00:00National Guard on the way, police under presidential control.
00:05Donald Trump says he's taking the D.C. streets back,
00:07despite violent crime statistically hitting a 30-year low.
00:11I'm going to work every day to make sure it's not a complete disaster.
00:16Plus, trade truce extended.
00:18Trump gives China 90 more days to make a deal,
00:21or face tariffs as high as 145%.
00:24And two dead others hurt.
00:27A blast rocks a Pennsylvania steel plant with a troubled past.
00:33The stories that matter, clear and credible,
00:36from across the country to around the world.
00:39These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News.
00:45Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
00:47The nation's capital wakes up this morning to a shakeup.
00:50National Guard troops on the way,
00:52and D.C.'s police chief answering to the president.
00:54That was just the opening volley in a news conference that came packed with headlines.
00:59Flanked by his attorney general, defense secretary, and FBI director,
01:03Donald Trump declared a crime emergency in the nation's capital,
01:07activating 800 National Guard troops and ordering the removal of homeless encampments.
01:12Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals,
01:18roving mobs of wild youth, drugged out maniacs and homeless people.
01:23And we're not going to let it happen anymore.
01:25We're not going to take it.
01:27But crime stats tell a different story.
01:30Justice Department data shows violent crime is actually at its lowest level in three decades.
01:35D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser criticized the move,
01:38calling it unsettling and unprecedented.
01:40We know that access to our democracy is tenuous.
01:46While this action today is unsettling and unprecedented,
01:51I can't say that given some of the rhetoric of the past that we're totally surprised.
01:58The president also previewed Friday's meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Alaska,
02:03saying he will know within minutes whether a deal to end the war in Ukraine is possible.
02:08But I'm going to I'm going to meet with President Putin and we're going to see what he has in mind.
02:17And if it's a fair deal, I'll reveal it to the European Union leaders and to the NATO leaders and also to President Zelensky.
02:25I think out of respect, I'll call him first and then I'll call them after.
02:31And I may say lots of luck.
02:33Keep fighting.
02:34Or I may say we can make a deal.
02:36At the end of that meeting, probably in the first two minutes, I'll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made.
02:42You know, European leaders and Ukraine worry the talks could favor Moscow, especially since Kiev has no seat at this summit.
02:50That meeting with Putin is set for Friday in Alaska.
02:53Trump's first face to face with the Russian president in six years when the two met at the G20 summit in Japan.
02:59This morning, another reprieve for China.
03:03President Trump signed an executive order extending the trade truce by another 90 days, pushing the deadline well into the fall.
03:10In a post on Truth Social just hours before the truce was set to expire,
03:14the president announced all other elements of the agreement will remain the same.
03:19The extension gives the United States and China until early November to strike a final deal
03:23or see tariffs on Chinese imports jump to 145 percent.
03:28The White House says negotiations are ongoing and that each round has built on the last.
03:34This is the second time Trump has delayed imposing higher tariffs.
03:38For now, the import tax holds at an already high 30 percent.
03:43China says it will also extend relief to American companies on its export control and unreliable entities list.
03:50Later today, July inflation numbers are due out and all eyes will be watching.
03:55It's the first report since President Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics after a disappointing jobs report.
04:02And now there's a new boss in town.
04:05Trump has named E.J.
04:06Antony, chief economist at the Conservative Heritage Foundation, as the new commissioner.
04:11Truth Social, Trump called the economy booming and said Antonio would ensure the numbers are, quote, honest and accurate.
04:17The president ousted Biden-appointed commissioner Erica McIntyre for last month after the July jobs report came in below expectations and previous months were revised down.
04:29Trump accused her of fudging the numbers to make him look bad.
04:32Critics say he fired her simply because the report was negative and the stock market tanked.
04:37Two workers are dead this morning and at least 10 others hurt after a massive explosion rocked a Pennsylvania steel plant.
04:44The blast ripped through U.S. Steel's Claritin Coke Works about 15 miles south of Pittsburgh just before 11 a.m. on Monday.
04:51Time-lapse video captured the moment as flames and thick black smoke shot into the sky right there, shaking buildings and sending debris flying.
05:01Emergency crews pulled one survivor from the rubble.
05:04Officials say the explosion triggered multiple secondary blasts inside the battery area, but the cause is still under investigation this morning.
05:11Most of the injuries are non-life-threatening and air monitors have not detected dangerous levels of pollution.
05:18The Claritin plant, the largest coke-making facility in North America, employs roughly 1,400 people and has a history of safety and environmental violations.
05:27This morning, Tropical Storm Aaron is spinning in the eastern Atlantic, already deadly, and it could become the first major hurricane of the season by week's end.
05:37The storm formed just west of the Cabo Verde Islands, already dumping torrential rain and causing deadly flooding.
05:44At least seven people, including four children, were killed.
05:47Satellite images show Aaron churning west with winds of about 45 miles an hour.
05:53Forecasters expect it to strengthen over the next few days and possibly reach Category 3 strength by the time it passes north of Puerto Rico this weekend.
06:02Models show it tracks Aaron curving away from the United States, but it's too early to say for sure.
06:09The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season runs through November, and we'll be watching Aaron closely as the forecast shifts.
06:16Finally this morning, a new era for Taylor Swift.
06:20The pop superstar just announced her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl.
06:24At 12-12 this morning, Swift updated her website with the news, followed by a social media tease for Wednesday's episode of the New Heights podcast, hosted by her boyfriend, NFL star Travis Kelsey, and his brother Jason.
06:38No release date yet, but her site says pre-orders will ship before October 13th.
06:44No release date yet, but her site says pre-orders will ship before October 13th.
06:50The announcement comes just months after she wrapped up her record-breaking era's world tour, 150 shows, five continents, and one global phenomenon.
07:00And yes, she dropped album number 12 on August 12th.
07:03Maybe it wasn't such a cruel summer after all.
07:07Not bad for an old guy, right?
07:09All right, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today.
07:11This morning, a federal judge in California opens a three-day trial over the Trump administration's deployment of National Guard troops to contain fiery anti-ice protests in Los Angeles.
07:22In Columbia, vigils and a public funeral honor slain senator and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe-Turbe, who died Monday after he was shot in the head back in June.
07:33Here at home, laid-off CDC employees rally outside headquarters in Atlanta at noon,
07:38while White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt briefs reporters at one.
07:42Hey, why not always start the day smarter?
07:45Sign up for our Unbiased Updates newsletter, delivered fresh to your inbox every weekday morning.
07:50Go to san.com slash newsletters.
07:53Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Tuesday.
07:55We'll see you back here tomorrow.
07:56For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
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