00:00President Trump slaps new tariffs on any country doing business with Iran,
00:06as the White House edges closer to a decision on military action.
00:10Plus, bipartisan pushback.
00:12Lawmakers say the criminal probe into Fed Chair Jerome Powell looks like political payback.
00:17And Minnesota takes the federal government to court, suing to stop ICE from flooding the Twin Cities.
00:23The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.
00:31These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News.
00:36Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelly.
00:38This morning, President Donald Trump escalating pressure on Iran as deadly anti-government protests continue,
00:44announcing new tariffs on countries doing business with Tehran.
00:48It comes as his national security team prepares to review options for possible military action.
00:54In a post on Truth Social, Trump said any country doing business with Iran will face a 25% tariff on trade with the United States, effective immediately.
01:04The president has repeatedly warned Iran against using lethal force to crush the protests.
01:09As the crackdown intensifies, the State Department is urging Americans to leave Iran.
01:14One human rights group says nearly 650 people have been killed, with thousands more injured.
01:20The Associated Press reports it spoke with residents in Tehran for the first time since the government shut down communications.
01:27They describe a heavy security presence, anti-riot police at major intersections,
01:32with Revolutionary Guard and Basij forces, some in plain clothes, patrolling the streets.
01:38All of this comes as Trump is set to be briefed on the next possible steps.
01:43Former U.S. officials tell ABC News options range from cyber operations and targeted strikes to broader military action.
01:51I think one thing President Trump is very good at is always keeping all of his options on the table.
01:56And airstrikes would be one of the many, many options that are on the table for the commander in chief.
02:01Diplomacy is always the first option for the president.
02:04However, with that said, the president has shown he's unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary.
02:11And nobody knows that better than Iran.
02:13Caroline Levitt also said Iran's foreign minister is negotiating directly with Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
02:21The president's national security team is meeting today at the White House, though it's not clear whether Trump himself will attend.
02:27The Trump administration's investigation into the Federal Reserve and its chair, Jerome Powell, is triggering sharp pushback, including from Republicans.
02:37Several Republican lawmakers speaking out against the investigation, warning it could undermine the central bank's independence.
02:44North Carolina Senator Tom Tillis, writing on social media, quote,
02:48Senator Lisa Murkowski saying Monday she spoke with Powell and called the investigation, quote, nothing more than attempt at coercion.
03:05In a statement, Murkowski added, if the Department of Justice believes an investigation into Chair Powell is warranted based on project cost overruns, which are not unusual, then Congress needs to investigate the Department of Justice.
03:19Even President Trump's Treasury Secretary, Scott Besant, has privately expressed unhappiness with the decision to open a criminal investigation into Powell, according to CNN.
03:29The report says Besant is concerned the probe could rattle financial markets.
03:33White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt repeated Monday that Trump did not order the Justice Department to investigate Powell, who says the probe is retaliation for refusing to set interest rates based on the president's preferences.
03:46A major escalation this morning in the showdown between Minnesota and the Trump administration.
03:51The state of Minnesota, along with Minneapolis and St. Paul, are suing the Department of Homeland Security, moving to halt what they call an unlawful and dangerous surge of federal agents into the Twin Cities.
04:03The lawsuit seeks to block DHS from what state and city leaders say are unconstitutional stops, raids and use of force, including operations near schools, hospitals and work sites.
04:14Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison calling the federal deployment a direct assault on state sovereignty.
04:21We asked the courts to end the DHS unlawful behavior in our state.
04:25The intimidation, the threats, the violence, the deployment of thousands of armed mass DHS agents to Minnesota has done our state serious harm.
04:36This is, in essence, a federal invasion of the Twin Cities and Minnesota, and it must stop.
04:42The legal action comes just days after the deadly shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent on a Minneapolis neighborhood street, a case that has sparked days of protests and sharpened tensions on the ground.
04:54Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says what's happening goes far beyond typical.
04:59He claims sometimes 50 agents take part in the arrest of one person.
05:03What we are seeing right now is not normal immigration enforcement.
05:09We are not asking ICE not to do ICE things.
05:13We are asking this federal government to stop the unconstitutional conduct that is invading our streets each and every day.
05:22The suit asks a judge to immediately limit federal agents' authority, including requiring probable cause for arrest and barring the brandishing of weapons against people who pose no immediate threat.
05:34DHS has defended its operations as necessary and lawful, even announcing an increase in manpower on Sunday.
05:41It will fight the case in court.
05:43A major legal and political fight is now headed to federal court.
