Monday, March 16, 2026

Headlines from Hollywood's biggest night

Sunday's Academy Awards had it all: winners, losers, laughs, tears and surprises. ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌  ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ 
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The Short List

Mon Mar 16 2026

 

Phaedra Trethan National Correspondent

@wordsbyphaedra

👋🏼 Hi there! I'm Phaedra Trethan, a little tired from staying up too late watching Team USA beat the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. ⚾️ 🥱

In Monday's news:

Last night's Academy Awards had it all: history, emotional tributes, laughs and surprises. What you might have missed if you were watching baseball instead (cough! cough!) 🎬 🌟
President Donald Trump is asking allies for help with the U.S.-Israel war effort in Iran. What they're saying in response.
A weather system that brought blizzard conditions to the Great Lakes is moving to the East, sparking severe storms. ⛈️ 🌪️ ☔️

But first: Rachel Goldberg-Polin, one of USA TODAY's Women of the Year , talks to our Romina Ruiz-Goiriena about love, grief and connecting with people around the world over unimaginable loss.

Hollywood's biggest night

Winners and losers, laughs and tears, surprises and sure things: Sunday's Oscars had it all, and we broke it all down in case you missed any of it — or all of it.

Amy Madigan won an Oscar40 years after her first nomination. 👏🏼
Photos: The most stunning looks from the red carpet. 📸
The best and worst moments from the Oscars. 👍🏼 👎🏽
Inside the Oscars after-parties. 🎉 🍾
How Autumn Arkapaw made history at the Oscars. 🌟
And to think we knew him when he was Wallace: Michael B. Jordan is an Academy Award winner. 👏🏼

Awards Oscars

Host Conan O'Brien speaks at the start of the Oscars show at the 98th Academy Awards.

Mike Blake, REUTERS

Going it alone in Iran

President Donald Trump demanded more countries send help to secure the Strait of Hormuz, the strategically vital waterway through which much of the world's oil passes. As the U.S.-Israel war against Iran entered its 17th day, though, most of Europe's leaders are saying, basically, you're on your own here. Germany's defense minister Boris Pistorius told reporters, "This is not our war, and we didn't start it." Meanwhile, gas prices climbed higher and Trump, responding to Europeans' reluctance to get involved, doubled down on his go-it-alone attitude, saying, "We don't need them." The latest developments.

Watch: FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatened broadcasters over critical coverage of the war. 📺
Vice President JD Vance has some "different" views of the war from the president. Could this be a problem for Vance in 2028?
Watch: Trump talks about opening the Strait of Hormuz.
Photos: Dubai's airport was struck by Iranian drone attacks.

Real quick

Susie Wiles, President Trump's chief of staff, has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
An NBA superstar produced a documentary about the effect of Trump administration policies on transgender children and their families. 🎬 🏳️‍⚧️
A Colorado man lost his wife at a dangerous intersection. Less than two years later, he was killed there, too. 💔
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is taking aim at Amazon and the "Melania" movie. What the Democrat says about the deal.

Weather whiplash across the US

Hang onto your hat: March is a wild month for weather across the country, and this year is no different. So far we've seen wild swings in temperatures, from blizzards to near-record high temps, severe thunderstorms to droughts. March 1 marked the beginning of meteorological spring, when competing air masses and weather systems vie for control and we're all along for the ride. What's in store for this week.

Spring, real spring, will be here soon. The equinox, explained. 🌷 🌿
Watch: Wildfires are raging in Nebraska.
Power outages sparked by severe weather are spiking across the country. ⚡️

Syndication The Montgomery Advertiser

Work crews clear downed trees on Holtville Road north of Wetumpka, Ala., after early morning storms on Monday March 16, 2026.

Mickey Welsh/Montgomery Advertiser/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Let the madness begin! 🏀 🏀 🏀

Get those brackets out: The NCAA tournament is set and our experts have all the information you need to make your picks. (How you do with those picks is between you and the hoops gods.) You can also sign up for  USA TODAY's Bracket Challenge, and test your knowledge against our experts — and a chance to win up to $40,000 in prizes and a shot at a $1 million perfect bracket.

