00:01Iran hits a major gas facility in Qatar.
00:04President Trump says do it again and the U.S. will hit back hard.
00:08Plus, with the price of oil soaring past $100 a barrel, gas prices are surging.
00:14What you and I can expect to pay when we fill up our tanks.
00:17And senators push for a yes or no.
00:20Was Iran an imminent threat or not?
00:23The director of national intelligence on the hot seat.
00:29The stories that matter, clear and credible.
00:32From across the country to around the world.
00:35These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News.
00:41Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
00:43President Trump is now threatening to destroy Iran's largest gas field
00:47as the war expands across the region's energy infrastructure.
00:51In a post overnight, Trump warned the U.S. would massively blow up Iran's South Pars gas field
00:58if Iran launches another attack on Qatar.
01:01He said Israel acted alone in striking that same field earlier
01:05and that neither the United States nor Qatar had prior knowledge.
01:09That Israeli strike hit part of South Pars,
01:12the world's largest natural gas field shared by Iran and Qatar.
01:17You can see the flames here.
01:18Iran responded within hours.
01:21Missiles struck Qatar's main energy hub,
01:23sparking fires and causing extensive damage to liquefied natural gas facilities.
01:29Qatar says production had already been halted before the latest strikes.
01:34Iran is now expanding its targets across the Gulf.
01:37Saudi Arabia says Iranian missiles and drones targeted energy sites near Riyadh.
01:42The kingdom says it intercepted incoming attacks,
01:45but warned it may take military action if strikes continue.
01:49Saudi officials say they will not hesitate to defend their energy infrastructure.
01:54Iran is also tightening its grip on regional shipping lanes.
01:58More vessels have been hit near the Strait of Hormuz,
02:01a critical route for global oil.
02:04Meanwhile, fighting continues between Israel and Iran.
02:07Air raid sirens sounded across Tel Aviv as missiles were intercepted,
02:12with debris damaging buildings.
02:14No injuries or casualties were reported in those attacks.
02:17In the West Bank, missile debris struck a civilian area, killing at least three people.
02:22Former National Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent is now at the center of two developments,
02:29his resignation over the Iran war and an FBI leak probe that sources say began before he stepped down.
02:37Semaphore was first to report the FBI opened a probe months ago
02:41into whether Kent improperly shared classified information.
02:45CBS News says the bureau's criminal division is handling the case.
02:49Kent resigned Tuesday writing that Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation
02:54and that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and what he called its powerful American lobby.
03:00In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Kent said his concerns were squashed before they reached the White House.
03:07He said key decision makers were blocked from giving President Trump a sanity check before the war
03:13and that there was no intelligence showing Iran was preparing a major surprise attack.
03:17The White House is pushing back.
03:20Press Secretary Caroline Levitt called Kent's claims insulting and laughable
03:24and said his resignation letter included false statements.
03:28She also insists Iran did pose an imminent threat.
03:32Gas prices are climbing fast and the Iran war is driving the surge.
03:38Drivers are now paying an average of $3.84 a gallon according to AAA,
03:43up nearly a dollar in the past month.
03:45That's the highest level since September of 2023.
03:48The spike tracks with rising oil prices.
03:52Crude has jumped sharply since the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran,
03:57tightening supply and rattling global markets.
03:59For many drivers, the impact is immediate.
04:02And I do a lot of traveling around for my job.
04:05So, you know, gas is a pretty big deal.
04:08And then I'm going to see my daughter later play softball, which is about an hour and 15 minutes there
04:12and back.
04:13So it's tough right now.
04:16These prices are through the roof.
04:19The war has also slowed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil.
04:25That disruption is pushing prices higher worldwide.
04:29Diesel is also rising, topping $5 a gallon nationally, with some states now over six bucks.
04:36I would love to see the war end because I don't know what it's for.
04:40I don't know what happened, what started it.
04:43But I would love to see the gas prices go down because everyone might not be financially able to meet
04:51the demands of these high prices.
04:54Look at that.
04:55The White House is trying to ease the pressure, including a temporary waiver on shipping rules.
05:00But analysts say it may not move prices very much, with markets focused on what happens next in the Middle
05:07East region.
05:07And for now, drivers are paying the price.
05:11On Capitol Hill, President Trump's pick to lead Homeland Security faced a tense confirmation hearing,
05:17with sharp questions about his past comments and how he would run the agency.
05:21Senator Mark Wayne Mullen appeared before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday, making his case to replace outgoing Secretary
05:28Kristi Noem.
05:30Lawmakers pressed him on immigration enforcement, disaster response, and his leadership style.
05:35But the hearing quickly turned personal when Republican Senator Rand Paul confronted Mullen over past remarks about a 2017 assault
05:43on Paul.
05:44You told the media that I was a freaking snake and that you completely understood why I had been assaulted.
05:52I was shocked that you would justify and celebrate this violent assault.
05:56That caused me so much pain and my family so much pain.
06:00I just wonder if someone who applauds violence against their political opponents
06:04is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled to accept limits to the proper use of force.
