00:00Millions of barrels of Venezuelan oil headed to the U.S. Maduro is out, the money is moving, and the fight over who runs Venezuela next is just getting started.
00:10Plus, Greenland takeover talk gets louder. Trump says the U.S. needs it. Now the White House says nothing's off the table.
00:18And about that cup of coffee at 30,000 feet, the study that will have you reaching for bottled water when you fly the skies.
00:25The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world. These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News.
00:38Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli. This morning, Venezuela's future remains uncertain as the country's opposition leader says the people of Venezuela have already chosen who should lead the country now that American forces have removed Nicolas Maduro from power.
00:53Maria Corina Machado says the people have already spoken, pointing to the 2024 election, where her opposition movement claims a clear victory.
01:02Machado won the opposition primary, but was later barred from running by Maduro's government.
01:08Her ally, Edmundo Gonzalez, took her place on the ballot and is recognized by the United States and other countries as the legitimate winner, with Maduro accused of rigging the vote.
01:18Machado says that outcome gives her movement the right to govern.
01:23We got a mandate, very strong, very clear, to the primary process in October 2023, but we won an election in 2024 by landslide, so there is a mandate there.
01:36Should you be the next leader of Venezuela?
01:40Absolutely, yes, and we have a president-elect who is Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, and we are ready and willing to serve our people as we have been mandating.
01:51It is still unclear if or when Machado and Gonzalez will return to Venezuela to help lead the country, both fled and went into hiding after the election, citing fears of political persecution.
02:03Many Venezuelans had expected Machado to step into a leadership role after U.S. forces captured Maduro over the weekend.
02:10Instead, President Trump has moved to install Maduro's former vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, as the country's interim leader, saying Machado doesn't have the respect in Venezuela.
02:21Trump has said he wants to work with Rodriguez and other holdovers from Maduro's government, as long as they agree to his terms on oil, warning if she doesn't do what's right, she's going to pay a big price.
02:33He has spoken with Rodriguez by phone.
02:36On Tuesday, Trump announced on Truth Social that Venezuela will sell between 30 and 50 million barrels of oil to the United States.
02:44He said the proceeds would, quote, benefit the people of both countries.
02:48White House officials say a meeting is set for Friday with U.S. oil executives to discuss the next steps in Venezuela.
02:55The White House is now openly acknowledging what had mostly lived between the lines, that President Trump is actively weighing options to acquire Greenland and that using the U.S. military is not off the table.
03:07This comes just days after the U.S. operation in Venezuela and the Greenland noise triggering alarm bells across Congress and among America's closest allies.
03:16Greenland is massive, resource rich, strategically positioned between the U.S., Europe and Russia.
03:23Trump says the stakes are simple.
03:26We need Greenland from a national security situation.
03:31More specifically, the president wants to keep China and Russia's influence on Arctic shipping around Greenland in check.
03:38But Denmark, a NATO ally, says the takeover talk crosses a dangerous line.
03:43Danish Prime Minister Mete Frederiksen says the issue must be taken seriously, warning that any U.S. military move against Greenland could effectively end NATO as we know it.
03:54That concern is now being echoed on Capitol Hill.
03:57Here's Virginia Senator Mark Warner.
03:59Does anyone really think that NATO would still exist if America violated the territorial integrity of a NATO ally?
04:09That's totally counter to the whole concept of NATO.
04:11I think it's very dangerous kind of language.
04:14Still, the White House is not backing off.
04:17Press Secretary Caroline Levitt said in a statement Tuesday the president views Greenland as a national security priority and that all options remain on the table.
04:27On CNN, senior adviser Stephen Miller went even further.
04:31The United States should have Greenland as part of the United States.
04:35There's no need to even think or talk about this in the context that you're asking of a military operation.
04:41Nobody's going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland.
04:46Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers Monday the administration is exploring a purchase, not an invasion.
04:54But sources tell CNN the State Department has already been asked to assess Greenland's resources and the cost of acquiring them.
05:01For now, Greenland's government says it wants direct talks with the United States.
05:06European leaders are closing ranks behind Denmark and lawmakers from both parties in Washington are warning the rhetoric alone could have real consequences.
05:16In the Middle East, as Iran moves toward nightfall, pressure is building after days of protests, a deadly crackdown and no sign of the government easing up.
05:26Demonstrations over the collapsing economy are now spreading and turning more confrontational across the country.
05:32Security forces fired tear gas inside Tehran's Grand Bazaar Tuesday as protesters chanted against Iran's clerical rulers.
05:41The bazaar, the economic heart of the capital, has been a flashpoint since shopkeepers first walked out over the crashing currency.
05:48The Iranian rial has hit record lows. Inflation is soaring. Food prices are climbing fast.
05:55What started as economic anger is now something broader.
05:59Protests have spread to dozens of cities and towns, including in western Iran, where crowds have grown larger and more defiant.
06:06Human rights groups say at least 35 people have been killed over the past 10 days, more than 1,000 others arrested.
