00:01The war is spreading. Iran threatens new targets as U.S. strikes push closer to Tehran, and the fight over
00:08the Strait of Hormuz intensifies.
00:10Plus, tonight we find out what Trump has been teasing, the president's rare primetime address, and why he's putting the
00:172020 election back in the spotlight.
00:19And the Pentagon wants a new health check, why the military is starting testosterone screenings, and who will be tested
00:26first.
00:29The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.
00:34These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow.
00:41Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
00:42This morning, Iran is threatening to strike regional infrastructure if the United States follows through on President Trump's warning to
00:50target bridges and power plants.
00:52The U.S. intensified its campaign early this morning, striking targets farther north, and for the first time in this
00:58latest round of fighting, hitting areas around Tehran.
01:02U.S. forces also fired on a ship they say tried to break through the American naval blockade of the
01:08Strait of Hormuz.
01:09Iran responded with missile and drone attacks aimed at U.S. allies Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait, while warning its retaliation
01:17could expand.
01:18At a defense technology event Wednesday, Trump again insisted the U.S. is close to winning the war.
01:24The country is booming and we'll have Iran defeated soon.
01:28They'll be defeated very soon.
01:35And then I guess it'll be even better.
01:37Pakistan, meanwhile, says it is keeping talks open with Iran and other regional officials in an effort to revive negotiations
01:45between Washington and Tehran.
01:47A foreign ministry spokesman said the renewed fighting over the Strait of Hormuz serves no one's interests.
01:54President Trump is promising what he calls really big news during a rare primetime address to the nation tonight,
02:02with the president saying elections and voting machines will be the key focus.
02:07The White House has revealed few details about the address, but earlier this week,
02:11Trump said it will center on election integrity, voting machines, and what he calls a major announcement.
02:17But it's really big news.
02:21It's really, really big news.
02:23And our country has to shape up.
02:26But what we're going to be talking about Thursday is it doesn't get bigger.
02:32Because without free and fair elections, you don't have a country.
02:36We'll be discussing other things, too.
02:37But it's going to be a very big announcement.
02:40The Washington Post reports the president is expected to discuss declassified intelligence,
02:45along with claims about voting machine security and foreign election interference.
02:50Trump has continued to argue the 2020 election was compromised,
02:54despite recounts, court rulings, and previous U.S. intelligence assessments,
02:59finding no evidence that voting or voting machines were altered.
03:03Democrats are already pushing back.
03:05Georgia Senator John Ossoff says he believes the president could use tonight's speech
03:10to lay the groundwork for challenging future election results
03:13or justifying federal action ahead of the midterms.
03:16There's talk that he might try to declare me and Raphael Warnock illegitimate senators.
03:21Obviously, the president has no power to do that.
03:25But he does have the power to try to intimidate people.
03:29He's demonstrated his will to abuse power.
03:32I expect him to use whatever he puts out there on Thursday as a pretext,
03:37either for some attempted unconstitutional use of federal power to interfere in the election
03:43or to lay the groundwork for challenging the result.
03:46The speech comes just months after the FBI seized 2020 election materials in Fulton County, Georgia,
03:53as part of the administration's review of past election records.
03:56The president is scheduled to speak from the White House at 9 p.m. Eastern.
04:00Later this morning, Todd Blanche returns to Capitol Hill for day two of his confirmation hearing
04:06to become attorney general.
04:08Day one followed a familiar script.
04:11Republicans tested whether Blanche would stand up to President Trump
04:14while Democrats pressed him over his loyalty to the president,
04:17the Justice Department, and FBI Director Kash Patel.
04:20Blanche said repeatedly he has never hesitated to disagree with Trump
04:25when he believes it's warranted.
04:26A point Republican Senator John Kennedy tried to drive home.
04:30Does he ever ask your opinion on actions he should take?
04:35Yes.
04:37Do you tell him the truth?
04:39Every time.
04:41Have you ever disagreed with him?
04:45Yes.
04:47And have you ever disagreed with him and he did it anyway?
04:52Yes.
04:53Has he ever asked you to do anything illegal?
04:56No.
04:58Would you do it if he asked you?
04:59Absolutely not.
05:01But the tone quickly shifted when Rhode Island Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse
05:05fired off a series of questions about FBI Director Kash Patel.
05:10How long do you intend to put up with that Kash Patel character?
05:14Are you good with his airplane jaunts?
05:16Are you confident he's not drinking on the job?
05:18Are you sure none of his travel is a pretext for vacation activities
05:22like snorkeling Olympics and visiting girlfriends?
05:25Are you sure he knows what he's doing?
05:27Do you vouch for him?
05:28Are you willing to look at whether he lied to this committee?
05:32That's an extraordinarily obnoxious question, Senator.
05:35And I have full faith in Director Patel and the work that he's doing every day.
05:40Great.
05:40You get to own that.
05:41At the very same time, across the Capitol,
05:44Trump's pick to lead the office of the Director of National Intelligence
05:47was facing his own grilling.
05:50Jay Clayton sparred repeatedly with Georgia Senator John Ossoff
05:54over the 2020 presidential election outcome.
05:56Watch.
05:57Who won the 2020 election?
06:00You know, I'm not going to do this with you.
06:04This is a job interview.
06:06We've established that you have an obligation to be honest and forthright with the committee.
06:11Yes, you do have an obligation to be honest and forthright with the committee?
06:14Yes.
06:15Who won the 2020 election?
06:17Like I said, I'm not going to get into that with you.
06:19But you do have an obligation to be honest and forthright with the committee?
