The Headlines - The Abuse Allegations Against a Civil Rights Icon, and a 48% Rise in Oil Prices

Episode Date: March 19, 2026

Plus, there’s a big catch for that stunning ocean view.  Here’s what we’re covering: Cesar Chavez, a Civil Rights Icon, Is Accused of Abusing Girls for Years, by Manny Fernandez and Sarah Hurtes For Iranians, Bombing of Gas Field Worsens Already Dire Energy Crisis, by Sanam Mahoozi and Hiroko Tabuchi U.S. Intelligence Saw No Change in Iran’s Missile Capabilities Before War, by Robert Jimison Homeland Security Nominee Strikes Softer Tone on Immigration, by Madeleine Ngo, Michael Gold and Hamed Aleaziz Ozempic Is About to Go Generic for Billions of People, by Rebecca Robbins, Meaghan Tobin, Eshe Nelson, Alex Travelli and Pragati K.B. Home Prices Are Falling in a California Enclave. So Is the Ground., by Mimi Dwyer Tune in every weekday morning, and tell us what you think at: [e-mail]. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Thursday, March 19th. Here's what we're covering. The New York Times gets a lot of tips. Some of them turn into things and some of them don't. You know, it sounded almost unbelievable. But as I talk to some of these women,

it just made me think that there was something there. My colleague, Manny Fernandez, followed up on a tip that came in a while back about Cesar Chavez, one of the most famous figures in the American Civil Rights Movement. Chavez rose to prominence in the 70s advocating for Latino farm workers. He went on to have streets named after him, annual parades in his honor. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The tip kicked off an investigation that ultimately found extensive evidence that Chavez, who died in 1993, groomed and sexually abused girls. All of the women that we talked to had not publicly revealed their stories before. one of the reasons they had been reluctant is they worried about tarnishing his legacy. They worried about sort of destroying all that. That weighed on them and that sort of guilt and pressure made them very scared about coming forward to tell their stories. In digging into the allegations, Mani, along with Times investigative reporter Sarah Hertz, talked with more than 60 people, including some of Shavas's family and top aides.

They also reviewed hundreds of pages of records, emails, photographs, and uncovered what appears to be a larger pattern of sexual misconduct. Two women, who are now in their 60s, described Chavez molesting them, starting at age 12 and 13. Both grew up on the compound of United Farm Workers, the organization Chavez co-founded. One said he told her he'd known they belonged together since he first saw her at nine. Chavez also sexually assaulted Dolores Huerta, who started UFW with him and is a civil rights icon in her own right. In an interview at the Times, she described being raped by him after he drove her out to a secluded field, a secret she'd held onto for nearly 60 years. Huerta said she was afraid no one would believe her, and she didn't report it to the police because they were hostile toward the union.

At least a dozen other women described being pursued and some sexually. harassed by Chavez. Whispers about his behavior circulated in the UFW's inner circles, a handful of Chavez's relatives and former union leaders have been aware of various allegations for years, but there's no evidence that they made efforts to fully investigate. In response to questions, Chavez's family told the times the allegations are deeply painful and said, quote, we honor the voices of those who feel unheard and who report sexual misconduct. When my colleagues asked the UFW questions, the union canceled its annual celebrations for Chavez, which would have been at the end of this month. March 31st is often celebrated as

Cesar Chavez Day. Since the Times investigation came out, officials across the country have been grappling with how to respond. There are discussions underway about renaming the many schools, streets, and parks named in Chavez's honor. Fresno State University put a black sheet over a statue of him on campus. Several states and cities have also canceled plans they had to observe Setsar Chavez Day. Some have proposed renaming it Farm Workers Day. In the Middle East, a series of attacks yesterday raised fears about even more dramatic disruptions to the global energy supply.

Iran said that Israel attacked a giant offshore natural gas field. And in retaliation, Iran began launching missiles at gas facilities in Qatar, a U.S. ally. Those strikes have continued into this morning. Altogether, these are some of the most significant attacks on energy sites of the war so far, and investors are worried that more oil and gas facilities in the region could be targeted. The price of oil is now almost 50% higher than before the war started. Meanwhile, in Washington, the complete lack of clarity should matter to everybody. Democratic senators on the Intelligence Committee pressed the CIA director. John Ratcliffe and the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, about President Trump's

reasons for going to war with Iran. And both officials directly contradicted one of his main justifications. Trump has said that Iran was, quote, working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America. But Ratcliffe said Iran was still trying to develop missiles that could reach as far as Europe, not across the Atlantic. And Gabbard said those weapons were something Iran could begin to develop before 2035, quote, should Tehran attempt to pursue that capability? Notably, when Gabbard was pushed to answer questions about Trump's claim of an imminent threat from Iran, she suggested it was up to his interpretation. It is not the intelligence community's responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat.

