00:01Iran hits American allies again. Drones, missiles, and new attacks across the Gulf.
00:06Iran's foreign minister now firing back at President Trump.
00:10Plus, the Strait of Hormuz choking global oil.
00:13Trump now pressuring other countries to send in warships.
00:17And a wild weather whiplash.
00:19Blizzard winds in the plains help ignite massive wildfires,
00:23while snow and bitter cold slam the Midwest.
00:28The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.
00:34These are your unbiased updates from Strait Arrow News.
00:40Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
00:42This morning, Iran is continuing its attacks on U.S. allies across the Middle East.
00:47Officials in the United Arab Emirates say operations at Dubai International Airport,
00:53the world's busiest hub for international travel, are gradually resuming after a drone struck a fuel tank,
01:00sparking a fire, and temporarily halting flights.
01:03The UAE also says a Palestinian civilian was killed in a missile strike early Monday in the capital of Abu
01:10Dhabi.
01:11Officials say the missile hit a vehicle in the al-Bahia area.
01:15Authorities say seven people now have been killed in the United Arab Emirates since the war began.
01:20Also in the UAE, another drone strike sparked a fire at an industrial oil facility.
01:27Saudi Arabia says it intercepted three drones over Riyadh and its oil-rich western region,
01:33while Bahrain says its air defense systems also responded to attacks Monday morning.
01:39Meanwhile, Iran's foreign minister is pushing back on President Trump's claim over the weekend
01:44that Iran is, quote, totally defeated and seeking a deal.
01:48No, we never asked for a ceasefire, and we have never asked even for negotiation.
01:54We are ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes, and this is what we have done so far,
02:01and we continue to do that until President Trump comes to the point that this is an illegal war with
02:10no victory.
02:13His comments come as the Israeli military says it has destroyed about 70 percent of Iran's missile launchers
02:20during the first two weeks of the war.
02:22Israel also says it has sent additional ground troops into Lebanon for what it calls a limited and targeted operation,
02:29aimed at protecting border communities from the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.
02:35In a related story, the fight over the Strait of Hormuz is starting to pull in the rest of the
02:40world.
02:41President Trump is urging several major powers to send warships to the region
02:45as Iran targets ships in the narrow waterway that carries about one-fifth of the world's oil.
02:51In a Truth Social post over the weekend, Trump called on countries including China, France, Japan, South Korea,
02:58and the United Kingdom to help keep the Strait open and safe, saying global shipping cannot be held hostage
03:05by Iran's attempts to disrupt tanker traffic.
03:08But so far, there are no firm commitments.
03:10Several governments say they are reviewing the situation or coordinating with allies
03:15while stopping short of promising to deploy ships.
03:18The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most critical energy choke points in the world,
03:23and the fighting there is already rattling global markets.
03:25Trump told reporters last night these countries should be protecting their own energy lifeline.
03:31We are demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory
03:35because it is their territory.
03:37It's a place from which they get their energy,
03:42and they should come and they should help us protect it.
03:46Meanwhile, Iran is signaling it still holds leverage over the shipping lanes.
03:51Foreign Minister Abbas Arakshi says Tehran is already fielding requests from other countries
03:56worried about getting their ships through the Strait.
03:59But we have been approached by a number of countries who want to have a safe passage for their vessels,
04:06and this is up to our military to decide.
04:09And they have already decided to let, you know,
04:13a group of, you know, vessels belongs to different countries to pass in a safe and secure.
04:19The international response may be starting to take shape.
04:23The European Union says it is now weighing possible naval missions to help reopen the waterway,
04:29including expanding an existing Red Sea escort operation or forming a coalition of willing countries.
04:36A powerful coast-to-coast storm system is sweeping across the country this morning,
04:40dumping heavy snow across the Midwest
04:43and pushing dangerous weather toward the eastern half of the country.
04:46Parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin were buried under more than a foot of snow over the weekend.
04:52Look at this wall of white here.
04:53Blizzard conditions making travel nearly impossible in some areas.
04:58This video is from Marshfield, Wisconsin, where they've received more than two feet of snow.
05:03In Minnesota, highways around the Twin Cities were covered in blowing snow,
05:07and visibility dropped sharply along I-94.
