A deaf 6-year-old boy snatched by immigration agents from Northern California and deported to Colombia this month needs to be returned to the U.S. immediately or he could die, a lawyer representing the child said Wednesday.

Attorney Nikolas De Bremaeker said the boy, Joseph Lodano Rodriguez, was “at risk every day that he is not getting his treatments.” The child has a cochlear implant that requires the same routine maintenance and cleaning he was receiving stateside but may not get in Colombia.

“Joseph is at immense risk for his life if he does not continue the treatment that he was receiving in the United States,” De Bremaeker said at a virtual news conference hosted by California Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate.

“He is at risk of infection, he is at risk of meningitis, he is at risk of death if he is not given the proper care for his surgical implants.”

Joseph, his 28-year-old mother, Lesly Rodriguez Gutierrez, and another son, 5, were detained by federal agents on March 3 while attending an immigration meeting and deported shortly after.

Rodriguez Gutierrez traveled to the United States in 2022 seeking asylum from domestic violence and lived in Hayward. She was told in the run up to the March 3 meeting that she needed to bring her two children for a routine check-in to update the photos Immigration and Customs Enforcement had of them.

Shortly after arriving, ICE agents “tried to force her to sign a document without explanation, and then pushed the family into a vehicle to be put on a flight to a faraway detention facility, “ De Bremaeker told The Times earlier.

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to questions sent Wednesday after office hours but has consistently said that Rodriguez Gutierrez was “an illegal alien from Colombia” who “illegally entered the United States in 2022.”

She was issued a removal order on Nov. 25, 2024, according to DHS.

Thurmond, the superintendent, called on the public to lobby Congress and the Trump administration “to return Joseph so he can continue his studies.”

Thurmond showed a 40-second clip of Joseph and his family at a Colombian facility for the deaf.

The child appeared to struggle communicating with his sibling and mother, while his brother repeatedly tried to give directions to him in Spanish with little avail.

Joseph’s only language is American Sign Language, Thurmond said. Joseph was studying at the state-funded Fremont’s California School for the Deaf.

“Joseph is struggling,” Thurmond said. “He does not have the ability to communicate with anyone and in many ways, he can barely communicate with his mom. Like Joseph’s mom, Lesly was just beginning to learn American Sign Language.”

Both California senators — Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff — along with state Democratic congressional members Eric Swalwell, Nanette Barragán, Zoe Lofgren, Kevin Mullin and Lateefah Simon called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the State Department to investigate the deportation.

The group is also calling on both government agencies to return the family to the U.S. through the process of humanitarian parole. That move would allow Joseph to re-enroll in school and receive specialized care.

Celena Ponce, founder of Hands United, a nonprofit organization dedicated to aiding deaf immigrant children and families, said her group was trying to connect the family with the deaf community and services, like interpreters, in Colombia.

She said, however, that Joseph and his family face several challenges. The first hurdle if he ends up staying in Colombia, is that he and his mother will have to learn Colombian sign language, which differs from American sign language.

Ponce added that Joseph also suffered language deprivation, meaning he is delayed in comparison to other 6-year-olds who are hearing.

“Because Colombia does not have residential schools similar to what California has, the ability to be fully immersed in language is not present,” she said.

Whatever gains he made at the California School for the Deaf would likely end, she said.

Times staff writers Clara Harter and Christopher Buchanan contributed to this report.

Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike (3), president of the WNBA players’ union, said for the first time, player salaries will be tied to a meaningful share of league revenue.

(Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)

The league and players association have not made the terms public yet, but the salary cap will start at $7 million, up from $1.5 million in 2025, and the supermax will start at $1.4 million, up from $249,244 in 2025, a person with knowledge of negotiations not authorized to discuss them publicly told The Times. ESPN was the first to report the figures.

The total salary cap will jump by around 4.64 times the previous amount. The super maximum salary will be elevated by 5.61 times the previous amount. It means the top players will be eligible for larger raises than the league’s middle class.

The average salary will be $600,000, a bump from the previous average of $120,000, and the minimum salary will be more than $300,000, up from $66,079.

“For the first time, player salaries are tied to a truly meaningful share of league revenue, driving exponential growth in the salary cap, increasing average compensation beyond half a million dollars and raising the standard across facilities, staffing and support,” union president Nneka Ogwumike told reporters.

The main sticking point during negotiations was revenue sharing, and that number will be around 20% for the entirety of the multi-year deal. The league had previously offered 15.5%, a source told The Times, and players went down from their 40% ask to around 26% at the end of February, and then reached the agreement around 20% on Wednesday morning. The Athletic first reported the shift in revenue sharing figures.

Players had been negotiating for a percentage of overall revenue without factoring in expenses while the WNBA was seeking sharing tied to net revenue, mirroring the NBA’s structure that deducts expenses before sharing 50% of profits. The players secured a gross revenue deal, which gives them a cut of WNBA revenue without factoring in expenses, a person with knowledge of the deal not authorized to discuss it publicly told The Times.

“This deal is going to be transformational, and you’ll see all the details hopefully soon,” WNBPA vice president Breanna Stewart told reporters on Wednesday. “But it’s gonna build and help create a system where everybody is getting exactly what they deserve and more from on the court and off the court aspects.”

March 18 (UPI) — Postmaster General David Steiner told Congress that the U.S. Postal Service would be out of money in less than a year if changes aren’t made to boost revenue.

During a hearing Tuesday, Steiner and members of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations appeared divided on how best to avoid a full stoppage in mail service in 12 months’ time.

Steiner asked lawmakers to allow him to borrow more money to cover costs as well as to increase the price of a U.S. first class stamp from 78 cents to 95 cents. He said the cost to mail a single letter in the United States is the lowest in the industrialized world.

“Compare it to France at almost $3 and England at $2.50, and the longest distance those letters have to travel is about 600 miles smaller than the state of Texas,” he told lawmakers.

“We deliver from the tip of Puerto Rico to the tip of Alaska for 78 cents. That’s a distance of 5,000 miles.”

He said if the USPS increased first class stamp costs to 95 cents, it “would largely solve our controllable loss” while still remaining the lowest-priced stamp in the industrialized world.

Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, told Steiner he’s against increasing the cost of postage to nearly $1.

“It’s going to come down to the three or four of us who are going to have to make some tough decisions that we can look at other people and say, ‘That was a problem. The postmaster general laid it on our doorstep, and we’re not going to kick the can down the road.”

Steiner also asked for greater freedom to borrow more money.

“One easy action, increasing our borrowing authority, buys us time,” he said. “Time that we can use to best determine what the Postal Service should do to best serve the American public.”

Steiner said the USPS has faced a dramatic reduction in the use of mail, from a maximum of about 213 billion pieces of mail per year to about 109 billion pieces of mail.

“For perspective, if all of that lost volume was paid at the current price of a stamp, which is 78 cents, that’s about $81 billion of lost revenue,” he said. “No company could weather that much revenue loss, so it’s not hard to see how we got here.”

In fiscal year 2025, the USPS had a net loss of about $9 billion.

Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., appeared reluctant to allow Steiner to borrow more money.

“I am very concerned with the caliber of service that we are getting and with the fact that the post office continues to come to us for more money,” she said.

Rep. Kweisi Fume, D-Md., reluctantly sided with the suggestion of raising the USPS’ debit limit.

“It may be hard to sell, but I think most people feel like I do — that rather than do nothing and watch the Titanic sink, that we need to do something.”

The study said that as the cocker spaniel, for instance, was designed to flush out game from dense areas of woodland and grassland, the dogs were bred to have high energy, mental resilience and intelligence, which could be “more of a problem in pet homes”.

Billy Porter says a poorly treated urinary infection nearly killed him.

On Wednesday, the 56-year-old Broadway icon appeared on “Today” to promote his new children’s book, “Songbird in the Light,” and discussed a recent health scare that’s given the actor a new outlook on life.

“I am on the road to complete recovery,” he said, tearing up. “It is a gift to be alive. It’s still emotional to talk about it.”

Last year, Porter crossed the pond and made his West End debut starring as the Emcee in the musical “Cabaret,” which ran Jan. 28 through May 24 at London’s Playhouse Theatre. The Tony-winning actor said he was having a ball and living his purpose, but then he got a urinary infection.

“The medicine in the U.K. is trash,” he told “Outlaws” podcast host TS Madison earlier this month. “Four rounds of antibiotics and 10 to 12 weeks later, it’s a kidney infection with kidney stones.”

Porter eventually thought the infection had cleared up and returned to New York, where last fall he was gearing up for a Broadway revival of the musical starring as the production’s first Black Emcee, but his history-making run was cut short.

“I go into rehearsals for ‘Cabaret’ on Broadway … and everything seems fine, and a month in, the kidney stone pain comes back,” he told Madison.

On a Tuesday in September, Porter checked himself into the hospital due to debilitating pain, and then the “Pose” star subsequently fell into a coma and woke up days later on a Saturday evening.

“They went in to do a routine check. They saw that the kidney stone was trapped in my urethra, and they went in to put a stent in, redirect the urine, blast me with real antibiotics — not U.K. antibiotics — and blow up the kidney stones. When they got in there, there was so much pus and bile and infection behind the stone, it bubbled up and I went uroseptic in minutes.”

“I was dead for three days,” Porter said.

Porter said he was placed on an ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) machine, which, according to Mayo Clinic, pumps blood outside of the body to a heart-lung machine, removes carbon dioxide from the blood and sends oxygen-rich blood back to the body. It’s essentially a life-support system.

While Porter was in a coma, he said, one of his legs went into compartment syndrome, which happens when there’s too much pressure around your muscles, causing reduced blood and oxygen flow and possibly leading to necrosis. “They had to cut me open on either side of my leg while I was in a coma, from my knee to my hip, and leave it open for two days so they could save my leg,” he told Madison, visibly choked up over the ordeal.

Porter told “Today” that the experience was mind-altering yet also inspiring. “My work here on this earth is not done, and that gives me hope.”

His new children’s book, “Songbird in the Light,” which follows a young boy who grapples with bullying while learning to embrace his talent and love himself, hit bookshop shelves this week.

If you’re looking for destinations for a May half-term break that are perfect for families and not too far away, then this island often compared to the Caribbean could be one for your shortlist

Finding the perfect family holiday destination can be tricky. You want somewhere with amazing beaches and natural beauty, but at the same time, you need to be practical and ensure you pick somewhere easy to travel to and in your budget.

Recently, easyJet released a new Family Holiday Index, its way of ranking the top holiday destinations for people travelling with children based on a number of factors. These include the logistics of travelling to the destination, beach and water access, cost, and the number of family activities on offer.