Our experts' picks for the men's tournament... ⛹🏽‍♂️
And the women's tournament ⛹🏻‍♀️
Beware of these bracket busters 🚫
Cinderella, the floor is yours... 💃
The men's bracket, downloadable and printable for your predicting pleasure.
And the women's bracket, also ready for you to download, print and predict.

Ncaa Basketball Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship Houston Vs Arizona

Mar 14, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) reacts after defeating the Houston Cougars during the men's Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images

William Purnell, William Purnell-Imagn Images

A break from the news

These wildflowers are giving scientists hope on adaptations to climate change. 🌺 🌱
A red fox spent about two weeks at sea. Somehow, he's doing fantastic. 🦊
Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day! Check out these photos of celebrations throughout the years. ☘️

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 March Madness picks. Email her at ptrethan@usatoday.com.

Low water levels in Lake Powell are apparent in this February 2026 image showing the end of a floating dock hanging off a cliff at Antelope Marina in Page, Arizona. Workers carved a new path to the water through the solid rock.

A $40 billion plan proposes massive desalination plants to save the Colorado River, but critics call it "crazy."

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) listens to U.S. President Donald Trump speaking during a lunch with the Kennedy Center board members in the East Room of the White House on March 16, 2026.
 

Trump reveal of lawmaker's terminal diagnosis causes awkward moment

Trump said retiring GOP Rep. Neal Dunn, R-Florida, would have been "dead by June" before he had White House doctors intervene.

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders Mohammad Alala his wife Dania both from Syria and their two U.S. born children Taim and Amr pose for a picture near their home in Miramar, Florida, U.S., January 24, 2018.
 

Can Trump deport migrants coming from dangerous conditions? SCOTUS to weigh in

The Trump administration argues courts can't review its decision to end a program that allows some immigrants to live and work temporarily in the U.S.

U.S. Postal Service carrier Amy Bezerra loads mail, including an Amazon package, into her delivery pouches along her route in suburban Denver.
 

Will the post office raise rates? Debate swirls over financial future

The U.S. Postal Service faces massive losses and may run out of money next year, prompting a congressional hearing and debate over its priorities.

FILE PHOTO -- A man waves a Cuban flag as emigres gather outside Versailles restaurant, in reaction to reports of protests in Cuba against its deteriorating economy, in Miami, Florida, U.S. July 18, 2021. REUTERS/Marco Bello
 

Cuba invites Cuban Americans to open up businesses on the island

Cuba says Cubans abroad – including Miami – can invest and own private businesses as talks with the US advance.

Monica Goods, an 11-year-old who died after a police chase in Ulster County in 2020
 

Ex-trooper convicted of manslaughter after child dies in chase

Monica Goods, an 11-year-old girl, was killed after her family's car was rammed while being pursued by the state trooper.

American dream
 

The American dream meant getting ahead. Now, it means staying afloat.

Young people's "American dream" looks different today, and they identified the major barriers preventing them from reaching it in a new survey.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on March 4, 2026 in Washington, DC.
 

Democrats refer Kristi Noem to DOJ for investigation into perjury

Top congressional Democrats referred evidence to the DOJ March 16 that they say indicates DHS Secretary Kristi Noem lied to Congress.

News out of Colorado
 

11-year-old faces murder charges for the death of 5-year-old brother

A 5-year-old in Colorado was killed in his home, and authorities suspect his older brother of the crime.

Smoke (Michael B. Jordan, center), flanked by brother Stack (also Jordan) and pal Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller), is wary of uninvited guests in the period horror film "Sinners."
 

The Oscars got it wrong. 'Sinners' will entertain us for generations.

"One Battle After Another" won best picture at the 98th Academy Awards. It's "Sinners," though, that will prove the most influential in Hollywood.

Play Your Way to a Relaxing Break

Unwind with crosswords and challenges that recharge you. 

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