00:01Trump says Iran wants a deal. Iran says there are no talks. So who's blinking and what happens next?
00:07Plus, as the U.S. ramps up, support is dropping. New numbers show the war is losing the public.
00:14We break down what's shifting. And four-hour lines, missed flights, TSA workers not showing up without pay.
00:21And the problem is only getting worse.
00:26The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.
00:32These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News.
00:38Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli. This morning, the United States and Iran appear to be at a stalemate with no
00:44clear path to a ceasefire.
00:45Fighting across the region continued overnight, sirens blaring in Jerusalem as multiple waves of missile attacks hit Israel,
00:53with interceptions reported over the West Bank, even as far as the United Arab Emirates.
00:58In Abu Dhabi, two people were killed and three others wounded by falling debris from an intercepted ballistic missile.
01:05In Israel, two people were hurt in a blast north of Tel Aviv in Kfar Qasim as rescue crews responded
01:12to one of several barrages.
01:14Meanwhile, Israel is expanding its strikes inside Iran.
01:18New video shows damage in the port city of Bandar Abbas, with additional targets hit in Isfahan, according to the
01:26Israeli military.
01:27Despite President Donald Trump's claims, Iran wants to make a deal, quote,
01:32so badly they're afraid to say it, signs this morning point the other way.
01:36Iran's parliament is now moving to formalize fees on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a move that could
01:43shake global oil supply.
01:45And a state-run outlet reports Iran-backed Houthis are ready to enter the fight.
01:50Behind the scenes, the Trump administration is trying to find an off-ramp.
01:54Officials tell CNN they're working to set up talks as early as this weekend,
01:59with Vice President J.D. Vance expected to travel possibly to Pakistan or Turkey, though plans remain fluid.
02:06The White House is escalating its warning.
02:09Press Secretary Caroline Levitt says if Iran does not accept that it has been, quote,
02:14defeated militarily, Trump is prepared to act.
02:18But the president's preference is always peace.
02:20There does not need to be any more death and destruction.
02:23But if Iran fails to accept the reality of the current moment,
02:26if they fail to understand that they have been defeated militarily and will continue to be,
02:32President Trump will ensure they are hit harder than they have ever been hit before.
02:37President Trump does not bluff, and he is prepared to unleash hell.
02:41Markets are reacting.
02:43Oil prices climbed again Thursday after Iran rejected the 15-point Trump administration plan.
02:49Brent crude, the global benchmark, is up about 1.5 percent to just over $98 a barrel after sitting below
02:57$95 a day ago.
02:59U.S. crude is also rising more than 2 percent to top $92 a barrel.
03:05As the fighting continues, a new poll shows many Americans think the United States is overstepping its bounds.
03:13An AP Nork poll finds about 6 in 10 Americans, 59 percent, say the military action against Iran has gone
03:20too far.
03:21Support for escalating the conflict is limited, and most Americans oppose sending American ground troops into Iran.
03:28At the same time, Americans are still focused on what this war could mean at home, especially at the pump.
03:35Take a look here.
03:35Forty-five percent of U.S. adults say they are extremely or very worried about gas prices rising again,
03:42with concern highest among Democrats and Independents at 57 percent and 49 percent, respectively.
03:49When it comes to priorities, though, there is rare agreement.
03:52About two-thirds of Americans, 67 percent, say stopping Iran from driving up oil and gas prices is a top
03:59goal.
04:00A similar number say preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon is also critical.
04:05Far fewer say protecting Israel or replacing Iran's government should be a priority.
04:11President Trump's overall approval rating remains at around 40 percent, largely unchanged.
04:16His ratings on foreign policy and Iran are slightly lower, but also steady.
04:21The poll also finds about half of Americans have little or no trust in Trump to make the right decisions
04:27on the use of military force abroad.
04:31With just two days before Congress is set to leave for a two-week recess, there's still no deal to
04:37end the partial government shutdown.
04:39Airport lines are getting worse nationwide.
04:42TSA officers still working without pay are calling out in large numbers, while ICE agents step in to help with
04:48basic duties.
04:49And both parties continue to blame each other.
04:52In Washington, Senate Majority Leader John Thune is dismissing the Democrats' latest proposal, rejected early Wednesday, as, quote,
04:59not even close to being real, saying it included multiple non-starters.
05:04The plan did include some measures the White House has signaled it could accept, including body cameras for ICE agents,
05:11ID requirements for immigration officers, and higher training standards.
05:14But Thune says other provisions, like banning masks for agents and requiring judicial warrants, have, quote, never been on the
05:22table.
05:22And with tens of thousands of DHS employees set to miss another paycheck tomorrow,
05:28the White House is now rejecting an offer from billionaire Elon Musk to pay TSA workers during the shutdown, citing
05:35potential legal problems.
