00:01Congress gets a closed-door briefing today on the Iran strikes as fighting
00:05spreads across the region. Americans in six countries are told to leave, but
00:10flights are canceled and airspace is restricted. Plus, nine hours of Bill and
00:15Hillary Clinton's sworn testimony goes public. At one point, Hillary threatens to
00:19walk out. And companies move to get their money back after the Supreme Court
00:24struck down Trump's global tariffs. The refund clock starts now. The stories that
00:32matter, clear and credible from across the country to around the world. These are
00:37your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News. Good morning, I'm Craig DiGrelli.
00:44This morning, the back-and-forth attacks are intensifying as the war in Iran enters
00:48another day and spreads across the region. Iran targeted the U.S. embassy in Riyadh
00:53with the drone early this morning, according to regional officials. It comes
00:57as the U.S. has ordered non-emergency personnel to depart six countries, the
01:02United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar. Getting out may not be
01:08easy. Much of the region's airspace remains restricted or closed, and multiple
01:12airports have suspended operations. Thousands of travelers are stranded as
01:17airlines cancel flights. Overnight, explosions rocked Tehran as American and
01:22Israeli airstrikes continued. U.S. Central Command said American forces have
01:26destroyed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, air
01:31defense systems, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields since the
01:37initial strikes on Saturday.
01:41The Iranian Red Crescent now says at least 787 people have been killed in Iran since the
01:47fighting began. President Donald Trump posted overnight that the U.S. has a
01:51virtually unlimited supply of weapons and said wars can be fought forever using
01:57those resources. Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State
02:01Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Joint Chiefs
02:06Chair Dan Cain, are set to brief all members of the House and Senate on the situation in
02:12Iran today. Meanwhile, Iran and its allies are expanding retaliatory strikes, hitting
02:18Israel, Gulf states, and targets critical to the world's oil and natural gas
02:23production. Iran continues to block traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a
02:27waterway that carries about 20 percent of the world's oil. An Iranian military
02:32spokesperson warned any vessels attempting to get through that they would, quote,
02:36set those ships on fire. Container ships are now stuck in limbo, waiting for new
02:41route instructions amid the closure. Because one-fifth of the world's oil passes
02:46through the Strait, financial markets are reacting sharply. The conflict is also
02:50spreading to Lebanon, where the Iranian-supported militant group Hezbollah
02:54and Israel are exchanging attacks. The Israel Defense Forces also said they
02:59completed a series of strikes on Hezbollah command centers, weapons sites, and
03:03communications facilities in Beirut, including locations they said were
03:08operating under civilian cover. The Lebanese army has redeployed some troops
03:12away from the border as the fighting escalates. New video out this morning
03:17shows heated moments from Hillary Clinton's deposition before the House
03:20Oversight Committee in its investigation tied to Jeffrey Epstein. Clinton was
03:25pressed about emails connected to a fundraiser for former Congresswoman Nita Lowy and
03:30whether she had any knowledge of broader connections. She said she did not. Then things
03:35turned tense. Lawyers interrupted the session after learning photos of Clinton
03:39testifying were being released during what was supposed to be a closed-door
03:43deposition. Here's that exchange.
03:45You're showing me an email from someone who I don't recall knowing about a fundraiser that
03:51wasn't for me but was for Congresswoman Lowy. I have no information. I went to the
03:56fundraiser to support my friend Nia Lowy.
03:58All right. Excuse me, can I interrupt? There are photos that are being released of the Secretary as she is
04:08testifying from inside this room. Can you please advise me as to whether or not that's permissible and consistent with
04:13the rules, particularly given that we have asked for a public hearing. If there are photos that are being released
04:19of the Secretary as she is testifying, can you please explain how that can occur?
04:23If you guys are doing that, I am done. You can hold me in contempt from now until the cows
04:27come home. This is just typical behavior.
04:30The committee also released video of former President Bill Clinton's deposition. He acknowledged past contact with Epstein but denied any
04:38knowledge of criminal conduct. Republicans say the videos show transparency. Democrats call the release political theater.
04:45President Trump's terror fight is now moving quickly back to the lower courts. The federal appeals court has rejected the
04:52administration's request to delay implementation of the Supreme Court's ruling that struck down most of Trump's global tariffs.
05:00That clears the way for the U.S. Court of International Trade to begin working through what could be billions
05:05of dollars in refunds to businesses.
05:07Last month, the Supreme Court ruled six to three that the president did not have authority under federal emergency powers
05:14law to impose those sweeping tariffs.
