First Thing: Iran war energy crisis equal to 70s twin oil shocks and Ukraine invasion fallout, IEA chief says | US news

Good morning.

The global energy crisis caused by the war in Iran is equivalent to the combined force of the effects of the double oil shock of the 1970s and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the head of the International Energy Agency said.

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said the growing crisis could be seriously worsened by disruptions to “vital arteries of the global economy” including petrochemicals, fertilisers, sulfur and helium. He said the depth of the problems was not initially fully understood by world leaders.

Meanwhile, global stock markets fell sharply today after Donald Trump threatened to “destroy” Iran’s power plants unless the Strait of Hormuz is opened.

• Why is former CIA chief Leon Panetta in the news? He spoke about Donald Trump’s attack on Iran and told the Guardian that the US president was “sending a message of weakness” to the world.

• What is the latest situation in Iran? The government is threatening to mine the entire Gulf if its coasts are attacked.

• This is an evolving story. Follow our live blog here.

Pilot and co-pilot killed when Air Canada jet crashes at LaGuardia airport

The pilot and co-pilot of an Air Canada Express regional jet were killed when the plane collided with a fire truck while landing at LaGuardia, New York, in an incident that closed the airport.

Others were seriously injured, nine people were hospitalized. The collision occurred while a fire truck was responding to another incident.

The CRJ-900 aircraft, operated by Air Canada partner Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew from Montreal, according to the preliminary passenger list. Jazz is owned by Chorus Aviation.

• What happened? The plane crashed into a fire truck while traveling at 24 miles per hour, according to flight tracking site Flightradar24. Moments before the crash, an air traffic controller was heard giving permission for a fire truck to cross part of the runway and then attempting to stop it. The controller can then be heard quickly steering the incoming aircraft away from landing.

Arkansas police arrest Kendra Duggar on child abuse charges

Arkansas police arrested Kendra Duggar, wife of reality TV star Joseph Duggar, on misdemeanor child abuse charges in the latest scandal to engulf the family featured on TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting.

Kendra Duggar faces four charges each of endangering the welfare of a minor and second-degree false imprisonment, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

His arrest comes just days after Joseph Duggar was arrested on charges in Florida. He is accused of molesting a girl when she was nine years old during a family trip to Panama City Beach.

• Why are they famous? The TV series 19 Kids and Counting told the lives of parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their children whose names start with the letter J. The series was canceled in 2015 after the Duggar’s eldest son, Joshua, faced allegations that he molested his four sisters when he was a teenager. He is in prison for possessing images of child sexual abuse. Joseph and Kendra Duggar were also the stars of the spinoff series Counting On.

In other news…

• Donald Trump nominates Republican senator Markwayne Mullin Who will be Oklahoma’s next head of homeland security? It moved toward confirmation yesterday after the U.S. Senate voted 54-37 to limit debate on the appointment.

• Oscar-nominated actor Barry Keoghan calls out online harassment about his appearance It affects his life so much that he “doesn’t want to go out” anymore.

• Trump’s so-called border czar, Tom Homan, confirmed this ICE Agents will be sent to US airports Starting today to help with safety amid extremely long queues.

Fact of the day: Earth’s energy imbalance reaches record high, while only 1% of extreme heat is felt by humans

The World Meteorological Organization said our home planet is struggling with a record energy imbalance that is warming the oceans at unprecedented levels. The increased temperature humans experienced at the surface was only 1% of the more rapidly accumulating heat in the broader Earth system.

Building strength: Say gay – feminist magazine pulls back on Charlie Kirk-style campus tours after Florida DEI cuts

Featuring speakers from activist organizations such as 50501, one of the groups behind the No Kings protests, Lux Magazine embarks on a multi-city university tour in states with academic bans on race, gender and sexuality, and restrictions on bodily autonomy. The magazine wants to show black, brown, gay, feminist and trans students that they still have a safe space on campus.

Don’t miss this: ‘Within 20 years most of the world could be racist dictatorships’ – Ibram X Kendi on book bans and far-right fear-mongering

How did the rich and powerful convince so many voters that the poor and powerless were the reason they were struggling? The US historian, whose books have been banned at least 50 times by many US school districts, talks about the weaponization of separatism.

…or this: ‘No ceasefire’ – Gaza medic and father of two killed as civilian death toll passes 650 since October

Although the conflict was claimed to have ended last year, losses in Palestinian territory continue to increase; volunteer ambulance driver Abed Elrahman Hamdouna joins the long list of those killed by Israeli forces. His death represents a shocking confirmation of the large number of civilians who continue to die in Gaza despite the alleged end of fighting last year.

Climate control: extreme weather conditions in the USA It bears the ‘fingerprint’ of the climate crisis, experts say

The United States is experiencing a striking mix of extreme weather this March. Torrential rains in Hawaii, rare snow in Alabama, skyrocketing temperatures in the northeast and, perhaps most worryingly, a severe heat wave affecting the west coast are raising questions about how strange these patterns really are and the role the climate crisis is playing.

Latest Thing: Inside the world of TikTok’s strangely comforting scent

TikTok is awash with perfume-inspired image carousels that assign scent profiles to abstract concepts; many of these are accompanied by a slowed down version of Robert Miles’ Eurodance hit Children. For example, 18 year old has a scent profile consisting of sweat, vodka, lip gloss, musk and lace. Do you look at old photos for too long? It smells like paper, iris, amber, musk and cedar. The first pass from a joint involves grass, mist, smoke, lip gloss, and (obviously) marijuana. Eleanor Burnard writes that the majority focus on youthful nostalgia, but these films have universal relatability and every generation can get in on the action.

become a member

First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you haven’t registered yet, subscribe now.

Contact us

If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@theguardian.com.