00:01President Trump's pick comes through. Ken Paxton takes down a longtime incumbent in Texas.
00:06Now the focus shifts to November. Plus, a routine workday turns deadly. A chemical tank implodes at
00:13a Washington plant, leaving a worker dead and others missing. And Trump brings the cabinet
00:19together this morning. Iran is expected to drive the conversation as talks continue and tensions
00:25hold. The 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. We begin this morning with another big primary win for President
00:45Trump. His pick for the Texas Senate race just took out a longtime Republican incumbent. Texas
00:51Attorney General Ken Paxton won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate Tuesday night,
00:57handily defeating four-term Senator John Cornyn in a high-stakes runoff. Trump threw his support
01:02behind Paxton just last week, calling him a true MAGA warrior. With the loss, Cornyn becomes the
01:09first Republican U.S. Senator from Texas to lose a GOP re-election primary, according to the Associated
01:15Press. Paxton made sure to thank Trump during his victory speech. When everyone in Washington told
01:21him to abandon me and abandon the people of Texas, he didn't listen. Instead, he gave his
01:27complete and total endorsement. President Trump is the leader of our party, and his endorsement
01:33is the most powerful force in politics. And I'm honored to have his support, and I look forward
01:41to working with him in the Senate to deliver for Texas. And I've always supported the Republican
01:48ticket, and I intend to do so again in this general election. I've said throughout this race that
01:55I trust the voters of Texas, and they've made their decision, and I must respect it.
02:04Paxton now advances to a November showdown against Democrat James Tallarico.
02:08Tuesday's runoffs also shaped several House races across Texas. In Houston, freshman Congressman
02:15Christian Menefee defeated longtime Representative Al Green in the Democratic runoff for the 18th
02:22district. And former Congressman Colin Allred has unseated Representative Julie Johnson in the
02:28Democratic primary for Dallas' Deep Blue 33rd district. Also, Democrat Johnny Garcia won his
02:35party's primary in Texas' 35th district in San Antonio, defeating Maureen Galindo.
02:41Out west, a deadly implosion inside a paper mill has left workers dead, others injured, and crews
02:47searching for answers this morning. The explosion happened Tuesday morning at the Nippon DynaWave
02:53Packaging Facility in Longview, Washington, near the Oregon state line. Authorities say a massive
02:59chemical tank ruptured, creating what firefighters describe as a mass casualty scene. The tank was
03:06carrying what's known as white liquor, a corrosive chemical mixture used in paper production.
03:12There were multiple critical injuries, and patients were transported to hospitals in Longview
03:16and throughout the Vancouver-Portland area. We can also confirm there were fatalities related
03:20to the incident. We are not confirming or giving information on their names until their families
03:26have been notified. Officials say one person has died, nine others were hurt, including a responding
03:33firefighter, and another nine remain unaccounted for. Patients suffered burns and inhalation injuries.
03:39The incident also comes as thousands of people in Southern California remain displaced because of a
03:45separate chemical emergency. Officials there say the threat of a catastrophic explosion at a damaged
03:51aerospace plant tank is now reduced, but roughly 16,000 people still have not been allowed back in
03:58their homes while crews continue monitoring the site. Investigators still don't know what caused the
04:03Washington tank to implode, and recovery crews say unstable conditions at the site are making
04:09operations more difficult. Back in Washington, President Trump is set to bring his cabinet together
04:15at the White House later this morning as talks with Iran move forward. Despite new claims from
04:21Tehran that the U.S. violated the ceasefire. Iran released video Tuesday that it claims shows its
04:27military responding to recent U.S. actions, including what it says was the shootdown of an American drone
04:33and the tracking of an F-35 fighter jet following American strikes earlier this week. An official with
04:40Iran's Revolutionary Guard told the semi-official Tasnim News Agency that a return to full-scale fighting
04:47is unlikely, but warned that if the war restarts, Iran is prepared to turn its southern coast
04:53into a graveyard for aggressors. Despite the rhetoric, the Trump administration continues to
04:59project optimism about a deal. Vice President J.D. Vance told NBC News he's extremely hopeful Iran will
05:06agree to an arrangement that prevents it from developing nuclear weapons. Vance said the bigger challenge will
05:11be building an enforcement system that, quote, gives us confidence that they won't violate the deal
05:16in the future. Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command said Tuesday its ongoing naval operations have turned away
05:23108 vessels attempting to enter or exit Iranian ports. Iran has called those actions a violation of the
05:31ceasefire. Trump and his top advisers are expected to discuss Iran along with other foreign and domestic issues
05:37during today's cabinet meeting. The meeting was originally planned for Camp David, but it has since been
05:43moved to the White House due to weather concerns. More politics now. Republicans trying to redraw
05:49congressional maps across the South hit a pair of roadblocks on Tuesday, one in a courtroom, one inside their own
05:56party. South Carolina lawmakers abruptly stopped work on a plan that would have reshaped Democratic Congressman Jim
06:03Clyburn's district and potentially moved the state closer to an all Republican congressional delegation.
