Early Edition: March 16, 2026

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A curated guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:

IRAN WAR 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday called for “no quarter, no mercy for our enemies” during a press briefing. Legal experts have warned that any order resembling “no quarter” is illegal. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) said on Friday, “‘no quarter’ isn’t some wanna be tough guy line – it means something,” adding, “it would be an illegal order. It would also put American service members at greater risk.” Lauren Floyrd reports for Axios.

The Pentagon is sending an amphibious assault ship, the USS Tripoli, and its Marine expeditionary unit to the Middle East, a senior U.S. official said on Friday. The deployment will add thousands of Marines, several warships, and F-35 fighter jets to the region. The official said U.S. Central Command asked for the new force in order to expand its military options against Iran. Josephine Walker and Barak Ravid report for Axios.

President Trump on Saturday called on other countries to send warships to the Middle East to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump named China, Britain, France, Japan, and South Korea in his post on social media. On Sunday, Trump warned NATO that it faced a “very bad” future if members did not help reopen the strait. Trump also threatened to delay a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which is expected to begin at the end of the month. Trump spoke with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer yesterday, but no details were disclosed about whether Britain would contribute ships. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said today that Japan has no plans to send warships. Ravi Mattu reports for the New York Times.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said yesterday that there were “no guarantees” that oil prices would fall in the coming weeks. Avery Lotz reports for Axios.

Five missiles struck the Baghdad International Airport yesterday, injuring four people, according to Iraqi authorities. The Iran-backed Iraqi group Kataib Hezbollah said it had launched the attack, adding that its rockets had struck Camp Victory, a former U.S. base within the airport complex. The attack followed a strike against the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Saturday and a warning from the embassy that U.S. citizens should leave Iraq immediately. The Israeli military said it had hit bases of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij militia in the western part of Iran.  Also yesterday, the United Arab Emirates reported a sharp drop in Iranian attacks. Ephrat Livni reports for the New York Times.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi told CBS News yesterday that Iran was not ready to negotiate with the United States, despite Trump saying on Saturday that Iran wanted to make a deal. Ephrat Livni reports for the New York Times.

“Fossil fuel dependency is ripping away national security and sovereignty, and replacing it with subservience and rising costs,” UNFCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell is set to tell EU policymakers today. Kate Abnett reports for Reuters.

Iran likely carried out the most significant wartime cyberattack on the United States, disrupting operations at medical-equipment company Stryker last week and forcing tens of thousands of employees offline. U.S. officials say the attack, claimed by the Iran-linked hacking group Handala, shows Iran’s growing cyber capabilities and warn that more cyberattacks on U.S. businesses could follow. Dustin Volz and Peter Loftus report for the Wall Street Journal.

LEBANON

The Israeli military said today that it was expanding its ground assault into southern Lebanon. Asked whether Israeli forces intended to hold the areas into which they were advancing, the Israeli military’s spokesperson, Nadav Shoshani, said this had yet to be determined. Israeli officials said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was trying to contain the Lebanon escalation to stay focused on Iran. However, the officials said, that changed last Wednesday when Hezbollah launched more than 200 missiles in a coordinated attack with Iran. Aaron Boxerman reports for the New York Times; Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

The French government has drafted a proposal to end the war in Lebanon that would require the Lebanese government to recognize Israel, three sources said. Israel and the United States are reviewing the proposal; Lebanon has accepted the plan as the basis for peace talks, the sources said. Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported on Saturday that Israel and Lebanon are expected to hold direct talks in the coming days. Barak Ravid reports for Axios; Maayan Lubell and Nazih Osseiran report for Axios.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Saturday that 12 doctors, paramedics, and nurses were killed in a strike on the Bourj Qalaouiyeh primary healthcare center in Lebanon on Friday. Since March 2, Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 31 health professionals and wounded 51 others, the Lebanese Health Ministry said on Saturday. Reuters reports.

ISRAEL-GAZA WAR

Israeli airstrikes yesterday killed at least 12 Palestinians in Gaza, including two boys, a pregnant woman, and eight police officers, according to health officials. Samy Magdy reports for AP News.

WEST BANK VIOLENCE 

Israeli soldiers fatally shot four Palestinians, two young children and their parents, in the West Bank on Saturday night. Two surviving sons said the family had been out driving and pulled over so that their mother could get something from her bag, when suddenly the car was being shot at. The Israeli police and military on Sunday said the authorities “sensed danger” after a vehicle “accelerated towards” them and “responded by shooting.” David M. Halbfinger, Natan Odenheimer, and Fatima AbdulKarim report for the New York Times.

