00:01Talks or no talks. Vice President J.D. Vance heads to Pakistan, but Iran says it's not showing up after
00:08that U.S. ship seizure.
00:10So what happens now? Plus, President Trump goes primetime with the Bible.
00:15The president set to read scripture on a live stream. What's behind his divine delivery?
00:20And a major shakeup at Apple, Tim Cook stepping down, handing off one of the most powerful jobs in tech.
00:30The stories that matter, clear and credible from across the country to around the world.
00:36These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News.
00:42Good morning. I'm Craig DeGrelli. This morning, new U.S.-Iran peace talks are in doubt as Tehran demands the release
00:49of a cargo ship seized by the U.S. Navy.
00:52Pakistan is set to host the next round of negotiations in Islamabad this week.
00:57But Iranian state media says no delegation has arrived so far.
01:01President Donald Trump also told Bloomberg he's highly unlikely to extend the ceasefire, which is set to expire tomorrow.
01:09Iran is accusing the United States of piracy and calling the ship seizure an act of aggression that violates the
01:16ceasefire, demanding the crew be released immediately.
01:19U.S. officials say the vessel was attempting to breach a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and was seized
01:26after ignoring repeated warnings for hours.
01:29Iran has vowed to retaliate.
01:31Vice President J.D. Vance is expected to travel to Islamabad today with the U.S. delegation for the talks.
01:37Ahead of those meetings, Iran's top negotiator warned Tehran has, quote, new cards on the battlefield if the ceasefire collapses
01:46and said Iran will not negotiate under threats.
01:50Iran's military is also promising a decisive response to any new attacks by the U.S. or Israel.
01:57This morning, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-Darimer is out, stepping down from the Trump administration after a tenure marked by
02:06internal investigations and staff shakeups.
02:09Chavez-Darimer is leaving to take a job in the private sector, according to the White House.
02:14Her departure makes her the third cabinet member to exit in recent weeks, following the removal of Homeland Security Secretary
02:21Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
02:23In a statement on X, White House Communications Director Steve Chung praised her work, writing that she, quote,
02:30has done a phenomenal job protecting American workers, enacting fair practices, and helping Americans gain additional skills to improve their
02:38lives.
02:39Keith Sonderling will step in as acting Labor Secretary.
02:43Chavez-Darimer had been under investigation by the Labor Department's Inspector General, with multiple top aides placed on leave and
02:50later leaving their posts.
02:52She also faced allegations tied to staff conduct and the use of official travel, claims her attorney has denied.
02:59She oversaw major policy shifts at the Labor Department, including efforts to roll back regulations and cut federal workforce programs.
03:07Later today, President Trump will take part in a nationwide Bible reading from the Oval Office.
03:13It's part of a week-long event called America Reads the Bible, where hundreds of participants are reading Scripture from
03:20start to finish.
03:21Trump's segment is pre-recorded and set to air tonight during the 6 p.m. hour, reading from the Old
03:27Testament Book of Second Chronicles.
03:29The White House is framing the moment as a call to faith and national identity.
03:34In a statement, Trump said, quote,
03:47The event comes after a week of friction between Trump and the Pope over the war in Iran and backlash
03:53from some Christians after Trump posted, then deleted, an AI-generated image appearing to show himself as Jesus.
04:00Trump in prayer and past religious moments shows this is not new, from campaign trail appearances to the widely seen
04:08moment holding a Bible outside St. John's Church in Washington in 2020.
04:13The reading itself is part of a broader push from organizers and allies to elevate religion in public life, with
04:20nearly 500 participants, many tied to Trump and the evangelical movement.
04:25Tonight's reading, prominently placed in the evening lineup, is expected to draw significant attention.
04:32Police in Louisiana are now trying to figure out how a man with the prior illegal firearms conviction got a
04:38gun and used it to kill eight children on Sunday morning.
04:42A Shreveport suspect is identified as 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, a former National Guardsman.
04:49Records show police arrested him in 2019, and he was later convicted of illegal use of a firearm after he
04:56fired multiple rounds near a school during a confrontation.
04:59Family members say Elkins had recently spent time in a Veterans Affairs mental health facility.
05:04Now, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is investigating how he obtained the assault-style pistol used in
05:12the attack, which police describe as a domestic incident.
05:16Authorities say Elkins shot 10 people, eight children, between the ages of three and 11, and two adults.
05:23Seven of the children were his.
05:24The eighth was a relative.
05:26Investigators say the attack may have been triggered by a dispute with his wife, who had recently asked for a
05:32divorce.
05:32Elkins was killed in a shootout with police.
05:36Tim Cook, the man who took over after Steve Jobs and built Apple into a $4 trillion company, is stepping
05:43down.
05:44Cook will depart as CEO in September and hand the job to John Ternus, Apple's head of hardware engineering.
05:51Cook will stay on as executive chairman.
05:53That closes out a run that began in 2011, when Cook slid in after Jobs,
05:58and saw Apple's value grow from about $350 billion to roughly $4 trillion.
06:05Ternus, who's 50, has spent 25 years at Apple and has led engineering on the Mac, iPad, and iPhone.
06:12Cook calls him the right person for the job.
06:14Ternus says he's ready to carry the company forward.
06:18The transition comes as Apple pushes deeper into artificial intelligence,
06:22with more details expected when the company reports earnings later this month.
06:27Finally this morning, does a wish still count if you swipe a card instead of tossing in a penny?
06:33Watch.
06:34Someone give me a penny!
06:38Y'all, I told you in Saban's draft that I don't f*** would change,
06:41but I feel like I need to put something in the Trevi Fountain for good luck.
06:46Right there. Pop star Katy Perry is in Rome, making a stop at the Trevi Fountain,
06:51the iconic landmark where visitors toss in coins to wish for love, luck, and a return trip.
06:57But instead of throwing in a coin, Perry, as you saw, dipped her credit card into the water.
07:02Call it a 2026 twist on tradition, if you will.
07:06She shared the moment on Instagram, captioning her trip,
07:09just roaming around.
07:11And yes, the internet had thoughts.
07:13One user writing,
07:15the wish doesn't count if you take the card back.
07:17You have to leave it.
07:19Well, we'll let you decide.
07:21Either way, she's clearly feeling lucky.
07:23Maybe she should have just, you know, sang a little ditty, like,
07:26maybe you're a firework.
07:28See what I did there?
07:29All right, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today.
07:32This morning, Virginia voters head to the polls to decide whether to adopt new congressional maps
07:36that could reshape the state's political balance.
07:39At 8.30, we get March retail sales,
07:42the first read on consumer spending since gas prices surged during the Iran War.
07:47At 10, Fed chair pick Kevin Morsh faces senators on Capitol Hill
07:52in a high-stakes confirmation hearing.
07:54And later, House Republican and Democratic leaders
07:57hold separate press conferences following closed-door meetings.
08:00No noise, no sides, just the story.
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08:10We give you facts first, the news straight.
08:12Those of you run by us, updates for this Tuesday.
08:15We'll see you back here tomorrow.
08:16For all of us at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
08:18Have a great day.
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