00:01A sudden shift in Hormuz. President Trump hits pause on escorting ships, but keeps the pressure on Iran.
00:08Plus, primary night and a split verdict. Trump flexes his power in Indiana, while Democrats gain ground elsewhere.
00:15And the cruise ship crisis deepens. Passengers still stranded because of Hantavirus, and now a fight over where they can
00:22even dock.
00:25The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.
00:30These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow.
00:36Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli. This morning, President Trump is hitting pause on his plan to have the U.S.
00:43military escort cargo ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
00:46In a social media post, Trump said the move came at the request of Pakistan and other mediators, calling it
00:52a temporary step as negotiators work toward a broader peace deal.
00:56He said the escort plan, known as Project Freedom, will be, quote, paused for a short period of time.
01:03And there may be a reason why.
01:05White House officials tell Axios the U.S. is getting close to a one-page agreement with Iran, a memorandum
01:11of understanding that could end the war and set the stage for broader nuclear talks.
01:16Sources say it would include a pause on Iran's nuclear program, sanctions relief, and a path to reopen the Strait
01:23of Hormuz, though nothing is final.
01:25For now, Trump says the United States will maintain a full blockade of Iranian ships and ports.
01:31The president confirmed that great progress is being made toward a final agreement, while issuing a warning Tuesday at the
01:38White House.
01:38Well, they should do the smart thing, you know.
01:41They should do the smart thing, because we don't want to go in and kill people, really.
01:46I don't want to.
01:47I don't want to.
01:48It's too tough.
01:49Great people.
01:50I know the people.
01:50I have so many Iranian friends from New York and from other places over the years.
01:55They're great people.
01:56I don't want to kill those people.
01:58He's got a question.
01:58Iran is framing the move very differently, with state media calling it a U.S. backdown after what it described
02:06as firm warnings from Tehran.
02:08This all comes after Iran announced new restrictions for ships moving through the Strait, requiring permits and designated routes, and
02:16warning of decisive action for any violators.
02:19This morning, primary results in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan are highlighting a split political landscape.
02:27Donald Trump flexing his power inside the GOP, while Democrats pick up key momentum heading into the midterms.
02:34In Indiana, Trump-backed candidates ousted most of the Republican state senators who opposed his redistricting push.
02:42Five of the seven targeted incumbents lost, with one holding on and another race still too close to call.
02:48In Michigan, Democrat Chedric Green won a special election, locking in his party's majority in the state Senate.
02:55It's a good sign for Democrats in the battleground state ahead of November's midterms.
03:00And in Ohio, former Senator Sherrod Brown won the Democratic nomination in a special election, setting up a November showdown
03:07with Republican Senator John Husted, who was appointed to the seat last year.
03:11Also in Ohio, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy won his party's nomination for governor, and will face Democrat Amy Acton in the
03:19general election.
03:21There's a new twist this morning in the cruise ship virus outbreak.
03:25Spain says it will take the ship, but officials in the Canary Islands are now pushing back.
03:31Nearly 150 passengers and crew, including 17 Americans, remain on that ship, the MV Hondias, after a Hantavirus cluster killed
03:40three people and sickened others.
03:42Health officials have identified seven cases so far, two confirmed and five suspected, including one person still in critical condition.
03:50Spain's central government says the ship can head to the Canary Islands for treatment and a full investigation, but the
03:57region's president is opposing that plan, saying there's not enough information to guarantee public safety.
04:03The World Health Organization says some limited human-to-human spread may have happened, but emphasizes the risk to the
04:11broader public is low.
04:13Three people are now being medically evacuated, and once that's complete, the ship is expected to sail to the Canary
04:19Islands,
04:19where Spanish authorities will take over, conduct a full investigation, and begin disinfecting the vessel.
04:25Officials believe the virus may have originated during excursions earlier in the trip, possibly through contact with infected rodents, but
04:34the exact source is still under investigation.
