00:00President Trump wants an answer from Iran, but will Tehran take the deal today or keep the standoff going?
00:07Plus, a newly released suicide note, allegedly written by Jeffrey Epstein before his death.
00:12Why, it's just now becoming public.
00:15And climbing up Mount Everest, a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many expert hikers,
00:20just got even more difficult.
00:21The massive new hurdle they face.
00:26The stories that matter, clear and credible.
00:30From across the country to around the world.
00:32These are your Unbiased Updates from Straight Arrow.
00:38Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
00:40Iran is expected to respond today to the latest U.S. proposal to end the war,
00:45while President Trump warns Tehran of even heavier military strikes if talks collapse.
00:51The U.S. has put forward a one-page agreement that would formally end the fighting
00:55and open a 30-day window to negotiate bigger issues,
00:58including Iran's nuclear program and control of the Strait of Hormuz.
01:03Trump says the plan would reopen the strait to global shipping, including Iranian traffic,
01:08after weeks of disruption and American enforcement operations in the region.
01:12But even as talks continue, Iran is moving to tighten its grip on the waterway.
01:18Tehran announced a new governing body this week that it says will oversee traffic through the strait.
01:23Iran is also denying accusations that it attacked a South Korean cargo ship earlier this week
01:29after an explosion and fire broke out on board in the Strait of Hormuz.
01:33And Tehran claimed Wednesday it shot down an American reconnaissance drone over the strait.
01:39Even as the White House says, the ceasefire is still holding.
01:42A federal judge has released a note allegedly written by Jeffrey Epstein
01:48before his death inside a Manhattan jail.
01:51The note was supposedly discovered by Epstein's former cellmate
01:54after Epstein's first suspected suicide attempt, less than two weeks before he died.
01:59In the letter, Epstein claims authorities had investigated him for months and found nothing.
02:05He also writes, quote,
02:10The document was unsealed after the New York Times asked a federal judge
02:15to release records connected to Epstein's former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione.
02:20Tartaglione told investigators he found the note inside a book
02:24after Epstein was discovered on the floor of their cell in July of 2019
02:28with a strip of bedsheet around his neck.
02:31Eleven days later, guards found Epstein dead in his cell
02:34in what authorities ruled a suicide.
02:37At the time, he was being housed alone despite the earlier incident.
02:41The note had never been publicly released
02:43and was not included in prior government reports
02:46or the Justice Department release of thousands of Epstein-related files.
02:51In a related topic, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik
02:55is facing growing political pressure this morning
02:58after a closed-door interview with House investigators
03:01about his ties to Epstein.
03:03Lutnik spent hours behind closed doors
03:05with the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday
03:08answering questions about his past relationship with Epstein,
03:11including a 2012 visit to Epstein's private island
03:14years after Lutnik said he had cut ties with him.
03:18Democrats leaving the meeting blasted Lutnik's testimony,
03:21accusing him of being evasive and dishonest.
03:25Howard Lutnik should resign.
03:27That was absolutely mind-boggling what we just heard in the room.
03:30He was evasive, nervous, he was dishonest.
03:34He would not admit to lying, which he clearly did.
03:37Lutnik has not been accused of any wrongdoing connected to Epstein's crimes,
03:42but lawmakers pressed him over shifting public explanations
03:45about their relationship and why he visited the island with his family.
03:49According to members inside the room,
03:51Lutnik called the decision inexplicable
03:53and struggled to explain why he went.
03:55He's lost all credibility and really it's a shame
04:00that the American people don't get to see what he did there.
04:04Total lack of truth and lack of honesty.
04:07Committee Chair James Comer defended the process
04:10and said a transcript of the interview will be released publicly.
04:14The testimony is part of a broader congressional investigation
04:17into Epstein's network and the handling of federal files
04:20connected to the case,
04:21with more high-profile interviews expected in the coming weeks.
04:26Tennessee Republicans are moving quickly
04:28to redraw the state's congressional map
04:30after last week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling on voting rights.
04:34And the proposal is already triggering protests
04:37and accusations of voter suppression.