05:16The decision dismantled a major pillar of Trump's economic policy, but it did not spell out how refunds should be
05:23handled.
05:23In fact, Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that it would be a mess. The administration asked for up to a 90
05:30-day delay, arguing the political branches needed time to consider options.
05:35But small business plaintiffs pushed back hard. In a court filing on Monday, their lawyers wrote nothing about the refund
05:42issue warrants any delay in issuing this court's mandate, let alone a staggering three months delay.
05:48The proper time to issue the mandate is now. The appeals court agreed. More than 900 refund claims are already
05:55filed, including by companies like FedEx and Costco.
05:59The tariffs in question generated more than $130 billion for the government, and some estimates put that figure at $175
06:07billion.
06:08Also from the courts, the Supreme Court has blocked a California law that would have prevented schools from automatically notifying
06:15parents
06:15if a student changes their gender identity or pronouns at school.
06:19In a six-to-three decision Monday, the court sided with parents challenging the law.
06:25The measure barred schools from adopting automatic parental notification policies when students change their pronouns or gender expression on campus.
06:34Challengers argued the law allowed schools to withhold critical information and facilitate a child's social transition without parental consent.
06:43California officials countered that students have privacy rights, particularly if they fear rejection or harm at home.
06:50The majority ruled that parents' rights under the First Amendment's Free Exercise Clause were violated
06:55and said the parents also raised valid claims under the 14th Amendment.
07:00The court split along ideological lines with Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown-Jackson dissenting.
07:09Hollywood's streaming wars are about to take a major turn.
07:13Paramount says it plans to combine Paramount Plus and HBO Max into one single streaming platform
07:20following its blockbuster deal to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery.
07:24CEO David Ellison told investors the two services together now reach more than $200 million direct-to-consumer subscribers worldwide,
07:33positioning the merged company to compete with the biggest players in streaming.
07:37The combined platform would unite powerhouse franchises from Game of Thrones and The Sopranos to Yellowstone and Star Trek under
07:45one roof.
07:46Ellison made one thing clear.
07:48HBO should stay HBO.
07:50He says the brand will keep its identity and creative independence.
07:54The deal, valued at more than $100 billion, including debt, would also bring CNN under Paramount's control.
08:01Ellison says there are no plans right now to spin off cable assets.
08:04Still, the merger is expected to face regulatory scrutiny, given it would consolidate major film studios, streaming platforms, and news
08:13networks,
08:14including CBS and CNN, under one parent company.
08:18Ellison, the son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, says the move will create a stronger Hollywood and a more
08:24competitive streaming business.
08:25Now it's up to regulators, investors, and President Trump to decide whether this media mega-merger moves forward.
08:33Finally this morning, a stunning art world reversal.
08:37After a two-year investigation, experts in the Netherlands now say a painting, long dismissed as not a Rembrandt, is
08:45in fact the real thing.
08:46Take a look.
08:47The work, titled The Vision of Zacharias in the Temple, dates back to 1633.
08:53The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam says high-tech imaging and detailed analysis confirm Rembrandt painted it shortly after moving to the
09:01Dutch capital.
09:02A private collector bought the piece back in 1961, even though experts at the time concluded it was not authentic.
09:10That assessment has now been reversed.
09:12Using x-ray scans and comparisons to other known Rembrandt works, researchers determined the biblical scene depicting Zacharias,
09:21often known as or referred to as Zachariah, visited by the archangel Gabriel as he was told he and Elizabeth,
09:28who have a son, John the Baptist,
09:30matches the master's hand.
09:32The museum's director says the owner had no idea what he possessed and described the discovery as like finding a
09:38needle in a haystack.
09:40Can you imagine having a Rembrandt and not knowing it and then being told it's the real thing?
09:45I think they call that found money.
09:47All right, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today.
09:50At nine this morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee questions Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in an oversight hearing on DHS.
09:58Later in the morning, President Trump hosts German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz at the White House for an official working visit.
10:05Then this afternoon, the full Senate and later the full House received classified briefings on Iran from top national security
10:12officials.
10:13And all day voters will be heading to polls in Arkansas, North Carolina and Texas, races we will be watching
10:19closely.
10:19It's primary day.
10:21No noise, no sides, just the story.
10:23NewsGuard gives us a perfect score for reliability.
10:26All sides gives us a sensor rating with balance certification.
10:30We give you facts first without the spin.
10:33Those are your unbiased updates for this Tuesday.
10:35We'll see you back here tomorrow.
10:36For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DiGrelli.
10:38Have a great day.
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