00:00This morning, new attacks, new questions. Drones target a U.S. base near Jordan, while President Trump says peace talks
00:08with Iran are back on.
00:10Plus, two wars, two leaders, one White House. Trump hosts both Benjamin Netanyahu and Volodymyr Zelensky today, as two of
00:18the world's biggest conflicts land in Washington.
00:21And the fires keep spreading. France and Spain are battling fast-moving wildfires as a brutal heat wave fuels the
00:29flames and forces more people to flee.
00:33The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world. These are your unbiased updates
00:41from Straight Arrow.
00:45Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli. This morning, new drone attacks are adding to the uncertainty over whether the United States
00:52and Iran are even talking peace.
00:54Local sources say Iranian-backed armed factions attempted overnight drone strikes targeting the U.S. military base known as Tower
01:0322 near the Syrian-Jordanian border.
01:05Jordan's state news agency says its military shot down a drone that breached the country's airspace early this morning,
01:13while Israel says it also intercepted an unmanned aircraft near the Jordanian border.
01:19The attacks come as President Trump says the U.S. and Iran are holding talks.
01:23But he also told reporters he is prepared to take action if those efforts break down.
01:29We're having good talks, so we'll see what happens. I think there's a good chance that something could happen.
01:34And if it does good, if it doesn't, we go back to doing what we were doing two days ago.
01:39Iran disputes Trump's account.
01:42The country's deputy foreign minister said that Iran has not requested do talks and rejected a U.S. proposal to
01:49meet.
01:50Washington takes a pause today to honor late South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham,
01:55as presidents, prime ministers, and lawmakers gather for his funeral.
02:00Graham, one of the Senate's most influential Republicans for more than three decades,
02:04died earlier this month at age 71 from an aortic dissection after returning home from a trip to Ukraine.
02:11Two days of funeral services begin today in Washington,
02:14where President Trump is expected to deliver remarks during an invitation-only service at the Washington National Cathedral.
02:21Before that, Graham's casket will be escorted into the U.S. Capitol Rotunda by an armed forces honor guard,
02:29followed by a ceremony recognizing his decades of service in the Senate.
02:33Tomorrow, the service is moved to South Carolina, where an F-16 flyover will kick off the day's events,
02:39followed by a procession from the Statehouse in Columbia to First Baptist Church.
02:44A public funeral service will be held at the church before Graham is laid to rest during a private family
02:50burial in Pickens County.
02:52Which leads to this, two of the foreign leaders in Washington for Senator Graham's funeral will also spend time at
02:59the White House later today.
03:01Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington Monday night for his first face-to-face meeting with President Trump
03:08since the U.S.-Iran conflict began.
03:10Iran is expected to top the agenda, as both leaders navigate a fragile pause in the fighting,
03:16while also trying to show their partnership remain strong, despite some recent public disagreements.
03:22Later in the day, Trump is also expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky,
03:28as Russia intensifies its missile campaign, and Ukraine continues to press for more air defense support.
03:35Zelensky is also expected to meet with senators later today,
03:39as lawmakers prepare to take up a Russia sanctions bill championed by Senator Graham.
03:44The back-to-back meetings put two of the world's most pressing conflicts on the White House agenda, all in
03:50a single day.
03:51President Trump is taking his push to overhaul mail-in voting to the nation's highest court.
03:57The administration asked the Supreme Court Monday to let it move forward with the March executive order
04:03that would create a federal list of eligible mail-in voters and bar the Postal Service from sending ballots to
04:10people not on that list.
04:12Lower courts have blocked the order in the 23 states and D.C. that sued,
04:17saying states are likely to succeed in their argument that the president does not have the authority to change how
04:22elections are run.
04:24Now the justices are being asked to step in, with the administration arguing the order is only policy guidance,
04:30while federal agencies continue working out the details.
04:34The appeal comes just days after Trump used a prime-time address to renew his claims
04:39that the election system needs stronger safeguards against fraud.
04:42The states challenging the order say that changes could disrupt preparations for November's midterms,
04:49while the administration says any new rules would need to be in place soon to have an impact this fall.
04:55The Supreme Court has ordered the states to respond by August 3rd,
04:58setting up what could become one of the most significant election cases before the midterms.
05:04Europe's wildfire emergency is not over yet, and now the weather is threatening to make things worse.
05:11France has issued new heat warnings in the same southwestern region where firefighters are still battling a massive wildfire near
05:18Bordeaux.
05:19President Emmanuel Macron has called it France's worst wildfire crisis since World War II.
05:25The fire in the Gironde region has burned more than 100,000 acres, about four times the size of Paris,
05:32and destroyed more than 240 homes.
05:35Officials say the fire has stabilized, but it is not yet contained.
05:39Spain is facing a similar fight.
05:42More than 63,000 people have evacuated from areas near Madrid, Toledo, and Avila.
05:47Officials say the fire near Avila has become the largest wildfire in Spain's recorded history.
05:53In eastern Spain, firefighters are also contending with unexploded ordnance left behind from the Spanish Civil War.
06:02There's little relief in the forecast.
06:04France is expecting more hot, dry weather with no significant rain,
06:08while parts of Spain could see temperatures top 104 degrees.
06:12Officials in both countries warn it could take months to fully bring these fires under control.
06:19Finally this morning, have you ever been somewhere where your cell phone just stops working?
06:24No bars, no signal, no way to make a call.
06:27Frustrating, right?
06:28Amazon says it wants to change that.
06:30The company is asking federal regulators for permission to offer a new direct-to-device satellite service
06:36designed to keep cell phones connected, even in places without traditional cell coverage.
06:41The service would use Amazon's Project Kuiper satellite network, which plans to deploy more than 3,200 low-Earth orbit
06:49satellites.
06:50Amazon says customers could use their existing phones to access voice calls, text messages, emergency services,
06:57and other basic connectivity in remote areas.
07:01The company has already announced partnerships with Verizon, Vodafone, and Hero as it builds out the network.
07:07If the FCC approves the plan, Amazon says the direct-to-device service could launch as early as 2028.
07:15All right, it's a busy day in Washington.
07:17Here's what we're tracking.
07:18At 9.30 Eastern, President Trump welcomes Ukrainian President Zelensky to the White House.
07:23At 10 o'clock, a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda will honor the late Senator Lindsey Graham's military
07:29and Senate service.
07:31At 11, Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, with Iran expected to top the agenda.
07:36Then at 2, family, friends, and world leaders gather at Washington National Cathedral for Graham's funeral, where Trump will deliver
07:44a tribute.
07:45Unbiased Updates is the fastest, fairest few minutes of news.
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08:17Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Tuesday.
08:19We'll see you back here tomorrow.
08:21For all of us here at Straight Arrow, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
08:23Have a great day.
08:25Sometimes the most interesting part of a story never makes it into the headlines.
08:29That's why we created Unbiased Updates Off Script, an exclusive show where we turn off the prompter for smart insights
08:36about the stories shaping your week.
08:38There is evidence, right, that it's foreign actors who are creating these accounts.
08:44Unscripted conversations, transparent reporting, and the context behind the headlines from the people who know the stories best.
08:52No spin or agenda.
08:53That website was only created one day before announcing his candidacy.
08:58Unbiased Updates Off Script Thursdays at Straight Arrow.