04:36The cruise began in Argentina in March and has been at sea for about seven weeks.
04:41Earlier, I spoke with public health expert Professor Lawrence Gawson.
04:46He's an internationally recognized scholar at Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins University and directs the World Health Organization Center on
04:55global health law.
04:56I asked him how passengers likely contracted Hantavirus.
05:00The more likely possibility is that it's a rodent-borne disease, mice or rat droppings, urine.
05:11Sometimes it aerosolizes in the air and you can breathe it in.
05:16And there are two forms of Hantavirus disease, both very, very serious and potentially lethal.
05:24One is a pulmonary form that basically affects your breathing and your lungs.
05:32And the other one is a hemorrhagic fever, which primarily affects your kidneys.
05:41And both of them are very dangerous and unless you get very intensive care can lead to death because there
05:50is no known treatment for either form of the disease.
05:55Is there a risk for those 140 or so passengers who are still on board because they're in close quarters
06:04with people who might be infected with the Hantavirus?
06:07Well, they're a considerable risk, but not for that reason.
06:12It's very unlikely that being in close quarters that you'll contract the virus from another person.
06:21What's much more likely is that many of them have already been exposed to these contaminated rat or mice droppings
06:34and they're going to get very, very sick.
06:38And before they get very sick, they're going to need to get strong supportive care and then ultimately intensive care.
06:46And the ship medics don't have the capacity to do that.
06:52The man accused of trying to kill President Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner is now facing an additional
06:59federal charge.
07:00And new court documents are laying out what he had with him.
07:03The federal grand jury has indicted Cole Thomas Allen on four counts, including attempted assassination of the president and multiple
07:11weapons charges.
07:11Prosecutors have now added a new count, accusing him of assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon.
07:18Court filings say Allen traveled from California to Washington, D.C. in the days before the April 25th attack,
07:25carrying a 12-gauge pump shotgun, a .38 caliber pistol and about 100 rounds of ammunition.
07:32Investigators say he used that shotgun to fire at a federal officer, identified only by initials in the indictment.
07:38The new charge makes clear prosecutors believe Allen pulled the trigger, but his defense team is challenging whether he intended
07:45to kill.
07:46Allen has not entered a plea and is scheduled to be arraigned on May 11th.
07:51Finally this morning, if you start me up, I'll never stop.
07:54Those famous lyrics from the Rolling Stones, and it turns out they meant it.
07:58They are still going.
08:00The Stones have announced they're releasing a new album, Foreign Tongues, on July 10th.
08:05Their first in 18 years.
08:07Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood are all back with a 14-track record that also includes an appearance
08:14from late drummer Charlie Watts using one of his final recordings.
08:18The lead track, Rough and Twisted, was quietly released last month on a limited white-label vinyl.
08:24The album is being described as forward-leaning, mixing new production and technology with that classic Stones sound.
08:31And yes, I had to go to Google this morning and see just how old Mick Jagger is.
08:37He's 82 years old.
08:39Wow.
08:40And as you know, I've got the moves like Jagger.
08:43I wish, right?
08:45All right.
08:46Before we head out, here's what we're tracking today.
08:48At 8.30 this morning, new producer price numbers drop, giving an early read on inflation before it hits consumers.
08:54At 11, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appears in front of the House Oversight Committee for a private and voluntary interview
09:01as part of their Epstein investigation.
09:03At 12.30, the First Lady Melania Trump, along with the President and Vice Presidents, honor America's military mothers at
09:10the White House.
09:11And later today, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch appears at the Nixon Library for a book signing on his new
09:17children's book.
09:18We're the fastest, fairest few minutes of news.
09:21Watch Unbiased Updates anytime at san.com or on the app.
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09:29It's a great way to start your day a little bit smarter.
09:32Go to san.com slash newsletters.
09:35Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Wednesday.
09:37We'll see you back here tomorrow.
09:38For all of us here at Straight Arrow, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
09:41Have a great day.
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