Using this information, it was able to compile a top ten ranking of family holiday destinations, and unsurprisingly, Spanish destinations took six out of the ten spots. However, ranking at number six was an Italian island that has been dubbed the ‘Caribbean of Europe’ thanks to its spectacular beaches and unspoilt scenery.

Sardinia scored highly as a family destination thanks to its huge selection of beaches, family activities, and easy accessibility from the UK. The island has two main air hubs: Cagliari Elmas Airport in the south which is the largest and Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport in the north which is popular in the summer. EasyJet offers seasonal services to Olbia from Bristol, Edinburgh, London-Gatwick, and London-Luton. If you’re planning to fly to Cagliari from the UK, there are routes available on Ryanair and British Airways.

Sardinia flights on easyJet start from just £35.60 one way in May, and flights to the island take from two-and-a-half to three hours, making them bearable for most kids. You can also book Sardinia holidays with easyJet Holidays, with a package for four staying in a quadruple room in Borgo di Campagna, departing May 8, coming in at £340 per person. You can also save another £100 off the total package cost by using code SPRINGSALE at checkout.

Spiaggia La Pelosa is considered one of the island’s best beaches and it’s perfect for families. Its shores are covered in soft white sand, although some of the scenery is a little rocky, and the sea is a vibrant shade of turquoise and usually has only gentle waves. You can walk far from shore and still only be up to your knees in the clear blue waters, so it’s perfect for kids who like to paddle and splash around.

Unlike many overcrowded beaches, access to La Pelosa is tightly controlled during the summer from June 1 and October 1. Visitors need to book a spot in advance, and there’s an entry fee of €3.50 per person for over 12s (just over £3). However, this ensures you aren’t fighting the crowds to find a spot.

The Costa Smeralda offers a choice of beaches along a 35-mile stretch of coast in the north-east of the island. It’s a glamorous spot where you’ll often see superyachts coming into dock, and here you’ll find lots of upscale resorts with fine dining and designer shops.

Kids who love to swim will enjoy a boat trip to La Maddalena Archipelago, a National Park made up of seven tiny islands that can only be reached via boat. Many tour operators offer full-day boat tours where you can visit multiple islands, as well as stopping in the middle of the turquoise Med so you can dive straight into the ocean for a swim or snorkel.

If you have a kid who’s a budding history buff then Sardinia is full of interesting ancient sites to explore. Su Nuraxi di Barumini is the remains of a Bronze Age defensive complex, and has structures dating back thousands of years. Cagliari’s Castello sits on top of a hill and is full of ancient buildings, museums, and historic sites.

Kids who are studying the Roman Empire in school will particularly love a tour of the Roman Amphitheatre of Cagliari, where they can hear gory tales of fights to the death between gladiators or men vs wild beasts. It was also where many public executions were carried out and became the most important buildings in ancient Cagliari.

Sardinian food is also generally kid-friendly and even picky eaters are likely to find something they like. During the day, look out for street food vendors selling Spianadina, traditional flatbreads often filled with cheese and ham for a simple lunch. In the evening, there are plenty of cosy, authentic restaurants to choose from where kids can enjoy wood-fired pizza and fresh pasta.

EasyJet and easyJet Holidays Family Holiday Index – Full rankings

1. Palma de Mallorca, Spain
2. Algarve (Faro), Portugal
3. Costa del Sol (Málaga), Spain
4. Costa Blanca (Alicante), Spain
5. Lanzarote, Spain
6. Sardinia, Italy
7. Crete, Greece
8. Ibiza, Spain
9. Barcelona Coast, Spain
10. Dubrovnik Coast, Croatia

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

WASHINGTON — The State Department says it is adding 12 countries to an expanding list of nations whose citizens must post bonds of up to $15,000 to apply for U.S. visas.

Effective April 2, passport holders from Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles and Tunisia will be required to pay the bond, which is refunded if the visa application is denied or, if granted, the person adheres to the terms of the visa.

That’s according to a notice posted to the State Department website on Wednesday.

After April 2, there will be 50 countries whose citizens are subject to the requirement, which was rolled out by the Trump administration last year as it cracked down on visa overstays and more broadly moved to curtail illegal migration.

Under the program, visa applicants from designated countries, many of which are in Africa, that have high overstay rates, have to post bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 depending on their circumstances and the discretion of the consular officer processing the application.

“The visa bond program has already proven effective at drastically reducing the number of visa recipients who overstay their visas and illegally remain in the United States,” the department said, adding that almost 97% of the nearly 1,000 people to have posted the bond had not overstayed their visa.

The full list of countries is here.

Lee writes for the Associated Press.

PHOENIX — Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas addressed an erroneous report from earlier in the week with understanding while also making his feelings clear.

On Monday, a senior baseball writer at the Athletic misidentified Rojas as the recipient of an 80-game suspension for the use of a banned substance on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. It was in fact Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas who had tested positive for Boldenone. The writer, Evan Drellich, quickly deleted the post and corrected it.

“I’m not frustrated because of the report, because we are all humans and we make mistakes,” Rojas said Wednesday morning in front of his locker at Camelback Ranch. “I was expecting a little bit more of an apology, not just to me, but the organization. Because it wasn’t just my name, it was pretty clear that it says, ‘Miguel Rojas from the Los Angeles Dodgers.’ And I don’t think anybody in this organization should be kind of freaking out and jumping out of their seats for the six or seven minutes that it happened.”

Rojas saw the correction post as an opportunity to issue that apology.

“It wasn’t just my name, it was the organization that I represent too, and that’s really important to me,” he said. “So that’s the only thing that I’m kind of bothered [by].”

Later on Wednesday, Drellich followed up with another post: “To Miguel Rojas and the Dodgers, I sincerely and publicly apologize. I’ve reached out to Miguel, the Dodgers and Miguel’s agent to say the same. Once again, I’m sorry.”

In the midst of the fallout from the report, Rojas watched Team Venezuela, who he would have represented in the World Baseball Classic if it weren’t for insurance issues, win the tournament with a victory against the United States in Tuesday’s final.

“It was really special to see my kids kind finding joy in that moment that the third strike was called,” he said, noting that his children were born in the United States. “And they felt Venezuelan the same as I did, and every other family in Venezuela.”

Rojas said he’d moved on after the insurance snag.

“When I made my last post, when I came to spring training, I made a decision of being another fan and supporting from any anywhere that I was going to be,” he said. “Because I knew I wasn’t going to be there anymore. So I had to kind of remove myself from the possibility of playing, and now I’m just becoming another Venezuelan pulling for a team that are getting ready and preparing for something like that.”

Iranian strikes come after Israel attacked Iran’s South Pars gasfield, with President Pezeshkian warning of ‘uncontrollable consequences’ that could ‘engulf the entire world’.

Spotters in Greece have caught an especially good look at what very much appears to be a stealthy, long-range, high-altitude (HALE) intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance drone commonly referred to as the RQ-180, or an evolution of that design.

Pictures of the dark-colored, flying-wing type aircraft landing at Larissa National Airport, also known as Larissa Air Base, situated in the Greek city of the same name, were published earlier today by local news outlet onlarissa.gr.

“Those who were in the area near the 110th Fighter Wing [technically the 110th Combat Wing] in Larissa at the end of last week were left speechless when they saw an impressive plane in the sky, completely different in shape and appearance from everything we see daily in politics and the military air force,” according to a machine translation of onlarissa.gr’s piece, which misidentifies the aircraft as a B-2 bomber. “According to more recent information from military sources, this [aircraft] … reportedly parked at the Larissa military airport due to a breakdown and will remain there until it is repaired.”

TWZ cannot immediately confirm any of these latter details, but we have reached out to U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) and the Pentagon for more information.

What is clear is that this is not a B-2, which has a very distinctive saw-tooth trailing edge that is not visible here, among other features. In fact, the overall planform is highly reminiscent of the new B-21 Raider stealth bomber from Northrop Grumman, as well as past sightings of aircraft believed to be RQ-180s or progenitors of that design. The RQ-180 is widely understood to be a Northrop Grumman product, as well, and very likely played a significant role in risk reduction efforts as part of the development of the B-21, as we have posited for years.

There are also some very rough similarities to sightings of what is believed to be an Israeli drone called the RA-01, but with some distinct differences. The RA-01 shares a similar planform, but is a more svelte design that would be significantly smaller than what we are seeing here. Furthermore, it makes very little sense that an Israeli drone would be flying that far west for any reason. The American aircraft in question is likely quite large, sitting below the size of a B-21, but maybe by 25 percent, as a guess. It would be designed for extremely long-endurance, high altitude strategic reconnaissance missions.

B-21 Takeoff and Landing

The pictures from Larissa also offer a good look at the aircraft’s landing gear, which is very widely positioned. A gear configuration of that kind allows for the maximization of volume in between and underscores the sheer wingspan of the aircraft.

Whether the aircraft in question has been operating from Larissa, or simply diverted there due to an issue, is unknown. It is possible that it has been forward-deployed to the base, but still had to return to base unexpectedly, leading to it being spotted during the day rather than coming in discreetly at night.

Larissa is a Hellenic Air Force base, home to the 110th Combat Wing, which operates Block 52+ F-16C/D Viper fighters, as well as various types of drones. Since the late 2010s, the U.S. Air Force has also publicly used the base for MQ-9 Reaper drone operations over areas of Europe and Africa. That, in turn, has led to upgrades to Larissa’s infrastructure, especially along the south side of the base, where there are now hangars that could accommodate larger flying wing aircraft and that do not appear to be used to house MQ-9s.

By what we can surmise about the RQ-180 program, aircraft that are part of its lineage have likely been flying for roughly over a decade and a half. Yet in recent years, just as this platform was thought to be coming online in a grander operational sense, we have not seen the infrastructure that would be indicative of that. It’s even possible its scale has been reduced as the Pentagon looks to push its surveillance capabilities to space, and especially some of the kinds an ‘RQ-180’ could do.

Still, given that this aircraft is now likely a component of the Long Range Strike (LRS) family of systems, and will work in concert with and even possibly have some commonality with the B-21, it could share that same infrastructure and come online fully alongside the Raider in the next couple of years. That is if the program is still intended to be scaled-up as opposed to diverting funds to on-orbit surveillance capabilities.

Regardless, the aircraft has been spotted flying over secretive locales in America’s Southwest for many years now, with sightings over Area 51, and reports of it flying out of Palmdale and Edwards Air Force Base. A conflict with Iran would be a relevant fit for what it was designed to do, so it should be of no surprise that it is flying missions over the country, even if it still remains in something of a late developmental state.

In all of the years of the RQ-180’s rumored existence, multiple stealthy HALE drone designs have emerged in China, at least undergoing testing, and these are just the ones we know about.

We will have more analysis on all this in the near future.

