Leonne's Daily Post
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Wednesday, March 18
Top US counterterrorism official resigns over Iran war, urging Trump to 'reverse course'

Joe Kent, the top U.S. counterterrorism official, has publicly resigned and urged Trump to reverse course on the Iran war, criticizing Israeli and American lobby influence.

Continue reading at BBC News
What to know about the resignation of Joe Kent as Trump’s counterterrorism chief

Joe Kent, Trump's counterterrorism chief, has resigned over disagreements regarding military action against Iran, signaling internal administration conflict.

Continue reading at Associated Press
The First Big Administration Defection Over Iran

Joe Kent's very public resignation as counterterrorism chief over the Iran war represents the first senior administration defection on the conflict, with his letter directly challenging Trump's rationale.

Continue reading at The Atlantic
The Dangerous Logic of the Joe Kent Letter

In his resignation letter, Joe Kent frames Trump as a passive figure manipulated by others rather than the architect of the Iran war, a framing that raises troubling questions about leadership accountability.

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Death of Ali Larijani deepens crisis at heart of Iran's leadership

The death of influential Iranian official Ali Larijani has deepened an internal power struggle at the heart of Iran's government.

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Iran lashes out with attacks on Middle East neighbors as Israel hits Beirut

Iran has escalated its regional conflict by launching multiple attacks on Gulf neighbors and Israel following a significant leadership assassination, deploying advanced missiles to test air defenses.

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Israel says Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib has been killed

Israel's Defense Minister has announced that Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib has been killed, with hints of further strikes to come.

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Satellite images begin to show damage wrought by Iran war

Satellite imagery is beginning to reveal the physical destruction wrought by the Iran war, documenting the conflict's escalating toll on infrastructure.

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Trump postpones his China trip to focus on the war

Trump has postponed his planned China trip to focus military and diplomatic attention on the escalating Iran conflict.

Continue reading at Associated Press
Live updates: Trump insists US can break Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz without allies’ help

Trump insists the U.S. can unilaterally secure the Strait of Hormuz and break Iran's grip on global shipping without allied military support.

Continue reading at Associated Press
Iran’s internet blackout silences voices at home as diaspora creators fill the void

Iran's internet blackout has silenced domestic voices while diaspora creators abroad are filling the void with news and commentary from outside the country.

Continue reading at Associated Press
Air strike hit Kabul rehab centre as patients ate dinner, survivor tells BBC

Survivors describe a Pakistani airstrike that hit a Kabul rehabilitation center as patients dined, with death tolls feared to be in the hundreds.

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Canada was not consulted on Iran war and won’t join offensive action, minister says

Canada's defense minister has declared that the country was not consulted on the Iran war and will not participate in offensive operations.

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Lebanon has proposed the first direct talks with Israel in decades. It might be too late

Lebanon has proposed its first direct talks with Israel in decades, but timing and geopolitical circumstances suggest the moment may have already passed.

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Total repression and air strikes bring unrelenting dread for Iranians

Tehran residents describe lives caught between U.S.-Israeli airstrikes and an Iranian regime clamping down on dissent, creating an atmosphere of pervasive dread.

Continue reading at BBC News
Italy warns Russian tanker could explode in Mediterranean at any time

A drifting Russian oil tanker in the Mediterranean poses an imminent explosion risk, prompting urgent warnings from Italy and other EU nations.

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US Attorney General Bondi formally summoned to Congress in Epstein case

U.S. Attorney General Bondi has been formally summoned to Congress to answer questions about potential misconduct in the government's handling of the Epstein files.

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A judge’s ruling halts momentum on RFK Jr.'s vaccine agenda

A court ruling has stalled RFK Jr.'s effort to significantly reduce the childhood vaccine schedule, at least temporarily halting his public health agenda.

Continue reading at Associated Press
Trump team applying pressure to media: Tell the war’s story the way we see it

Trump's team is pressuring media outlets to frame international conflict coverage according to their preferred narrative, raising press freedom concerns.

Continue reading at Associated Press
Judge throws prosecutor out of court and orders leaders of NJ's US Attorney's Office to testify

A federal judge has dramatically intervened in New Jersey's U.S. Attorney's Office, removing a prosecutor and demanding sworn testimony from senior leadership—a rare show of judicial authority over prosecutorial conduct.

Continue reading at KETV Omaha
Supreme Court to hear arguments over push to end legal protections for migrants from Haiti, Syria

The Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether legal protections for migrants from Haiti and Syria should be revoked, a consequential case for asylum seekers.

Continue reading at Associated Press
Trump's homeland security pick Mullin faces senators' questions

Trump's pick for Department of Homeland Security, Oklahoma Republican Mullin, faces Senate questioning as part of the confirmation process.

Continue reading at BBC U.S.
College Republicans sue University of Florida’s president over deactivation of its chapter

College Republicans at the University of Florida are suing the university president over the deactivation of their campus chapter, raising free speech questions.

Continue reading at Associated Press
Spanish king reopens debate on conquest of Mexico by acknowledging 'abuse'

Spain's King Felipe has reopened a centuries-old debate about the conquest of Mexico by acknowledging historical 'abuse,' a delicate diplomatic move toward Mexico.

