00:01Peace talks with Iran are supposed to be next.
00:03Instead, Israel is back to hitting targets in Lebanon.
00:07And now Vice President J.D. Vance's trip to Switzerland is on hold.
00:11Plus, two feet of rain.
00:13Cars swept away, homes underwater.
00:16The remnants of Arthur are leaving a mess across the Gulf Coast.
00:20And the Pentagon made flu shots optional.
00:22Now a major outbreak at an Air Force training base is forcing a quick change of plans.
00:30The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.
00:35These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow.
00:41Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
00:43Just days after the United States and Iran signed a peace deal,
00:47the first real test of that agreement is already here.
00:50Vice President J.D. Vance was expected to head to Switzerland for the next round of talks with Iran.
00:55That trip is now on hold.
00:57Swiss officials confirmed the talks are delayed, though they have not said why.
01:02The timing comes after Israel launched new strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon,
01:07even though a halt to fighting there was included in the agreement that President Trump
01:11and Iran's president signed earlier this week.
01:15The White House insists the process is still moving forward.
01:18A spokesperson said, quote,
01:19The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable.
01:24And said the administration expects technical talks to begin as soon as possible.
01:29Meanwhile, the fighting continues.
01:31Lebanese health officials say at least 18 people were killed
01:35and more than 30 others injured in strikes across southern Lebanon.
01:39Israel's military also says four of its soldiers died after an IDF tank was hit.
01:44For now, officials say preparations for future talks are continuing,
01:48even as the violence the deal was supposed to stop continues on the ground.
01:53In a related story, Vice President J.D. Vance is taking a much tougher public tone
01:58with Israel than we've heard from this administration so far.
02:01A day after the U.S. and Iran signed their initial peace deal,
02:05Vance used the White House briefing room to deliver a blunt message
02:09to members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government
02:12who have been attacking the agreement.
02:15The comments came after an Axios report that Netanyahu and members of his cabinet
02:19were furious over the deal.
02:21Vance said Netanyahu has not personally taken that tone with him,
02:25but he made it clear he's fed up with some of the criticism
02:28coming from other Israeli officials.
02:31Listen.
02:32What I will say, and this does bother me,
02:34is that you've seen people within Bibi's cabinet
02:37who have come out and attacked the deal
02:39and in some ways very personally attacked the President of the United States.
02:44And I guess my message to them would be twofold.
02:47Number one, Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world
02:53who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time.
02:57And he happens to be the head of state of the world's superpower.
03:00If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government,
03:03I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.
03:10And the second message I would give to some of those cabinet members,
03:13Bibi, to his credit, has not gone down this path,
03:16but to some of these cabinet members in Israel who are attacking the President of the United States,
03:20The other thing that I would say is that over the last three months,
03:24two-thirds of the defensive weapons that have protected your homeland have been built by American hands
03:31and paid for by American tax dollars.
03:34The problem for Israel is not Donald J. Trump.
03:37And anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the President of the United States
03:42needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in.
03:47The remarks are some of the sharpest public comments this White House has directed toward Israel since the war began.
03:54During the same briefing, President Trump posted on Truth Social urging all sides to let the peace process,
04:00quote, beautifully unfold, saying he expects a complete ceasefire across the region.
04:06Meanwhile, Iran is projecting a much different message.
04:09Iranian state media quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying the war did not bring Iran to its knees,
04:15but instead made the country more powerful, both militarily and diplomatically.
04:21Wait till you see these images.
04:23The remnants of former Tropical Storm Arthur are pushing across the southeast,
04:27leaving flooding, damage, and water rescues in their wake.
04:31The threat is far from over today after heavy rain and severe weather battered parts of the Gulf Coast Thursday.
04:37In rural Louisiana, more than two feet, two feet of rain fell in just 48 hours,
04:43flooding at least 200 homes in a voluous parish.
04:46Mississippi was also hit hard.
04:48Life-threatening floodwaters trapped people at a campground where rescuers used canoe paddles
04:54to break through RV windows to reach people stranded inside.
04:58Floodwaters swept away cars and mobile homes.
05:00Some areas received up to 10 inches of rain.
05:03A road crew member was killed during cleanup operations in Franklin County,
05:06while officials evacuated about 30 homes near the Anchor Lake Dam as a precaution.
