The Daily News Drop Radio Report for Friday, March 20, 2026

0:00And now the Daily News Drop, topping our news today, American companies continue with low higher low fire. Applications for unemployment benefits hit a two-month low of 205,000 last week, as reported by the Labor Department. From the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, global markets and a defensive crouch this morning after oil prices surged to $119 a barrel. That spike follows a missile strike on a critical gas liquefocation facility and cutter. An event that has effectively frozen 10% of the world's natural gas exports overnight. President Trump calling for a de-escalation of attacks on energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf after Israel and Iran trade strikes. On the big board, all Wall Street markets in the red, the Dow was down 200 points in trading on Thursday, after hitting a fresh low for 2026. Bonds were up in trading as investors are seeking safety after the Fed's decision to stand pad on interest rates. Turning out of the heartland, the diesel drought is officially here. Farmers across the Midwest are reporting that fuel surcharges have nearly doubled in the last 72 hours, just as the critical spring planting window opens up.

1:04The White House is weighing another way to stop offshore wind farms. The New York Times reports senior administration officials are drafting settlement agreements that would pay nearly $1 billion to total energies. The French company behind two wind farms off the coast of New York and North Carolina. U.S. Department of Agriculture issuing a report this morning projecting a 15% drop in corn and soil yields if logistics don't stabilize by April. Compounding the issue is the ongoing TSA's SICK OUT, which has disrupted specialized air freight parts, needed for modern GPS guided tractors. On that note, TSA reports travel away times continue to climb as 10% of its workforce, roughly 2700 officers, called out SICK on Wednesday. That is five times higher than a typical day. Due to the ongoing government shutdown, staffing shortages are most severe in the airports. Of New Orleans, Atlanta and Houston. The partial government shutdown has dealt the economy $2.5 billion below. White House economist report that's on top of the $90 billion loss from the earlier government

2:06shutdown. With April 15, tax deadline quickly approaching the Internal Revenue Service is warning taxpayers about scammers, scams tend to spike during tax filing season, because people are already expecting communications regarding refunds, payments, or account information from the IRS. Customers are also becoming more sophisticated, using personal information or even artificial intelligence tools that mimic communications from trusted sources and institutions and individuals. Now to technology the Silicon war has a new front, micron technology shocking the NASDAQ futures this morning, with massive earnings driven entirely by demand for a high bandwidth memory chips used in artificial intelligence. That sent chip maker Nvidia shares tumbling 4% in pre-market trading today. While we wait for official confirmation, the message from Silicon Valley is clear, the race is no longer just about who has the best AI algorithm, but who owns the actual hardware to run it. The price of a first class stamp could soon hit 95 cents.

3:10Postmaster General Warning Congress at the Postal Service could run out of cash in less than a year, 78 cents is the current price for a stamp. If that is approved, the new pricing would take effect later on this year. And finally, a bit of business news that might actually help you power through the day. Craft Hines is betting we still want our childhood favorites, just with a gym goers twist. The company is officially launching Craft Power Mac, nationwide. It's the classic blue box you know, but it's been re-engineered, with 17 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. At $2.99 a box, it's a pricey upgrade from the original, but in a world where a barrel of oil costs 119 bucks, maybe a high protein bowl of mac and cheese is the most affordable luxury we have left. I'm Jeff Vaughan, that's your daily news drop.