senseless tragedy' framing of Sheridan's death. FOX News
An Arizona gun dealer was indicted on charges of allegedly providing weapons to the CJNG and Sinaloa Cartel, both designated foreign terrorist organizations. FOX News
VOA VIEW: He should charged harshly.
A video captured people dangling in the air for several minutes during a recent amusement ride malfunction at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in Texas. FOX News
An illegal immigrant accused of groping female students at Fairfax High School in Virginia was served with four more counts after additional victims came forward. FOX News
The U.S. Army is raising its maximum recruitment age to 42 and removing restrictions for single marijuana convictions to boost technical talent. FOX News
SOUTHCOM says Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal strike in the Caribbean on March 25, killing four narco-terrorists on a vessel along known drug-trafficking routes. FOX News
A debate has also grown inside and outside a desperate Cuba over the real impact, distribution and motives of f some of those brining aid. UPI
The Trump administration is again seeking to prosecute New York Attorney General Letitia James after a judge threw out its case against her and grand juries twice declined to indict her last year. UPI
Iran's foreign minister said that Tehran has no plans to negotiate with the United States after the Trump administration offered a peace plan. UPI
VOA VIEW: They will pay a heavy price.
Environmental organization Oceana accused Mexico of an opaque response to an oil spill that has affected at least 390 miles of Gulf coastline. UPI
VOA VIEW: Mexico should pay.
Dutch scientist Huub Lilieveld has been named the recipient of the 2026 World Food Prize Wednesday for leading a global food safety movement. UPI
A court denied the California attorney general's request to stop a county sheriff's investigation into election fraud Tuesday on a technicality. UPI
The Supreme Court threw out Sony's lawsuit accusing Cox Cable of contributing to music piracy. LA Times
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The allegation sounded like the stuff of spy movies: A Pakistani businessman trying to hire hit men, even handing them $5,000 in cash, to kill a U.S. politician on behalf of Iran 's powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. It shows Iran wanted to kill Trump and start a war with the US,
It was true, and potential targets of the 2024 scheme included now-President Donald Trump, then-President Joe Biden and former presidential candidate and ex-U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the man told jurors at his attempted terrorism trial in New York on Wednesday. But he insisted his actions were driven by fear for loved ones in Iran, and he figured he'd be apprehended before anything came of the scheme.
"My family was under threat, and I had to do this," the defendant, Asif Merchant, testified through an Urdu interpreter. "I was not wanting to do this so willingly." Merchant said he had anticipated getting arrested before anyone was killed, intended to cooperate with the U.S. government and had hoped that would help him get a green card.
U.S. authorities were, indeed, on to him — the supposed hit men he paid were actually undercover FBI agents — and he was arrested on July 12, 2024, a day before an unrelated attempt on Trump's life in Butler, Pennsylvania. During a search, investigators said they found a handwritten note that contained the codewords for the various aspects of the plot, CBS News previously reported.
Merchant did sit for voluntary FBI interviews, but he ultimately ended up with a trial, not a cooperation deal. "You traveled to the United States for the purpose of hiring Mafia members to kill a politician, correct?" Assistant U.S. Attorney Nina Gupta asked during her turn questioning Merchant in a Brooklyn federal court.