05:12Forecasters say the system will continue tracking east,
05:15so the threat of heavy rain and flash flooding in parts of the southeast remains throughout the day.
05:20If you're listening and want to see some of the video, go to our website or app.
05:25Two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ended the military's flu shot requirement,
05:31the Air Force is now dealing with a major outbreak at its largest basic training base.
05:36Nearly 160 trainees have been sickened by the flu at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas,
05:42the primary training center for new Air Force and Space Force recruits.
05:46The New York Times was first to report the spread through a basic training unit
05:51where recruits live in close quarters, sleep in open bays, and eat together in large dining facilities.
05:57It comes less than two months after Hegseth scrapped the military's long-standing flu vaccine requirement
06:03and made the shot voluntary.
06:05Here's what he said in April.
06:07Our new policy is simple.
06:09If you, an American warrior entrusted to defend this nation,
06:12believe that the flu vaccine is in your best interest, then you are free to take it.
06:17You should.
06:18But we will not force you because your body, your faith, and your convictions are not negotiable, your health.
06:26It's common sense.
06:27It's the kind of common sense approach we're undertaking in this department.
06:31Since that policy took effect, only about 40 percent of Air Force trainees have chosen to get the vaccine.
06:38Now the Air Force is making an exception.
06:41Officials have reinstated a flu shot requirement for all new recruits at Lackland,
06:45while medical teams work to contain the outbreak.
06:48The Air Force says trainees who are sick are being isolated and treated with antiviral medication.
06:54The Pentagon defended the policy change, saying,
07:08A political figure that many in Britain see as a potential successor to Prime Minister Keir Starmer
07:15just got a lot closer to power.
07:17Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester and a longtime Labour Party heavyweight,
07:23won a special election in northwest England Thursday, claiming a seat in Parliament with about 55 percent of the vote.
07:30On its face, it's just one parliamentary seat.
07:34But the result immediately fuels speculation about Starmer's future.
07:38The Prime Minister has been fighting falling poll numbers, a string of political setbacks,
07:43and growing discontent inside his own party.
07:46Now Burnham, who has never hidden his national ambitions,
07:49will have a seat in Westminster and a much bigger platform.
07:53That matters because Labour could replace its leader without holding a general election.
07:58If the party chooses a new leader while maintaining its parliamentary majority,
08:02that person could become Prime Minister.
08:05Everyone knows that politics isn't working.
08:09Everyone can feel that the country isn't where it should be.
08:15Tonight could, just could, be the turning point.
08:21Starmer congratulated Burnham after the victory, saying voters backed Labour's message of hope and optimism.
08:27Burnham is expected to take his seat in Parliament as early as next week.
08:31Finally this morning, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is dealing with a new problem
08:36just days after crews finished cleaning up a major algae bloom.
08:40Visitors have spotted a tear in the new protective coating applied to the bottom of the pool
08:46as part of its recent $14 million renovation.
08:49The discovery comes just days after the pool turned bright green from an algae outbreak,
08:54prompting crews to remove the growth and treat the water with large amounts of hydrogen peroxide.
09:00President Trump ordered the pool's floor to be coated in what he described as American flag blue
09:06as part of a broader effort to refresh monuments and public spaces.
09:10Now some visitors are questioning whether the project is delivering the results promised.
09:15I want my money back after seeing this.
09:19I think that it was a huge waste of money to begin with,
09:22and I think our resources could be used a lot better elsewhere.
09:27The Trump administration operates at the sweet spot of malice and incompetence,
09:33and this is just the incompetence on display.
09:35This is now getting close to $15 million going to this pool.
09:40This very fancy vinyl coating in American flag blue,
09:44it didn't last a week before it's coming up here.
09:47The cleanup of the Reflecting Pool started back in April as part of Trump's efforts
09:52to improve the architecture in and around Washington
09:54to mark the nation's 250th birthday.
09:58Unbiased Updates is the fastest, fairest few minutes of news.
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10:07We thank you for making us part of your morning routine.
10:10Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Friday.
10:12We'll see you back here on Monday.
10:13For all of us here at Straight Arrow,
10:15I'm Craig DeGrelli.
10:16Have a fantastic Friday and a wonderful weekend.
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