00:01The U.S. hits Iran again. More than 90 targets struck over two nights.
00:06As President Trump warns Tehran, the military campaign could go even further.
00:11Plus, the political pressure wins.
00:14Democrat Graham Plattner drops out, denying rape allegations,
00:17but leaving his party scrambling to find a new nominee in Maine.
00:22And, show us you're okay.
00:24Kentucky's governor publicly calls on Mitch McConnell to disclose his health status
00:29after weeks of silence.
00:32The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.
00:38These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow.
00:44Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
00:46The U.S. and Iran have exchanged new strikes overnight,
00:50as any hope of reviving the ceasefire continues to fade.
00:53U.S. Central Command says American forces hit about 90 military targets across Iran
00:59overnight, including air defense systems, missile and drone sites,
01:03naval assets, and other military infrastructure along Iran's coast.
01:07Iran, meanwhile, targeted several U.S. allies in the Gulf.
01:11In Kuwait, at least one person was injured after the military shot down
01:14ten Iranian drones and four missiles.
01:17Sirens sounded multiple times in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet,
01:23while Qatar also reported strikes.
01:24Iran's health ministry says two days of American airstrikes have killed at least 14 people
01:30and wounded close to 80 others.
01:33The latest escalation comes after President Trump declared the ceasefire effectively over,
01:38saying Iran's attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz ended the truce.
01:42But when asked if we're returning to full-scale military conflict, Trump said he doesn't know.
01:47But if we did, the U.S. would, quote, win it very quickly.
01:52You know, we have many ways we could win, but we've already won militarily.
01:56They have very little, they have very little left, and they want to make a deal so badly.
02:01They called a little while ago, they want to make a deal so badly.
02:04I just don't know if they're worthy of making a deal.
02:07I don't know that they're going to honor the deal.
02:08That's the problem.
02:09Meanwhile, Iran is wrapping up its days-long farewell to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
02:15Mourners are taking his coffin to his hometown of Mashhad, where he will be buried today.
02:21Politics now.
02:22Democrats are suddenly back to square one in one of the country's most important Senate races.
02:28Graham Plattner suspended his campaign last night while continuing to deny allegations
02:32that he sexually assaulted a woman he was dating five years ago.
02:36In an emotional 11-minute video, Plattner said pressure from Democrats across the country
02:42left him with no path forward.
02:44He accused the, quote, political establishment of forcing him from the race, and said party
02:50leaders in Washington should not decide who replaces him.
02:53This is incredibly difficult because I know that some will think it's an admission of guilt,
02:59and it most certainly is not.
03:01We're not doing it because of the allegations.
03:02We're doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power.
03:07And I'm not asking for how this process is going to work.
03:13I'm not trying to dictate to anyone who it should be or how we get there.
03:18But I will say this.
03:19It needs to be open, transparent, and democratic.
03:24It needs to be reflecting the will and the values of the people that built this movement,
03:29the people that showed up on June 9th.
03:33People in D.C. need to stay in D.C.
03:36Decisions should not be made in back rooms by people in places of political power.
03:41Maine is one of the Democrats' best opportunities to flip a Republican Senate seat,
03:46making the search for a new nominee especially urgent as they try to unseat longtime Senator
03:52Susan Collins.
03:53Plattner has not yet filed the paperwork to formally withdraw,
03:57but he has until Monday at 5 p.m. to do so.
04:00Democrats would then have until July 27th to choose a replacement.
04:04Several names have been floated, but so far only former State Senate President Troy Jackson
04:09has filed paperwork to enter the race.
04:12For the first time since Senator Mitch McConnell was hospitalized nearly three weeks ago,
04:17the governor of Kentucky is publicly asking for answers.
04:21Governor Andy Beshear sent McConnell a letter Wednesday urging him to update Kentucky residents
04:26on his condition, writing, quote,
04:29Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the current state of your health and well-being
04:34and ability to hold office.
04:36He goes on to ask the senator to fully update Kentuckians on his health.
04:41McConnell, who's 84, has not appeared publicly since being hospitalized on June 14th.
04:47His office says he's improving and continuing to work with staff,
04:51but it still has not said why he was rushed to the hospital or when he will return to Washington.
04:57Paramedics had gone to his home in D.C. and reported that somebody was unconscious
05:01and had gone into cardiac arrest.
05:03The silence since has fueled weeks of speculation online,
05:07prompting several Republican senators this week to say they've spoken with McConnell by phone
05:12and that he's alert and engaged.
05:14The questions also carry political stakes.
05:17If McConnell's Senate seat were to become vacant before his term ends in January,
05:22Kentucky law no longer allows the governor to appoint a replacement.
05:26Instead, Beshear, a Democrat, would call a special election.
05:30McConnell has already announced he won't seek another term,
05:33but with the Senate set to return next week,
05:36questions about his health and whether he will be able to return are only growing.
