00:00She went after Trump, now she's the one indicted.
00:03The New York Attorney General charged with bank fraud, sparking claims of payback politics.
00:09Plus, a judge says there's no rebellion in Chicago, slapping a two-week hold on President Trump's National Guard deployment.
00:16And it's back to Walter Reed just six months after Trump's last physical.
00:20What's behind the extra trip to the doctor?
00:24The stories that matter, clear and credible.
00:27From across the country to around the world, these are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News.
00:36Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
00:38This morning, the political and legal earthquake is still shaking Washington.
00:42New York Attorney General Letitia James, the woman who built her career taking on Donald Trump, is now indicted herself.
00:49A federal grand jury in Virginia charged James with bank fraud and making false statements over a 2023 mortgage tied to a home in Norfolk.
00:58The indictment comes just weeks after career prosecutors declined to bring charges, and after President Trump publicly demanded her prosecution.
01:06It's a stunning reversal for the woman who led the civil fraud case that cost Trump hundreds of millions of dollars and branded him a corporate fraudster.
01:14Trump, in turn, called James corrupt and crooked and promised supporters she would be next.
01:20The indictment was brought by Lindsay Halligan, a 36-year-old Trump aide and former insurance lawyer with no prosecutorial experience,
01:28appointed after Trump forced out the top U.S. attorney who had refused to move forward.
01:34Halligan insists these charges represent intentional criminal acts.
01:38She previously served as Trump's personal attorney during his New York trial.
01:42Just two weeks ago, she pushed for the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey on charges of lying to Congress.
01:49James calls her indictment political weaponization.
01:52This is nothing more than a continuation of the president's desperate weaponization of our justice system.
01:59He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job.
02:09His decision to fire a United States attorney who refused to bring charges against me
02:14and replace them with someone who is blindly loyal not to the law but to the president
02:20is antithetical to the bedrock principles of our country.
02:25Trump's Justice Department weaponization working group Chief Ed Martin posted on X,
02:30promises made, promises kept.
02:32James calls the charges baseless and vows to fight them.
02:36Her first court appearance is set for October 24th in Norfolk.
02:39A deal years in the making.
02:41This morning, Israel has formally approved President Trump's ceasefire plan,
02:46paving the way for the release of every remaining hostage and possibly the end of the war in Gaza.
02:51Under the agreement, the ceasefire is expected to take effect within 24 hours.
02:56But overnight, new strikes were still reported in Gaza even after the announcement.
03:01In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said his cabinet approved the outline of the deal,
03:06promising the return of both the living and the deceased hostages.
03:10The agreement also calls for a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops,
03:14a series of prisoner exchanges, and increased humanitarian aid deliveries into the strip.
03:19Crowds poured into the streets of Gaza City celebrating the news,
03:23many hoping to return home after months of displacement.
03:26President Trump says he plans to travel to Egypt for an official signing of the ceasefire deal.
03:31I think it's going to be great.
03:34I think the hostages will be coming back Monday or Tuesday.
03:38I'll probably be there.
03:41I hope to be there.
03:42And we're planning on leaving sometime Sunday.
03:47And I look forward to it.
03:49Meanwhile, NBC News reports the U.S. military is preparing to deploy up to 200 troops to Israel
03:56to support stabilization, humanitarian aid delivery, and security operations inside Gaza.
04:02A federal judge has blocked President Trump's controversial move to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago.
04:09U.S. District Judge April Perry issued a temporary restraining order Thursday,
04:14halting the administration's plan to send troops to Illinois for at least two weeks.
04:19In her ruling, Perry called the Department of Homeland Security's assessment of ICE protests in the city unreliable.
04:26Saying she found no credible evidence of rebellion in the state.
04:29She warned that deploying troops would likely add fuel to the fire.
04:33It's unclear what the order means for units already stationed nearby,
04:37including those waiting on standby in Elwood near Joliet, Illinois.
04:41Meanwhile, an appeals court in the Pacific Northwest heard arguments Thursday
04:45over whether the administration can federalize Oregon's National Guard
04:50to respond to protests in Portland.
04:52A decision there is expected in the coming days.
04:56Day 10, and still no paychecks, no progress, and no end in sight.
05:00The U.S. Senate is now 0 for 7 after failing yet again Thursday to advance a plan to reopen the government.
05:07The latest Republican bill, passed earlier by the House, fell short in the Senate, 54 to 45,
05:13with three Democrats, Fetterman, Cortez Masto, and King, crossing the aisle.
05:17Still, that was not enough to clear the 60-vote hurdle.
05:20So, Washington heads into the weekend with the federal government still closed,
05:24with no plans for the Senate to return until late Tuesday afternoon.
05:29The stalemate remains unchanged.
05:31Republicans accuse Democrats of holding the government hostage,
05:35refusing to pass a clean bill that funds agencies without add-ons.
