Top World News

Mar 20, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump got a harsh reminder on Friday as gas prices soared amid the ongoing Iran war. CNBC anchor Brian Sullivan suggested that as the economy takes a hit amid the conflict in the Middle East, people are still not likely to cut back on things such as subscriptions for Spotify and Netflix. "I find it hard to believe that people are going to cancel their Spotify account at 19 bucks a month or Netflix at 22 bucks a month because of the war in Iran and slightly higher gas prices, which, while painful, I don't think they're enough to change people's behavior over a couple of dollars here and there," Sullivan said. Tom Lee, entrepreneur and financial analyst, described how the economic downturn wasn't just temporary. "Absolutely not," Lee said. "I mean, people do need to realize that volatility is here to stay simply because the options markets have gotten too big to ignore. They are the story. And so they have a there's a lot of mechanical volatility that gets created that has nothing to do with fundamentals."

Mar 20, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump's administration is considering relenting on a key demand from Senate Democrats in exchange for funding for the Department of Homeland Security.On Friday, NBC News correspondent Julie Tsirkin reported that border czar Tom Homan was expected to meet with Democrats later in the day to discuss the ongoing partial government shutdown. Negotiations have focused on reforms of two agencies: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).The White House was open to "compromising on other asks from Democrats," Tsirkin was told after speaking with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).According to the report, "agents unmasking is being discussed, with restrictions."Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) had also agreed to use judicial warrants for home entries if he were made Homeland Security secretary.The negotiations come after immigration enforcement officials killed two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minnesota.

Mar 20, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump said that Japan was declining to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a day after he made a joke about Pearl Harbor.Following his Thursday meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Trump told Fox News host Martha MacCallum on Friday that the country would not assist with the fallout from the war in Iran because of "constitutional constraints.""Japan is better ally than NATO," Trump reportedly said to MacCallum.Japan's constitution bans the use of force except in defense of its territory. It's unclear whether the Japanese Self-Defense Force could be used to escort ships through the Middle Eastern waterway.During his meeting with Takaichi, Trump compared his strikes on Iran to the bombing of Pearl Harbor."We didn't tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor, OK?" the U.S. president joked.

Mar 20, 2026 - World

Former modeling agent and longtime ally to President Donald Trump, Paolo Zampolli asked a top ICE official for help "to settle a personal score" and have the mother of his child deported during a custody battle, according to The New York Times. Zampolli, a now presidential special envoy, introduced Trump to the president's now wife Melania. He found out that his Brazilian ex-girlfriend, Amanda Ungaro, had arrested on charges of fraud at her work and in custody at a Miami jail — and last year talked to a top official at ICE, David Venturella, to see if she could be placed in ICE detention, citing that she was in the country illegally, The Times reported. The two had been going through a custody battle over their teenage son and "now he saw an opportunity" to try and get him back, Friday's report stated.A source familiar with Zampolli's communications and records acquired by The Times revealed that Ungaro was picked up from a Miami jail by ICE agents before she could make bail and later deported. Although this could have happened without her ex-boyfriend's involvement, it raises questions about how members of the Trump administration have used the federal government during Trump's second term to pursue personal vendettas. Zampolli denied to The Times that he sought special favors or that he had requested federal officials take Ungaro into custody. The Department of Homeland Security told The Times that Ungaro was detained and deported over an expired visa after being charged with fraud. “Any suggestion that she was arrested and removed for political reasons or favors is FALSE,” the DHS statement said.Zampolli has often bragged about his loyalty to the Trumps, and has known the president for more than 30 years. He even recruited Melania, a former model, from Slovenia. Zampolli also had ties to the late financier and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. "In the city’s modeling scene, Mr. Zampolli also intersected with Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who would later be accused of sexually abusing hundreds of girls and young women," according to The Times. "The men once discussed buying a modeling agency together, and Mr. Zampolli’s name appears several times in the millions of Epstein documents recently released by the Justice Department. "In one 2011 email, Mr. Epstein warned an Emirati businessman: 'Be careful, zampoli is trouble. Lots.' He added, 'He sells stories to the press.'"Zampolli has denied having a close friendship with Epstein. He added that his name was not included as frequently as other people, such as professors, celebrities or monarchs. “At least I was included, because if you’re not on the list, you’re a loser, right?” Zampolli told The Times.

Mar 20, 2026 - World

The Justice Department has launched an investigation into Colombian President Gustavo Petro, purportedly over his alleged ties to drug traffickers, The New York Times reported on Friday. The U.S. attorney's offices in Manhattan and Brooklyn are investigating Petro, an adversary of President Donald Trump, and have included agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations, three sources told The Times. The prosecutors leading the investigation have previously worked on international narcotics trafficking cases. Investigators were in the early stages of examining whether Petro had met with drug traffickers and if he had received campaign donations from them, according to the anonymous sources who said they could not disclose the information surrounding the active investigations.It's unclear if the separate investigations will result in criminal charges. "There was nothing to indicate that the White House had a role in initiating either investigation," The Times reported.Trump could attempt to influence Colombia's presidential elections this May, although Petro, who is the country's first left-wing leader, is limited to serving one term. "But Mr. Trump, who has frequently wielded criminal inquiries as a cudgel against his rivals and enemies, has harshly criticized Mr. Petro, calling him a 'sick man,'" according to The Times. "And he could use the investigations as leverage in seeking more cooperation from Colombia, which is both the world’s top producer of cocaine and one of America’s most crucial allies in cracking down on narco-terrorism in the region."