00:00A two-week ceasefire is in place. President Trump calls it a breakthrough, but the real test starts now.
00:07Can it actually hold? Plus, Republicans protect a key House seat in Georgia with a double-digit win.
00:13But the race isn't over. Why, the same two candidates could face off again real soon.
00:19And the moon like you've never seen it before. Stunning new images from Artemis II up close and from the
00:26far side.
00:29The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.
00:35These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News.
00:41Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli. The ceasefire between the United States and Iran appears to be holding this morning.
00:47But there are still signs of instability across the region.
00:51President Trump announced a two-week ceasefire late Tuesday, saying he agreed to suspend strikes after talks involving Pakistan
00:58and after Iran signaled it would allow shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
01:03He later posted that Iran can now begin reconstruction.
01:07Iran's foreign minister said the country would halt its defensive operations
01:11and that its military will coordinate safe passage through the Strait during the ceasefire.
01:17On Iranian state TV, the government announced the ceasefire.
01:21In Tehran, some celebrated, but others took to the streets in protest, opposing any deal with the U.S.
01:27In recent days, Iranians formed human chains around key power plants and bridges after Trump threatened to target them.
01:34Markets reacted quickly to the ceasefire.
01:37Oil prices dropped sharply and stock futures jumped on hopes the Strait of Hormuz will reopen to full traffic.
01:43Trump saying the U.S. will be helping with the traffic buildup.
01:47But questions remain about how that will work, with Iran saying its military will help manage passage through the Strait.
01:54And the ceasefire does not cover everything.
01:56Israel continues strikes in Lebanon, where fighting with Hezbollah is still underway.
02:01Looking ahead, Pakistan's prime minister has invited U.S. and Iranian officials to Islamabad for talks on Friday,
02:08aimed at reaching a longer-term deal.
02:11There's been sharp pushback from the Vatican over the war.
02:15Pope Leo is calling President Trump's warning to Iran Tuesday, quote, truly unacceptable.
02:21His remarks follow that truth social post from Trump, warning that a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be
02:28brought back again.
02:29Speaking to reporters in Italy, the Pope referenced that threat and said attacks on civilians or infrastructure violate international law.
02:37He also called it a moral issue, urging leaders to step back from further escalation.
02:42And let's remember, especially the innocent, children, the elderly, the sick, so many people who have already become or will
02:53become victims of this continued warfare.
02:56And to remind all that attacks on civilian infrastructure is against international law,
03:03but that it is also a sign of the hatred, the division, the destruction that the human being is capable
03:11of.
03:12The Pope has grown more direct in recent days, calling on governments to return to negotiations.
03:18He also urged people around the world to press their leaders to work toward peace.
03:23Now to a different topic, a big hold for Republicans in Georgia in a special election to fill the seat
03:29vacated by former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
03:33Republican Clay Fuller, endorsed by President Trump, won Tuesday's runoff to fill the remainder of Greene's term through the end
03:40of the year.
03:41Fuller defeated Democrat Sean Harris by about 12 points, 56 to 44 percent.
03:46In a district Trump carried by more than 35 points in 2024, Fuller framed the race as a test of
03:53support for the president's agenda and made clear where he stands.
03:58I think it's incredibly important to make sure that we're fighting for the president's agenda.
04:02And then if the people here, if it had gone blue, it would have been a complete tragedy for the
04:07people of northwest Georgia.
04:08So I know that the conservatives here, they want to see those policies continued and want to see me fighting
04:13for our month, Capitol Hill.
04:15Fuller called himself a fighter who will have the president's back in Washington.
04:19But this race is not over. He now heads into another Republican primary in May, just to advance to the
04:26November general election, where he would face Harris again for a full two-year term.
04:31Harris, in defeat, struck an optimistic tone, saying his campaign won support in areas, quote, nobody would have thought.
04:38This morning, American journalist Shelley Kittleson is free in Iraq after spending a week held by an Iranian-backed militia.
04:47Iraqi officials say her captors released Kittleson Tuesday, and arrangements are now underway to get her out of the country.
