Top World News

Mar 14, 2026 - World

The World Anti-Doping Agency is considering a rule change that could attempt to bar President Donald Trump and other top U.S. officials from attending the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics over a long-running dispute involving unpaid American dues.The Associated Press reported Friday that the proposal is on the agenda for next week’s executive committee meeting and stems from years of tension after the U.S. government withheld funding in protest of the agency’s handling of a string of high-profile doping cases, including one involving Chinese swimmers. “The Associated Press learned of the agenda item through correspondence it obtained between WADA and European officials involved in the agency's decision-making,” according to the news agency’s report. “Two others with knowledge of the agenda confirmed the existence of the rules proposal to AP; they were not authorized to speak publicly about the agenda, which has not been released publicly.”But WADA spokesperson James Fitzgerald said “there is nothing new here,” noting similar discussions about governments withholding funding have been underway since 2020, AP said. If adopted, the rule could also have implications for other international events hosted by the U.S., such as this summer’s World Cup. A draft proposal would apply restrictions to officials from governments that fail to pay dues by a set deadline.“The rule, if passed, would figure to be mostly symbolic, given the limits an international sports federation could have on the president of a country attending an event inside his own borders,” according to AP.Sarah Carter, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said the MAGA administration will continue “to stand firm in our demand for accountability and transparency from WADA to ensure fair competition in sport.”

Mar 13, 2026 - World

Vice President JD Vance tried to evade a question about his real thoughts on the war in Iran on Friday. Vance was taking questions from reporters following his speech in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, where he campaigned for GOP candidates in a district Republicans were hoping to flip. Associated Press reporter Bill Barrow asked the vice president what advice he gave the president regarding military strikes and the economic fallout, including surging gas prices."Did you express any concerns like those you've expressed in the past on the possibility of those extended wars?" Barrow asked. Vance refused to directly say whether he supports the joint U.S.-Israeli war in Iran. "We're in the Situation Room, where you can't even take your iPod in there, or your AirPods, I guess what they're called, you can't take your iPhone in there, you can't take anything in there — because it is the most classified space anywhere in the world," Vance said. "And I sit there with Pete Hegseth, and Gen. Caine, and Marco Rubio, and the entire White House team, and the president and I, and the entire senior team are talking about the options and about what we need to do and how we must best protect the American people," Vance added. "I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not going to show up here in front of God and everybody else and tell you exactly what I said in that classified room partially because I don't wanna go to prison and partially because I think it's important for the President of the United States to talk to his advisors without those advisors running their mouth to the American media."Insiders have reported that Vance, who was a public affairs officer during the Iraq war and served from 2003 to 2007, has remained skeptical about the military operation. He has previously criticized wars in the Middle East. Q: “What did you advise the president initially as he considered his actions in Iran?”Vance: “I’m not gonna show up here and in front of God, and everybody else tell you exactly what I said in that classified room, partially because I don't wanna go to prison.” pic.twitter.com/wqcuc5hJO2— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) March 13, 2026

Mar 13, 2026 - World

Bolivian interior ministry says Sebastián Marset is being extradited to US, where he’s wanted for money launderingSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxSebastián Marset, an alleged Uruguayan drug trafficker and one of South America’s most wanted criminals, has been arrested in Bolivia.Marset, 34, is accused of trafficking tonnes of cocaine from South America to Europe, and also of having ordered the murder of a Paraguayan prosecutor who was shot dead as he honeymooned on a Colombian beach in 2022. Continue reading...

Mar 13, 2026 - World

Oscar, Ana and their children fled violence for safety in the US. Now Oscar, afraid and alone, is back in Honduras – ‘at the mercy of God and his will’ As soon as Oscar’s deportation flight landed at the La Lima airport in Honduras, he put on his baseball cap. On the airport shuttle toward the terminal, he pulled his cap even lower – trying to obscure his face at various police checkpoints.His parents picked him up in a car, and drove him to a lodging they had arranged for him – miles away from his family home. He has hardly stepped outside since. “Because I can’t trust anyone – not the authorities, not the government, not a police officer,” he said. He has visited his mother a handful of times since the US deported him three weeks ago, and only under the cover of night. “They will kill anyone here. There is death everywhere.” Continue reading...

Mar 13, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump must address a challenge with one group of voters, a CNN analyst said Friday. As midterms approach, Trump needs to focus on independents, the group most divided on the joint U.S.-Israeli war in Iran, political commentator and CNN host Michael Smerconish told anchor Wolf Blitzer. "I see that largely it's a referendum on the commander in chief," Smerconish said. "Republicans overwhelmingly supportive of the efforts, supportive of the president; Democrats in equal numbers, in opposition. The tie breakers are the independents, and that's why, by a relatively slim margin, I see the war effort as being underwater." He argued that the upcoming elections would reveal how Americans support both the president and the conflict in the Middle East, something that the Trump administration should focus its messaging around. He also suggested the White House needs to shift its approach toward explaining why the military strikes were happening. "It needs to be sold more about policy than the personality of the president," Smerconish said. "I think what they need to say is, look, for half a century religious fanatics who rule in another country have sworn our destruction. 'Death to America, death to Israel.' We're just not going to let them have a nuclear weapon. And I'd repeat it and repeat it and repeat it."