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS 

Pakistani airstrikes have killed at least 75 civilians and displaced 115,000 in Afghanistan, according to the United Nations. The strikes have hit residential areas, civilian infrastructure, and over 20 health care facilities since Feb. 26. Afghanistan’s army has struck Pakistan with light drone attacks and raids on border posts. Both nations have claimed high casualties against the other, vowed to keep fighting, and ignored calls by China and other regional powers to talk. Elian Peltier and Safiullah Padshah report for the New York Times.

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

The U.S. group MassResistance discussed campaign strategy and mobilization tactics with Senegalese activists pushing for anti-LGBT legislation. “There’s a renewed push to put in place these strict bans on the promotion and proliferation of LGBT ideology now because President Trump is not in the business of harassing and bullying countries to incorporate these destructive ideologies,” MassResistance Field Director Arthur Schaper told Reuters. Senegalese lawmakers last week approved the new law, which doubles the maximum prison term for same-sex sexual acts to 10 years. Robbie Corey-Boulet reports.

U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS

Legal experts told the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights that the U.S. military’s campaign of bombing suspected drug-smuggling boats violates both international and U.S. law. Carol Rosenberg reports for the New York Times.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced on Friday that his government had been holding talks with the Trump administration amid an increasingly severe fuel shortage. This is the first time Cuba has acknowledged talks were underway. Díaz-Canel said a development to be announced on Monday would “greatly facilitate” the participation of Cubans abroad in the island’s “economic and social development program,” strongly suggesting that the government would allow Cubans overseas to invest in the economy. Frances Robles, Patricia Mazzei, and Dariel Pradas report for the New York Times.

State Department officials detailed a comprehensive strategy to stop Western Hemisphere countries from relying on Cuban medical assistance, according to a Feb. 23 memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The memo says the State Department is offering countries that agree to stop employing Cuban doctors support for “infrastructure and modernization.” Nahal Toosi and Eric Bazail-Eimil report for POLITICO.

U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS

The State Department is reducing the consular fees for renouncing U.S. citizenship from $2,350 to $450, according to an update published in the Federal Register on Friday. Ali Watkins reports for the New York Times.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 

The local Rock Volunteer Fire Department in Sand Springs, Tulsa, declined a $250,000 donation from Google earlier this month, saying accepting it could appear to betray community members who opposed the development of a large data center. A group of Sand Springs residents has filed lawsuits seeking to stop the data center from being built. Adeel Hassan reports for the New York Times.

A federal jury on Friday convicted eight people of providing material support to terrorists in connection with the July 4 shooting at a Texas immigration facility that federal prosecutors tied to antifa. “Today’s verdict on terrorism charges will not be the last as the Trump administration systematically dismantles Antifa and finally halts their violence on America’s streets,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said. Jamie Stengle reports for AP News.

“Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their license if not,” Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr said on Saturday. Carr accused broadcasters of “running hoaxes and news distortions” about the war in Iran. Carr shared a Truth Social post by Trump that criticized news media coverage, including the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. In a similar vein, Hegseth delivered a complaint about CNN’s coverage of the war on Friday, saying, “The sooner David Ellison takes over the network, the better.” Ashley Ahn reports for the New York Times; Michael M. Grynbaum reports for the New York Times.

A political fundraising group, called Never Surrender Inc, linked to Trump sent an email on Thursday using a photo of him saluting coffins of U.S. soldiers killed in an Iranian drone strike, asking supporters to donate in exchange for access to “private national security briefings.” Edward Wong reports for the New York Times.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS 

Energy Secretary Chris Wright issued an order on Friday paving the way for a company operating off the coast of California to restart an oil pipeline that state officials have kept offline since 2015. The directive invoked the Defense Production Act, a 1950 law that gives the president broad powers over domestic industry in the interest of national defense. Trump signed an executive order earlier on Friday, delegating some of his authority under the law to Wright. Noah Baustin reports for POLITICO.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status for more than a thousand Somalis. In the order, the judge wrote that the government had not filed a brief or even assigned a lawyer to represent the government in the lawsuit seeking to block the order. Chris Cameron reports for the New York Times.

A federal judge dismissed the Justice Department subpoenas sent to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, according to a filing unsealed on Friday. The judge accused the Trump administration of using the criminal investigation to pressure Powell into lowering interest rates. Courtenay Brown reports for Axios.

A federal judge on Saturday ordered that Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) be allowed to participate in a planning meeting about the future of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Zach Montague reports for the New York Times.