05:39Democrats, meanwhile, say Republicans are blocking a crucial extension of Obamacare subsidies
05:44that millions rely on, that if not extended, will cause premiums to skyrocket.
05:49President Trump heads to Walter Reed this morning, his second trip this year,
05:54for what the White House now calls a semi-annual checkup.
05:57It comes as he also plans to visit troops on site and prepares for a possible Mideast trip this weekend.
06:03On Thursday, reporters asked him about the visit.
06:06No, I have no difficulty thus far.
06:09Is there wood around here?
06:10Knock on.
06:12No difficulty.
06:13Physically, I feel very good.
06:14Mentally, I feel very good.
06:15You know, I did about six, seven months ago.
06:18I do physicals.
06:19I like to, when I'm around, I like to check.
06:22Always early.
06:23Always be early.
06:24It's a lesson for a lot of people.
06:26Back in April, Trump's doctor said he was, quote, fully fit.
06:30Then in July, disclosed a common manageable vein condition in his legs called chronic venous
06:35insufficiency, which causes swelling in the ankles.
06:39Today's visit breaks with the usual once-a-year presidential physical,
06:43but the White House frames it as routine, keeping tabs, not treating a crisis.
06:48Trump, now 79, has long touted his exams as proof of vigor,
06:53and he's likely to share results when they're in.
07:00Finally this morning, we polled some of your best comments and questions from our
07:04YouTube videos this week, and we're putting them to the test.
07:07This is Straight From You, where we fact-check claims,
07:10separate fact from fiction, and add context to what's murky.
07:14And here's what stood out this week.
07:15After our report on National Guard troops arriving in Chicago,
07:18a viewer asked, doesn't each state have its own National Guard?
07:23Why ship in troops from other states?
07:25Good question.
07:26All right, here's the answer, and it depends on who's giving the orders.
07:28I'll walk you through it.
07:29Each governor commands their own guard under state authority,
07:33called Title 32, or state active duty.
07:36But governors can also request help from other states
07:39through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.
07:42That's how guardsmen cross state borders during disasters, or civil unrest.
07:46When the guard is federalized under Title 10,
07:50control shifts to the president and the Pentagon.
07:53Making them temporarily part of the active duty military.
07:56So yes, every state does have its own guard.
08:00But, in emergencies or under federal orders,
08:03they can, and do, operate across state lines,
08:06all part of the same system.
08:08Okay, on to the next one.
08:09In our story on the FAA's modernization push,
08:13one viewer had a different idea.
08:14Why not let the airlines run air traffic control and security
08:18instead of the government?
08:19It's an idea that's actually been floated before,
08:22but has never really taken off, if you will.
08:24The first Trump administration pushed to privatize air traffic control,
08:29pointing to Canada's motto called NAV Canada,
08:32a non-profit system funded by user fees that upgrades tech faster
08:36and stays out of politics.
08:38Supporters said the U.S. should follow suit.
08:41But critics warn that America's aerospace is far bigger and much busier,
08:45and that privatization could hurt smaller airports and drive up costs.
08:50The idea eventually stalled.
08:52Now even major airlines and the air traffic controllers union agree
08:55we should focus on modernizing the FAA, not replacing it.
08:59For now that means new tech and more controllers, not a new system.
09:04All right, on to number three,
09:05and our piece about the latest claim
09:07that Amelia Earhart's plane may have been found.
09:10A viewer was not buying it, calling it driftwood.
09:13Well, that skepticism seems fair enough based on history, right?
09:17So we dug deeper.
09:18Researchers from Purdue University and the Archaeological Legacy Institute
09:22are heading to the western Pacific island
09:24to investigate what satellite images show as a Tariya object.
09:29See it there?
09:29A bright shape in a lagoon that might match
09:32Earhart's 1937 Lockheed Electra plane.
09:36The team will use drones, sonar, and magnetic devices
09:40before dredging the site, looking for serial numbers,
09:43unique metals, or anything traceable to Earhart's plane.
09:47Similar claims in the past have turned out to be rock formations.
09:51So until there is hard evidence, the verdict stays unproven.
09:55Hope that helps.
09:56That's science.
09:57Evidence over hype, as they say.
09:59All right, keep dropping those comments
10:00and asking questions on our SAN YouTube page.
10:03We love seeing them.
10:04We'll tackle the biggest ones next week on Friday.
10:06Also, check out more of our stories on the app
10:09where unbiased is not a tagline, it's actually certified.
10:13All sides calls us unbiased.
10:15NewsGuard gives us a perfect score for reliability.
10:19Facts first, without the spin.
10:21Those are your unbiased updates for this Friday.
10:24We'll see you back here on Monday.
10:25For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DiGrelli.
10:27Have a fantastic Friday and a great fall weekend.
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