By Sandee LaMotte, CNN

(CNN) — Leafy greens such as spinach and perennial kid favorites such as strawberries and grapes held the highest levels of potentially harmful pesticide residues based on government tests, according to the 2026 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce.

Nectarines, peaches, cherries, apples, blackberries, pears, potatoes and blueberries filled out this year’s “Dirty Dozen” most pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables, according to the report released Tuesday by the Environmental Working Group, or EWG, a health advocacy organization.

Spinach, which holds the top spot, had more pesticide residue by weight than any other type of produce and contained, on average, four or more different types of pesticides, according to EWG, which has published the annual report since 2004.

Samples of every produce type averaged four or more pesticides, except for potatoes, which averaged two. Consuming produce with multiple pesticides is concerning, experts say, because exposure to mixtures of pesticides may accumulate and raise risk.

To do the report, EWG examined the most recent pesticide residue tests conducted by the US Department of Agriculture on 54,344 samples of 47 fruits and vegetables.

Before the USDA examines each sample, the fruit or vegetable is peeled or scrubbed and thoroughly washed to mimic consumer behavior at home. Even after taking those steps, testing found traces of 264 pesticides — of those, 203 appeared on Dirty Dozen produce.

Health impacts of pesticides

Pesticides have been potentially linked in past studies to premature births, congenital malformations such as neural tube defects, spontaneous abortions and an increase in genetic damage in humans. Exposure to pesticides has also been associated with lower sperm concentrations, heart disease, cancer and other disorders.

Children are especially susceptible to contaminants such as pesticides, even while in the womb, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Pesticide exposure during pregnancy may lead to an increased risk of birth defects, low birth weight and fetal death,” according to the AAP. “Exposure in childhood has been linked to attention and learning problems, as well as cancer.”

The Alliance for Food and Farming, which represents organic and conventional produce farmers, has been a long-standing critic of the annual report.

Prior reports by the USDA and the Read more

By Jessie Yeung, CNN

(CNN) — US President Donald Trump’s about-face on his ultimatum for Iran has taken the heat off oil prices – even as Tehran denied his claims that the two countries had spoken.

The five-day pause on Trump’s strike threat has given some breathing space for potential talks, though Iran and Israel are still trading strikes while violence against Palestinians rises in the occupied West Bank.

Here’s what to know on Day 25.

What are the main headlines?

• Trump postpones threat: Trump paused his threat to strike Iran’s power plants for five days after he claimed the US and Iran reached “major points of agreement” in talks over the weekend – though it’s not clear who the US is negotiating with within the Iranian leadership.
• Iran’s denial: Iran’s foreign ministry said there was “no dialogue” between Tehran and Washington, according to state affiliated media. They dismissed Trump’s claim as an attempt to lower energy prices and buy time for his military plans. One senior military adviser to the supreme leader said the war will continue until Tehran receives full compensation for damage it has sustained.
• Diplomatic efforts: Countries continue pushing for a diplomatic solution to the war, with Pakistan offering to host talks involving Iran, Israel and the US. Turkey’s foreign minister spoke to more than a dozen regional and global counterparts over the past 48 hours, discussing efforts to end the war. The president of the European Commission said Tuesday it was “time to go to the negotiation table and end the hostilities” in Iran.
• Israel’s response: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Trump believes there is an opportunity to turn military gains into an agreement that would “safeguard our vital interests.” However, Netanyahu said Israel will continue attacks in Iran and Lebanon.
• Markets react: Asian stocks rallied Tuesday and global oil prices plummeted after Trump’s announcement – offering relief after several days of climbing oil prices and turbulent markets.

What’s happening on the ground?

• Iran plans strikes: Tehran is planning for potential military action targeting Tel Aviv and some regional allies of the US and Israel, Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported Monday, citing what it described as informed Iranian sources.
• Israel hits Tehran: The Israeli military said on Monday it carried out a “wide-scale wave of strikes” on Iranian infrastructure, including striking one of the main headquarters of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, alongside several other military buildings in Tehran.
• West Bank violence: Israel is diverting a combat battalion from its northern border with Lebanon to the occupied West Bank amid a wartime surge in settler violence against Palestinians, according to an Israeli military official. Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights group, said there has been an average of 10 settler attacks per day on Palestinians since the start of March.

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The post What we know on Day 25 of the US and Israel’s war wi

* WHAT…Temperatures between 86 and 94 expected.

* WHERE…San Luis Obispo County Beaches, San Luis Obispo County
Inland Central Coast, Santa Barbara County Central Coast Beaches,
Santa Barbara County Inland Central Coast, Santa Lucia Mountains,
and Santa Ynez Valley.

* WHEN…Until 8 PM PDT Tuesday.

* IMPACTS…There is a high risk for heat illness for sensitive
populations including the very young, the very old, those without
air conditioning, and those active outdoors.
Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of
the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.

To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in
shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat
should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an
emergency! Call 9 1 1.

The post Heat Advisory issued March 23 at 7:55PM PDT until March 24 at 8:00PM PDT by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

Por Michael Williams, CNN

Decenas de miles de dólares de los contribuyentes se gastaron en peluquería y maquillaje y en un caballo para el anuncio que mostraba a la secretaria saliente del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional, Kristi Noem, frente al Monte Rushmore, según facturas vistas por CNN.

Las facturas al Strategy Group, un subcontratista del DHS que produjo el anuncio, muestran que los contribuyentes asumieron una factura de US$ 20.000 para un caballo de carreras de barriles con sede en Dakota del Sur, junto con casi US$ 4.000 por servicios de peluquería y maquillaje. Las facturas fueron enviadas por el subcontratista en respuesta a una solicitud de los senadores Peter Welch y Richard Blumenthal y compartidas con CNN el lunes.