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India's cheap weight-loss drugs could reshape global obesity fight

As India's semaglutide patent expires, affordable generic versions of popular weight-loss drugs could soon flood the global market, potentially democratizing obesity treatment.

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Quantum Cryptography Pioneers Win Turing Award

Three quantum cryptography pioneers have won the prestigious Turing Award for groundbreaking work that could eventually secure digital communication in ways previously thought impossible.

Continue reading at Quanta Magazine
Higgs boson breakthrough was UK triumph, but British physics faces 'catastrophic' cuts

Despite Britain's central role in the Higgs boson discovery, the country is preparing to slash funding for major Large Hadron Collider upgrades, threatening its physics future.

Continue reading at BBC Science
The Planet Is Overheating, But You Might Not Know It From the News

Global media coverage of climate change has dropped 38% since 2021, buried under competing crises from geopolitics to celebrity scandal.

Continue reading at Inside Climate News
Is your state becoming uninsurable? We have the latest data.

Insurance companies are steadily abandoning climate-vulnerable states, raising urgent questions about whether homeowners in disaster-prone areas will soon become uninsurable.

Continue reading at Grist
Big Oil has moved on from ‘greenwashing.’ Here’s the new playbook.

Big Oil has quietly moved beyond 'greenwashing' and adopted a new playbook that downplays sustainability while doubling down on fossil fuel growth.

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'95% of our grazing land is gone': Ranchers share impact of Nebraska wildfires

Over 800,000 acres have burned across four Nebraska wildfires, devastating the state's ranchers and forcing desperate searches for livestock safety.

Continue reading at KETV Omaha
Lexington community looks back at Tyson plant closure, and to what the future holds

The closure of a major Tyson plant in Lexington has left workers grappling with economic uncertainty and some facing difficult decisions about staying in Nebraska.

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Corpus Christi Cuts Timeline to Disaster as Abbott Issues Emergency Orders

Corpus Christi officials now fear the city's main reservoirs could run dry by May—far sooner than previously expected—yet no mandatory water conservation plan is in place.

Continue reading at Inside Climate News
US west coast prepares for 'dangerous' heatwave in early spring

The U.S. West Coast faces dangerously early spring heat while other regions endure unusual cold, creating a climate whiplash across the nation.

Continue reading at BBC U.S.
Beanstack unites with Comics Plus to launch Joyful Reading Company

Beanstack has acquired Comics Plus and rebranded as Joyful Reading Company, merging reading motivation platforms with unlimited access to comics and graphic novels.

Continue reading at Library Technology Guides
Consortium data shows which open access paths are safe: Now researchers can see it too

ConsortiaManager's Open Journal Finder is helping researchers see which journals are safe through library vetting data, bringing transparency to scholarly publishing pathways.

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MoBoo by CLCD Launches Version 4 with AI-Powered Recommendations and a Strategic Focus on Self-Directed Young Readers

MoBoo has released Version 4 with AI-powered recommendations, pivoting its strategy toward self-directed young readers after observing user behavior shifts.

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Jacksonville Public Library upgrades library systems with Polaris and Vega Discover

Jacksonville Public Library has selected Polaris Integrated Library System and Vega Discover to enhance service delivery and community engagement.

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Tuesday, March 17
Top counterterrorism official Kent resigns over Trump’s Iran war, says Iran posed no imminent threat

National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent has resigned, publicly stating that Iran posed no imminent threat to justify the Trump administration's military actions.

Continue reading at Associated Press
Pakistan air strike kills at least 100 at Kabul drug rehab centre

Pakistan's airstrike on a Kabul drug rehabilitation center has killed at least 100 people, with some bodies too damaged for identification.

Continue reading at BBC News
Hundreds of migrants are vanishing in the Mediterranean. Authorities are withholding information

Mediterranean migration authorities are withholding information about 'invisible shipwrecks' that are claiming migrant lives in record numbers as 2026 begins as the deadliest year on record.

Continue reading at Associated Press
Cuba’s latest blackout underscores its deepening economic crisis as Rubio calls for new leadership

Cuba's third islandwide blackout in four months underscores economic collapse as U.S. Secretary of State Rubio calls for regime change and Trump eyes potential intervention.

Continue reading at Associated Press
Water supply cut in Moldova after oil spill blamed on Russian strike in Ukraine

Moldova has cut water supplies as a precaution after an oil spill allegedly caused by Russian strikes in Ukraine threatens the Dniester river basin.

Continue reading at BBC News
Judge blocks RFK Jr's changes to US childhood vaccine schedule

A federal judge has blocked RFK Jr.'s attempt to slash recommended childhood vaccines from 17 to 11, rejecting a sweeping public health reversal.

Continue reading at BBC U.S.
The Human Skill That Eludes AI

Generative AI peaked at unexpected creativity with GPT-2 seven years ago, and newer models have lost that imaginative spark in pursuit of safety and accuracy.

Continue reading at The Atlantic
Donations to science often avoid scrutiny. Jeffrey Epstein used this to his advantage

Jeffrey Epstein's exploitation of lax philanthropic oversight shows how billions in scientific donations flow with minimal scrutiny—a troubling vulnerability in research funding.

Continue reading at NPR Science