Already, if nothing else, there are very strong signs that we’ve now gotten our best look ever at the drone referred to as the RQ-180 or a directly related design.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

Afroman testified Tuesday in a civil lawsuit brought by seven members of an Ohio sheriff’s office who allege he used their likenesses without permission in music videos and on merchandise and spread lies about them after they raided his home in August 2022.

The fault, the “Because I Got High” rapper maintained, was not his. On Wednesday, the jury was deliberating the case.

The 51-year-old, whose real name is Joseph Edgar Foreman, said on the stand Tuesday that he was in the right, according to local station WCPO Channel 9 in Cincinnati.

“The whole raid was a mistake. All of this is their fault,” Foreman testified, taking the stand wearing sunglasses with American flag lenses and a red, white and blue suit and matching tie made of fabric recalling the American flag. “If they hadn’t wrongly raided my house, there would be no lawsuit, I would not know their names, they wouldn’t be on my home surveillance system, and there would be no songs, nothing.”

Officers were acting in 2022 on a warrant showing probable cause that drugs and drug paraphernalia would be found on the property. The warrant also alleged that trafficking and kidnapping had happened there. No evidence of a crime was found, and no charges were filed. Foreman wasn’t home during the raid but was able to see at least part of it via a video recorded by his ex-wife and footage captured on his home security system before law enforcement turned off those cameras.

It was that footage that was used in the various videos the rapper subsequently posted, including a music video for the song “Lemon Pound Cake,” which he wrote about the raid.

Officers tore down his door, he said, and damaged his house, taking money, vape pens and a small amount of marijuana. There was a discrepancy about the amount of money taken and returned to the rapper, which seemed to be a point of contention linked to whether he was misrepresenting what the deputies did during the raid.

“After they left, I had the right to kick the can and to do what I had to do to repair the damage they brought to my house. Yes, I did,” Foreman said. “I have freedom of speech. I’m a rapper. I entertain.”

His testimony came on the second day of the trial, after the deputies took the stand the first day and testified that though the raid wasn’t perfect, Foreman had been spreading lies about them for years since it occurred. Deputy Lisa Phillips, whose gender identity had been called into question in Foreman’s videos and social media posts, cried on the stand as some of those videos were played for the court.

Footage with a song called “Licc’em Low Lisa” showed Foreman saying he thought he would “crack some musical jokes” in the wake of the raid, then going to comfort a crying actor who resembled Phillips. “I didn’t know they hurt you that bad. … I was just having fun with a bad situation.” The same video showed the actor engaging in sexual activity with another woman.

In their lawsuit, WCPO said, the deputies said the posts and videos caused them “humiliation, ridicule, mental distress, embarrassment and loss of reputation” and made it difficult to do their law enforcement work.

In an amicus brief, however, the ACLU argued that the deputies’ lawsuit was a “classic entry into the SLAPP suit genre,” referring to a type of lawsuit that seeks to discourage criticism of public officials.

An eerie silence had settled.

As word evidently reached activists in the last few weeks that disturbing allegations of sexual abuse against Chicano civil rights icon Cesar Chavez were forthcoming, things started to happen without much explanation.

Groups began to cancel long-planned parades, dinners, lectures and fundraisers scheduled for Chavez’s birthday on March 31. People who I’ve known for years suddenly weren’t returning calls or texts about what was going on. Longtime defenders of Chavez — who stood by their hero even as revelations in this paper and in biographies over the past generation showed there was a dark side to the man — suddenly became hard to reach.

When the United Farm Workers and the Cesar Chavez Foundation put out statements Tuesday morning that “troubling allegations” against their patriarch were considered credible enough for them to offer help to his victims, the silence transformed into dread. There was a discomfort similar to waiting for a tsunami — that whatever was coming would change lives, shake institutions and make people question values and principles that they had long held dear.

And like a natural disaster, what emerged about Chavez was far worse than anyone could’ve expected.

Wednesday morning, the New York Times published a story where two women whose families marched alongside Chavez in the fields of California during the 1960s and 1970s disclosed that he sexually abused them for years when they were girls. Just as shocking was the revelation by Dolores Huerta, Chavez’s longtime compatriot and a civil rights legend, that he had once raped her at a time when their leadership in the fight to bring dignity to grape pickers earned national acclaim and amounted to a modern-day Via Dolorosa.

The silence has transformed into screams. Politicians and organizations that long commemorated Chavez and urged others to follow his ways are releasing statements by the minute. My social media feed is now a torrent of friends and strangers expressing empathy for Chavez’s victims and outrage, disgust and — above all — disappointment that someone considered a secular saint by many for decades turned out to be a human more terrible than anyone could’ve imagined.

There will be questions and soul-searching about these horrifying disclosures in the weeks, months and years to come. We will see a push for the renaming of the dozens of schools, parks and streets that bear Chavez’s name across the country and even the rebranding of Cesar Chavez Day, a California state holiday since 2000 devoted to urging people to give back to their communities and the least among us.

The reckoning is only right. Much of the Latino civil rights, political and educational ecosystem will have to grapple with why they held up Chavez as a paragon of virtue for too long above others just as deserving and, as it turns out, nowhere near as compromised.

In any event, the myth has been punctured.

A portrait of Cesar Chavez on a mural on Farmacia Ramirez, 2403 Cesar E Chavez Ave. in East Los Angeles.

(James Carbone / Los Angeles Times)

Chavez’s biography always reads like an entry in the “Lives of the Saints” genre of books that Catholics used to read about the holy men of their faith. The son of farmworkers who became a Mexican American Moses trying to lead his people to the promised land of equity and political power. An internationally famous leader who lived a mendicant’s life. Who devoted decades to some of the most exploited people in the American economy. Honored with awards, plays, posters. Murals, movies and monuments. President Biden even kept a bust of Chavez at his Oval Office desk.

It was a beatific reputation that largely persisted even as the union he helped to create lost its influence in the fields of California and a new generation of activists looked down on Chavez for his long-standing opposition to immigrants who came to this country to work without legal status. Admirers kept him on a pedestal even as former UFW members alleged over the last two decades that the boss they once idolized purged too many good people in the name of absolute control. The hagiography continued even as a new generation of Latinos came of age not knowing anything about him other than an occasional school lesson or television segment.

I was one of those neophytes. I first heard his name at Anaheim High School in the mid-1990s and thought my teacher was talking about Julio Cesar Chavez, the famous Mexican boxer. I was thrilled to discover that someone had bravely fought for the rights of campesinos like my mom and her sisters, who toiled in the garlic fields of Gilroy and strawberry patches of Orange County as teenage girls in the 1960s, the same time that Chavez and the UFW were enjoying their historic wins.

“Who’s Cesar Chavez?” my Mami responded when I asked if his efforts ever made her work easier.

My admiration for Chavez continued even as I learned about some of his faults. I was able to separate Chavez the man from the movement for which he was a figurehead. Long-maligned communities seek heroes to emulate, to draw hope from, to hang on their walls and share their quotes on social media. We create them even as we ignore that they’re flesh and blood just like us.

Chavez seemed like the right man at the right moment as Mexican Americans rose up like never before to battle discrimination and segregation. Now, Latinos and others who admired Chavez have to grapple with his moral failings of the worst possible magnitude at the worst possible time: when there’s an administration doing everything possible to crush Latinos and we’re looking for people to look up to like never before.

He remains one of the few Latino civil rights leaders known nationwide — and Chavez is nowhere near as known as acolytes make him out to be. Some people will argue that it’s unfair he will likely get wiped away from the public sphere while other predatory men from the past and present largely maintain their riches and reputations.

But that’s looking at the abuse revelations the wrong way. For now, I will follow what those most directly affected by Chavez’s actions are telling us to do.

The UFW and Cesar Chavez Foundation were wise to not try to defend the indefensible in their statements and instead consider any victims first before deciding how to decide what’s next for them.

The Chavez family put out a news release that states “we honor the voices of those who feel unheard and who report sexual abuse.”

Huerta wrote in an online essay: “Cesar’s actions do not reflect the values of our community and our movement. The farmworker movement has always been bigger and far more important than any one individual.”

Another of his victims told the New York Times of Chavez’s legacy: “It makes you rethink in history all those heroes. The movement — that’s the hero.”

The fountain in the Memorial Garden surrounds the gravesite of Cesar Chavez and his wife Helen Chavez at Cesar E. Chavez National Monument in Keene, Calif.

(Francine Orr)

The face of that movimiento brought inspiration to millions and improved the lives of hundreds of thousands. That’s why we shouldn’t cancel the good that Chavez fought for alongside so many; we should direct the adulation he once attracted and the anger he’ll now rightfully receive toward the work that still needs to be done.

To quote an old UFW slogan that Chavez transformed into a mantra, la lucha sigue — the fight continues. It’s a statement that’s more pertinent than ever, damn its imperfect messenger.

Phoenix — A sparse crowd braved the heat, which was approaching 100 degrees when Dodgers right-hander Shohei Ohtani walked off the mound at Camelback Ranch. But those who did were treated to a dominant pitching performance from the four-time MVP in his first start of spring training.

They repaid the favor with a standing ovation.

Ohtani limited the San Francisco Giants to one hit and overshot the innings goal manager Dave Roberts laid out Wednesday morning by pitching to one batter in the fifth inning. Ohtani didn’t give up a run in those 4 ⅓ innings, and the only other blemishes on the performance were a pair of walks and a hit batter.

“I was pretty happy with the pitch count today,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “In terms of the next outing, I do want to be better at executing in two-strike counts. I just didn’t finish off hitters as much as I wanted to.”

Ohtani is scheduled to make a start in the Freeway Series against the Angels before his first start of the season. If the rest of spring training goes smoothly, Roberts said he expects Ohtani to be ready to throw about five innings in his first regular-season start.

At that length, the Dodgers won’t need to designate long relievers to piggyback Ohtani’s starts. But Roberts stressed the importance of still carrying relievers who can throw multiple innings as the starters continue to build up early in the season.

“Once the season starts you’ve got to see how he’s feeling, how his stuff looks, how he’s throwing the baseball,” Roberts said after the Dodgers’ 5-1 win that was stopped after the eighth inning due to the heat.

Most of Ohtani’s build-up has taken place outside of competition, as he balanced playing in the World Baseball Classic for Team Japan as a position player, and addressing pitching on the side. By last week, he’d ramped up to a four-inning live batting practice session against his teammates on the national team in Miami.

“It actually didn’t feel like it was my first spring training outing,” Ohtani said. “I do see this as more of an extension of a live BP situation. So it didn’t feel too bad going into this game.”

Ohtani didn’t hit on Wednesday. With the heat and his unique spring, the team wanted to let him focus on pitching. He’s expected to be the designated hitter in Cactus League play Friday.

