00:01Two major earthquakes hit Venezuela just 39 seconds apart.
00:05Now crews are racing to find survivors as the full scope of the damage comes into focus.
00:10Plus, a closed-door GOP meeting turns heated on Capitol Hill.
00:14Why President Trump and Senator Bill Cassidy ended up in a shouting match over Iran.
00:19And the White House wants to keep a lower-cost gasoline at the pumps year-round.
00:23Now Congress holds the keys to that plan.
00:28The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.
00:33These are your Unbiased Updates from Straight Arrow.
00:39Hi everyone, I'm Simone del Rosario, and today for Craig Negrelli.
00:43We begin this morning in Venezuela, where two major earthquakes struck just 39 seconds apart,
00:48leaving a trail of destruction across the country.
00:51Venezuela's acting president declared a state of emergency after a 7.5-magnitude earthquake
00:56hit less than a minute after one measuring 7.2.
01:00Officials say at least 164 people are dead, and more than 900 others are injured.
01:06That death toll could still rise as search crews continue digging through the collapsed buildings.
01:12The coastal state of La Guayra appears to be the hardest hit.
01:16Dozens of buildings have collapsed.
01:17The main international airport remains closed after part of its roof caved in,
01:22and metro and rail services are suspended.
01:25The earthquake struck just hours before President Trump took the stage at a rally on the National Mall.
01:30During his speech, Trump referenced Venezuela while discussing the U.S. capture of former President
01:36Nicolas Maduro.
01:37But he didn't mention the earthquakes.
01:39In one hour, Venezuela was finished.
01:42In a flawless and breathtaking operation earlier this year, America's armed forces captured the outlawed dictator of Venezuela,
01:51Nicolas Maduro, and brought him back to face American justice.
01:57One of the great military raids in history, if you remember.
02:02After the rally, Trump posted on Truth Social that the United States stands ready to help,
02:08saying he has directed federal agencies to, quote, get ready to move quickly.
02:12Secretary of State Marco Rubio, traveling in Bahrain, later said the U.S. is deploying search and rescue teams,
02:18medical resources, and humanitarian aid.
02:22President Trump went to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, hoping to rally Republicans around his agenda.
02:27Instead, he ended up in a heated exchange with one of his party's senators.
02:31Trump spent more than an hour behind closed doors with Senate Republicans, and by several accounts, it got testy.
02:37The biggest flashpoint came when Trump questioned why four Republicans joined Democrats in backing a war powers resolution,
02:44directing him to pull troops from hostilities against Iran.
02:47Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, one of those four Republicans, pushed back,
02:52saying lawmakers still haven't received a full briefing on the war or its objectives.
02:58According to people in the room, the exchange quickly escalated with both men raising their voices.
03:04Cassidy later told reporters he makes no apologies for standing up to the president, saying, quote,
03:09he didn't particularly care for my comments, raised his voice, I lost my temper.
03:15It's the Irish in me.
03:16But again, I matched his tone and his volume, and it went back and forth.
03:21Now, tensions have been growing between Trump and some Senate Republicans over Iran,
03:25the SAVE Act, and Trump's decision to put a bipartisan housing bill on hold
03:29until Congress acts on his election reform priorities.
03:33Despite the fireworks, Trump emerged from the meeting, calling it a success.
03:38I think we had a really great meeting, and we're very proud of the party.
03:43We like our leader.
03:45We like everybody really in the room.
03:47I don't like a few people, but that's OK.
03:49I think you know who they are.
03:50But we—I'll give you—I'll give you that information someday.
03:54But for the most part, we have a really well-unified party.
03:57Trump also used the meeting to press Republicans to pass the SAVE Act, a bill requiring proof of
04:03citizenship to register to vote, even as GOP leaders continue to say it doesn't have the
04:08votes to pass the Senate.
04:10Well, just hours after that tense meeting with Senate Republicans, a separate War Powers
04:15vote went Trump's way.
04:16In a late-night vote, Senate Republicans blocked another resolution that would have required
04:21Trump to get congressional approval before taking more military action against Iran.
04:25The reversal came less than a day after four Republicans joined Democrats in backing a very
04:30similar measure.