06:09The proposal had already cleared the Republican led House, but a group of GOP state senators joined Democrats
06:15in blocking it after early voting had already begun. Some Republicans argued it was simply too late to throw
06:22out an election already underway. Congressman Jim Clyburn, the state's first black member of Congress,
06:27elected in nearly a century and now seeking an 18th term, insisted he would run regardless of how the district
06:34lines looked. In Alabama, a federal court blocked a separate Republican-backed map that would have given
06:41the GOP an advantage in six of the state's seven congressional districts. Judges ruled the plan could not move
06:48forward, writing that it represented an intentional effort to split up black voters and dilute their voting
06:55strength. Republican officials in Alabama have already promised an appeal to the Supreme Court.
07:00South Carolina leaders are signaling the redistricting fight is far from over there.
07:05Former President Joe Biden is suing the Justice Department in an effort to keep hours of recordings
07:12tied to the classified documents investigation from becoming public. The lawsuit centers on interviews
07:18Biden gave in 2016 and 2017 to ghostwriter Mark Zwanitzer while working on his memoirs. Those recordings
07:26later became part of special counsel Robert Herr's investigation into Biden's handling of classified
07:32documents. Herr's investigation ultimately recommended no criminal charges, but his report sparked a major
07:39political firestorm after raising questions about Biden's mental capacity, describing him as a well-meaning
07:46elderly man with a poor memory. Biden's attorneys now argue releasing the material would violate his
07:52privacy rights, saying the conversations took place inside his home and were obtained through a criminal
07:57investigation. The suit comes after the Justice Department said it planned to release the recordings and
08:03transcripts to Congress and to the Conservative Heritage Foundation next month. President Trump weighed in
08:10late Tuesday on Truth Social calling Biden a crooked politician. Finally this morning, the UFC is coming to the
08:17White House. Construction is underway on an octagon on the South Lawn as part of next month's celebration of
08:25America's 250th birthday, which also happens to fall on President Trump's 80th birthday. For months, Trump has been
08:33talking about bringing a UFC fight card to the White House grounds. Inside the cage, fighters are expected to
08:39compete for the UFC heavyweight title, the lightweight belt, and other matchups. Plans call for a red, white, and blue
08:46stage with stars and stripes themes built around the octagon. Crews are also building a 5,000-seat arena just
08:54outside the White House itself for fans attending in person. And on the ellipse, the UFC plans to distribute up
09:01to
09:0185,000 free tickets for fans to watch the fights on large video screens. The event is scheduled for Flag
09:09Day
09:09June 14th. Before we head out, here's what we're tracking today. The now-defunct Spirit Airlines heads back to
09:16bankruptcy court this morning as lawyers and creditors continue sorting through the airline's future. At 11, President
09:22Trump will hold a cabinet meeting at the White House. Iran will be high on the agenda. Later, Defense Secretary
09:28Pete Hegseth heads to Singapore for a major security summit. And tonight, James Tallarico, the Democratic
09:34nominee for Senate in Texas, plans to kick off the general election campaign with a rally in Houston.
09:40No noise, no sides. News Guard gives us a perfect score for reliability. All sides gives us a center rating
09:48with balance certification. We give you facts first and the news straight. We're the fastest, fairest, few minutes
09:54and news. Watch or listen to us anytime on the SAN app or at SAN.com. You can also stream
10:01us on Spotify.
10:02Hey, thanks for making us part of your morning routine. Those of your unbiased updates for this
10:07Wednesday, we'll see you back here tomorrow. For all of us at Straight Arrow, I'm Craig DeGrelli. Have a great
10:12day.
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