Al convertirse en secretaria del DHS en 2025, Noem se comprometió a erradicar el gasto derrochador de su agencia. La secretaria instituyó estrictas medidas de control de costos y reforzó su control sobre las finanzas de la agencia federal de gestión de desastres del país.

Pero, al mismo tiempo, el DHS gastó cantidades exorbitantes de dinero en campañas publicitarias en las que Noem aparecía de forma destacada, como parte de una política publicitaria más amplia del departamento que costó más de US$ 200 millones. Ese gasto fue la base de varias preguntas que recibió de los legisladores durante un par de audiencias en el Congreso a principios de este mes.

Bajo el interrogatorio del senador republicano John Kennedy, Noem dijo que el presidente Donald Trump aprobó el gasto. Trump negó haberlo hecho y, poco después de que Noem hiciera esa afirmación, el presidente anunció que ella dejaría el DHS a finales de este mes. Trump eligió a Markwayne Mullin para reemplazar a Noem.

Consultado por CNN para obtener comentarios, el DHS respondió con un comunicado que no abordó los gastos específicos, pero señaló que el departamento “no puede ni determina, controla o interviene en a quién contratan o utilizan los contratistas para cumplir los términos del contrato”.

Las facturas compartidas con CNN mostraron que el Strategy Group —cuyo director ejecutivo es el esposo de quien fuera la principal portavoz de Noem— acumuló más de US$ 100.000 en costos de mano de obra, junto con un “bono de firma” de US$ 60.000 para producir el anuncio. Aproximadamente US$ 50.000 se gastaron en proveedores de videografía, fotografía y producción.

“Esto me parece despilfarro, fraude y abuso”, dijo Welch en un comunicado. “Mientras dirigía el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional, Kristi Noem y su equipo directivo permitieron que se gastaran decenas de miles de dólares de los contribuyentes en un derroche de costos de producción, un dudoso bono de firma y un caballo muy caro —y eso es solo lo que sabemos hasta ahora”.

CNN se ha puesto en contacto con el Strategy Group para solicitar comentarios. La empresa anteriormente ha rechazado las gestiones de Welch y Blumenthal y los ha acusado de tergiversar el gasto en el anuncio.

El anuncio de 60 segundos, que se filmó en octubre, muestra a Noem montando un caballo de color castaño mientras lleva un sombrero vaquero y zahones frente a Monte Rushmore. “¿Por qué amo estos espacios abiertos? Me recuerdan por qué nuestros antepasados vinieron aquí. No solo por su belleza, sino por la libertad que solo Estado

By Sarah Ferris, Morgan Rimmer, Ted Barrett, Alison Main, CNN

(CNN) — Top Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill believe their party is unified behind a plan to reopen the Department of Homeland Security. Now, they need to sell the plan to Democrats.

Republican lawmakers emerged from a White House meeting on Monday night with a plan to fund DHS — all except a small portion of the immigration enforcement budget, in a concession to Democrats. Then, once that’s passed, Republicans plan to muscle through a partisan bill without Democratic votes to fund the rest of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency — as well as new policies in President Donald Trump’s long-sought voter ID bill.

That plan, which was described to CNN by a person familiar with the talks, has not yet been accepted by Democrats. But key Democrats said they were pleased with the direction, even without knowing all of the details. And the top Senate GOP spending leader, Sen. Susan Collins, told reporters she was “optimistic we’re on a good track.” While Trump had previously rejected a similar idea, Republicans now feel the president is on board, that person said. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.

Trump said Sunday he did not want to make a deal on DHS funding unless Democrats back the voter ID bill known as the “SAVE America Act” – despite the fact that supporting the bill is a nonstarter for Democrats.

Trump was presented Sunday with a proposal to fund every part of the department except enforcement operations by ICE, two sources familiar with the conversations told CNN, but Trump rejected the idea as he took to Truth Social to attack Democrats for not backing the voter ID bill.

If Senate Democrats do agree, it could put Congress on a path to ending the nearly 40-day shutdown of DHS that has left federal workers, like TSA officers, without pay. The funding deal would still need to go to the House, where GOP leaders would need to navigate a tight majority. Then Republicans would face an arduous few weeks crafting another major immigration bill — with both ICE funding and pieces of Trump’s contentious voter ID bill — all just months before a critical midterm election.

Sen. Chris Murphy, a senior Democrat, said he believed funding DHS without that money for ICE enforcement would be the “easiest way” forward.

“Let’s keep working on ICE [reforms] and let’s open everything else up,” Murphy said. “As I leave tonight, that still seems like the most likely path this week.”

“I don’t know the details, but I really like the direction we’re heading. Okay? Good to get this resolved,” Democratic Sen. Peter Welch told CNN about the emerging deal on DHS.

He said Democrats have already made significant strides by helping to force former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem out of a job as well as other changes.

“The fact is, we’ve made significant progress. Noem is gone. That’s a big deal. She was reckless, lawless, corrupt. That’s big progress. Number two, ICE is out of Minneapolis. We owe that basically, to the brave citizens in Minneapolis who, in the face of enormous violence, stood up to protect their neighbors. And then you’re seeing out of the White House an acknowledgement that this mass roundup policy is way over the top.”

The Democrats’ top spending leader, Sen. Patty Murray, declined to speak on the potential deal, saying only: “I want to see the language.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, leaving the Capitol Monday night, would only say “both sides are talking in a serious way.”

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