05:48Democratic Senator Mark Kelly is suing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing the Pentagon of unconstitutional retaliation over a video in which Kelly and other lawmakers urged service members to refuse illegal orders.
06:01In the lawsuit filed Monday, Kelly argues the administration is trying to punish him for protected speech, a move his attorneys say would upend the balance of power between Congress and the executive branch.
06:13They write, allowing that unprecedented step here would invert the constitutional structure by subordinating the legislative branch to executive discipline and chilling congressional oversight of the armed forces.
06:26The case stems from a Democratic video posted last fall as the Trump administration expanded military operations in big cities, reminding troops they are not required to follow unlawful orders.
06:37Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded by formally censuring Kelly and launching a review that could downgrade his retired military rank and reduce his pension, calling the senator's conduct reckless and damaging to the chain of command.
06:51President Trump added to the rhetoric, labeling the video seditious behavior, language Kelly's lawyers now cite as evidence the punishment was predetermined.
07:00Kelly, a retired Navy captain, says the move sends a dangerous message far beyond him.
07:06He's asking a federal judge to block the Pentagon from moving forward, arguing that no member of Congress has ever been subjected to military punishment for political speech.
07:15In a statement, the Pentagon tells Straight Arrow News, we are aware of the litigation.
07:20However, as a matter of policy, the department does not comment on ongoing litigation.
07:25New developments this morning in Venezuela's uncertain future.
07:29CNN is reporting that Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Carina Machado is set to meet with President Trump at the White House on Thursday.
07:39A meeting that comes as the administration continues to navigate a fragile power shift in Caracas.
07:45The meeting follows the U.S. capture of Nicolas Maduro earlier this month and as Trump continues to engage with Maduro's inner circle.
07:53The president has not endorsed Machado as Venezuela's next leader, but has signaled he is open to meeting with Maduro's vice president.
08:01The lady you see here, Delcy Rodriguez.
08:04Rodriguez is now serving as acting president.
08:07We're working along really well with the leadership and we'll see how it all works out.
08:12How will you go back to the meeting with Delcy to go?
08:14At some point I'll meet.
08:16Yeah, it's been very good.
08:18Look, she asked us, can we take 50 million barrels of oil?
08:22And I said, yes, we can.
08:24It's four billion, 4.2 billion dollars.
08:27As she prepares for that White House visit, Machado has been making her case abroad.
08:32On Monday, as you see here, she met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, pressing for the release of political prisoners and international recognition of what the opposition says was a stolen election by Maduro in 2024.
08:45The moment is also colored by the Nobel Peace Prize.
08:48Machado has said she would like to dedicate her award to President Trump, a gesture he has said he would accept.
08:54Even as the Nobel Committee stresses, it cannot be transferred or shared.
08:58For now, Machado arrives in Washington seeking recognition, while Trump signals he's keeping channels open to all sides.
09:06Finally this morning, we've long known that living in microgravity can change the human body.
09:12Now, new research suggests it can also change the position of the brain.
09:17And the longer astronauts stay in space, the more noticeable that shift can be.
09:21It's pretty interesting.
09:23A study of more than two dozen astronauts published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that after time in space, the brain tends to tilt slightly upward and shift back within the skull compared to its position on Earth.
09:38The astronauts studied spent anywhere from a few weeks in space to six-month tours aboard the International Space Station, and in some cases up to a full year.
09:47The co-author of the study said the pattern was clear. The longer the mission, the bigger the change. Astronauts who spent a year in space showed the most significant brain movement.
09:57Researchers say shifts like these can affect balance and orientation after astronauts return to Earth.
10:03Now, the reassuring part is this. The study found no evidence of more serious problems like headaches or cognitive impairment, so that's good.
10:11The findings come as NASA weighs longer-term missions, including future trips to the moon and eventually Mars.
10:18Before we head out, here's what we're tracking today.
10:20This morning, the Supreme Court steps into a high-stakes fight over transgender athletes hearing two cases that could shape how states regulate school sports nationwide.
10:30At 2, President Trump takes the stage in Detroit as fresh inflation data puts the economy back in focus.
10:37And later in Los Angeles, a federal judge weighs a legal clash between the Trump administration and California over a new law restricting ICE agents from wearing masks.
10:47We appreciate you spending part of your day with us here on Unbiased Updates, the fastest, fairest few minutes of news.
10:53Watch us anytime on the SAN app or at SAN.com slash Unbiased Updates, or stream us on Spotify.
11:00Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Tuesday. We'll see you back here tomorrow.
11:03For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DiGrelli. Have a great day.
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