“In terms of the hitting, it did help that I played in an atmosphere that was pretty intense and competitive,” Ohtani said. “So the fact that I had to get things going earlier in the offseason maybe was the only thing that really affected my preparation. But I think it helped me more so than it hurt me, as I played through these meaningful games in the World Baseball Classic.”

Ohtani used a wide range of his arsenal Friday, landing an especially effective curveball for a called third strike against Heliot Ramos in the fourth inning.

“Never really surprised with him,” catcher Dalton Rushing said. “Everyone knows what he’s capable of. Everyone knows his main goal when he goes out there. He expects perfection every single time. And I think he was very, very close to it today.”

Relentless United States and Israeli attacks on Iran. Senior officials killed, with thousands of air strikes across the country.

Iran has retaliated, hitting Israel and its Gulf neighbours, targeting energy facilities and supply routes.

So what are Iran’s options now?

Presenter: Imran Khan

Guests:

Elijah Magnier – Military and political analyst specialising in wars in the Middle East

Setareh Sadeqi – Assistant professor in the Faculty of World Studies at the University of Tehran

Mehran Kamrava – Iranian studies unit at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies

Content note: This story contains details of sexual violence. 

Civil rights icon Dolores Huerta is one of several women in the United States speaking out against the sexual violence they say they endured at the hands of labour leader Cesar Chavez.

In a statement on Wednesday, Huerta said she was motivated to speak out after being contacted for an investigation by The New York Times, which revealed that children as young as age 12 were abused by Chavez.

“I am nearly 96 years old, and for the last 60 years have kept a secret because I believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for,” Huerta wrote.

“Following the New York Times’ multi-year investigation into sexual misconduct by Cesar Chavez, I can no longer stay silent and must share my own experiences.”

Chavez, who died in 1993, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association alongside Huerta and other advocates. They rose to fame during the US civil rights movement of the 1960s, practising nonviolent protest techniques similar to those of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

Together, Chavez, Huerta and other advocates drew attention to the abuses facing vulnerable immigrant farmworkers, particularly in the Hispanic and Filipino American communities.

Some of the slogans from the movement continue to have resonance in the US political sphere.

The Spanish phrase “si, se puede” — or, in English, “yes, we can” — was adopted as the campaign slogan for President Barack Obama, while the Tagalog phrase “isang bagsak” continues to be a rallying cry for collective organising.

The fight for equality and fair labour practices that Huerta and Chavez led would be remembered as one of the defining moments of the 1960s.

But it was out of fear of denting the burgeoning civil rights movement that Huerta and other women say they stayed silent about Chavez’s abuse.

“I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was my life’s work,” Huerta said in her statement.

“I wasn’t going to let Cesar or anyone else get in the way. I channeled everything I had into advocating on behalf of millions of farmworkers and others who were suffering and deserved equal rights.”

Huerta explained that the first time she had sex with Chavez, she was “manipulated and pressured” into submitting to his advances while on a trip to San Juan Capistrano.

“I didn’t feel I could say no because he was someone that I admired, my boss and the leader of the movement I had already devoted years of my life to,” she said.

The second time, she said she was “forced, against my will”. The New York Times investigation includes a summary of what Huerta says happened: She was in a car that Chavez was driving when he parked in an isolated grape field and raped her.

Both instances resulted in pregnancies, which Huerta says she kept secret. The children were ultimately given to other families to raise.

“I had experienced abuse and sexual violence before, and I convinced myself these were incidents that I had to endure alone and in secret,” she said.

Her story was echoed by the accounts of other women featured in The New York Times investigation.

One of the interviewees, Ana Murguia, said she was 13 when a 45-year-old Chavez kissed her, took off her clothes and tried to have sex with her in his locked office.

He had known her since she was eight years old, and the abuse at his hands prompted her to attempt suicide.

Debra Rojas, meanwhile, was 12 years old when Chavez began groping her. She described being 15 when she was raped by him at a motel near Stockton, California.

A third woman, Esmeralda Lopez, said she was 19 when Chavez tried to pressure her to have sex with him while they were alone on a tour, offering to use his influence to get something named in her honour.

Lopez said she refused his advances, and her mother, a fellow activist, corroborated her account, based on conversations they had at the time.

The women explained that they grappled with whether to come forward and whether they would be believed, given Chavez’s rise to fame as a civil rights hero.

In response to the widening scandal on Wednesday, United Farm Workers — the group that emerged from the National Farm Workers Association — announced it would not participate in any events on Cesar Chavez Day, a federal commemoration that falls on the late leader’s birthday.

The group denied receiving any direct reports of abuse, but it pledged to create a pathway for reports to be submitted.

“Over the coming weeks, in partnership with experts in these kinds of processes, we are working to establish an external, confidential, independent channel for those who may have experienced harm caused by Cesar Chavez,” United Farm Workers wrote in a statement.

“These allegations have been profoundly shocking. We need some time to get this right, including to ensure robust, trauma-informed services are available to those who may need it.”

Lawmakers across the political spectrum, from Texas Governor Greg Abbott to New Mexico Representative Ben Ray Lujan, also called for Chavez’s name to be stripped from public buildings, roads and other places of honour.

Lujan called the revelations in Wednesday’s New York Times report “horrific” and a “betrayal of the values that Latino leaders have championed for generations”.

“His name should be removed from landmarks, institutions, and honors,” Lujan said of Chavez. “We cannot celebrate someone who carried out such disturbing harm.”

Huerta, meanwhile, said that, in the wake of the investigation, community advocacy was more important than ever.

“I have kept this secret long enough,” she wrote. “My silence ends here.”

Rainelle Krause, a coloratura soprano who went viral for singing a signature aria while hanging upside down from aerial silks, has died after a short hospitalization, her family announced “with immense sadness” Tuesday on social media. She was 37.

“Rainelle was a force in our lives, a brilliant talent defined by grit, fearlessness, curiosity, intelligence, integrity, and resilience,” the family said in a statement on Instagram. “Onstage, her voice matched the breathtaking power of her spirit. Offstage, she was a loving, caring soul whose vibrant energy lit up everyone around her. Our hearts are full from the years we shared, even as we’re shocked that her skyrocketing career was cut short.”

The family gave no further details about the circumstances of her death but said they were grateful to have Krause’s “preserved performances” to revisit. They said they would be planning a celebration of life “at a later date” but wanted to share the sad news now with friends and fans.

“Rainelle always gave her very best, pouring her heart into her art and those she loved,” the family said. “The best way we can honor her memory is by living her values every day. We encourage you to keep her memory alive by sharing her beautiful performances.”

Krause, whose website dubbed the Queen of the Night in “The Magic Flute” as her signature role, debuted in that role at the Metropolitan Opera over the holidays. She did the same last fall at Opera Atelier in Toronto.

“Although we knew Rainelle for only a matter of months, we will never forget her astonishing talent. We were awed by her bravery and daring and deeply moved by her willingness to draw all of us into her circle of friends,” Opera Atelier said Wednesday on social media. “Beautiful, generous, talented and kind, Rainelle is irreplaceable and will always hold a unique place in our memories.”

Born in Florida, Krause graduated from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music with a bachelor’s in music and a master’s degree in music in vocal performance. The English National Opera said she trained with the Sankt Goar International Music Festival and Academy in Germany, the OperaWorks Advanced Artist Program in Los Angeles, Opera Las Vegas, the Taos Opera Institute and Opera Nova Costa Rica.

She performed with opera companies in Nashville and Atlanta, and in Texas she sang with the Dallas Opera, with symphony orchestras in Irving and Plano, and with a master chorale in Amarillo. She was set to debut with the Santa Fe Opera in May.

Internationally, Krause’s “The Magic Flute” performances included gigs in Berlin, Copenhagen and elsewhere. Roles outside of the Queen of the Night included the title role in “Lucia di Lammermoor,” the princess in “The Snow Queen,” Zerlina in “Don Giovanni” and Pat Nixon in “Nixon in China.”

As for her viral acrobatic performances, those appeared to have been on hold in the year before her death.

“I can’t even begin to express how much I miss aerial work,” Krause wrote last March on social media. “I’ve been dealing with horrendous shoulder impingement for months, I’ve been in physical therapy since last summer, I’m continuously learning new ways to attempt to build strength and fluency in order to support my VERY hypermobile joints.

“I am in pain most days,” she continued. “But I’m not giving up, I’m seeing incremental improvements, and I will fly again — this time working in concert with the body I have, instead of forcing myself to ‘just put in the work’ with all the wrong pathways.”

At 95, labor icon Dolores Huerta made a shocking and heartbreaking revelation Wednesday, in the wake of a New York Times investigation into sexual abuse allegations against her fellow icon, Cesar Chavez.

She was raped by Chavez, she said. Twice — both times resulting in pregnancies.

“I have never identified myself as a victim, but I now understand that I am a survivor — of violence, of sexual abuse, of domineering men who saw me, and other women, as property, or things to control,” Huerta wrote in a statement Wednesday. “I have kept this secret long enough. My silence ends here.”

Like so many women who have carried the burden of their own attacks behind an iron curtain of guilt and shame, Huerta now finds herself in the difficult, painful position of having not only to relive this trauma as it becomes public, but explain it to the rest of us.

Like the brave women of the Epstein files; like our First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and the courageous women who spoke out against Harvey Weinstein; like Cassie Ventura; like E. Jean Carroll; like Christine Blasey Ford, Huerta joins the ranks of women forced to justify their response to abuse by powerful men.

Huerta shouldn’t have to engage in this rite of self-flagellation, of course, but she and Chavez are linked by their legacies as two of the greatest civil rights fighters in our history. Now, this hidden truth rewrites not just his story, not just hers — but the entire legend of a workers’ movement that grew from the grape fields of California into a defining story of Golden State fortitude and hope.

If Chavez was a predator, where do we even go from here? What do we believe in when even our heroes are ghosts, as Pink Floyd long ago warned?

“It’s just a very heavy day,” said Huerta’s spokesperson, Erik Olvera. “It is incredibly overwhelming for her.”

And for all of us, really.

Reports of abuse

The New York Times investigation detailed the molestation and abuse by Chavez of two women who were teens at the time the events took place. Huerta, the sharpest 95-year-old I’ve even seen, also told the reporters that Chavez had forced sex on her when she was in her 30s, once by manipulation and once by force.

“The first time I was manipulated and pressured into having sex with him, and I didn’t feel I could say no because he was someone that I admired, my boss and the leader of the movement I had already devoted years of my life to,” she wrote in her statement. “The second time I was forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped.”

Huerta had two daughters from these encounters and gave them to other families to be raised, though she is close to both of them, Olvera, the spokesman, said.

