Thursday, March 19, 2026

The Target boycott is personal

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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Thu Mar 19 2026

Nicole Fallert
Newsletter Writer & SEO Editor

Welcome to the Daily Briefing. Start with these stories:

•	Oil prices jumped after a major Iran gas field was attacked.
•	See nationwide detention centers with this ICE warehouse tracker.
•	Sexual assault allegations surround Cesar Chavez's legacy.

Nicole Fallert here, bringing you the news to know on Thursday, from efforts to starve Target's business to some major news for fans of the "Big Little Lies" books and series.

Target back in the boycott bullseye

When Target scrapped its DEI policies shortly after President Donald Trump took office, boycotts sprang up across the country. From church pulpits to community gatherings, the policy U-turn was widely viewed by some as a betrayal of Black Americans who had propped up the retail giant's fortunes.

The national uproar had mostly died down. Atlanta pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant claimed victory and declared his yearlong Target fast was over.

But his announcement set off fireworks . At a hastily convened press conference in front of Target's Minneapolis headquarters, grassroots activists denounced Bryant and told the world the nationwide boycott over the company's rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion was not his to end.

More news to know now

•	Markwayne Mullin Senate hearing. Trump's pick for a replacement DHS secretary said ICE agents under his leadership won't enter homes or businesses without a judicial warrant unless chasing a suspect inside. At the start of his confirmation hearing, Mullin was confronted by Rand Paul on his comments on an attack in Paul's backyard.
•	Quitting Ozempic? New research shows people who quit taking popular GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic might not only gain back lost weight. They also might be jeopardizing their heart health.
•	These Gen Z men grew up with porn. Many young men who grew up with smartphones and unrestricted internet access say they encountered porn early and frequently. Some now describe themselves as addicted.

March Madness tips off

Miami of Ohio makes it!

Miami (OH) RedHawks guard Luke Skaljac (3) celebrates a 89-79 win against Southern Methodist University on March 18, 2026.

Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer, Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Go get that extra TV from storage. First-round action in the men's NCAA tournament begins Thursday, with more than a dozen games to on the schedule. And Miami of Ohio is in after a First Four win last night. The women's First Four continues tonight, too.

Books

Big little book news

There will be more. Bestselling author Liane Moriarty has announced "Big Little Truths," a sequel set 10 years after the events of "Big Little Lies." In the new book coming Aug. 25, the women will return, but it's their children, now teens, who lead the story. In an exclusive interview with USA TODAY, Moriarty shares what she's excited for fans to see in the next book and season of the HBO series.

Before you go

•	Who won and lost in the WNBA's new labor deal?
•	More women over 40 are having kids.
•	"Bachelorette" Taylor Frankie Paul says it "sucks to be known as 'crazy girl.'"