00:01No rush on Iran. President Trump says he's in no hurry to end the war and is not racing into
00:07any deal.
00:08Plus, betting on a takedown. A U.S. soldier cashes in on inside intel tied to the Maduro operation and
00:15now faces serious charges.
00:17And the Epstein files back under review. A federal watchdog steps in to audit how the Justice Department handled the
00:25release.
00:28The stories that matter, clear and credible from across the country to around the world.
00:33These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow.
00:40Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli. We begin this morning with a new directive from President Donald Trump ordering U.S.
00:46forces to shoot and kill Iranian boats laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
00:51Military officials are now drawing up options to target Iran's capabilities in the Strait if the ceasefire breaks down.
00:59That's according to a CNN report.
01:01Officials say those plans could include strikes on infrastructure like energy facilities.
01:06A move aimed at forcing Iran back to negotiations on a peace agreement.
01:11That stands in contrast to what the president said on Thursday, telling reporters he's not under any pressure to reach
01:17a deal, even as the war stretches beyond the timeline he originally set.
01:22I don't want to rush it because you guys are, you know, trying to make us look as bad as
01:26possible.
01:27I don't want to rush it. I want to take my time. We have plenty of time and I want
01:31to get a great deal.
01:32I want to get a deal where our nation and the world is safe from lunatics with nuclear weapons.
01:38Iran's top diplomat says he's been in contact with Pakistani officials about the ceasefire, but offered no details.
01:46Meanwhile, the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon is now extended for another three weeks, but fighting continues.
01:53Israel says it struck a missile launcher after a rocket was fired into its territory.
01:58Hezbollah claimed responsibility.
02:00Lebanon's health ministry says an Israeli strike killed three people.
02:04Israel says those killed were militants involved in the attack.
02:09An American soldier is under arrest, accused of using classified information to make hundreds of thousands of dollars betting on
02:18a military operation.
02:19Federal prosecutors say U.S. Army Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke helped plan the American capture of Venezuelan President
02:28Nicolas Maduro in January,
02:30then used that inside knowledge to place bets on when it would happen.
02:34Investigators say he wagered about $33,000 on the prediction market known as Polymarket, betting that Maduro would be removed
02:42from power.
02:43Those bets paid off, netting more than $400,000 once the operation was announced.
02:49Prosecutors say Van Dyke made the trades while working on the mission and having access to classified details about its
02:56timing.
02:57He now faces multiple charges, including fraud and unlawful use of government information.
03:03ABC News first reported the arrest.
03:05Authorities say after the bets drew attention, he tried to cover his tracks, attempting to delete accounts and move the
03:11money.
03:12President Trump was asked about the case on Thursday at the White House and said he had not heard about
03:17it.
03:18Was he betting that they would get him or they wouldn't get him?
03:21It sounds like he was betting on his removal from office, that Maduro would be removed.
03:25That's interesting.
03:26He was involved in the operation.
03:27That's like Pete Rose betting on his own team.
03:30The Justice Department says this is the first case of its kind involving insider trading tied to a prediction market.
03:38The soldier, Van Dyke, is expected in court in North Carolina.
03:43Down south, one person is dead and five others are hurt after a shooting inside the Mall of Louisiana in
03:49Baton Rouge.
03:50Police say two groups got into an argument in the food court.
03:53Then somebody opened fire, hitting bystanders caught in the middle of it all.
03:57The police chief says it started around 1.30 Thursday afternoon and does not appear to be random.
04:03Early reports put the number of victims higher, but police now confirm one person was killed and five others injured.
04:10One of them is in critical condition.
04:12Officers have five people in custody for questioning, but no arrests yet.
04:16Detectives are reviewing security video and working to determine how many shooters were involved.
04:22Back in Washington, the Justice Department's watchdog is stepping in,
04:26launching a review of how the administration handled the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
04:32DOJ's Office of Inspector General says it will audit how the department identified, redacted,
04:38and released documents tied to Epstein under a law that required those files be made public.
04:44In a statement Thursday, it said the review will look at how officials decided what to release,
04:49what to withhold, and how they handled issues after those documents went public.
04:53The Justice Department released millions of pages earlier this year,
04:57but missed its original deadline, then pulled thousands of files back offline,
05:02drawing criticism from lawmakers and victims.
05:04The law itself was pushed by a bipartisan group in Congress,
05:08including Democrat Ro Khanna and Republican Thomas Massey,
05:12who have called for a full accounting of how those records were handled.
05:16The controversy also contributed to President Trump removing Attorney General Pam Bondi.
05:20Her successor, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche,
05:24has defended the department's handling of the release,
05:27while also signaling a desire to move past the issue.
05:30Epstein's longtime associate, Shalane Maxwell, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
05:36The inspector general says it will release a public report once that review is complete.
05:41President Trump says he's taking on another major renovation in Washington,
05:46the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall.
05:49He says the project is already underway with plans to coat the pool,
05:54which he described as leaking like a sieve,
05:57with an industrial-grade finish in a color he calls American flag blue.
06:02Trump told reporters Thursday the idea came after a visit from a friend from Germany
06:06who called the pool filthy dirty.
06:09The president says he and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum went to see it themselves
06:13and decided upgrades were needed.
06:15He said one proposal would have removed the granite
06:18and replaced it with stone, a three-year project costing about $300 million.
06:24But Trump says he found a cheaper option.
06:26And I said, no, there's a better way of doing it.
06:29I said, what we're going to do is I'm going to call
06:32all three of these people that have worked for me in the past doing swimming pools.
06:37That's all they can do is a swimming pool.
06:39And I said, give me a good price.
06:42We can do it for maybe a million and a half to $2 million as opposed to $300 million.
06:50The landmark known for historic moments like this one,
06:54Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech,
06:56stretches more than 2,000 feet and was built in 1922.
07:01Trump says crews have already cleaned and re-grouted the original granite.
07:05He says once finished, the new coating could last 40 to 50 years without leaks.
07:10Finally this morning, this anchor and sports fan is a little bleary-eyed this morning
07:15after staying up late to watch most of the first round of the NFL draft from Pittsburgh.
07:20Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza went first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders.
07:25Mendoza capped off a remarkable run, winning a national championship at Indiana,
07:29the Heisman Trophy, and now becoming the top pick in the draft, a trifecta, if you will.
07:35The Jets took pass rusher David Bailey with the second pick,
07:38and Notre Dame running back Jeremiah Love went third to Arizona.
07:42The biggest surprise of the night?
07:44Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson going to the Los Angeles Rams at number 13.
07:49The Rams already have Matthew Stafford and high expectations to contend,
07:53and now they add what they hope is their quarterback of the future.
07:57And that's when I went to bed.
07:58Rounds two and three are tonight, with plenty of talent still on the board and trades likely.
08:03Before we head out, here's what we're tracking today.
08:05At 9 this morning, a 27-foot Buddha sculpture will be unveiled on New York City's High Line,
08:11a modern piece inspired by the Bamian statues destroyed in 2001.
08:17At 12.30, Kari Holford is sentenced in Colorado in a case tied to the mishandling of nearly 200 bodies
08:24at a funeral home she owned.
08:25The next hour, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp holds a press conference on the wildfires tearing through the state.
08:32At 7, President Trump attends the RNC Spring Retreat at Mar-a-Lago.
08:37Less noise, more clarity, the all-new Unbiased Updates morning newsletter.
08:41Sign up now at san.com slash newsletters.
08:45Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Friday.
08:47We'll see you back here on Monday.
08:48For all of us here at Straight Arrow, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
08:51Have a great day and a wonderful weekend.
08:55We'll see you back here on Monday.