04:39New map would carve up Shelby County,
04:42including Memphis, into three separate districts,
04:45likely giving Republicans a clean sweep
04:47of all nine congressional seats, eliminating one held by Democrats.
04:52State House Speaker Cameron Sexton defended the move on X,
04:55writing,
04:56The Supreme Court has opined that redistricting,
04:59like the judicial system, should be colorblind.
05:02He added,
05:03Tennessee is joining other states in redrawing maps
05:05based on partisan politics.
05:07Democrats and voting rights groups are blasting the effort
05:11as a political power grab targeting black voters.
05:14Protesters flooded the state capitol this week.
05:16Police removed several demonstrators from hearings on Wednesday.
05:20They will eliminate our representative if this goes through.
05:24They're trying to push through a white nationalist agenda on our city,
05:30and we are not going to have it.
05:34The push comes after the Supreme Court weakened
05:37part of the Voting Rights Act in April,
05:39opening the door for Republican-led states
05:42across the South to redraw congressional lines ahead of the midterms.
05:46Tennessee lawmakers are likely to vote on and pass the new map later today.
05:52A federal judge has ruled the Justice Department
05:54can keep more than 600 boxes of 2020 election ballots seized
06:00from Fulton County, Georgia.
06:02The decision is a setback for Fulton County officials
06:05who argued the FBI's seizure of the ballots earlier this year was illegal.
06:09They wanted the materials returned.
06:12The judge did take issue with parts of the FBI's search warrant,
06:15calling some of the government's filings defective and troubling.
06:19But he also ruled the county failed to clear the high legal threshold needed
06:23to force the federal government to return the original ballots
06:27while the investigation continues.
06:29The Justice Department says it is looking into possible irregularities
06:33in Fulton County's 2020 presidential election tally.
06:36Georgia's results were counted three times, including a full hand recount,
06:41and each review confirmed Joe Biden's win in the state.
06:44Fulton County leaders say they strongly disagree with the ruling
06:47and are now considering their next legal steps.
06:50Finally this morning, climbing season is about to get underway on Mount Everest.
06:55And if hiking to about 29,000 feet is not daunting enough,
06:59there's a major new danger hanging over part of the route to the summit.
07:03An enormous unstable block of ice is suspended above a section of trail
07:08that climbers and guides use to reach the top of the world.
07:12About 400 climbers have been waiting at Everest Base Camp,
07:16more than 17,000 feet above sea level,
07:19as guides monitor the ice formation,
07:21which has developed multiple cracks and could collapse without warning.
07:25The delay has now stretched close to two weeks,
07:27but officials say the climb will move forward.
07:30Sherpa guides have already installed the fixed ropes
07:33and aluminum ladders needed to cross the Khumbu Icefall,
07:36one of the most dangerous sections of the mountain.
07:39Climbers are now being told to move through the area as quickly and carefully as possible,
07:44with only one person allowed on each ladder at a time
07:47to limit vibrations around the massive ice block.
07:50My goodness.
07:52Fingers crossed, right?
07:53What could possibly go wrong?
07:55Oh, and did I tell you I'm a bit leery of heights?
07:59Oh, well.
08:00At least I got through that story.
08:02All right.
08:03Before we head out, here's what we're tracking today.
08:05New jobless claims out this morning as markets keep looking for signs
08:09of where the labor market is headed.
08:11At 11, President Trump hosts Brazilian President Lula at the White House
08:15for a working visit expected to focus on trade and regional issues.
08:19At noon, Freddie Mac releases its latest mortgage rate report
08:23as borrowing costs continue to shape the housing market.
08:26This evening, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles
08:29receives the Barbara K. Olson Woman of Valor Award.
08:32That's in Washington, D.C.
08:34No noise, no sides.
08:36NewsGuard gives us a perfect score for reliability.
08:39All sides gives us a center rating for balance certification.
08:42We give you facts first and the news straight.
08:45Those are your unbiased updates for this Thursday.
08:47We'll see you back here tomorrow, Friday.
08:49We love that.
08:50For all of us here at Straight Arrow, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
08:52Have a great day.
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