Top World News

Mar 24, 2026 - World

As U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for change in Cuba's leadership, speculation is mounting about who, if anyone, might replace Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel.

Mar 24, 2026 - World

Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro was granted permission on Tuesday by a Brazilian justice to serve his 27-year sentence for a coup attempt at home instead of in prison due to failing health. He will be monitored by local police at the upscale gated community where he lives in capital Brasilia.

Mar 24, 2026 - World

The 82nd Airborne Division's Immediate Response Force is in a state of "high readiness" for any potential mission, including taking part in an operation to seize Kharg Island, Iran's critical oil hub.

Mar 24, 2026 - World

According to former Defense Secretary Mike Esper, who served in Donald Trump’s first administration, the leadership of Iran is feeling pretty confident about its position after three weeks of having war waged upon them by the president.In a clip shared on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe,” Esper admitted the Pentagon’s military objectives seem to have been met, but now the hard part begins — and Iran has some leverage to make demands.“In terms of the military objectives that [Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff] Gen. Dan Caine outlined, you know, taking down the navy, the air force, ballistic missiles production, etc. Degrading the nuclear, they've made incredible progress on those things,” he said before adding the caveat, “I'm not hearing as much about the nuclear, but I think the military objectives are being accomplished.”“Now, of course, it's unclear what the political objectives are," he continued. “The president has moved around and said different things at times, and so it's hard to see what the yardstick is at when it comes to that. At the end of the day, it's going to be the political yardstick that determines, you know, win-loss. You know how much of a victory, whatever the case may be.”“But what's interesting now, I think, is the Iranians. My sense is they survived the decapitation,” he elaborated. “They probably feel like they've taken three weeks of, you know, America's and Israel's best, and they've survived. There's no signs of the regime fracturing.”“I mean, the [director of national intelligence] said that the other day in the hearing,” he pointed out. “And they feel emboldened, so much so that they're making demands as to what it would take to have a negotiated end to the conflict. So they are emboldened.”“I don't see them giving up anytime soon,” he predicted. - YouTube youtu.be

Mar 24, 2026 - World

Donald Trump is searching for an exit strategy from his increasingly unpopular war with Iran, but Saudi Arabia's de facto leader is pushing hard in the opposite direction — pressuring the president to view the conflict as an opportunity to reshape the entire Middle East.According to the New York Times, controversial Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been aggressively urging Trump to intensify the war against Iran, according to people briefed by American officials on the private conversations.In discussions over the past week, Prince Mohammed has told Trump that he must accelerate efforts toward dismantling Iran's hard-line government, according to those familiar with the talks.Prince Mohammed contends that Iran represents an existential long-term threat to the Gulf region that cannot be adequately addressed without regime change, the sources said.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu similarly regards Iran as a long-term threat, though the two allies have divergent strategic interests. Analysts note that Israeli officials would likely view a destabilized Iranian state consumed by internal chaos as a strategic victory, whereas Saudi Arabia sees a failed Iranian state as a direct and immediate security catastrophe.Yet senior officials within both Saudi and American governments harbor serious concerns about prolonged conflict. They fear Iran will unleash increasingly devastating strikes against Saudi oil infrastructure while the United States becomes mired in an indefinite war.Trump's public messaging has been erratic, oscillating between declarations that the war could end imminently and suggestions of escalation. On Monday, the president wrote on social media that his administration and Iran had engaged in "productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities," though Iran denied that any negotiations were taking place.The war's toll on Saudi Arabia — economically and strategically — has been severe. Iranian drone and missile strikes, launched in response to American and Israeli military action against Iran, have already triggered significant disruptions throughout global energy markets.Saudi Arabia's government flatly disputed claims that Prince Mohammed has advocated for prolonging the conflict."The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always supported a peaceful resolution to this conflict, even before it began," the Saudi government said in a statement, adding that officials "remain in close contact with the Trump administration and our commitment remains unchanged."