06:10If you recall, back in my House days, we actually did have this conversation because of remarks that I made.
06:17You were in a room.
06:19I simply addressed that I said I could understand because of the behavior you were having,
06:24that I could understand why the neighbor did what he did.
06:28As far as my terms of the snake in the grass, sir, I work around this room to try to
06:32fix problems.
06:34I've worked with many people in this room.
06:36Seems like you fight Republicans more than you work with us.
06:39Mullen said if confirmed, he would change course from Nome in key areas.
06:45He told lawmakers he would require judicial warrants for agents entering homes
06:49and roll back a policy that slowed disaster aid by requiring top-level approval.
06:54He also said FEMA should be restructured, not eliminated.
06:58After the hearing, Senator Paul told reporters he will be voting no on Mullen.
07:02But Democrat John Fetterman said he's open to possibly voting yes.
07:08Well, I came up with an open mind, and I'm going to maintain that.
07:12That was always my commitment to do that.
07:14And if you've listened to anything I've said, I think I would have emerged with, like I said, uniformly positive
07:22things.
07:23Despite Paul's opposition, Mullen is expected to advance.
07:27The committee could vote as early as today on sending the nomination to the full Senate.
07:32Also on Capitol Hill, a sharp exchange over Iran and intelligence.
07:37The nation's top intelligence officials faced tough questions from lawmakers during the annual worldwide threats hearing.
07:44Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told senators Iran's regime is still in place but weakened after weeks of war.
07:52She also said American strikes last June destroyed Iran's nuclear program with no Iranian effort to rebuild it.
08:00When pressed on whether Iran posed an imminent threat, Gabbard declined to give an answer.
08:06Was it the assessment of the intelligence community that there was a, quote, imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian
08:12regime, yes or no?
08:13Senator, the only person who can determine what is and is not an imminent threat is the president.
08:19And he made that determination.
08:20This is the worldwide threats hearing where you present to Congress national intelligence, timely objective and independent of political considerations.
08:28You've stated today that the intelligence community's assessment is that Iran's nuclear enrichment program was obliterated.
08:35And that, quote, there had been no efforts since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability.
08:41Was it the intelligence community's assessment that, nevertheless, despite this obliteration, there was a, quote, imminent nuclear threat posed by
08:50the Iranian regime?
08:51Yes or no?
08:52It is not the intelligence community's responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat.
08:57That is up to the president based on a volume of information that he receives.
09:01No, it is precisely your responsibility to determine what constitutes a threat to the United States.
09:07This is the worldwide threats hearing.
09:10Lawmakers also pushed for answers on what intelligence was shared with President Trump before the war, including the risk that
09:17Iran could disrupt global oil routes and attack American allies in the Middle East.
09:23Officials declined to discuss those conversations.
09:26They will testify before the House Intelligence Committee later this morning.
09:30All right, let's take a breath and end on something a bit lighter today.
09:34Are you a dog person?
09:35Then this story likely hits home.
09:38The American Kennel Club is out with its list of the most popular breeds.
09:42The French Bulldog is still on top.
09:45Cute, adaptable, and well-suited for apartment living.
09:49It's held the number one spot since 2023.
09:52One of the big movers, Dachshunds.
09:54Back in the top five and gaining in popularity.
09:57They're known as a lot of dog in a small package.
10:00And breeders say they're quite expressive.
10:02Long nose, long ears, long body, long tail, short legs.
10:09So that they're amusing to look at.
10:12They're also very expressive dogs.
10:15They let you know what they're thinking.
10:18Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers also make the list.
10:22Both reliable family dogs.
10:24German Shepherds come in at number four.
10:26A breed the AKC says people continue to respect.
10:30Poodles and Beagles round out the rankings.
10:32And the AKC's advice?
10:35If you're thinking about adopting, do your homework and make sure the dog fits your lifestyle.
10:41Kind of something for everybody there, right?
10:42Great.
10:43All right, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today.
10:45This morning, the latest read on unemployment claims.
10:48A key snapshot of the labor market right now.
10:51At 11, President Trump welcomes Japan's Prime Minister to the White House, where they
10:55will hold a bilateral meeting.
10:57At 145, the Supreme Court holds a special session honoring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
11:03And tonight at 8, Artemis II rolls back out onto the launch pad after last month's setback.
11:08The news, cleaner, smarter, faster.
11:11Sign up for our Unbiased Updates newsletter.
11:13Go to san.com slash newsletters.
11:16Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Thursday.
11:18We'll see you back here tomorrow, Friday.
11:20We love that.
11:21By the way, folks, today is the last day of winter, right?
11:25For some of us, good riddance.
11:26We had a blizzard here in Omaha, Nebraska on Sunday.
11:29Minus 15 on Monday.
11:30It was 75 yesterday.
11:3270 again today.
11:33Hello, spring.
11:35For all of us at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrowley.
11:37Have a great day.
11:38I'm Craig DeGrowley.