Olvera said that Huerta was unaware of the allegations of the two other women interviewed by the New York Times until the reporters contacted her several weeks ago.

“She literally thought she was the only one,” Olvera said. “The guilt is really heavy for her.”

As the news broke this week, shock — but not disbelief — rippled through the political and union worlds where Chavez remains revered (he died in 1993) and Huerta remains active. Despite her age, she speaks at multiple events each week and is a fixture at the state Capitol advocating for workers’ rights.

While Huerta has never spoken before about Chavez’s attacks on her, his infidelities and autocratic leadership style — and rumors of misconduct — have been documented for years. In her 2014 biography, journalist Miriam Pawel detailed some of these complaints as well as Chavez’s troubled relationship with his wife.

In a statement, the United Farm Workers union called the allegations “profoundly shocking.”

It canceled all events celebrating the upcoming Cesar Chavez Day — a state holiday — and is working on a survivor-centered response with outside experts to help ensure a fair and inclusive pathway for other people to tell their stories.

Sen. Alex Padilla, who has worked for years with Huerta but who was a child when Chavez was organizing, called for “zero tolerance for abuse, exploitation, and the silencing of victims, no matter who is involved.”

“Confronting painful truths and ensuring accountability is essential to honoring the very values the greater farmworker movement stands for — values rooted in dignity and justice for all,” Padilla said.

Changing times

If there is the slightest bit of solace to be found in this tragedy, it is in the response. So far, we have been spared the usual attacks on victims — though almost certainly they are happening outside the public eye.

Though Huerta may carry guilt, as all survivors so unfairly do, coming forward now has quickly and forcefully changed the narrative. I suspect there are few people who would dare call Huerta a liar, or challenge her motives. I suspect without her revelations, the other women coming forward would be treated differently.

I imagine that had she spoken out back then, as a young mother in the 1970s, a Latina woman in the male-dominated culture of the Central Valley, she would likely have found little relief.

What must it have been like for her all these years to know the man we idolized had this monstrous side?

But after 60 years of hard work, Huerta is now powerful in her own right. And after 60 years of silence, Huerta wanted to use that power to support the other women speaking out. Olvera said Huerta came to that decision reading the New York Times piece, and for the first time understanding that these other survivors were children when their abuse happened.

“When she learned that, that’s when she was like, I need to come out and tell my story,” he said. “She didn’t want them to stand alone.”

In the end, every survivor stands alone because what needs to heal is a soul shattered by the trivial evil of carnal greed, a pain so personal and unique even another survivor can’t fully understand it. It is daring and noble in the crucible of that personal destruction, which lasts years if not decades, to demand accountability. Not all of our heroes are ghosts.

“Your courage and your voices matter,” Siebel Newsom said. “They open the door for so many others to follow suit and tell their stories so that one day soon, we will break this horrific cycle of repetitive abuse by powerful men.”

These women have now made it clear: Chavez was a predator — a powerful man who used his authority to manipulate and force women and girls into sexual encounters.

In the end, all the good Chavez did, the strength and dignity he brought not just to farmworkers but to immigrants across the country, will forever be bound up with this ugly truth — though the movement is far more than one man.

Chavez earned this ending. Hopefully, for Huerta and the other survivors, speaking out is the beginning of healing.

What else you should be reading

The must-read: Cesar Chavez, a Civil Rights Icon, Is Accused of Abusing Girls for Years
The deep dive: ‘Profoundly shocking’ allegations against Cesar Chavez spark soul-searching in movement
The L.A. Times Special: Democrats face the possibility of a historic upset in California governor’s race, poll finds

Stay Golden,
Anita Chabria
—
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ENGLAND

Even though four teams have been knocked out this week, it is all but certain that the Premier League will get an extra place.

England (23.847) already have a coefficient score pretty much the same as last season’s second-placed country (Spain, 23.892).

Nothing should be completely taken for granted, as England seemed destined to get an EPS slot in 2023-24 only to suffer a terrible set of results in the quarter-finals.

But it is going to take another very bad night on Thursday for there to be any real jeopardy.

It also helps that Bayern Munich will face Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, meaning one of England’s closest rivals will lose a team. And Barcelona must play Atletico Madrid, too.

As a picture of how far England are ahead, German and Spanish sides are effectively 18 victories behind. And Serie A can no longer catch the Premier League.

SPAIN

The Spanish league is in second place and now has more teams left in Europe (six) than any other league.

It will be a close battle as each win is worth less to the coefficient than for Germany.

The Champions League meeting between Bayern and Real Madrid could prove crucial in the race.

Spain will also be hit by their teams meeting each other.

Atletico and Barcelona will meet in the Champions League quarter-finals.

In the Europa League, Celta Vigo and Real Betis are on a collision course in the semi-finals.

GERMANY

The Bundesliga has only Bayern left active in the Champions League, and it will need a strong turnaround of results on Thursday.

Of the three German teams in action in the Europa League and Conference League, not one goes into their second leg with a lead. They all need positive results to be able to challenge Spain.

PORTUGAL

It seemed like Portugal’s chances of making the top two were effectively over when Santa Clara were knocked out of the Conference League in the qualifying rounds.

But three of their remaining four teams are still active.

However, to be in contention for second all are going to have to go very deep.

ITALY

Serie A has lost four of its seven teams and now only has a slim chance of making second place.

Bologna and Roma face each other in the Europa League last 16, so another team will go out.

At least Fiorentina won in the Conference League.

FRANCE

It has been a disappointing season for Ligue 1 teams, starting with Nice’s failure to make it through Champions League qualifying.

It did not get much better from there for Nice, as they were then eliminated from the Europa League.

France do have four teams still active but seem unlikely to bridge the gap.

POLAND

It will come as a surprise to many to find Poland so high up in the table, and they were in the top two for a while. But Poland no longer have a realistic chance.

All four of the country’s teams have been playing in the Conference League, while more than a third of their coefficient points were picked up in the qualifying rounds.

It would need both of their teams to win every remaining game.

No other country has a mathematical chance of the top two.

Liverpool shrugged off their Premier League malaise to storm into the Champions League quarterfinals by thrashing Galatasaray 4-0 at Anfield.

Goals from Dominik Szoboszlai, Hugo Ekitike, Ryan Gravenberch and Mohamed Salah on Tuesday overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit for Arne Slot’s men to set up a reunion with defending champions Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight.

Slot needed a reaction from the English champions after they were booed off at Anfield on Sunday for the latest in a series of lacklustre displays in a 1-1 draw against struggling Tottenham.

Languishing fifth in the Premier League, the Champions League could save Liverpool’s season and Slot’s job.

The Dutchman had given a rest to some of his stars at the weekend and was rewarded with a dominant display that could have resulted in an even more comprehensive scoreline.

Galatasaray’s hopes of causing an upset were dealt a massive blow inside the first few minutes when star striker Victor Osimhen injured his forearm in a clash with Ibrahima Konate.

The Nigerian international was clearly hobbled as he continued on until half-time, when he was replaced by Leroy Sane.

By that point, the Turkish champions’ advantage had already been erased.

Szoboszlai has been Liverpool’s outstanding performer in a troubled season and levelled the tie with a cushioned finish from a well-worked corner on 25 minutes.

Galatasaray somehow escaped further punishment before the break.

Salah missed a glorious chance to immediately double the Reds’ lead when he failed to chip Ugurcan Cakir.

Florian Wirtz’s deflected effort flew just over, and Cakir repelled another sweet Szoboszlai strike.

The Turkiye goalkeeper then saved Salah’s poor penalty after Szoboszlai was upended inside the box.

But the floodgates opened on the visitors in the second half. Salah atoned for the penalty miss with an inch-perfect pass for Ekitike to slot home.

Two minutes later, Gravenberch fired in the rebound off a Salah shot that had been saved.

Salah has been a shadow of his former self this season, either side of a public bust-up with Slot after being dropped in December.

He could and should have had many more on the night, but did register his 50th Champions League goal in some style with a spectacular strike from Wirtz’s backheel.

Salah also hit the bar before asking to be replaced due to an injury concern, as Galatasaray offered little resistance to the waves of Liverpool attacks.

The Reds face a very different challenge against PSG, who crushed Chelsea 8-2 on aggregate to reach the last eight.

Slot has repeatedly spoken in glowing terms of the French champions.

Liverpool came as close as anyone to stopping PSG last season as Luis Enrique’s men emerged victorious on penalties in the last 16 after a titanic tussle.

Szoboszlai said he was delighted to get the win in such emphatic style, but warned that PSG would pose a formidable task.

“Today, we showed the right direction where we want to go and what we want to show everybody,” he told TNT Sports.

“I watched [PSG] play against Chelsea yesterday, they didn’t become a worse team than last season. But we showed today that we are able to do everything.”

Elsewhere, Harry Kane scored a brace in Bayern’s 4-1 over Atalanta to complete a 10-2 aggregate win.

Barcelona were not far off when they thrashed Newcastle United 7-2 for an overall 8-3 score, with captain Raphina getting two goals and assists apiece, and Robert Lewandowski also claiming a brace.

Tottenham Hotspur put up a fight against Atletico and won 3-2 from Xavi Simons’s late penalty for a personal brace, but the damage was done last week in Spain, where they lost 5-2.

The results mean that Liverpool and Arsenal are the only two of six Premier League teams to progress, as Chelsea and Manchester City went out on Tuesday against title-holders Paris Saint-Germain and record winners Real Madrid, respectively. Arsenal, for their part, ousted Bayer Leverkusen.

The quarterfinals, to be played April 7-8 and 14-15, are Real vs Bayern, Atletico vs Barcelona, PSG vs Liverpool and Sporting vs Arsenal.

The energy war in the Middle East heated up on Wednesday with an Israeli attack on the South Pars gas field Iran shares with Qatar. The strike, which exacerbates the diminishing of oil exports already experienced during the war, was reportedly carried out in coordination with the United States.

“The Israeli Air Force struck a natural gas processing facility in southwestern Iran,” Axios reported, citing two senior Israeli officials. The attack “was coordinated with and approved by the Trump administration,” the outlet noted, adding that a U.S. defense official confirmed that.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that several facilities in the South Pars gas field near Bushehr were targeted. According to the report, emergency teams were on the scene and trying to extinguish the fire. The extent of the damage is not yet known.

Things are taking a darker turn.

Israeli airstrikes have hit Iran’s massive South Pars gas field, along with key infrastructure, including the Asaluyeh petrochemical complex.

In response, Tehran has issued an urgent warning, calling for the evacuation of petrochemical sites… pic.twitter.com/KGEjEIgKtl

— Egypt’s Intel Observer (@EGYOSINT) March 18, 2026

There are suggestions that the attack on South Pars could interfere with Iran’s refinery capabilities for a long time to come.

