00:01Israel steps up its strikes inside Iran and Lebanon as President Trump says he wants Iran's current leadership out and
00:07replaced.
00:08Plus, why did Trump suddenly fire Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem?
00:12The heated Senate exchange many believe sealed her fate.
00:16And a Texas congressman drops his re-election bid after admitting to an affair with a staff member.
00:23The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.
00:30These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News.
00:35Hello everyone, I'm Simone del Rosario, in for Craig Negrelli.
00:39New this morning, Israel is continuing its broad wave of strikes in Iran and Lebanon, targeting the Iranian regime and
00:45the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah.
00:47It comes as President Trump says he wants Iran's current leadership removed and a hand in choosing who comes next.
00:54Trump told NBC News in a phone interview Thursday, quote,
00:59And in a separate interview with Axios, he says he believes the U.S. should be involved in choosing Iran's
01:06next leader,
01:07comparing it to how he says he helped install Venezuela's current government.
01:11He also called on members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard to stop fighting.
01:16And I'm once again calling on all members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the military and the police to lay
01:22down their arms.
01:24They're only going to be killed.
01:26And now is the time to stand up for the Iranian people and help take back your country.
01:31You're going to have a chance after all these years to take back your country.
01:36Accept immunity.
01:37We'll give you immunity and we'll be giving you really the right side of history because that's what it is.
01:44So you'll be perfectly safe with total immunity or you'll face absolutely guaranteed death.
01:53Trump also says Moshtaba Khamenei, the son of slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would be, quote,
01:59unacceptable as Iran's next leader.
02:02Iranian officials have delayed announcing a successor for days, but political figures in Tehran suggest an announcement could come soon.
02:10On Capitol Hill, the U.S. House Thursday failed to pass a war powers resolution that would have limited Trump's
02:16ability to order strikes on Iran without congressional approval.
02:20A similar measure failed the Senate the day before.
02:23Meanwhile, Israel says it has launched a broad wave of strikes targeting Iranian regime infrastructure in Tehran overnight.
02:30Israel also carried out new strikes in Lebanon, with the Israeli defense forces saying it hit Hezbollah infrastructure in southern
02:37Beirut,
02:38including a command center and facilities used to store drones.
02:42Lebanon's prime minister is now urging international intervention, warning, quote,
02:53The war with Iran is now driving demand for a weapon Ukraine has spent years perfecting,
02:59interceptor drones designed to hunt down the same Iranian-made drones now targeting U.S. forces and allies in the
03:05Middle East.
03:06ABC News reports U.S. officials and several Gulf nations are now in talks with Ukraine about buying those systems.
03:12They're cheap, they're fast, and they specifically target Iran's Shahed drones before they hit their attack mark.
03:19The technology was developed during Russia's war on Ukraine,
03:22where swarms of Iranian-style drones have repeatedly hit Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
03:28Ukraine's interceptor drones are designed to chase them down midair using cameras and AI tracking
03:33before pilots fly the drones directly into the incoming threat.
03:38Now, the systems cost just a few thousand dollars each, far cheaper than the traditional air defense missiles that can
03:44run into the millions.
03:45And it's that cost that's drawing attention from countries now facing Iran's attacks.
03:51Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the United States and several Middle Eastern partners have already asked for help,
03:57including for equipment and Ukrainian specialists.
04:00He says Ukraine is prepared to share its experience, but only if it doesn't weaken Ukraine's own defenses against Russia.
04:08President Trump is making a major change at the Department of Homeland Security,
04:12firing Secretary Kristi Noem and tapping Oklahoma Senator Mark Wayne Mullen to take over the agency.
04:17Trump announced the shakeup on social media, saying he will nominate Mullen to lead the department,
04:22with a confirmation process expected to start soon.
04:25The move comes after a week of intense scrutiny on Capitol Hill,
04:29where Noem faced tough questions about DHS operations,
04:32including the deadly shootings of two American citizens by immigration enforcement officers earlier this year.
04:39Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana pressed Noem repeatedly during one of those hearings,
04:43and multiple reports, including CNN, say her exchanges with Kennedy may have been a turning point for Trump.
04:49The decision also marks a shift for the president, who had previously defended Noem and said he had no plans
04:55to remove her,
04:56despite growing criticism from both parties.
04:59Mullen is expected to step in at DHS at the end of the month and told reporters he hopes his
05:04confirmation process begins right away.
05:07As for Noem, she's expected to remain in the administration in a new role called Special Envoy for the Shield
05:13of the Americas.
