00:01President Trump is in China. Trade, Iran, Taiwan, all on the table.
00:05And Xi Jinping is already issuing warnings.
00:08Plus, the primary is over. Now all eyes turn to Nebraska's Blue Dot,
00:13a House race that could help decide control of Congress.
00:16And she wrote a book about grief after her husband's death.
00:20Prosecutors say she caused it.
00:22Now the Utah mother, convicted of his fentanyl murder, learns her fate.
00:28The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.
00:34These are your Unbiased Updates from Straight Arrow.
00:40Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
00:42This morning, China is warning President Trump that tensions over Taiwan
00:46could push U.S. relations into what Xi Jinping called an extremely dangerous place.
00:52A warning came during the first day of high-stakes talks between the two leaders in Beijing.
00:57Both the White House and Chinese officials described the opening day as good,
01:02with discussions focused primarily on trade, but also touching on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.
01:08Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration wants China to play a more active role
01:14in helping end the war between the U.S. and Iran.
01:17China remains one of Tehran's closest global partners.
01:21Officials say Xi also used a closed-door session to warn Trump that tensions over Taiwan
01:27could lead to direct conflict.
01:29China claims Taiwan as its territory, while Taiwan operates as a self-governed democracy.
01:36Trump used the public portion of the meeting to praise his long-standing relationship with Xi
01:41and their ability to resolve disputes directly.
01:45You and I have known each other now for a long time.
01:48In fact, the longest relationship of our two countries that any president and president has had.
01:56And that's to me an honor.
01:58We've had a fantastic relationship.
02:01We've gotten along.
02:02When there were difficulties, we worked it out.
02:04I would call you and you would call me.
02:07Whenever we had a problem, people don't know.
02:10Whenever we had a problem, we worked it out very quickly.
02:12And we're going to have a fantastic future together.
02:17The Taiwan issue has grown more sensitive in recent months.
02:21In December, Trump approved an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan,
02:26though the weapons have not yet been delivered.
02:28And just last week, Taiwan's legislature approved $25 billion
02:32in special funding to purchase more American weapons.
02:36To politics, the stage is now set for one of the most watched House races in the country,
02:43Nebraska's so-called Blue Dot.
02:44Democratic activist Denise Powell has won the primary in Omaha's 2nd Congressional District,
02:50edging out state Senator John Kavanaugh in a close race.
02:53The seat is seen as a major pickup opportunity for Democrats.
02:57The district backed Kamala Harris in 2024
02:59and has become known nationally as the Blue Dot in a predominantly red state.
03:05Nebraska is one of two states that splits its electoral votes by congressional district,
03:10instead of using a winner-take-all system.
03:12And that electoral vote system became a central issue in the primary.
03:17Powell's supporters argued that if Kavanaugh won the House seat,
03:21Republican Governor Jim Pillen could appoint a replacement to his state Senate seat,
03:25potentially giving Republicans a supermajority
03:27and more room to target the Blue Dot system itself.
03:31Powell now moves on to face Republican Brinker Harding
03:34and Omaha City Councilmember backed by President Trump.
03:38Searchers have now recovered the remains of the second American soldier
03:42who went missing in Morocco earlier this month.
03:45The Army identified the soldier as 19-year-old specialist Mariah Collington.
03:50She was from Tavares, Florida.
03:52Collington disappeared May 2nd near the Captra training area,
03:56alongside First Lieutenant Kendrick Key Jr.,
03:59a 27-year-old air defense officer from Richmond, Virginia.
04:02The two were taking part in a joint military exercise in Morocco
04:06when they fell off a cliff during an off-duty hike.
04:09Defense officials told CBS News one of the soldiers could not swim
04:13after falling into the water,
04:14and the other jumped in to try to help before getting hit by a wave.
04:18Officials have not said which soldier attempted the rescue.
04:21The Army says the incident remains under investigation.
04:24A Utah mother who wrote a children's book about grief after her husband's death
04:30will now spend the rest of her life in prison for his murder.
04:34A judge sentenced 35-year-old Corey Richens to life without parole Wednesday
04:38after prosecutors said she poisoned her husband, Eric,
04:41with a fatal dose of fentanyl inside their Park City area home back in 2022.
04:47The case drew national attention after Richens later published a children's book
04:52about a young boy coping with the loss of his father.
04:55Judge Richard Mrozik said Richens should never be released from prison.
05:00A person convicted of those things is simply too dangerous to ever be free.
05:08Accordingly, Ms. Richens, based on your conviction on count one,
05:13first-degree felony aggravated murder,
05:15the court hereby sentences you to life without parole.