I think these are Sulfur Recovery Units (CRUs) in the 6th refinery of the Iranian South Pars onshore fields.
The targets are selected to be limited but effective enough to stop to the entire process of the refinery for a long time. https://t.co/XvYj5vC3L9

— Mehdi H. (@mhmiranusa) March 18, 2026

Qatari officials decried the attack, calling it “a dangerous & irresponsible step amid the current military escalation in the region.”

The Israeli targeting of facilities linked to Iran’s South Pars field, an extension of Qatar’s North Field, is a dangerous & irresponsible step amid the current military escalation in the region.

Targeting energy infrastructure constitutes a threat to global energy security, as…

— د. ماجد محمد الأنصاري Dr. Majed Al Ansari (@majedalansari) March 18, 2026

In the wake of the attack on South Pars, “Iran issued an evacuation ‌warning for several oil facilities across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, saying they would ​be targeted by strikes ‘in the ​coming hours,’” Reuters reported, citing Iranian media.

“The warning was directed at Saudi ​Arabia’s Samref Refinery and Jubail Petrochemical Complex, ​the United Arab Emirates’ Al Hosn Gas Field, and Qatar’s Mesaieed Petrochemical Complex, Mesaieed Holding Company ​and Ras Laffan Refinery,” the outlet added.

“These centers have ​become direct and legitimate targets and will be ‌targeted ⁠in the coming hours. Therefore, all citizens, residents, and employees are requested to immediately leave these areas and move to ​a safe ​distance without ⁠any delay,” the warning said.

Tehran Warns of Retaliation After Attacks on Key Oil and Gas Infrastructure

Iranian officials say U.S. and Israeli strikes damaged parts of the South Pars field one of the world’s largest gas reserves while the IRGC reportedly ordered personnel in regional petrochemical sites to… pic.twitter.com/e4dSYQcEDQ

— EuroPost Agency (@EuroPostAgency) March 18, 2026

This event marks a new and dangerous escalation after the U.S. said it would not attack Iran’s energy infrastructure, notes Bismarck Analysis senior analyst Marko Jukic.

Until yesterday, we were assured the U.S. was leaving Iran’s energy infrastructure untouched to prevent escalation or more global energy shocks. Iran pledged to wipe out the Gulf’s energy if its own was attacked.

Today, the U.S. and Israel bombed Iran’s natural gas facilities. https://t.co/rHmnbcDQhn

— Marko Jukic (@mmjukic) March 18, 2026

Now that Israel has crossed the line into hitting Iranian energy infrastructure, Kharg Island could be added to the target list. The facility handles 90% of Iran’s oil exports. The U.S. already attacked the island’s military facilities on March 14, but spared hitting any energy-related targets. That could change and doing so would likely leave Iran with a years-long rebuilding process, crippling the government’s economic lifeline.

The attack on the Iranian gas field adds to concerns about the flow of energy from the region already interrupted by Tehran’s attacks on infrastructure around the Middle East and its closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday hinted that America end its role protecting the Strait after Epic Fury ends. Meanwhile, Gulf nations are watching events unfold and have expressed fears that they will be left to defend the Strait on their own.

“I wonder what would happen if we ‘finished off’ what’s left of the Iranian Terror State, and let the Countries that use it, we don’t, be responsible for the so called ‘Straight?’” Trump postulated on his Truth Social site. “That would get some of our non-responsive ‘Allies’ in gear, and fast!!!”

Trump: “I wonder what would happen if we ‘finished off’ what’s left of the Iranian Terror State, and let the Countries that use it, we don’t, be responsible for the so called ‘Straight?’ That would get some of our non-responsive ‘Allies’ in gear, and fast!!! President DJT” pic.twitter.com/pwbF1lYELS

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 18, 2026

As we previously reported, the U.K., Germany, Luxembourg, Japan and Australia rejected Trump’s demand while other countries were on the fence. In a post on X, Axios reported that the U.K. has drafted a plan for a Strait of Hormuz coalition and shared it with the U.S. and several other countries.

After the allies pushed back, Trump on Tuesday said he no longer wanted their help.

BREAKING: Trump now says he doesn’t need any help for Iran & Strait of Hormuz:

The United States has been informed by most NATO “Allies” that they don’t want to get involved in our military operation against Iran, despite agreeing that Iran must not have a nuclear weapon.

I’m… pic.twitter.com/hm7HqKsciV

— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 17, 2026

Before Trump’s latest statement on the Strait, a key waterway through which 35% of global crude oil and 20% of global liquefied natural gas used to flow, Gulf Arab nations stated their desire that Iran be “neutered, if not dismantled, when the conflict ends—so the ordeal is never repeated,” The Wall Street Journal reported.

Iran’s decision to interrupt Strait traffic “represents an attack on the entire world rather than just the Gulf states, and will hit low-income nations especially hard,” Sultan al-Jaber, the U.A.E. minister of industry and advanced technology, told the newspaper.

“By taking Hormuz hostage, Iran is committing global economic warfare,” he said. “This is a global economic issue. It is not a regional problem. The disruption is going to increase inflation, it will slow economies, it will affect everyday lives. Families will end up paying more for food.”

Leaving Iran in control of the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. ends Epic Fury would be a disaster for the Gulf states, said Muhanad Seloom, a professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies in Qatar.

“The Iranian regime has crossed every red line,” he told the Journal. “Now it is in everyone’s interest, and this includes the Gulf countries, to have the U.S. finish the job. Imagine if the war stops now, and Iran declares victory saying that the U.S. has been defeated? Iran would hold the whole region hostage, and every time Iran would be under pressure, it would hit the Gulf countries—because that taboo has been broken, and hitting them worked.”

Leaving Iran in control of the Strait of Hormuz once the guns fall silent would be a disaster for the Gulf states, said Muhanad Seloom, a professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies in Qatar.
“The Iranian regime has crossed every red line,” he said. “Now it is in… https://t.co/aFlAql6vcL

— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) March 18, 2026

A maritime industry official confirmed to us that the Egyptian-owned, Maltese-flagged container ship SAFEEN PRESTIGE was struck again overnight and is burning following an initial attack in the Strait on March 4. The last previous attack on shipping in the region took place on March 11, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) office. UKMTO has received 20 reports of incidents affecting vessels operating in and around the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman since Epic Fury began on Feb. 28. That includes 15 reported attacks and five reports of suspicious activities.

BREAKING: Although we can’t say for sure, it appears that the Egyptian-owned, Maltese-flagged container ship SAFEEN PRESTIGE (9593517) may have been struck again overnight as she is suddenly burning following the initial strike on 2026-03-04 in the Strait of Hormuz. pic.twitter.com/jwCYmRYhUe

— TankerTrackers.com, Inc. (@TankerTrackers) March 18, 2026

Though Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, some oil tankers are making a safe transit, The Associated Press reported.

About 90 ships, including oil tankers, have crossed the Strait since Epic Fury was launched and Iran “is still exporting millions of barrels of oil at a time when the waterway has been effectively closed,” the wire service reported, citing maritime and trade data platforms.

“Many of the vessels that passed through the strait were so-called ‘dark’ transits evading Western government sanctions and oversight that likely have ties to Iran, maritime data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence said,” AP noted. “More recently, vessels with ties to India and Pakistan have also successfully crossed the strait as governments stepped up negotiations.”

89 ships got through Hormuz March 1st-15th. “More than one-fifth of the 89 vessels were believed to be Iran-affiliated, while Chinese and Greece affiliated ships are among the rest, it said.” https://t.co/c7DzauV8ya

— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) March 18, 2026

The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz following Iranian strikes and fears of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea “have prompted shipping lines to suspend bookings and reroute goods,” Financial Times reported.

There was a bit of positive news when it comes to Iranian attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure. Saudi Arabia’s biggest oil refinery “restarted operations after an attack forced its closure earlier this month,” Bloomberg News reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

“State oil giant Saudi Aramco, which operates the 550,000-barrel-a-day Ras Tanura plant, shuttered production on March 2 as a precaution after a drone strike in the area,” the outlet added.

Saudi Arabia’s biggest oil refinery has restarted operations after being halted due to a drone attack earlier this month https://t.co/5955jHVM5q

— Bloomberg (@business) March 18, 2026

The growing energy war is taking a hit on the global economy, with reduced exports adding to existing problems with limited global spare capacity, the Kpler global trade intelligence firm explained.

“The implications for oil markets are profound,” it stated.

Global oil markets under pressure: Inside the US–Iran supply shock

Day 19 of the US–Iran conflict and the impact on global energy markets is intensifying. From mounting disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz to significant supply shut-ins, we are witnessing one of the largest… pic.twitter.com/blH7pjA46r

— Kpler (@Kpler) March 18, 2026

In just one example of the war’s impact, Brent Crude, a leading indicator for the oil industry, was trading at nearly $110 per barrel as of Wednesday morning Eastern Standard Time, according to OilPrice.com. While the price has fluctuated wildly, dipping to about $95 per barrel on March 12, it still represents a major increase since the start of Epic Fury. All this has a cascading effect on trucking and shipping, meaning the costs of food and goods are rising as well.

UPDATES

Our coverage has ended for the day. Stay tuned for more.

UPDATE: 5:15 PM EST –

Oil prices shot over $110 per barrel as the energy war in the Middle East heats up.

The publication also reported that Trump doesn’t want any more attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure, saying it got the message. However, the president is not ruling out future attacks, depending on Iran’s actions in the Strait.

Trump knew of South Pars attack and approved of it. But now he’s against strikes on Iranian energy sites, believing Tehran received the message that it must reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump open to future attacks on Iranian energy facilities depending on Iran’s SoH actions. pic.twitter.com/rHfOgtQf6d

— Alex Ward (@alexbward) March 18, 2026

Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian is reportedly resigning over the IRGC freezing him out of all decision making and even access to the new Supreme Leader.

BREAKING 🔴

Channel 14 reports Pezeshkian is weighing resignation. He told aides:
“The IRGC blocks me from all military and strategic decisions and won’t even let me speak to the Supreme Leader. I feel useless.” pic.twitter.com/ZmYKYGPxKO

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 18, 2026

Explosions from either missiles or interceptors were reported in the Saudi capital of Riyadh as the first meeting of Gulf foreign ministers convened since Epic Fury was launched, CNN reported.

“We witnessed the interceptors taking off and we could hear the explosions of the intercepts or the missiles coming down. It’s unusual Iran would make the targeting here when this first high level, face to face meeting is happening.”@NicRobertsonCNN reports from Riyadh pic.twitter.com/xDxGQDANGR

— CNN International PR (@cnnipr) March 18, 2026

Fabian Hoffman shared some of the wildest interception video you will ever see.

