For: March 16, 2026
>>Watching Wall Street
(New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed out the week in negative territory on Friday. Stocks extended losses as investors kept an eye on the Iran war and its impact on the economy. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones lost 119 points to 46-558. The S&P 500 fell 40 points to 66-32. The Nasdaq dropped 206 points to 22-105.
>>Report: Trump To Announce International Escorts For Strait Of Hormuz
(Washington, DC) -- President Trump is expected to announce an international coalition to escort oil tankers and other commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. The economically-critical strait is a major transport corridor for oil and has been effectively closed by Iran since the U.S. and Israel attacked two weeks ago. U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal that the announcement could come this week. Meantime, oil prices have jumped and the average cost of gas in the U.S. has spiked 70 cents a gallon.
>>Gas Prices Continue To Climb
(Heathrow, FL) -- Gas prices are on the rise to start the week. The national average for a gallon of regular has jumped to three-dollars and 71 cents a gallon, according to Triple-A. A week ago, the national average was three-47. Drivers in California continue facing the highest prices in the nation at five-dollars and 52-cents a gallon today.
>>Airline CEO Ask Congress To Pay TSA
(Washington, DC) -- Ten airline CEOs are asking Congress to pay Transportation Security Administration workers during the partial government shutdown. They stressed in a letter on Sunday that it's a necessity for security officers and air traffic controllers to be paid, especially as the summer travel season approaches. TSA workers missed their first full paycheck last week as the Department of Homeland Security largely remains without funding. Democrats are refusing to fund the department until reforms are made to immigration enforcement. In the meantime, wait times at airports across the country have been going up as workers call in sick or find other jobs.
>>Federal Reserve To Announce Interest Rate Decision This Week
(Undated) -- Coming up in the business week ahead, the Federal Reserve is due to announce a decision on interest rates. The central bank is widely expected to hold its benchmark interest rate unchanged when it wraps up a two-day meeting on Wednesday. Fed Chair Jerome Powell will hold a press conference following the announcement. His remarks will be coming just days after a federal judge blocked subpoenas served against him by the Justice Department related to a renovation management probe. This all comes as President Trump has continued to pressure Powell to more aggressively lower interest rates.
>>Consumer Sentiment Declines In March
(Ann Arbor, MI) -- Consumer sentiment is hitting its lowest level of the year. The University of Michigan's early reading for March fell about two-percent from last month. Survey officials say gas prices and concerns about the impact of the U.S. military action in Iran are weighing on sentiment. Year-ahead inflation expectations ended six months of declines, stalling at three-and-a-half percent.
>>Amazon Raising Price For Ad Free Prime Video Subscription
(Seattle, WA) -- The price of an ad-free Prime Video subscription is going up. Amazon announced Friday upgrading to the ad-free tier will cost four-99 per month starting April 10th on top of the cost for an Amazon Prime subscription. The ad-free tier will be rebranded as Prime Video Ultra. It will allow users to stream on as many as five devices as the same time. Other perks include up to 100 downloads to watch offline as well as access to 4K/UHD quality streaming.
>>SiriusXM Do-Not-Call Settlement: Claim Filing Deadling Nears
(Washington, DC) -- Time is running out to file a claim in the SiriusXM do-not-call list settlement. It comes after a 2022 lawsuit claiming SiriusXM continued calling people who were on the National Do Not Call Registry or who directly asked the company to stop calling them. SiriusXM denied wrongdoing, but agreed to pay 28 million dollars to resolve the claims. The deadline to submit a claim is March 21st. A judge will consider final approval in May.