05:20But some of the most emotional moments came from the couple's three young sons
05:25who told the court they would not feel safe if their mother were ever released.
05:29One son said, quote,
05:31she took away my dad.
05:32Another told the judge he feared she would, quote,
05:35come after him and his brothers if she got out of prison.
05:39Richens also spoke directly to her children in court.
05:43My sweet baby boys,
05:46I know that today you don't want to speak to me,
05:49have a relationship with me,
05:51or you may think you hate me,
05:52and that's okay.
05:54I will never be angry at you for your feelings.
05:57When the day comes that you're ready,
05:59I will be here for you,
06:01waiting for you and loving you.
06:04Prosecutors said Eric Richens had five times
06:07the lethal dose of fentanyl in his system
06:10when he died at his home.
06:11Jurors also convicted Corey Richens
06:14of attempting to poison him weeks earlier
06:16with a fentanyl-laced Valentine's Day sandwich.
06:19But attorneys say they plan to appeal.
06:22To a separate high-profile case,
06:25in a stunning reversal Wednesday,
06:27the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned
06:30the murder convictions of Alex Murdoch,
06:32ordering a new trial
06:34in one of the most high-profile cases of the decade.
06:36The court ruled the 2023 trial
06:39was tainted by what justices called
06:41shocking jury interference
06:43by former court clerk Becky Hill.
06:46In a unanimous decision,
06:47the court said Hill placed her fingers
06:49on the scales of justice,
06:51including allegedly telling jurors
06:53not to be, quote,
06:54fooled by Murdoch's testimony
06:56and to watch his body language on the stand.
06:58She later wrote a book about the case
07:00and the guilty verdict.
07:01The jury convicted Murdoch
07:03in the 2021 shooting deaths
07:05of his wife Maggie and son Paul
07:07at the family's South Carolina estate.
07:09The case drew national attention
07:11after prosecutors argued
07:12the once-powerful attorney killed them
07:15as his financial crimes
07:16and drug issues were closing in around him.
07:18But the state's high court said
07:20the trial itself was compromised.
07:23The attorney general's office
07:24says it will retry the case.
07:26And Murdoch is not going free.
07:28He will remain in prison
07:29serving a separate 40-year federal sentence
07:32after pleading guilty
07:33to stealing millions of dollars
07:34from clients and his law firm.
07:37Finally this morning,
07:38FIFA is turning this summer's World Cup final
07:41into something that may feel
07:43a lot more like the Super Bowl.
07:45The lineup is stacked.
07:47Latin superstar Shakira,
07:49K-pop group BTS and Madonna,
07:51who is preparing to release a new album
07:53called Confessions 2,
07:54are all set to perform
07:56July 19th at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
07:59FIFA says the show will also serve
08:01as a fundraiser for its
08:03Global Citizen Education Fund.
08:05The organization says
08:06$1 from every World Cup ticket sold
08:08will go toward education initiatives
08:11and expanding access to soccer
08:12for children around the world.
08:14The 2026 World Cup,
08:16hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico,
08:19kicks off June 11th.
08:21It is starting to sound
08:22and look like the Super Bowl, right?
08:24With halftime performances and everything?
08:26Hey, whatever happened to Bad Bunny?
08:28Remember him?
08:30All right, before we head out,
08:31here's what we're tracking today.
08:32This morning at 8.30,
08:34we get new retail sales numbers
08:35and the latest weekly
08:37jobless claims report.
08:38Two key snapshots
08:40of where the economy stands right now.
08:42This afternoon,
08:43officials in Iowa
08:44are expected to announce plans
08:45to preserve and expand
08:47the iconic Field of Dreams movie site.
08:50Later today,
08:51the Louisiana Senate will vote
08:53on a new congressional district map,
08:55eliminating one of two
08:56majority black districts.
08:58And late tonight,
09:00President Trump meets again
09:01with China's President Xi Jinping
09:02in Beijing,
09:04including a formal handshake,
09:06a photo op,
09:06and bilateral talks.
09:08No noise, no sides.
09:10NewsGuard gives us a perfect score
09:11for reliability.
09:13All sides gives us a center rating
09:15for balance certification.
09:16We give you the facts first
09:18and the news straight.
09:19Hey, have you signed up
09:20for our Unbiased Updates newsletter?
09:22It's a great way
09:23to start your day a bit smarter.
09:24Go to san.com slash newsletters.
09:27Those are your Unbiased Updates
09:28for this Thursday.
09:29We'll see you back here tomorrow,
09:30Friday.
09:31We love that.
09:32For all of us here
09:33at Straight Arrow,
09:33I'm Craig DiGrelli.
09:35Have a great day.
Comments