One of the wildest intercept videos I have ever seen.

First glowing projectile: very likely a Stunner interceptor launched from David’s Sling, climbing toward the incoming MRBM warhead.

Second glowing projectile: the incoming MRBM warhead descending toward the ground, evading… pic.twitter.com/0yltugPA8J

— Fabian Hoffmann (@FRHoffmann1) March 18, 2026

The bodies of five Iranians were found in a house hit by a U.S. airstrike in the Jadriyah section of Baghdad, according to local media. One of the Iranians reportedly supervised attacks on U.S. interests.

In Baghdad, 5 Iranian bodies found at a destroyed house at the site of yesterday’s airstrike on the Jadriyah area. 1 of the Iranians was the adviser to Iranian aligned Iraqi militias. His role was not just advising; he supervised attacks on US interests. https://t.co/lBGGp4RxmX

— David M. Witty (@DavidMWitty1) March 18, 2026

More footage emerged of Iranian cluster munitions attacking Israel.

UPDATE: 4:32 PM EST –

In addition to the attack on the Qatari refinery, Iran is also striking a liquified natural gas (LNG) refinery in Bahrain, according to the official Iranian FARS News Agency.

IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency claims that a missile attack is ongoing against the LNG refinery in Bahrain

FARS also suggest that the bridge connecting Bahrain and Saudi Arabia has been destroyed or damaged. Google data shows traffic is normal.https://t.co/uilbUgeLAf pic.twitter.com/guQvXubVOg

— Faytuks News (@Faytuks) March 18, 2026

The FBI announced that it found “possible energetic material” in a suspicious package found outside the MacDill Air Force Base visitor center on March 16. That discovery, as we previously noted, caused the main gate of the base and the visitor center to be shut for several hours. Since then, security at the base was raised to Force Protection Condition Charlie, the second-highest level possible. On Wednesday, the base was on lockdown for several hours after “a threat was made,” according to the base.

MacDill, it should be noted, is the home of CENTCOM, which is running the war in Iran, as well as U.S. Special Operations Command, many other mission partners and two Air Force refueling wings that have been instrumental in supporting Epic Fury.

This is an #FBI Tampa investigative update to the suspicious package found on March 16 outside MacDill AFB Visitor Center: Field screening was conducted on the contents of the package and identified possible energetic materials. Final lab analysis is not yet complete. The… pic.twitter.com/IcMO4fvlME

— FBI Tampa (@FBITampa) March 18, 2026

A top Russian official today honored Larijani’s role in boosting Iran-Russia relations.

Meanwhile, the country’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, took to X to offer his condolences.

With deep sorrow, I received the grievous news of the martyrdom of Dr. Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and the Leader’s Representative in that Council, along with the martyrdom of his worthy son and several of his colleagues.

— Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei (@MKhamenei_ir) March 18, 2026

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a group of Iranian proxies who have battled U.S. forces there for years, released a new video claiming to show a swarm of Murad-5 drones hitting American installations in that country.

Islamic Resistance in Iraq releases coordinated strike footage showing a swarm deployment of Murad-5 drones targeting U.S. installations, with mapped objectives including the Victoria base near Baghdad Airport and additional airbase infrastructure pic.twitter.com/U3qfnCfMcL

— Thomas Keith (@iwasnevrhere_) March 18, 2026

Kuwaiti police reportedly uncovered a second Hezbollah cell in the country planning terror attacks.

Kuwait’s Police uncovered a second Hezbollah cell planning terror attacks against vital facilities in the country. The Kuwaiti Interior Ministry said it apprehended 10 citizens belonging to Hezbollah, who sought to spy on its behalf to provide them with coordinates of critical… https://t.co/WgnBK4nbNF pic.twitter.com/Gq5gp4kvet

— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) March 18, 2026

UPDATE: 3:17 PM EST –

ABC News was given rare access to one of Israel’s Arrow anti-ballistic missile defense batteries. You can read more about Arrow in our deep dive into Israel’s vaunted integrated air defense system here.

A proposal from the UN’s shipping agency on Wednesday ‌calls for a safe maritime corridor to free some 20,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf by the war, Reuters noted.

“The proposal submitted by Bahrain, Japan, ⁠Panama, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates and backed on Wednesday ​by the United States called for ‘a framework such as a safe ​maritime corridor,’” the outlet added.

It was submitted at a meeting of the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) governing council in London.

“The purpose of this framework would be to facilitate the ​safe evacuation of merchant ships,” it said. “This measure aims to ​protect the lives of seafarers.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian “strongly” condemned the attack on South Pars.

I strongly condemn attacking Iran’s energy infrastructure. Such aggressive acts will yield nothing for the Zionist–American enemy & their supporters. This will complicate the situation & could have uncontrollable consequences, the scope of which could engulf the entire world. https://t.co/FGtTZZjA6Y

— Masoud Pezeshkian (@drpezeshkian) March 18, 2026

The South Pars attack was designed as a warning to Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, the Times of Israel reported.

“Israel assisted operationally in order to send an American message,” a senior Israeli official tells Channel 12. “Either…Hormuz will be opened and the mines will be removed…or the entire [natural gas] facility will be destroyed, as will other[s]”https://t.co/hc6DtgfGDj

— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) March 18, 2026

CENTCOM released more video of its attacks on Iranian targets.

Israel attacked Iranian missile boats in the Caspian Sea, Axios reporter Barak Ravid reported on X. It should be noted that the Caspian Sea is also an important shipping route between Iran and Russia.

🚨Israel conducted strikes against Iranian navy missile boats in the Caspian sea, Israeli official says. More than five vessels were targeted

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) March 18, 2026

UPDATE: 2:58 PM EST –

Trump arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware this afternoon for the dignified transfer of six airmen killed in the March 12 crash of a KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling jet in Iraq.

This is the second time the president attended this solemn ceremony. He was there for the dignified transfer of six U.S. service members who were killed by a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait.

FOX: We should point out that at the request of the families, the dignified transfer is going to remain private. There will not be any cameras. pic.twitter.com/y0ivcJuPp6

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 18, 2026

QatarEnergy confirmed that its Ras Laffan Industrial City was struck by Iranian missiles. As we noted earlier in this story, Iran threatened to hit energy infrastructure in the region after its South Pars gas field was attacked by Israel.

QatarEnergy Statement on Missile Attacks on Ras Laffan Industrial City

QatarEnergy confirms that Ras Laffan Industrial City this evening has been the subject of missile attacks.

Emergency response teams were deployed immediately to contain the resulting fires, as extensive…

— QatarEnergy (@qatarenergy) March 18, 2026

The following video shows the immediate aftermath of that attack, with the refinery engulfed in flames.

Reports that Iranian forces successfully struck the Ras Laffan refinery in Qatar this evening, causing large fire.

Iran warned that it would strike the facility just a few hours ago pic.twitter.com/m8NLRKXyCr

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 18, 2026

The Qatari Foreign Affairs Ministry condemned the attack.

بيان | دولة قطر تدين وتستنكر الاستهداف الإيراني الغاشم لمدينة رأس لفان الصناعية

الدوحة | 18 مارس 2026

تعرب دولة قطر عن إدانتها واستنكارها الشديدين للاستهداف الإيراني الغاشم الذي استهدف مدينة رأس لفان الصناعية، وتسبب في حرائق نتجت عنها أضرار جسيمة في المنشأة، وتعدّ هذا الاعتداء… pic.twitter.com/IFFccWEsFt

— الخارجية القطرية (@MofaQatar_AR) March 18, 2026

UPDATE 2:18 PM EST –

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that a structure 350 meters from Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant reactor was hit and destroyed. ​​There was no damage to the reactor or injuries to personnel.

Following information from Iran of a projectile incident on Tuesday evening, the IAEA can confirm that a structure 350 metres from the Bushehr NPP reactor was hit and destroyed.

“Although there was no damage to the reactor itself nor injuries to staff, any attack at or near… pic.twitter.com/HtNXQntEgU

— IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency ⚛️ (@iaeaorg) March 18, 2026

However, the IAEA does not know the status of the new Iranian enrichment facility in Isfahan that is in an underground nuclear complex, agency chief Rafael Grossi said on Wednesday.

“Grossi said because the inspectors had to cancel their visit, the agency does not know ‘whether it is ‌simply ⁠an empty hall’ or hosts concrete pads awaiting the installation of centrifuges – the machines that enriched uranium for power plants and nuclear weapons – or whether…

— Andrea Stricker (@StrickerNonpro) March 18, 2026

The U.K. Defense Ministry offered its latest war update.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia was hit by Iranian missiles.

Researcher Tal Inbar shared dramatic video of an Iranian Khrramshahr missile with about 80 bomblets exploding near his home in Israel.

More images and videos are emerging of damage caused by Iranian attacks to U.S. facilities in the region.

A hangar on the apron area used by the U.S. Air Force at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia was hit.

The U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain appears to have been heavily damaged.

New images show heavy damage inside NSA Bahrain, headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, after weeks of pummeling by Iranian drone and missile attacks. pic.twitter.com/NUevp2lfvp

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 18, 2026

There is also new imagery of damage to Iranian facilities.

The loud brrrrrt of an A-10 Warthog close attack jet’s GAU-8 Avenger 30mm cannon

can be heard as it strafes Iranian-backed militias in Kirkuk, Iraq.

During her testimony to the Senate, Gabbard reminded that the U.S. intelligence community last year warned that Iran had the capacity to shut down the Strait.

Wyden to Gabbard: “Last year, your agencies testified that ‘Iran’s large conventional forces are capable of inflicting substantial damage to an attacker, executing region strikes and disrupting shipping, particularly energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.’ In other words,… pic.twitter.com/mjHZvpt3Ce

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 18, 2026

Gabbard also said that the “regime in Iran appears to be intact but largely degreated by Operation Epic Fury.”

“The regime in Iran appears to be intact but largely degraded by Operation Epic Fury.” – DNI Gabbard in opening testimony

— Alex Ward (@alexbward) March 18, 2026

At the same hearing, CIA Director John Ratcliffe testified that Iran has been a constant threat and “posed an immediate threat at this time.”

In prepared written remarks for the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee hearing into the war, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard wrote that as “a result of Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was obliterated. There has been no efforts since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability.”

She added that “the entrances to the underground facilities that were bombed have been buried and shuttered with cement. We continue to monitor for any early indicators on what position the current or any new leadership in Iran will take with regard to authorizing a nuclear weapons program.”

‼️ Tulsi Gabbard: Even if the regime remains intact, the IC is that internal tensions are likely Tom increase as #Iran’s economy worsens .. If a hostile regime survives, it will likely seek to begin a years long effort to rebuild its military, missiles and UAVs. pic.twitter.com/SdgCmh3GX7

— Hiba Nasr (@HibaNasr) March 18, 2026

A day after killing two top Iranian officials, Israel claimed it killed another one in an airstrike on Wednesday.

