00:01Getting closer. Ukraine and Russia agree to more of Trump's peace plan. What's left? And is another Trump-Putin meeting in the cards?
00:09Plus, new fallout from that illegal orders video. One Democrat says she fears for her family. Now the FBI wants to question all six.
00:18And a firing frenzy that wasn't. The White House swats down rumors Kash Patel is out, even snapping a photo to prove it.
00:25The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.
00:33These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News.
00:39Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli. This morning, new signs the Russia-Ukraine war could be closing in on a peace deal.
00:46Multiple news outlets report Ukraine has mostly agreed to President Trump's plan, with only a few details left to hammer out.
00:53U.S. officials tell NBC and CBS that Ukrainian negotiators have signed on to the broad outlines of the agreement, with minor points still being finalized.
01:04Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told European allies Tuesday he's ready to move ahead, but wants their support as talks enter the final stretch.
01:13And I'm ready to meet with President Trump. And there are sensitive points to discuss.
01:18We have them still. And we think that the presence of European leaders could be helpful.
01:25President Trump also sounded optimistic, writing on Truth Social that the original 28-point peace plan, drafted by the U.S., has been fine-tuned,
01:34with additional input from both sides, and that only a few disagreements remain.
01:39He says Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin, and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will meet with Ukrainians to finish the work.
01:49Trump says he won't meet with Putin or Zelensky until the deal is done, or in its final stages.
01:56When asked about his earlier hope to seal a deal by Thanksgiving, Trump said this on Air Force One.
02:01I don't have a deadline. I just, you know, the deadline for me is when it's over.
02:07And I think everybody's tired of fighting at this moment. They're losing too many people.
02:12Trump also said Witkoff could meet Putin next week, and that his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, might join them.
02:18It is still unclear when Driscoll will sit down with Ukrainian officials next.
02:22This morning, the fallout is deepening after the FBI confirms it has opened an inquiry into the six Democratic lawmakers
02:30who appeared in that controversial video telling U.S. troops they can and should refuse illegal orders.
02:37Michigan Senator Alyssa Slotkin, who organized the video, says the Bureau's counterterrorism division notified the group on Monday night.
02:45The counterterrorism division at the FBI sent a note to the members of Congress saying they are opening what appears to be an inquiry against the six of us.
03:01To be honest, the president's reaction and the use of the FBI against us is exactly why we made the video.
03:09He believes in using the federal government against his perceived adversaries.
03:17The six Democrats, all military or intelligence veterans, say they are now being targeted after President Trump called their actions seditious
03:25and suggested on True Social their behavior could be, quote, punishable by death.
03:31The minute I saw the president said they should be hanged, in effect,
03:36I knew that our security situation was going to change precipitously.
03:41Obviously, I'm worried about my family. I'm worried about my staff.
03:45You know, I've served three tours in Iraq. I've done dangerous things.
03:48I signed up for this, but my family didn't.
03:52My nieces and nephews didn't.
03:55The group issued a joint statement saying President Trump is using the FBI as a tool to intimidate and harass members of Congress.
04:03No amount of intimidation or harassment will ever stop us from doing our jobs and honoring our Constitution.
04:11The video at the center of the firestorm posted last week reminded service members that U.S. law requires them to refuse any order that's illegal.
04:19Slotkin later told ABC News she is not aware of Trump issuing any illegal orders.
04:25But the White House says the video itself was reckless and potentially harmful to the chain of command.
04:30Separately, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly is facing a Pentagon review for his role in that same video.
04:37Kelly is the only one of the six who can be subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice because he's a retired Navy officer.
04:46Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has formally asked the Navy for a briefing by December 10th
04:51on whether Kelly should be recalled to active duty and possibly face a court-martial.
04:55The White House is swatting down a report that President Trump is looking to oust FBI Director Cash Patel,
05:03calling the story, quote, completely made up.
05:06Press Secretary Caroline Levitt posted this photo late Tuesday,
05:10saying the article dropped while she was in the Oval Office in a meeting with the President, Patel, and Trump's law enforcement team.
05:16It was included in a post on X where she says she read the headline out loud.
05:22Trump laughed and said, what? That's totally false.
05:25Come on, Cash, let's take a picture to show them you're doing a great job.
05:29The denial comes after MS Now reported that Trump and top aides have grown frustrated with Patel
05:35over controversies ranging from his girlfriend's security detail to use of a government jet,
05:41and they were considering firing him.
05:43That report also said the President was eyeing Senior Bureau official Andrew Bailey as a possible replacement.
05:50But just hours after that story posted, Patel was front and center at the White House turkey pardon,
05:55where the President praised him publicly, saying he's very busy doing a great job.
06:00And Trump was asked by reporters on Air Force One on Tuesday about Patel.
06:05Here's what he had to say.
06:07No, he's doing a good job.
06:09Cash Patel? No, he's doing a great job, I think.
06:12Less than a week after Congress voted to release the Epstein files,
06:16a federal judge just turned up the heat on how we got here.
06:20A federal judge is now forcing the Justice Department to hurry up its response to a Freedom of Information Act request,
06:27one that zeroes in on why the Trump administration refused to release the Epstein files back in July.
06:33At the time, a DOJ-FBI memo said there was no basis to disclose the materials.
06:39But the legal nonprofit Democracy Forward sued, asking to see internal records,
06:44including whether Attorney General Pam Bondi misled the public when she claimed Epstein's client list was sitting on her desk,
06:51ready for review.
06:53The group also wants to know whether the DOJ reversed course because of who appeared in the files,
06:58including President Trump's name.
07:00The federal judge, Tanya Chutkin, agreed to fast-track the request,
07:05calling it a matter of widespread and exceptional media interest
07:08and saying it raises possible questions about the government's integrity.
07:12As of now, the DOJ has until December 19th to hand over the full set of the Epstein files.
07:18The Trump administration is rolling out new price cuts for 15 medications covered by Medicare,
07:25including some of the most popular weight loss drugs.
07:27The discounts come through the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program,
07:32a key piece of former President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act.
07:36The Trump administration says the new prices will save taxpayers $12 billion
07:40and cut out-of-pocket costs for Medicare enrollees by $685 million.
07:45Under the plan, Ozempic and Wagovi, also used to treat type 2 diabetes,
07:50would drop from $959 for a 30-day supply to $274.
07:55The cuts also slashed the cost of four cancer drugs by thousands of dollars each
08:00and reduced prices for two other diabetes medications down to double-digit costs.
08:06But these new prices won't kick in until 2027.
08:09You can see the full list of affected drugs right now on our website, san.com.
08:13Finally this morning, Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano is putting on another show,
08:18and this one is a stunner.
08:20Kilauea shot fountains of lava more than 400 feet into the air on Tuesday.
08:24Look at that.
08:25Wow.
08:26The 37th outburst since this current eruption began almost a year ago.
08:31Some of this year's fountains have been massive.
08:33Get this.
08:33One earlier this month soared over 1,000 feet, towering like a volcanic skyscraper.
08:39Hawaii's Volcanoes National Park says it will host a public geology talk on December 23rd
08:45to mark one year of this remarkable, still-ongoing eruption.
08:50I mean, wouldn't you like to be there to learn and take notes to learn more?
08:54I would.
08:54All right.
08:55By the way, in case you haven't noticed, we are the fastest, fairest few minutes in news.
08:59So tell your friends about us.
09:00Watch us at san.com or on the app or stream us on Spotify.
09:05Those are your unbiased updates for this Wednesday.
09:07Kara Rucker will be in for me tomorrow.
09:09For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, have a great day and a wonderful, happy Thanksgiving.
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