Okay. That is up to the president based on a volume of information. No, it is precisely your responsibility. to determine what constitutes a threat to the United States. Yesterday, Senate Democrats tried to force another vote to stop U.S. military operations in Iran until Trump gets authorization from Congress. But for a second time, Republicans blocked that effort. Also at the Capitol.

My goal in six months is that we're not in the lead story every single day. Mark Wayne Mullen, the Republican Senator Trump has tapped to lead the Department of Homeland Security, sat for his confirmation hearing yesterday, as DHS faces intense scrutiny for its aggressive immigration enforcement. Under the former secretary, Christy Noem, public support for the agency plummeted amid mass deportation operations and the high-profile killings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents. Mullen suggested that if he's confirmed, the department would move away from some of its most controversial tactics. If we can get back into just simply working with law enforcement, We're going to them and we're picking up these criminals from their jail.

Though Mullen made clear he does support a larger crackdown on illegal immigration, his comments seemed to indicate he would have ICE agents carry out fewer major urban sweeps, like the ones in Minneapolis. During the hearing, Mullen also addressed another controversy from the department, how Nome handled disaster relief. She had required her own office to sign off on all FEMA grants and contracts over $100,000. a process that significantly slowed down critical aid to communities across the country. Mullen said he would revoke the policy, adding, quote,

I'm not a micromanager. The Senate Homeland Security Committee is expected to vote on advancing Mullen's nomination as soon as today. The blockbuster weight loss drugs sold as Ozempic and Wagovi is about to go generic for billions of people. As of Saturday, the company that makes it, Novo Nordisk, will lose patent protection in India, and generic versions are expected to be available in China, Brazil, Canada, and more in the coming months. While OZemPEC has obviously generated a lot of sales in some places, access has been pretty limited worldwide. Generics, which are often much cheaper, promised to significantly increase the number of people taking the drugs around the world. The market is there.

Together, China and India have more than 800 million adults who are overweight or obese, and more than 360 million people with diabetes. In the U.S. and Europe, however, OZembek is not expected to go generic for another five-plus years. That's because drug companies have lobbied those governments intensely, going back decades for extended protections, to let them have monopolies on new drugs for longer. The companies have argued that's essential for innovation.

In the U.S., prices for Wagovi have come down in recent months, in part because of a deal Novo Nordisk struck with the Trump administration. But they have not fallen as far as they likely would with generic competition. And finally, we have this amazing view, and we like to sit on the couch here and watch the ships go by, watch the peacocks go by. On the coast of Southern California, just south of L.A., some residents are buying up Ocean View homes for prices that seem almost too good to be true. Alyn Stewart bought her house a couple years ago in the affluent Portuguese Bend neighborhood of Rancho Palos Verdes.

The views were stunning. The school district, excellent. You just seemed like this house is half the price that it should be. Of course, that's when we figured out that, you know, there's a reason that the house is this price. The reason for that really good deal is that the home sits on a 700-acre active landslide. It has sent some homes floors off.

kilter, it has shifted whole structures across property lines, and even split some homes in two. And yet, some houses there keep selling. Real estate agents have described the shifting land as an opportunity. Buy at a discount and accept the risks. And there are risks. In 2024, utility companies shut off gas and electricity to large swaths of the neighborhood, forcing many residents to go off the grid and power their homes with generators and solar panels. homeowners have also started pumping moisture out of the ground themselves in hopes of slowing the movement.

The city itself has spent tens of millions of dollars on landslide mitigation. And while there has been some success, officials say the current cost of keeping the area inhabitable is not sustainable. And the measures may just be delaying the inevitable. Stewart, though, has no plans to move. Her views just keep getting better, since the houses between hers and the ocean have sunk. Those are the headlines. Today on the Daily, a look at some of the options President Trump is considering for the war in Iran, including the possibility of sending in special forces to seize canisters of nuclear material.

You can listen to that in the New York Times app or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow with the latest and the Friday News Quiz.