00:00King Charles addresses Congress, calling the U.S.-U.K. alliance unbreakable, what he's signaling and who he's speaking to.
00:09Plus, indicted again, former FBI Director James Comey faces new charges, the social media post at the center of it,
00:16and what he is saying now.
00:18And Artemis 3 moves closer. NASA gets ready for tests in orbit. What has to work before the next moonshot?
00:27The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.
00:33These are your Unbiased Updates from Straight Arrow.
00:39Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli. As some U.S. alliances face strain amid the war with Iran, Britain is reasserting
00:46its ties with Washington.
00:48In a rare address to Congress, King Charles marked 250 years since America's independence,
00:53calling the relationship a, quote, story of reconciliation, renewal, and remarkable partnership.
00:59But he also struck a cautionary note, urging the United States to stay engaged abroad, including continued support for NATO
01:08and Ukraine.
01:09From the bitter divisions of 250 years ago, we forged a friendship that has grown into one of the most
01:17consequential alliances in human history.
01:20I pray with all my heart that our alliance will continue to defend our shared values with our partners in
01:30Europe and the Commonwealth and across the world.
01:34America's words carry weight and meaning, as they have since independence.
01:41The actions of this great nation matter even more.
01:45The king did not mention Iran directly, but referred to, quote, times of conflict from Europe to the Middle East,
01:53calling them a test for the international community.
01:56At a state dinner, President Trump said the king shares his position on Iran.
02:01We have militarily defeated that particular opponent, and we're never going to let that opponent ever, Charles agrees with me
02:11even more than I do, we're never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon.
02:15They know that, and they've known it right now very powerfully.
02:19But Charles does not speak for the British government, and did not publicly back that claim.
02:25The moment comes as Trump has stepped up criticism of Prime Minister Keir Starmer over Britain's role in the Iran
02:32conflict.
02:32Today, the king and Queen Camilla visit the 9-11 memorial in New York, where they will take part in
02:38a wreath laying and meet with families of victims.
02:42Former FBI Director James Comey is speaking out after a new indictment charges him over a social media post that
02:49federal prosecutors say threatened President Trump.
02:52The case centers on this image right here.
02:55Seashells arranged to spell 8647.
02:59Prosecutors say that combination could be read as a threat to get rid of the 47th president, Donald Trump.
03:05A grand jury in North Carolina has now indicted him.
03:08Comey responded in a video on Tuesday, saying he's still innocent and not afraid.
03:13Well, they're back.
03:14This time about a picture of seashells on a North Carolina beach a year ago.
03:21And this won't be the end of it.
03:23But nothing has changed with me.
03:25I'm still innocent.
03:27I'm still not afraid.
03:29And I still believe in the independent federal judiciary.
03:31So let's go.
03:33Comey is charged with making a threat against the president
03:37and sending that threat across state lines, charges that could carry up to 10 years in prison.
03:42He later deleted the post, saying he did not realize that numbers could be interpreted as violent
03:48and that he opposes violence of any kind.
03:51Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche says threats like this are routinely prosecuted
03:55and that the grand jury made the decision to move forward.
03:59You are not allowed to threaten the president of the United States of America.
04:03That's not my decision.
04:04That's Congress's decision in a statute that they passed that we charge multiple times a year.
04:10And so whether whether there is a defense, as you just described, maybe, maybe there is.
04:15But but the government will have evidence.
04:16I am not going to talk about the evidence that we have.
04:18That's unfair to him.
04:20It's unfair to the prosecutors.
04:22But it's enough to say that the grand jury returned returned an indictment.
04:25This is the second time the Trump administration has brought charges against Comey
04:31after an earlier case last year was dismissed by a federal judge.
04:35Legal experts say the case may come down to intent
04:38and whether prosecutors can prove the post was meant as a threat.
04:42For now, it moves ahead with an arrest warrant issued
04:45and the next steps expect to be worked out between Comey's lawyers and federal prosecutors.
04:51We're getting new details about how that shooting unfolded
04:54at the White House Correspondents' Dinner and just how close the gunman got.
04:58Surveillance video shows the suspect, 31-year-old Cole Allen,
05:02sprinting past security, running full speed right there through a checkpoint inside the hotel.
05:08CBS News reports he fired a shotgun, possibly hitting a cell phone
05:12inside a Secret Service agent's bulletproof vest.
05:16Allen then fell and agents moved in quickly,
05:19pinning him down and taking away his weapons.
05:21In all, six shots were fired, one by the suspect, five by a Secret Service agent.
05:27The agent was hit in the vest, but not seriously injured.
