[00:00] Noah Feldman: This is Neural Newscast.
[00:03] Hannah Whitmore: Today is March 19, 2026.
[00:06] Hannah Whitmore: Here is the news you need to know.
[00:09] Noah Feldman: From Neural Newscast, I'm Noah Feldman.
[00:12] Hannah Whitmore: And I'm Hannah Whitmore.
[00:14] Noah Feldman: Pakistan launched an airstrike on a Kabul Drug Rehabilitation Center Monday evening, killing at least 100 people.
[00:23] Noah Feldman: Forensic sources report that the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital was completely destroyed during the operation.
[00:32] Hannah Whitmore: Pakistan claims the facility was part of a network harboring militants.
[00:36] Hannah Whitmore: However, the Afghan Health Ministry states there were no military targets nearby
[00:42] Hannah Whitmore: and that the site was housing nearly 2,000 patients at the time of the blast.
[00:47] Noah Feldman: The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan is calling for a ceasefire and an immediate investigation.
[00:55] Noah Feldman: China is also attempting to mediate.
[00:59] Noah Feldman: Foreign Minister Wang Yi is urging both nations to engage in negotiations to prevent further regional instability.
[01:08] Hannah Whitmore: Tensions have been high since February, with over 200 casualties reported from cross-border fighting in recent weeks.
[01:16] Hannah Whitmore: Families are still searching the debris as rescuers continue to recover bodies from the site.
[01:22] Noah Feldman: In other news, San Jose police arrested a suspect in a stolen vehicle using advanced tracking technology.
[01:29] Noah Feldman: Officers avoided a high-speed pursuit by using the city's license plate reader system to locate the driver on Wednesday afternoon.
[01:37] Hannah Whitmore: A police helicopter followed the vehicle from above and provided directions to ground units.
[01:44] Hannah Whitmore: The suspect was unaware of the surveillance before crashing near East San Carlos Street,
[01:50] Hannah Whitmore: allowing for an arrest without a chase through downtown traffic.
[01:54] Noah Feldman: In sports, the Los Angeles Lakers secured their seventh straight victory
[01:58] Noah Feldman: with a 124 to 116 win over the Houston Rockets.
[02:03] Noah Feldman: Luca Donchich led the team with 40 points, while LeBron James added 30 points.
[02:09] Hannah Whitmore: James continues this level of play at 41 years old.
[02:13] Hannah Whitmore: He missed only one shot from the field all night and is now just one appearance away from tying the all-time NBA record for total games played.
[02:23] Noah Feldman: The win moves the Lakers into third place in the Western Conference, as they prepare for the final stretch of the season.
[02:30] Noah Feldman: Coach J.J. Reddick noted that the duo of Donchich and James has become increasingly difficult to defend.
[02:37] Hannah Whitmore: The Rockets kept the score close until the final minute, but a deep three-pointer from Donchich sealed the game.
[02:44] Hannah Whitmore: This surge puts the Lakers a game-and-a-half ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves as the playoffs approach.
[02:50] Noah Feldman: Here is what else we are watching.
[02:52] Noah Feldman: The United States Department of Education is expected to announce a new round of vocational
[02:58] Noah Feldman: training grants tomorrow.
[03:00] Noah Feldman: These funds target community colleges focused on renewable energy and technical skills.
[03:06] Hannah Whitmore: We are also monitoring the Global Grain Summit beginning tomorrow in Geneva.
[03:11] Hannah Whitmore: Agriculture ministers will discuss export stability and the impact of shifting weather patterns
[03:17] Hannah Whitmore: on this year's wheat harvest.
[03:19] Noah Feldman: Finally, the California State Legislature will review a new proposal regarding the transparency of automated license plate reader data.
[03:28] Noah Feldman: The bill seeks to standardize how long local police can store location data for vehicles not involved in active investigations.
[03:36] Hannah Whitmore: That is the briefing for today. Thank you for listening.
[03:40] Noah Feldman: I'm Noah Feldman.
[03:42] Hannah Whitmore: And I'm Hannah Whitmore.
[03:45] Noah Feldman: Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed.
[03:49] Noah Feldman: View our AI transparency policy at neuralnewscast.com.