Top 5 US news stories
March 18 2026
Israel Targets Iran's Security Apparatus in Bid to Spark Regime Change
Gulf States Demand Iran's Regime Be Neutered After Relentless Strikes
Gas Prices Surge Nearly a Dollar Since War in Iran Began
Stratton Wins Illinois Senate Primary, Vows to Abolish ICE
Entry-Level Jobs Vanish in New York as Graduate Market Deteriorates
BREAKING...Israel says Iranian Intelligence Minister Khatib killed overnight...
Israel Targets Iran's Security Apparatus in Bid to Spark Regime Change
Israel has been systematically striking Iran's internal security forces as part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's strategy to destabilize the regime and create conditions for a popular uprising. After killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Israel announced Tuesday it had killed top security official Ali Larijani, while dropping more than 10,000 munitions on thousands of targets including over 2,200 linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Basij and other security forces. Detailed target lists reviewed by the Wall Street Journal show Israel has been chasing security units from headquarters to muster points to hideouts, and Iranians are reporting a growing sense of disorder as enforcers come under sustained pressure. Netanyahu has urged the Iranian people to seize the moment, saying Israel's campaign has delivered "crushing blows" that will create "optimal" conditions for them to oust their government. Some former Israeli military officials dismiss the strategy as unrealistic, arguing that Iran's security services are too entrenched, and decades of military experience suggest that airpower alone cannot dislodge a government without a popular uprising on the ground.
NYT / WSJ
Gulf States Demand Iran's Regime Be Neutered After Relentless Strikes
The United Arab Emirates and fellow Persian Gulf states now view Iran's theocracy as an existential enemy and want the regime neutered or dismantled when the conflict ends, after enduring weeks of Iranian strikes since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28. The U.A.E. has absorbed the heaviest punishment, with more than 2,000 drones and missiles fired at the country, over 80% of which targeted civilian infrastructure including oil facilities, airports, ports, hotels and data centers. The attacks have killed six civilians and injured 157 others, according to the U.A.E. government. All six Gulf Cooperation Council states have so far refrained from striking back openly, limiting themselves to self-defense. U.A.E. Minister of Industry Sultan al-Jaber characterized the Iranian campaign not as a military exchange but as an attack on a peaceful nation that had been working toward diplomacy.
WSJ
Gas Prices Surge Nearly a Dollar Since War in Iran Began
The average price of gasoline in the United States has climbed by nearly a dollar since the start of the war in Iran, rising from around $2.90 per gallon in mid-February to $3.70 by mid-March, according to the Energy Information Administration. The increase marks the second-largest four-week spike in at least 30 years, exceeding the price jumps at the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, the post-recession oil surge of 2009 and the OPEC production cuts of 1999.
NYT
Stratton Wins Illinois Senate Primary, Vows to Abolish ICE
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton won the Democratic Senate primary in Illinois on Tuesday, defeating Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly in a three-way race marked by heavy outside spending and racial politics. Stratton is the heavy favorite to replace Sen. Richard J. Durbin, who has held the seat since 1997, and will face former state Republican Party chair Don Tracy in November as she seeks to become the sixth Black woman to serve in the Senate. Her victory came despite Krishnamoorthi's significant financial advantage and concerns that Kelly, who is also Black, might split the Black vote. At her election night party, Stratton repeated her campaign promise to abolish ICE, declaring it was time for bold ideas and real courage in Washington.
NYT
Entry-Level Jobs Vanish in New York as Graduate Market Deteriorates
The job market for recent college graduates in New York City is deteriorating sharply, with the total number of available entry-level positions falling 37% between 2022 and 2024, a loss of nearly 30,000 jobs, according to a new report from the Center for an Urban Future. Paid internships have also declined steeply, dropping from nearly 11,000 in 2019 to just under 7,000 in 2024, clouding what had been a bright spot in the city's economy.
Bloomberg
March 18 1925: “Tri-State Tornado” hits, the deadliest in U.S. history
The worst tornado in U.S. history passes through eastern Missouri, southern Illinois, and southern Indiana, killing 695 people, injuring some 13,000 people, and causing $17 million in property damage.
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