05:10More snow is expected through today as the system slowly moves east,
05:15but that same storm is creating bigger problems farther east.
05:19The system is now pushing toward the eastern and southeastern United States,
05:24where forecasters are warning of strong storms, damaging winds,
05:28and possibly tornadoes as the day unfolds.
05:30Behind that front, a blast of frigid air is expected to sweep across much of the east
05:36and southeast, sending temperatures plunging well below normal for this time of year.
05:41By the way, the wind chill here in Omaha, Nebraska, minus 14 this morning,
05:46three inches of snow on the ground.
05:48We had blizzard conditions yesterday.
05:50Yep, we're in the thick of it.
05:52Meteorologists say more than 100 million people could see severe weather
05:56nor a sharp temperature drop as this sprawling system moves across the country.
06:01Which leads to this, the largest wildfire in Nebraska history is burning out of control this morning.
06:08Combined with three other major fires,
06:10more than half a million acres across central and western Nebraska are on fire.
06:15Powerful planes winds are fueling the flames.
06:18Governor Jim Pillen says an elderly woman died trying to escape the fire in Morrill County
06:23in the state's western panhandle.
06:25Look at all that smoke.
06:26The Nebraska National Guard has deployed Blackhawk helicopters,
06:30scooping water from a nearby lake and dropping it on the flames from above.
06:34The largest fire alone has burned more than 450,000 acres.
06:39Investigators believe strong winds knock down power lines,
06:43sparking an electrical fire that quickly spread.
06:46The governor has declared a state of emergency, freeing up additional resources
06:50as crews from Omaha, Lincoln and other cities head west to help.
06:54As of Sunday, the fires were zero percent contained.
06:58Forecasters say wind gusts near 60 miles an hour combined with extremely dry conditions
07:03are helping the flames spread rapidly across the region.
07:07The CEOs of some of the nation's largest airlines are urging Congress
07:12to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
07:15The heads of American, Delta, Southwest and JetBlue
07:18are also calling on lawmakers to pass a bipartisan measure
07:22that would guarantee federal aviation workers get paid during government shutdowns.
07:27In an open letter Sunday, the CEOs said it's, quote,
07:31difficult, if not impossible, to put food on the table, put gas in the car,
07:35and pay rent when you are not getting paid.
07:38The letter was also signed by the leaders of major cargo carriers, including UPS and FedEx.
07:43The warning comes as airlines prepare for record spring break travel numbers,
07:49the upcoming FIFA World Cup, and a major winter storm moving across the country
07:54that could further strain the airlines, flights, and people's plans this week.
07:59Some airports are already warning passengers to get this, arrive three to four hours early,
08:04and expect long security lines, as more than 300 TSA workers have reportedly quit
08:10since the partial government shutdown began on February 14th.
08:15Finally this morning, Paul Thomas Anderson's political thriller
08:19One Battle After Another dominated the 98th Academy Awards.
08:24The film took home six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
08:30In accepting Best Adapted Screenplay, Anderson said he wrote the film for his children
08:35to say sorry for the housekeeping mess left in the world,
08:39and expressed hope that their generation would bring back common sense and decency.
08:44Sinners followed with four wins, including Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan,
08:48and Best Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler.
08:52K-pop Demon Hunters won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for Golden.
08:57Sentimental Value took Best International Feature,
09:00and Mr. Nobody Against Putin won Best Documentary Feature.
09:04I have to say, I was already in bed, but congratulations to all the winners.
09:08I did watch the selection show for March Madness.
09:12Basketball is going to be big over the next few weeks.
09:14I think it's what, Duke, Arizona, Florida, and Michigan, the top four seats.
09:20I think they got that right.
09:22I hope.
09:23All right, going to be some great basketball between now and April.
09:26No noise, no sides, just the story.
09:29NewsGuard gives us a perfect score for reliability.
09:31All sides gives us a center rating with balance certification.
09:35We give you facts first without the spin.
09:37Those are your unbiased updates for this Monday.
09:39We'll see you back here tomorrow.
09:41For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrelly.
09:43Stay warm and have a great day.
Comments