05:41President Trump has lost another attempt to keep E. Jean Carroll from collecting the $5 million
05:47a jury awarded her in her sexual abuse and defamation case.
05:52A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the money,
05:54plus several years of accrued interest,
05:56released to Carroll after the Supreme Court declined last week to hear Trump's appeal.
06:02Trump's attorneys had asked the judge to hold off
06:04while they asked the Supreme Court to reconsider that decision,
06:07filing a rare petition for a rehearing just hours before the money was set to be released.
06:13Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected the request, ruling the funds should be turned over now.
06:18Trump's legal team immediately appealed that order.
06:21The president has continued to deny Carroll's allegations and has vowed to keep fighting the case,
06:27writing after the Supreme Court's decision that he would continue the battle
06:31against what he called a weaponization and lawfare case.
06:34Trump is also asking the Supreme Court to review a separate $83 million defamation judgment
06:40Carroll won against him last year.
06:43President Trump's plan to build a 250-foot triumphal arch in the nation's capital is moving forward,
06:50but it's not getting a blank check.
06:52The National Capital Planning Commission is set to take up the project today
06:56after staff recommended preliminary approval while also calling for a series of changes before any final sign-off.
07:03One of the biggest issues is height.
07:05Staff says the design should comply with federal limits that help protect Washington's skyline.
07:11They're also asking for more details on traffic, lighting, stormwater drainage,
07:15and building materials before the project can move forward.
07:18Trump wants the arch built on a traffic circle at the Virginia end of Memorial Bridge.
07:24The administration says the design is inspired by a 1925 plan for the area,
07:29but that plan called for two 166-foot columns, not a 250-foot arch.
07:36Opponents argue the project would interrupt the historic view
07:39between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
07:43The White House has not released a price tag for the project.
07:46Now to some breaking news this morning.
07:48It's surprising and sad at the same time.
07:51One of rock's most distinctive voices has gone silent.
07:55Bonnie Tyler, the Welsh singer behind the classics Total Eclipse of the Heart
07:59and Holding Out for a Hero, has died at the age of 75.
08:04Ironically, the raspy voice that made her famous was never part of the plan.
08:08After surgery on her vocal cords in the late 1970s,
08:13Tyler was told not to speak,
08:14but one frustrated scream permanently changed her voice.
08:19Who knew, right?
08:20That husky sound would go on to define her career,
08:23helping Total Eclipse of the Heart reach number one in both the United States and UK
08:27and become one of the biggest power ballads of the 1980s.
08:31Tyler recorded 18 studio albums,
08:34represented the UK at Eurovision in 2013,
08:37and was honored by the British government for her contributions to music.
08:41No cause of death has been released.
08:44Finally this morning, the next time you're filling up,
08:47you might have another option besides regular, premium, or diesel.
08:50How about Freedom Fuel?
08:52The first gas station in the Trump-backed Freedom Fuel Network has opened in Philadelphia,
08:58selling regular gas for $3.47 a gallon,
09:01a nod to President Trump being the nation's 47th president.
09:04That's about 50 cents below Pennsylvania's statewide average,
09:08part of a White House-backed effort highlighting lower gas prices this summer.
09:12The White House promoted the opening on X, writing,
09:15President Trump is leading the charge to lower gas prices this summer,
09:19putting more money in your pocket.
09:20The rollout, though, is drawing both praise and criticism.
09:25All I know is that really, as far as it goes, you can't beat the price.
09:30Trump's the man.
09:31I mean, you may not agree with the way he behaves sometimes or what he says,
09:41but he's a businessman.
09:42He's a policymaker.
09:44He's the man.
09:46I wish we could have him for four more years.
09:49My concern about it is, clearly the price is subsidized.
09:54And I want Americans to be asking, where is that money coming from?
09:57Why are corporations and businesses willing to subsidize gas 50 cents a gallon for people
10:02to make President Trump look good?
10:04And it also is more indication of how business is getting involved with the Trump administration
10:09and the serious concerns I have with that.
10:11The White House says President Trump has no ownership stake or financial involvement in
10:17the company, which operates about two dozen gas stations across Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
10:22According to AAA, by the way, the national average for a gallon of regular gas this morning is 384.
10:29Fuel prices remain in focus as markets continue watching renewed fighting in Iran.
10:34Unbiased Updates is the fastest, fairest few minutes of news.
10:38You can watch us anytime at san.com or on the app.
10:41And to everyone seeing or hearing us on Spotify and YouTube, a big thank you.
10:45We're grateful you have made us part of your daily routine.
10:49We certainly are.
10:50Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Thursday.
10:52We'll see you back here tomorrow, Friday.
10:53We love that.
10:54For all of us here at Straight Arrow, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
10:57Have a great day.
10:59We'll see you next time.
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