05:31CBS News also reports Allen was able to get close after booking a room in the hotel,
05:36then using an unguarded stairwell to reach the event.
05:40One floor below, the president, first lady, and hundreds of guests were told to take cover
05:45as agents moved them out.
05:47Allen now faces federal charges, including attempting to assassinate the president.
05:52Same topic.
05:54White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles is expected to meet this week with leaders from the Secret
05:59Service and Homeland Security.
06:01The focus?
06:02Keeping President Trump and top officials safe after Saturday's shooting.
06:06Earlier, I spoke with Philip Farina of Risky Business Security and Safety Advisors,
06:11who reviewed video of the suspect rushing past security toward the ballroom.
06:16I asked what the Secret Service did right, where things may have broken down,
06:21and the risk of having the president and other key leaders all in one place.
06:26You know, when we think about security, especially at these very high levels,
06:30there's a concept called protection in depth.
06:34And what that basically means is that there are multiple layers that are happening,
06:40both from what we can see as the public, but also really what's going on behind the scenes
06:45that we don't see.
06:47And so there's multiple layers that an individual has to be able to get through
06:51in order to try and accomplish what they're trying to do.
06:56So, you know, when you look at what actually happened, some of what we've been shown, right,
07:04this protection in depth was actually taking place.
07:07And there were more levels, I'm quite sure, of what we haven't seen, you know, off camera
07:14that would have provided additional levels of protection for the president and the attendees.
07:18On Saturday night, President Trump was there.
07:21Vice President J.D. Vance was there.
07:23Secretary of State Marco Rubio was there.
07:24Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was there.
07:27The First Lady was there.
07:29Is it wise to have so many high-level officials in one central location?
07:36We don't see as many of those types of events.
07:40So, again, when you're, you know, when you're at the government level
07:44and you're in the Secret Service, you're the head of the Secret Service,
07:48and you're the head of the Protection Division handling these,
07:54you're going to be coordinating these events out quite extensively
07:59and creating a plan that makes sense, that, again, provides, you know, layers of security
08:06really along the way and throughout, you know, this type of an event.
08:10So, I believe that certainly there were these layers in place.
08:16And does it make sense to continue, especially in, you know, an environment now where it's heightened
08:26with the different types of threats that are out there to bring everybody together?
08:32Those events are going to still continue to happen.
08:34And, again, our government really just has to make sure that the planning and the process
08:41and the responses are in place to make that a successful event.
08:44Part of my interview with security expert Philip Farina from Miami.
08:49Now to NASA.
08:50And there's no slowdown.
08:51Just weeks after Artemis II wrapped up, the next mission is already taking shape.
08:56The core stage of NASA's massive SLS rocket has arrived at the Kennedy Space Center.
09:03The 212-foot backbone of the rocket traveled about 900 miles by barge from New Orleans.
09:10Haulers moved it into the Vehicle Assembly Building Tuesday.
09:12That's where crews will finish putting it all together.
09:16This rocket is set to power Artemis III, targeted for late 2027.
09:21But this mission won't go to the moon just yet.
09:23Instead, astronauts will travel to low-Earth orbit, where they're expected to dock with a lunar lander.
09:30That lander will come from either SpaceX or Blue Origin.
09:33If that works, it clears the way for Artemis IV in 2028,
09:38and the first return to the moon's surface since 1972.
09:44Finally this morning, as the U.S. approaches its 250th birthday,
09:49President Trump is being featured on a new commemorative item.
09:52The State Department says it will release a limited number of American passports featuring the president's likeness.
10:00Trump would be the first living president to appear on a U.S. travel document.
10:04Officials say between 25,000 and 30,000 will be issued,
10:08available only at the Washington, D.C. Passport Office around the 4th of July.
10:13And if you apply there during that window, you'll get the design.
10:17There's no option to choose a different version.
10:19Right now, the only presidents featured on U.S. passports are those on Mount Rushmore,
10:24Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln.
10:27Before we head out, here's what we're tracking today.
10:30This morning at the Capitol, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair General Dan Cain
10:35testify on the Pentagon's budget.
10:38At 1, King Charles and Queen Camilla visit the 9-11 memorial.
10:42The next hour, President Trump participates in a greeting with the astronauts from Artemis 2.
10:47And the Federal Reserve wraps up its two-day meeting this afternoon with an interest rate decision expected,
10:53followed by a press conference from Chair Jerome Powell at 2.30.
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11:19Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Wednesday.
11:21We'll see you back here tomorrow.
11:22For all of us here at Straight Arrow, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
11:25Have a great day.
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