04:31This time, only Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski voted with Democrats.
04:37Trump quickly celebrated the result on Truth Social, singling out Senator Bill Cassidy for
04:42changing his vote and saying the decision put Iran on notice.
04:46Cassidy says he only switched positions after a reassuring meeting with Vice President J.D.
04:51Vance and Special Envoy Steve Whitcoff.
04:53Senator Rand Paul, who also changed his vote to present, said his decision followed Wednesday's
04:59lunch with the president.
05:00The vote does not change the House War Powers Resolution the Senate approved on Tuesday,
05:05which remains in place, though largely symbolic.
05:09The Trump administration lost another court fight over its effort to get detailed voter information
05:13from states across the country.
05:15A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that Michigan does not have to hand over sensitive
05:20voter information to the Justice Department.
05:23The administration has been seeking unredacted voter files from dozens of states, including
05:28birthdates, driver's license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers.
05:32But in a two-to-one decision, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals said the 1960 civil rights
05:38law cited by the Justice Department does not give it the authority to demand the records.
05:44Writing for the majority, Judge Andre Mathis said, quote,
05:46Back then, the government used this power to ensure that everyone who had the right to vote
05:52could freely exercise that right.
05:54But today, the government invokes Title III for an inverse purpose, to ensure that some
05:59people have not voted.
06:01Now, this is the first appeals court to weigh in on the issue.
06:04The Justice Department says data is needed to verify voter eligibility.
06:09Michigan and other states argue turning it over would compromise voter privacy.
06:13The White House is pushing to make a popular ethanol-blended fuel available year-round.
06:19The Trump administration has formally asked Congress to allow E15 gasoline to be sold
06:24nationwide 365 days a year.
06:26They included the request in a supplemental package sent to lawmakers late Wednesday.
06:31As you can probably tell by the name, the fuel blend contains 15 percent ethanol.
06:35It's currently only available during part of the year under temporary EPA waivers.
06:41Under current EPA rules, E15 is generally restricted during the summer because it evaporates quicker
06:47in hot weather, which can contribute to smog.
06:51Supporters say E15 often sells for about 25 cents less per gallon than regular gasoline,
06:57giving drivers a cheaper option at the pump.
06:59Smaller refiners have long opposed the change,
07:02saying it could raise costs and complicate fuel distribution.
07:06The proposal now goes to Congress, where its path forward in the Senate remains uncertain.
07:11If you think cotton candy and giant planets don't belong in the same sentence,
07:15NASA has some news for you.
07:17Data from NASA's test mission revealed two giant planets that are nearly the size of Jupiter,
07:23but so light for their size that their average density is comparable to cotton candy.
07:28They orbit a sun-like star about 1,100 light-years from Earth and have been nicknamed super-puff planets.
07:35Don't let the name fool you.
07:37They aren't soft or sweet.
07:38They're still gas giants.
07:40Their material is just spread over such a huge area that they're incredibly light for their size.
07:46Scientists say only a handful of super-puff planets have ever been found,
07:51and discovering two in the same solar system makes this find even more unusual.
07:56Researchers hope the discovery helps answer a long-standing question
07:59about how some of the biggest planets in the universe end up so fluffy.
08:04All right, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today.
08:07First, we get a fresh read on the economy with a May consumer spending report
08:11and the Fed's preferred inflation measure.
08:13Also this morning, we'll be watching the Supreme Court,
08:16where we're expecting rulings in major cases still,
08:19including challenges to birthright citizenship, voting rights, and Trump's firing of federal officials.
08:24Also on Capitol Hill, Homeland Security officials face lawmakers
08:27during an oversight hearing on the department's operations and priorities
08:31before Vice President J.D. Vance delivers remarks
08:34at the Nixon Presidential Library in California at 1 o'clock.
08:38Unbiased Updates is the fastest, fairest few minutes of news.
08:42Watch us anytime at san.com or on our app.
08:46And whether you're watching on YouTube or listening on Spotify,
08:49thanks for making us part of your morning routine.
08:52Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Thursday.
08:54We're going to see you right back here tomorrow.
08:56For all of us here at Straight Air News, I'm Simone Del Rosario.
08:58Have a great day.
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