04:54Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia, claimed responsibility for the abduction, which was caught on CCTV.
05:01They said on Telegram she was freed on the condition that she leave Iraq immediately.
05:07Her exact location has not been disclosed.
05:10Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the release, saying the U.S. is working to support her safe departure.
05:16Before her abduction, the State Department had warned Kittleson she could be targeted by that same group while reporting in
05:23Iraq.
05:23After she was nabbed, the FBI's hostage recovery fusion cell worked with U.S. agencies and Iraqi partners to help
05:30secure her release.
05:32Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche says President Trump has the right and the duty to push for investigations into people
05:39he believes should be looked at.
05:41Blanche made the comments during his first extended remarks since taking over at the Justice Department after Pam Bondi was
05:48fired last week.
05:49He pushed back on questions about political pressure, saying investigations will move forward under the law, including cases involving people
05:57that Trump has clashed with.
05:59We have thousands of ongoing investigations and prosecutions going on in this country right now.
06:04And it is true that some of them involve men, women, and entities that the president in the past has
06:11had issues with and that believe should be investigated.
06:14That is his right, and indeed it is his duty to do that, meaning to lead this country.
06:20And so I do not view this as pressure. I do not view this as something that is going to
06:26keep me up at night, except to make sure that we are investigating every case that we have to the
06:32fullest extent of the law and using all the resources we can.
06:36Blanche also left open the possibility that he could stay in the job permanently.
06:40The former Trump defense lawyer said the decision is up to the president and that he would take whatever role
06:46Trump wants him to take.
06:49I love working for President Trump. It's the greatest honor of a lifetime.
06:52And if President Trump chooses to keep me as acting, that's an honor.
06:57If he chooses to nominate me, that's an honor.
07:00If he chooses to nominate somebody else and I go back to being the DAG, that's an honor.
07:04If he chooses to nominate somebody else and asks me to go do something else, I will say thank you
07:09very much. I love you, sir.
07:10Blanche has been serving as deputy attorney general and was elevated to the top job on an acting basis after
07:16Bondi's exit.
07:17He also said only President Trump knows why Pam Bondi is no longer attorney general.
07:23And finally this morning, some absolutely remarkable images just back from the moon.
07:28Take a look.
07:28The Artemis crew released stunning new photos from their lunar flyby, including a rare view of Earthset from the Orion
07:37capsule.
07:38Astronauts watched the Earth dip behind the moon, a view only a handful of humans have ever seen.
07:44Look at these photos.
07:46The crew spent about seven hours circling the moon, taking nearly 10,000 photos along the way.
07:51They also witnessed a solar eclipse from space, with the moon completely blocking the sun for nearly an hour, far
07:58longer than any eclipse seen from Earth.
08:01And for the first time, astronauts got a direct look at parts of the moon's far side.
08:06They spotted massive impact craters, including the Oriental Basin, and even proposed names for new ones,
08:13Integrity for their spacecraft and Carol, in honor of Commander Reed Weissman's late wife.
08:19These images are already helping scientists better understand the moon's surface and prepare for future missions.
08:25And for the crew, it was more than just science.
08:28They called it an experience that, quote, bends your mind.
08:32I would say so.
08:33Those pictures are so crystal clear, the moon feels like you can just reach out and touch it.
08:39Just an amazing mission and super successful so far, right?
08:43All right, a busy day ahead from courtrooms to space.
08:46Here's what we're tracking.
08:46At 9, Rex Heuerman is expected to plead guilty in the Gilgo Beach serial killings case on Long Island, New
08:53York.
08:53At 1, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt holds a briefing.
08:57At 3.30, President Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Ruta at the White House.
09:03And tonight, the Artemis 2 crew speaks live with mission control, followed by a briefing from the astronauts.
09:09No noise, no sides, just the story.
09:11NewsGuard gives us a perfect score for reliability.
09:14All sides gives us a center rating for balance certification.
09:18We give you the facts first and the news straight.
09:21Those are your unbiased updates for this Wednesday.
09:23For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DiGrelli.
09:26Have a great day.
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