Top World News
Seven-year-old Canadian girl with autism and mother detained by ICE in Texas
Mar 20, 2026 - World 
Mother and child held in notorious Rio Grande Valley detention centre despite presenting visa, family saysA Canadian mother and her seven-year-old daughter, who has autism, have been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Texas since Saturday, family members have said.Relatives of Tania Warner and her daughter Ayla Lucas say they were detained unlawfully. They are uncertain about what problem ICE found with their immigration paperwork. Continue reading...
'Profound idiot': Nicolle Wallace struggles to process Trump's shock joke to Japanese PM
Mar 19, 2026 - World 
MS NOW host Nicolle Wallace had a frank reaction on Thursday after President Donald Trump made a jaw-dropping comment that shocked people inside the Oval Office during a White House meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.Wallace was visibly stunned after discussing Trump's attempted joke that clearly left the room uncomfortable when a reporter asked why Trump hadn't warned his allies that the U.S.-Israeli military strikes were coming. "One thing, you don't want to signal too much when we go in," Trump said. "We went in very hard and we didn't tell anyone about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?"Wallace watched the video playback and commented on Trump, asking her panel to share their thoughts. "I struggle every minute of every day with platforming him, one, I should do it all day because it shows what a profound idiot he is," Wallace said. "But but two, we were on other sides. This is a question about why didn't you read in your allies? And he says, we didn't know what our adversary was going to do. I mean, David Frum, what do you even, how's your brain doing?"Frum, a Canadian-American commentator and former speechwriter, described why Trump's words shocked the Japanese leader and dignitaries visiting America. "So first, there's probably no society on earth where good manners count for more than Japan, a country that has been — and we're talking about 80 years since the end of World War II, that has been a staunch and loyal ally of the United States for 80 years, where the warmth of person to person ties," Frum said. "But the one big cultural difference has always been the emphasis on decorum and decency and respect in Japanese culture, whereas American culture can be a little more boisterous. For the president of the United States to insult them, and you can watch it, sort of figuring out 'No one is amused by what I just said. Maybe if I say it again, it'll get more amusing the second time. And what if I say right, right, right. And give them a little jab in the ribs? Maybe it'll be funny then.'"Frum described why it was so surprising — and why it left them silent. "And it's just horrifying. One more thing that needs to be pointed out in this analogy that he's drawing between the United States and Japan, who's doing the sneak attack?" Frum added. "Oh, yeah. He's comparing the United States to the Japanese sneak attack. He wanted to do a Pearl Harbor on Greenland. Now he wants to do a Pearl Harbor on Iran. He is comparing himself to the people whom Americans normally condemn, and then elbowing the Japanese that they don't think the whole thing is terribly amusing."
One magic number would likely tip US into recession: Wall Street economists
Mar 19, 2026 - World 
Economists cautioned whether surging oil prices and soaring tariffs amid the ongoing Iran war could tip the United States into recession and what signs could point to an economic downslide, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. The Journal polled 50 economists between March 16-18 from different sectors, including Wall Street banks and small consulting firms and universities, for a survey about what they expect the economic fallout might look like amid the military conflict in the Middle East. Experts did identify one important metric that could show potential signs of economic difficulty. "Economists put the probability of a recession in the next 12 months at 32%, up modestly from 27% in January," The Journal reported. "Asked how high crude oil would need to climb to tip the recession probability above 50%, economists gave a range of responses: from $90 a barrel to $200, with an average of $138. Asked how long oil prices would need to be at an elevated level, they said from four weeks to 55 weeks, with an average duration of 14 weeks. U.S. oil futures closed at $96.32 a barrel Wednesday, compared with a February average of about $65."Robert Fry of Robert Fry Economics predicted that the probability of an economic downturn was at 40 percent, explaining that "$125 oil for eight weeks is his make-or-break point.""My forecast is contingent on the assumption that the Strait of Hormuz will be fully open to tanker traffic by mid-April," Fry said. "If it isn’t, oil prices will go much higher, and I will put a recession in my forecast."
The probe of Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades begins hearings
Mar 19, 2026 - World 
An independent committee investigating the cause of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has heard that a series of failures contributed to the blaze that engulfed seven buildings and killed 168 people
ABC cancels 'The Bachelorette' after disturbing leaked video surfaces
Mar 19, 2026 - World 
ABC has cancelled its upcoming season of "The Bachelorette" after a shocking video emerged of Taylor Frankie Paul in an explosive fight with her ex-boyfriend and child's father, TMZ reported on Thursday. The star of the show, who is also a main cast member in Hulu's "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," was seen in video footage from 2023 putting Dakota Mortensen in a headlock, hitting him and throwing metal chairs, one of which hit their child sitting on a sofa. Mortensen and Paul have been in an ongoing custody battle. They have been ordered to undergo a psych evaluation as domestic abuse allegations surfaced this week, just ahead of "The Bachelorette" air date on Sunday. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" had announced it had paused production in response to the allegations. Disney Entertainment released the following statement about the decision: “In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of 'The Bachelorette' at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family.”
