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The Short List

Thu Mar 19 2026

Phaedra Trethan | National Correspondent

@wordsbyphaedra

👋🏼 Hi there! I'm Phaedra Trethan, looking forward to spring after a long, cold, snowy winter. 🌼 🌱 🌸 🌿

In Thursday's news:

•	Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth wants billions more to fund the war against Iran as gas prices rose again. The latest developments.
•	As activists grapple with revelations about alleged abuses by labor icon Cesar Chavez, another question arises: What to do about streets, libraries, schools, monuments and parks that honor him?
•	The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady, as rising gas prices fuel Americans' fears about affordability.

But first: Not into basketball? It's OK. We've got you covered with the cutest bracket ever made. 🥹

Escalation in Iran?

Pete Hegseth said he'll seek $200 billion for the Pentagon to keep the U.S.-Israel war going , while gas prices reached an average of $3.90 a gallon nationwide and oil prices surged globally after Israel attacked an Iranian gas field. President Donald Trump, even as he tried to distance the U.S. from the Israeli strike, called Hegseth's request "a small price to pay" and threatened additional U.S. strikes if Iran continues to attack its neighbors. The latest updates.

•	Watch: What Trump said about putting American boots on the ground.
•	Intelligence chiefs continued to testify before a congressional committee about threats to the U.S.
•	Watch: News conference at the Pentagon on the Iran war.
•	The U.S. and Iran have a long and complicated relationship. What to know about the history.
•	Watch: How Iran's leaders fostered anti-U.S. sentiment

A foreign tanker carrying Iraqi fuel oil was damaged in attacks that targeted two foreign tankers near Basra, Iraq, March 12, 2026.

Mohammed Aty, REUTERS

Reckoning over an icon's legacy

Streets, schools and parks are named for him. Three states celebrate his birthday as a holiday, with libraries and state government offices closing. He's been honored by U.S. presidents with the Medal of Freedom.

For decades, Cesar Chavez has been revered for his work on behalf of farm workers and Mexican and Latino rights. But horrifying revelations of rape and abuse of children and of his fellow activist Dolores Huerta this week have left many reeling — and wondering how to balance Chavez's legacy of fighting for justice for working people against the terrible allegations against him.

•	Watch: Dolores Huerta spoke out after decades of silence.
•	The United Farm Workers, founded by Huerta and Chavez, reacts to the allegations.
•	Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass addresses what will happen to sites named for Chavez.

American union leader Cesar Chavez attends a Labour Party press conference in the UK on Sept. 17, 1974.

Les Lee, Getty Images

Real quick

•	The Pulse nightclub was demolished nearly a decade after a gunman killed 49 people there.
•	Joseph Duggar, who was a child when his family was featured on TLC's "19 Kids and Counting," was arrested and accused of molesting a child.
•	The body of an American college student who'd gone missing in Barcelona has been found.
•	The U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched a pair of new, out-of-this-world websites. 👽

Fed holds💲teady

The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged amid an uncertain economic outlook, with potential impacts from the Iran war, oil and gas price increases and mixed signals on the U.S. labor market. What else Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said about the agency's future — and his own.

•	Eating in or taking out? More Americans are making meals at home. Here's why. 🍽️
•	Eet mor chikin? Why beef prices are so high — and why they won't be coming down anytime soon. 🐄 🍔 🥩
•	Worried about your job? You're not alone. We tracked WARN notices across the U.S.
•	Moving to a new city? How to really judge the cost of living there. 🚚

Jerome Powell speaks at press conference

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a press conference following the Federal Open Markets Committee meeting at the Federal Reserve on March 18, 2026 in Washington, DC. Powell announced the Federal Reserve's latest interest rate decision to keep rates unchanged at a range of 3.5 percent to 3.75 percent.

Anna Moneymaker, Getty Images

Where's the party? 🎉 🏠 🍻

This Gen Xer might collapse into a pile of dust before I finish writing this item, so if I do, it's been a good run. 👵🏼

Here goes: Apparently, Gen Z isn't familiar with yet another staple of our free-range upbringing, the house party . Add that to drinking from the hose, staying outside from dawn to dusk and parents who trusted us to solve our own problems, resolve our own disputes, cook our own meals and let ourselves into the empty house after school. Instead, large house parties (risky though they were, with tons of unsupervised teens, often with ill-gotten booze and few rules) are rare for Gen Z and instead, their social gatherings are smaller, with parents present and risky behavior absent.

A break from the news

•	The American Kennel Club named its top 10 dog breeds. Our pit-boxer mutt feels snubbed. 🐶
•	You've heard of "girl dinner." Now there's "boy kibble." 🧆
•	Love national parks but not crowds? These are the most- and least-visited parks across the U.S. 🏞️

Phaedra Trethan is a national correspondent at USA TODAY. She'd love to hear from readers about The Short List, story ideas from across the nation and your favorite national parks. Email her at ptrethan@usatoday.com.