00:01Russia pounds Ukraine with attacks on Kyiv. This morning, more than a dozen Ukrainians are dead and others trapped in
00:08the rubble.
00:08Plus, the death toll from the Venezuela earthquakes now surpasses 2,000, but tens of thousands are still missing one
00:16week later.
00:16And they made it to the top of the spire of the Empire State Building, Kist, and the guy apparently
00:22proposed how the two daredevils climbed to nearly 1,500 feet before getting arrested.
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.
00:42Good morning, I'm Craig Negrelli. We begin this morning with a new large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine.
00:48Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says search and rescue efforts are underway after at least 13 people were killed in explosions
00:56that shook the capital of Kyiv overnight in too early this morning.
01:00He says Moscow used more than 70 missiles and 500 drones to attack buildings and civilian infrastructure across the city,
01:07including an ambulance station and a hotel.
01:10Damage is reported in every district in Kyiv, with the Darnitsky district hit the hardest.
01:15Officials say part of a nine-floor apartment building there collapsed.
01:19Rescue crews are still looking for people thought to be trapped under the rubble, including a 15-year-old girl
01:25and her family.
01:26Reuters reports that Russia's defense ministry claimed the strikes hit key military plants in Kyiv
01:32and that the Kremlin's top spokesman warned there would be more to come.
01:36One week after two powerful earthquakes rocked Venezuela, some 50,000 people remain unaccounted for.
01:43According to official tallies, at least 2,295 people have died from the devastating quakes
01:49that knocked down hundreds of buildings across the country.
01:52But with so many collapsed buildings still unexcavated, experts say the real death toll is likely significantly higher.
02:00One forensic pathologist told CNN the current count is not even a third of the actual number.
02:06The U.S. Geological Survey says there's a high chance tens of thousands of people died
02:12in the back-to-back 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes.
02:17Frustration is mounting among Venezuelans over the government's response.
02:21Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has publicly accused the government of downplaying the destruction.
02:28Machado, who fled Venezuela after winning a presidential election that was stolen by now-ousted leader Nicolas Maduro,
02:35has been trying to return to her home country since the quakes,
02:39but her efforts have been repeatedly blocked.
02:41A senior U.S. official told Axios she's adding, quote,
02:45needless drama to the situation and accused her of grotesque political opportunism.
02:51Meanwhile, Democratic Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro says ICE is still trying to deport children
02:57and families to Venezuela despite the catastrophe.
03:00In a post on social media Wednesday, Castro claimed that children and families were woken up in the middle of
03:06the night
03:07just hours after the earthquakes and sent to Arizona on their way to Venezuela
03:12before ultimately being returned to the Texas detention facility they started out in.
03:17Former CIA Director John Brennan is suing the Trump administration,
03:22demanding they preserve records of their investigations into him.
03:26Brennan has been under investigation for months in Florida with Trump administration officials,
03:31including former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard,
03:35accusing him of being part of a group of Obama appointees that committed a treasonous conspiracy
03:41about Russian interference in the 2016 election.
03:44Brennan claims he is the victim of a vindictive prosecution and is accused of, quote,
03:49phantom criminal conduct.
03:51The court filing states,
03:54President Trump has been condemning and calling for Director Brennan's prosecution for years.
03:58Administration officials from the acting attorney general to the FBI director
04:03and the counselor overseeing the Brennan investigations
04:05have been publicly declaring Director Brennan a criminal,
04:09not only before securing a conviction in court,
04:11but even before a full investigation and an indictment.
04:15So far, no comment from the White House.
04:18The FBI says it is working to figure out which ransom notes are legitimate
04:22five months after the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie.
04:26Investigators say they've received several notes
04:28since somebody abducted the 84-year-old mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie
04:33from her Tucson, Arizona home in the early hours of February 1st.
04:37They believe two of the notes sent within the first two weeks after Guthrie disappeared
04:42are legitimate.
04:43Others could potentially be,
04:45while some are believed to be attempted extortion.
04:48The FBI did not specify how many notes have come in,
04:51but Tucson TV station KOLD says it received two,
04:56one demanding millions in Bitcoin in exchange for Nancy Guthrie's return,
05:00and another that said she had died.
05:03TMZ says it also received a note.
05:06Investigators were able to recover home security video of the night Guthrie vanished
05:10without her phone or essential medication,
05:13but so far have not been able to identify the masked intruder.
05:17Did you see this?
05:19Two climbers reached the top of the Empire State Building's antenna,
05:23or spire, on Wednesday,
05:25nearly 1,500 feet above Midtown Manhattan.
05:28They unfurled a black banner about love and peace,
05:31then appeared to get engaged before specially trained officers got up there
05:35and arrested them.
05:36The message from police was shorter.
05:38Well, you can't be up here.
05:40The climbers go by Angela Nikolaou and Ivan Birkus.
05:44Police identified them by their formal names,
05:47Angelina Nikolaou and Ivan Kuznetsov.
05:49The two are known for high-rise stunts around the world
05:53and were featured in the 2024 Netflix documentary Skywalkers, A Love Story.
05:58News helicopter video showed them dressed in black,
06:01wearing masks and balancing on the structure without tethers or ropes or nets.
06:06After several minutes on the structure,
06:08they collected the banner and started down.
06:11Video showed one of them getting on one knee on a lower platform.
06:14The two then kissed and hugged.
06:17Police sent an emergency services unit to the building.
06:19They cleared the observation deck as officers responded.
06:23Body cam video showed officers climbing up to meet the couple
06:26before arresting them on burglary, reckless endangerment,
06:30and criminal trespass, as well as other charges.
06:32Police say the banner was recovered.
06:34It was not immediately clear how the pair reached the top,
06:37which rises above the building's public areas.
06:40The Empire State Building said the stunt was unauthorized,
06:44but tenants and visitors were never in danger.
06:46The building also noted its observation deck offers a more practical way
06:51to make a memorable proposal.
06:54By the way, watching this on national TV yesterday,
06:57I can tell you I was getting dizzy just watching the helicopter coverage.
07:01Wow.
07:02I mean, they were way, way up there.
07:04How dangerous.
07:06Finally this morning, it's win and advance time at the World Cup.
07:09It's the knockout round.
07:11And the Americans came up big Wednesday night
07:13with a 2-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina.
07:15Fans packed the stadium in Santa Clara, California,
07:19many downing red, white, and blue.
07:22Ful Balogin put the Americans up at the 45-minute mark of the contest,
07:26scoring the first goal of the game.
07:27But less than 20 minutes later, he became a bit of a villain,
07:31the refs giving Balogin a red card for a foul on a Bosnian player
07:35as both men lunged for the ball
07:37and the Americans' cleat struck the back of the other player's calf.
07:40Still, with just 10 players on the field,
07:43the Americans were able to increase their lead
07:45as Malik Tillman sent a beautiful shot into the net off a free kick.
07:50The U.S. advances to the round of 16 for the first time since 2002
07:53in a match against Belgium on Monday.
07:56Balogin, by the way, is suspended for that game.
07:59Unbiased Updates is the fastest, fairest few minutes of news.
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08:07We thank you for making us part of your morning routine.
08:11Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Thursday.
08:13We'll see you back here tomorrow.
08:14For all of us here at Straight Arrow, I'm Craig DeGrelly.
08:16Good to see you again. Have a great day.
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