06:22Is anything that I just said not honest or forthright?
06:25Yes, you're not being honest or forthright.
06:27Who won the 2020 election?
06:29I think I've answered the question.
06:30We can keep doing this.
06:31Well, we're going to keep doing it because you're not being honest and forthright with the committee.
06:35I'm not going to engage in the theater.
06:38It's a simple question, Mr. Clayton.
06:41And I've answered it.
06:42Who won the 2020 presidential election?
06:45I've answered it.
06:46You're here asking for the support of senators to lead America's intelligence community.
06:52We've established that you have an obligation to be honest and forthright with this committee and with the American public.
06:59But you refuse to answer a simple matter of fact about the 2020 election.
07:04Is that right?
07:05No, that's not right.
07:06Then answer the question.
07:07Who won the 2020 election?
07:09I have answered the question.
07:09Answer it.
07:10What is your answer?
07:12I've given you my answer.
07:14Back to Blanche, the attorney general nominee returns to the hot seat later this morning, with Republicans still working to
07:20lock down the votes needed to advance his nomination.
07:24The Pentagon wants to know whether America's troops have low testosterone and is rolling out a new military-wide screening
07:31program.
07:32Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the screenings will begin when service members turn 30, though younger troops will also be
07:39able to request the tests.
07:41If those tests detect low testosterone, any recommended treatment, including testosterone replacement therapy, would be entirely voluntary.
07:50Hegseth called the program an investment in, quote,
07:53The Individual Warfighter, saying service members are America's most decisive tactical advantage.
07:59This initiative, it's not about artificial enhancement.
08:03It's about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity, and ensuring you have the biological foundation required to
08:13sustain the fight.
08:14The Defense Department has not answered questions from several news outlets about whether there would be any consequences for troops
08:21who decline treatment,
08:22or if women's service members will also receive hormone screenings.
08:27The new program fits into a broader effort by the Trump administration to expand access to testosterone replacement therapy.
08:34Have you seen this?
08:36Wildfires are burning in remote parts of northeastern Minnesota, while smoke from fires in Minnesota and Canada is affecting the
08:43air quality across much of the eastern U.S.
08:46in a dangerous and foul way.
08:48St. Louis County in northeastern Minnesota has declared a local emergency as wildfires burn across the Superior National Forest and
08:57Boundary Waters Wilderness.
08:58The U.S. Forest Service says at least 17 fires are burning, including three inside the remote canoe area wilderness.
09:06Rangers estimate between 6,000 and 10,000 people were in the area when evacuations began, and say about 90
09:13percent were out by Wednesday.
09:14Governor Tim Walz says rescuers saved two groups of YMCA campers.
09:19First responders also carried out 17 air rescues.
09:23The fires have burned more than 33,000 acres, with hot, dry, windy conditions and lightning spreading the flames.
09:30The smoke is now affecting millions of people.
09:33Air quality alerts stretch from the upper Midwest into the northeast, including parts of New York, Pennsylvania, and New England,
09:40where residents reported yellow and brown-tinged skies.
09:43Health officials are urging people to limit time outdoors, especially children, older adults, and anyone with heart or lung conditions.
09:52By the way, I spoke with friends back in Buffalo, New York yesterday.
09:55They say they have been surrounded by a yellowish, spooky haze.
09:59In fact, Toronto, which is about 90 minutes away, had some of the worst air quality in the world yesterday.
10:05Finally this morning, disgraced former New York congressman George Santos is making an unexpected return to the spotlight.
10:13After being expelled from Congress and serving prison time for defrauding campaign donors and collecting fraudulent unemployment benefits,
10:21Santos is now heading to reality TV.
10:24Santos will appear this fall on Fox's Special Forces, World's Toughest Test,
10:30a competition that puts celebrities through military-style training and challenges in the jungles of Malaysia.
10:36Santos posted on X that the experience, quote,
10:39changed my perspective on life.
10:42He called it the most humbling thing he's ever done.
10:44The cast also includes former NBA player Matt Barnes, former NFL star LaShawn McCoy,
10:51and actresses Candice Cameron Bure and Brandi Glanville.
10:54After the cast was announced, Santos pushed back against online critics, he wrote,
11:00to all the haters, saying those mocking his weight or attacking other cast members could not walk a day in
11:06any of our shoes.
11:08The new season, by the way, premieres September 24th.
11:11By the way, I looked up to see if there was, like, a big prize if you win, you know,
11:15hundreds of thousands of dollars.
11:16Nothing.
11:16Just, like, bragging rights that you did it.
11:19Huh.
11:19All right, a busy day in Washington and a big night from the White House.
11:23Here's what we're tracking this morning.
11:24We'll get the latest read on the job market as new weekly unemployment claims are released.
11:30At 9, U.S. Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche testifies for day two of his confirmation hearing.
11:36At 1, Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt holds her daily briefing,
11:40likely facing questions about Iran and the president's primetime address.
11:45Tonight, President Trump delivers a primetime address expected to focus on elections and voting machines.
11:51Unbiased Updates is the fastest, fairest few minutes in news.
11:54You can watch us anytime at san.com or on the app.
11:57And to everyone seeing or hearing us on Spotify and YouTube, thank you.
12:01We're grateful you have made us part of your daily morning routine.
12:04We really are.
12:05Thank you so much.
12:06Those are your advised updates for this Thursday.
12:08We'll see you back here tomorrow, Friday.
12:10We love that.
12:11For all of us here at Straight Arrow, I'm Craig DiGrelli.
12:13Have a great day.
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