“Overnight (Wednesday), the Israeli Air Force, acting on IDF intelligence, eliminated the Iranian terrorist regime Minister of Intelligence, Esmaeil Khatib, in a targeted strike in Tehran,” the IDF stated. 

Khatib had been appointed Minister of Intelligence by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in 2021, the IDF explained. In his role, Khatib oversaw the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, the regime’s primary intelligence organization.

There was no immediate response from Iran and The War Zone cannot independently verify this claim.

🔴ELIMINATED: Esmaeil Khatib, the Iranian terrorist regime Minister of Intelligence, in a targeted strike in Tehran.

Khatib played a significant role during the recent protests throughout Iran, including the arrest & killing of protestors and led terrorist activities against… pic.twitter.com/654lpYCZ1c

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 18, 2026

The killing of two top Iranian leaders in an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday. won’t affect the regime, say officials in Tehran who confirmed the deaths and vowed revenge.

As we reported yesterday, Israel killed Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and the regime’s effective leader as well as Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij paramilitary unit for the past 6 years.

“Iran’s response to the assassination of the secretary of the supreme national security council will be decisive and regrettable,” Iranian Army commander Amir Hatami said after Tehran confirmed Larjani’s death.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that the Islamic Republic is built to withstand shocks and no single figure can destabilise the system.

Iran’s FM Abbas Araghchi is pushing back after the killings of top officials Ali Larijani and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani, saying the Islamic Republic is built to withstand shocks and no single figure can destabilise the system.

Full interview ➡️ https://t.co/YnwMAQZUhP pic.twitter.com/gKJjAXlvfG

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 18, 2026

Israel said it will ramp up attacks on Iranian leaders.

“We have authorized the IDF to eliminate any Iranian official once a “targeting circle” has been closed on them, without the need for additional approval,” said Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Israeli Defense Minister Katz:

Significant surprises are expected today across all fronts that will escalate the war to a new level.

We have authorized the IDF to eliminate any Iranian official once a “targeting circle” has been closed on them, without the need for additional… pic.twitter.com/MqyrTsHskS

— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 18, 2026

Bloomberg News posited that Iran “is running on autopilot” in the wake of attacks on its leadership.

Larijani’s funeral drew huge crowds in Tehran.

Iran’s Basij paramilitary forces, whose leader was recently assassinated by Israel as we noted above, continues to hide under bridges, according to a video submitted to Iran International, the London-based, Persian language media outlet.

A Basij checkpoint on the Karaj-Tehran highway was operating under a bridge in western Tehran over fears of Israeli strikes, a citizen said in a video sent to Iran International. pic.twitter.com/J2TWO5d4Xd

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) March 18, 2026

Israel also said it killed a Hamas commander in Gaza.

The IDF says it killed a Hamas commander in the Gaza Strip yesterday who advanced the terror group’s “precision missile project.”

The strike killed Yahya Abu Labda, a commander in Hamas’s supply and logistics department.

The military says Abu Labda was responsible for the… pic.twitter.com/aWCnyFnCss

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 18, 2026

With future Iranian threats in mind, NATO is deploying a second Patriot missile-defense system to Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base to bolster the alliance’s air defenses.

“In addition to the measures taken at the national level to ensure the security of our airspace and citizens, another Patriot system assigned by the Allied Air Command in Ramstein/Germany to the existing Spain Patriot system stationed in Adana is being deployed in Adana,” Turkey’s Defense Ministry announced. Adana is the home of Incirlik.

Since March 4, NATO air-defense systems in the eastern Mediterranean have intercepted three missiles launched from Iran toward Turkish airspace, Bloomberg News noted. “The attacks were likely designed to test the alliance’s capacity to respond,” people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg earlier.

“NATO can confirm that it has deployed another Patriot air defence system to Türkiye. It joins two others, including one Spain has deployed there for over a decade,” a NATO official told us. “While we cannot provide additional details about the deployment for operational security purposes, the system provides additional capability to further strengthen NATO’s defensive posture against any potential threat, as Iran continues its indiscriminate attacks across the region.”

Hava sahamızın ve vatandaşlarımızın güvenliğini sağlamak amacıyla millî düzeyde alınan tedbirlerin yanı sıra Adana’da konuşlu mevcut İspanya Patriot sistemine ilave olarak Ramstein/Almanya’daki Müttefik Hava Komutanlığı tarafından görevlendirilen bir Patriot sistemi daha Adana’da… pic.twitter.com/FmO8NuK0ti

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) March 18, 2026

CENTCOM released its latest update on Epic Fury. The command said that so far, it has struck more than 7,800 targets, flown more than 8,000 combat sorties and destroyed or damaged more than 120 Iranian ships.

CENTCOM released video showing targeting pod footage of a U.S. combat aircraft dropping bombs on the entrance of an Iranian missile base tunnel.

Targeting pod footage of an American fighter dropping a stack of bombs into the entrance of an Iranian missile base tunnel last Friday night. pic.twitter.com/c4MKweiRD1

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 18, 2026

Dubai officials confirmed the nation’s air defenses carried out an undisclosed number of “interception operations, with no injuries reported.”

Authorities in Dubai confirm the success of all air interception operations, with no injuries reported. Please rely on official sources for updates.

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) March 18, 2026

The U.S. Navy’s America class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli and San Antonio class amphibious warfare ship USS New Orleans were most recently spotted off the coast of Malaysia near Port Klang, according to open source investigator MT Anderson.

The ships were “pushing NW through the Strait of Malacca completely unescorted,” he noted.

As we previously reported, the Tripoli was ordered by the Pentagon to head toward the Middle East. The vessel is the centerpiece of an Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) that typically includes an assault ship, two transport docks, and a support vessel that carries an embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) of at least 2,200 Marines.

THE NAKED SPRINT: Tripoli ARG Transits Malacca Unescorted

OSINT Update (MAR 17): The USS Tripoli (LHA-7) and USS New Orleans are currently off the coast of Malaysia near Port Klang, pushing NW through the Strait of Malacca completely unescorted.

If current AIS tracks are to be… https://t.co/eUvfSHz7pZ pic.twitter.com/kObU2LPzCi

— MT Anderson (@MT_Anderson) March 18, 2026

Though the deployment of the Tripoli has sparked speculation that the U.S. could invade Iran’s Kharg Island or attempt to recover enriched uranium from Pickaxe Mountain, officials in Jerusalem are downplaying such possibilities.

“Despite numerous reports in recent days about a potential imminent and multi-sided US invasion of parts of Iran, including plans to retrieve 60% enriched uranium, The Jerusalem Post understands that these reports are exaggerated,” the publication reported. “It is still possible that the US could use ground forces in some fashion. But the images of a large-scale invasion and specifically the idea of an extended mission in Isfahan to retrieve the 60% enriched uranium, which is part of Iran’s nuclear program, do not appear to be in the cards, the Post has learned.”

EXCLUSIVE: Reports of large US invasion to seize Iran’s 60% enriched uranium buried under rubble at Isfahan which could be potentially used for nuclear weapons likely overblown: https://t.co/319qC42nn0

— Yonah Jeremy Bob (@jeremybob1) March 18, 2026

An Iranian strike “impacted an area at the Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, where the Australian Defense Force (ADF) has a long‑standing presence,” Australia’s Defense Ministry announced on X. “No ADF personnel were injured in the incident, and all ADF personnel deployed to the Middle East are safe and accounted for. The strike resulted in minor damage to an accommodation block and medical facility in the Australian section of the base.”

Statement on strikes on Al Minhad Air Base

On the morning of 18 March 2026 (AEDT), an Iranian strike impacted an area at the Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, where the Australian Defence Force (ADF) has a long‑standing presence.

No ADF personnel were injured in… pic.twitter.com/mNdcfOYgPx

— Defence Australia (@DefenceAust) March 18, 2026

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com

Ellis has been a hit for Channel 5 and one star has opened up about returning for a potential third series

Channel 5’s Ellis has been a huge hit with viewers and as series two of the gripping drama comes to an end, fans have been left wondering if it will return for another series.

Season 1 first appeared on our TV screens back in 2024 and at the time it became a hit with detective drama fans, who couldn’t get enough of the drama.

It was a hit after featuring the UK’s first black solo female-led as award-winning actress Sharon D Clarke led the cast. After the success of Series 1, Channel 5 viewers were treated to another season that aired last week.

Fan once again saw DCI Ellis (Sharon D Clarke) and DS Harper (Andrew Gower) investigate the disappearance of a local boy, a murder that brought up a lot of old grudges and the death of a student who was found crushed underneath scaffolding. As the show came to an end tonight, everyone has been left wondering if Ellis and Harper make a return to our screens again.

As of now, Channel 5 are yet to confirm whether the show will continue, however, the good news as Andrew Gower, who plays DS Harper, is very keen to return to his role and the show.

When speaking to Radio Times on the idea of him filming the show again, he said: “Oh yeah, that’s a very easy ‘yes’. To work with Sharon and to keep giving life to Harper and Ellis.”

He continued: “I’ll keep reiterating this but it’s the audience, they always say it’s all about the audience, right? If we can keep entertaining audiences and they keep wanting more, then that’s what we’ll do with Ellis.

“I think the more series we have or the more episodes we have – films, whatever people call them – then that means that we’re doing something right and that means that this relationship can grow.”

The star added: “At some point maybe grow apart to come together, whatever. That’s the exciting thing about British detective shows, there’s scope where you can build from one series to however many. Long may it continue.”

Talking about the legacy of the detective drama, co-star Sharon D Clarke previously said: “The thing I love the most about Ellis is that she is on our screens! I love playing Ellis because I didn’t grow up seeing anybody like her on my television screen.

“So that is my joy, that this is a first, and I am getting to lead that brigade and hopefully pass that baton on to people coming behind me. We’ve waited a long time, but we’re here, and we’re here to stay.”

Channel 5 has since confirmed what show will be replacing Ellis next week in the 9pm slot on Tuesday night. On Tuesday, (March 24) the network will air Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards, a feature-length drama starring Martin Clunes, Osian Morgan, Sian Reese Williams, and Jason Hughes.

Channel 5 said: “Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards is a major, feature-length factual drama exploring the story of how a vulnerable 17-year-old boy was groomed by one of the most powerful figures in television – Huw Edwards.

“Starring Martin Clunes (Doc Martin, Wuthering Heights, Manhunt) as Edwards, the drama explores the newsreader’s double life as it spirals out of control, leading to his total exit from public life following his conviction for making indecent images of children.”

Ellis is available to stream on Channel 5