05:37A top Trump administration official is now targeting New York Attorney General Letitia James with new criminal referrals.
05:45Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pult sent letters to prosecutors in Florida and Illinois,
05:51alleging James submitted false information on homeowners' insurance applications.
05:56In Florida, Pult says the information was sent to Universal Property Insurance.
06:01In Illinois, he alleges similar false statements were made to Allstate.
06:05President Trump amplified the move on Truth Social, writing that James had been referred for prosecution over alleged insurance fraud.
06:13James has faced federal scrutiny before.
06:16Last year, prosecutors brought bank fraud charges tied to a property in Virginia,
06:21alleging she provided false information to secure a mortgage.
06:24A judge later dismissed that case.
06:26Her attorney, Abby Lowell, told CBS News the new referrals are politically motivated,
06:32calling them a, quote, desperate effort at retaliation.
06:35The conflict between Trump and James goes back years.
06:39As New York Attorney General, she sued Trump over the value of his real estate assets.
06:44A judge found him liable for fraud and ordered him to pay hundreds of millions of dollars.
06:49That financial judgment was later overturned on appeal.
06:52To a separate legal matter, the Justice Department has reached a settlement with former Trump National Security Advisor Michael Flynn,
07:01ending his lawsuit over what he called a wrongful prosecution.
07:05Flynn sued the Justice Department in 2023, seeking at least $50 million,
07:09and arguing he was improperly targeted during the Russia investigation.
07:14He had been charged in 2017 with lying to the FBI about contacts with the Russian ambassador,
07:20later pleaded guilty, and was pardoned by President Trump in 2020.
07:24The lawsuit claimed Flynn was, quote,
07:27falsely branded as a traitor and said he lost tens of millions of dollars in business opportunities
07:32while spending heavily on his defense.
07:35Court filings show both sides agreed to drop the case,
07:38with Flynn receiving settlement funds.
07:40The documents do not list a dollar amount, but the Associated Press reports the payout is about $1.2 million.
07:48The Justice Department says the settlement helps address what it calls a historic injustice tied to the Russia investigation.
07:56Flynn had been a central figure in that probe,
07:58which examined contacts between Trump's campaign and Russia during the 2016 election.
08:04He cooperated with the late special counsel, Robert Mueller,
08:07before later trying to withdraw his guilty plea, arguing prosecutors acted in bad faith.
08:12Flynn served less than a month as national security advisor before getting fired in 2017,
08:18but has remained a close ally of President Trump.
08:21Finally this morning, the East Room has seen a lot over the years,
08:25but this time the guest didn't need a pulse.
08:28First Lady Melania Trump welcomed an American-made humanoid robot to the White House
08:33during her AI and education summit.
08:35I'm Figure 3, a humanoid built in the United States of America.
08:39I am grateful to be part of this historic movement to empower children with technology and education.
08:45Welcome.
08:46The appearance was meant to make a point.
08:49AI isn't just on your phone anymore.
08:51The First Lady terming it personified,
08:54and saying the next step is humanoids that can actually help in the real world.
08:58She also called it the first American-made humanoid guest in the White House.
09:03The robot thanked her, greeted the room in multiple languages, then made a very orderly exit.
09:09Our mission to empower children through technology and education is achievable.
09:15I encourage each of you to take a proactive step after this inaugural summit.
09:23The First Lady also asked the audience to imagine a future with humanoid teachers, even floating the name Play-Doh.
09:31The robot, called Figure 3, was introduced last year as a third-generation model designed to handle everyday tasks at
09:39home.
09:39So, it'd be like this, right?
09:42Figure 3, light the grill.
09:45And then, for me, Figure 3, oh, while you're at it, turn on the hockey game.
09:49Please.
09:51Wouldn't that be something?
09:52All right, if you're listening to us, you should really see this on our website.
09:56It's a great video.
09:57A busy day ahead.
09:58Here's what we're tracking.
09:59At 10 this morning, President Trump hosts a cabinet meeting at the White House.
10:03His 11th meeting of this term will watch for news.
10:06At 11, former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Celia Flores appear in federal court as their criminal case
10:13moves forward.
10:14At noon, California lawmakers take up a vote to rename March 31st from Cesar Chavez Day to Farm Workers Day.
10:22At 4, the president marks Greek Independence Day with an event at the White House.
10:27Hey, thanks for making Unbiased Updates part of your morning routine.
10:30We're the quickest, clearest few minutes of news.
10:32Watch us at SAN.com or on the app, or you can listen to us on Spotify.
10:37Those of your Unbiased Updates for this Thursday, we'll see you back here tomorrow, Friday.
10:41We love that.
10:42For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
10:44Have a great day.
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