05:15Texas Republican Tony Gonzalez is dropping his bid for re-election after admitting he had an affair with a former
05:21staff member,
05:21who later died by suicide.
05:23Gonzalez says he will still serve out the rest of his term in Congress.
05:27In a statement posted to social media late Thursday, he said,
05:30The announcement came just hours after House Republican leadership urged him to step aside in the race,
05:43just days after Gonzalez advanced to a runoff primary against conservative activist Brandon Herrera.
05:49The move comes as the House Ethics Committee has opened an investigation into the Gonzalez affair.
05:55He says he will fully cooperate.
05:58Republicans hold a razor-thin majority in the House.
06:01This Texas district leans red.
06:03It's been more than a decade since a Democrat has held the seat.
06:06Democrat Katie Padilla-Stout will face Herrera in the fall.
06:10Savannah Guthrie made a quiet return to familiar ground this week,
06:14stopping by the Today Show studios Thursday for the first time since her mother disappeared more than a month ago.
06:20The longtime NBC anchor didn't go on the air, but she visited colleagues to thank them for their support.
06:26In a statement, NBC said Guthrie plans to return to the show eventually,
06:30but right now remains focused on helping her family and working to bring her mother home.
06:35During the visit, Guthrie told staff she does intend to come back, though she acknowledged it won't be easy.
06:41I have every intention of coming back, she says.
06:44I don't know how to come back, but I don't know how not to.
06:47You're my family, and I would like to try.
06:50Meanwhile, investigators in Arizona say new forensic evidence tied to the case has led to a dead end.
06:55The Pima County Sheriff's Department says black gloves found roughly two miles from Guthrie's Tucson home
07:01were tested for DNA and traced back to a local restaurant employee.
07:05Authorities say that person is not connected to the investigation,
07:09and other DNA evidence collected is still being analyzed.
07:1384-year-old Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson home in early February,
07:16and authorities believe she was taken against her will.
07:20Investigators have released surveillance images of a masked suspect approaching the home.
07:24Video that security company Ring's CEO says could have been even more helpful
07:28had there been more cameras on the property.
07:31He's been ridiculed for those comments.
07:33For now, the investigation continues with no arrests and no clear suspect.
07:38Let's end on a lighter note this morning.
07:40The viral baby monkey that melted the internet clutching a stuffed animal
07:44is starting to let go and join the rest of his troop.
07:47Punch, an orphaned Japanese macaque at a zoo near Tokyo,
07:51is starting to learn what keepers call the rules of monkey society.
07:55Punch was born last July and hand-raised after his mother abandoned him.
08:00He was given a stuffed orangutan to help him practice an important survival skill, clinging.
08:06His attachment to the stuffy went viral.
08:08But zoo staff say the little monkey is now spending less time with the toy
08:12and more time with other macaques.
08:13Sitting with adults, getting groomed, and even hitching rides on their backs.
08:18He still sleeps with the plushie at night,
08:20but the zoo's director says using it less during the day
08:23is a good sign Punch is becoming more independent.
08:26And his fame isn't slowing down because of it.
08:29The stuffed orangutan has been so popular it's caused shortages.
08:32And crowds at the zoo's Monkey Mountain are so big now,
08:36visitors are limited to just 10 minutes at a time.
08:39I'm glad Punch is doing a lot better.
08:41Now, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today.
08:43At 8.30 this morning, the Labor Department releases the February jobs report.
08:47Economists expecting a relatively stable labor market.
08:50At 11, the Philadelphia Flower Show opens at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
08:55It's billed as the largest indoor flower show in the world.
08:58At noon, a public memorial service in Chicago for the late Reverend Jesse Jackson,
09:02with former Presidents Clinton, Obama, and Biden all expected to attend.
09:06And later tonight, President Trump departs Joint Base Andrews for Palm Beach,
09:11where he often stops to take questions from reporters before boarding Air Force One.
09:15We'll keep an eye on that.
09:17We're the fastest, fairest few minutes in news.
09:19If you agree, be sure to tell your friends about us.
09:22You can always watch us on san.com or on our app, or you can stream us on Spotify.
09:28Those are your unbiased updates for this Friday.
09:31We'll see you back here next week.
09:33Oh, and for everyone not in Arizona and Hawaii,
09:36don't forget to spring your clocks forward before you go to bed tonight.
09:39Daylight saving time officially begins on Sunday.
09:42For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Simone del Rosario.
09:46Have a great weekend.
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