06:13The Islamic Republic government has not released an official death toll.
06:17Also, Iran's supreme leader is drawing a hard line, warning that what he calls rioters will not be tolerated.
06:24The judiciary has echoed that message, saying there will be no leniency for unrest, even while acknowledging real economic pain.
06:32Rights groups accuse security forces of extreme tactics, including raids on hospitals where wounded protesters were treated.
06:39And looming over it all, President Trump has warned the United States is prepared to intervene if Iran escalates its crackdown on the protesters.
06:48The ban accused of killing two Brown University students and an MIT professor had been holding what prosecutors now call a lengthy grudge.
06:58Several prosecutors say the suspect, Claudio Neves Valente, left behind a series of short confession videos before he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a New Hampshire storage unit last month.
07:10According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Neves Valente said he had been planning the shooting for a long time and identified Brown University, where he attended school in the early 2000s, as his intended target.
07:21Prosecutors say he never clearly explained his motive, nor did he offer a specific reason for the killing of MIT physics professor Nuno Lorero.
07:30In a statement, prosecutors said Neves Valente showed no remorse, writing,
07:34He exposed his true nature when he blamed innocent, unarmed children for their deaths at his hand,
07:40and grumbled about a self-inflicted injury he suffered when he shot the MIT professor at close range.
07:46In Washington, the House Oversight Committee will hold its first hearings today on widespread fraud and misuse of government funds in Minnesota.
07:55The hearings will focus on why fraud has been so prevalent in Minnesota's social services programs and what, if anything, failed along the way.
08:03Three Republican state lawmakers, who say they were among the first to sound the alarm, are scheduled to testify.
08:09The Trump administration announced last week it is freezing all federal child care funding to Minnesota following the exposure of multiple fraudulent child care operations that it says adds up to billions of dollars.
08:22On Tuesday, the administration expanded the move, announcing it is also withholding funding for family support programs in four other Democrat-led states, California, Colorado, Illinois, and New York.
08:34Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who just announced on Monday that he will not seek re-election later this year, is expected to testify at a second oversight hearing on February 10, alongside the state attorney general.
08:46Finally this morning, you've heard the expression, don't drink the water.
08:50Well, I've got some bad news for you frequent flyers.
08:53A new study from the non-profit Center for Food as Medicine and Longevity found that some airlines may be serving potentially unhealthy water on board.
09:03The recommendation? Stick to bottled water and skip the coffee when you're in the air.
09:08Listen to this. The study analyzed about 35,000 water samples from 10 airlines and 11 regional carriers over a three-year period.
09:16It found 2.7% of samples tested positive for coliform bacteria, a red flag because its presence can signal disease-causing organisms in the water system.
09:28Which airlines did well and which did not?
09:31Delta and Frontier scored the best, earning A ratings for water quality.
09:36On the other hand, American Airlines and JetBlue received D grades, the lowest among major carriers.
09:42Both companies are pushing back.
09:44American told CBS News its water is fully potable and complies with the EPA's aircraft drinking water rule.
09:51JetBlue says it follows the EPA, FDA, and FAA standards.
09:56Bottom line, when you fly, stick to bottled water.
10:00Oh, and by the way, one other thing, don't use the tap water in the bathroom to wash your hands.
10:06Use hand sanitizer instead.
10:08That study says, yep, this stuff is way more effective.
10:14Remember it? It was handy-dandy during COVID.
10:17I'll tell you, it still is liquid gold if you ask me.
10:20All right, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today.
10:23At 10, the Senate gets a closed-door briefing on the U.S. operation in Venezuela with the Secretary of State, Defense Secretary, Attorney General, CIA Director, and the Chairman of Joint Chiefs all in the room.
10:35Also, attend new federal data on job openings and worker turnover, a key read on where the economy is headed.
10:41At 1130, Nick Reiner will be arraigned on two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the stabbing deaths of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michelle Singer Reiner.
10:51And later, a House committee holds a hearing on childcare fraud in Minnesota one week after a sweeping federal crackdown in the Minneapolis area and the Somali community.
11:00Headlines that travel well from the break room to brunch.
11:03Sign up for our Unbiased Updates newsletter at SCN.com slash newsletters.
11:08Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Wednesday.
11:10We'll see you back here tomorrow.
11:12For all of us here at Straight Air News, I'm Craig DiGrelli.
11:15Clean hands and all.
11:16Have a great day.
11:17We'll see you in a while at 3 AMoru again.
11:18Bye-bye.
11:19Bye-bye.
11:20Bye-bye.
11:21Nice.
11:22You may see me nearby.
11:26See ya, let us.
11:27Bye-bye.
11:28Bye-bye.
11:32Bye-bye.
11:36Bye-bye.
11:38Bye-bye.
11:40Bye-bye.
11:41Bye-bye.
11:42Bye-bye.
11:43Bye-bye.
11:44Bye-bye.
Comments