00:00Before we get started this morning, a quick programming note. We've got some exciting
00:03changes coming to Unbiased Updates. A new anchor joins us tomorrow, and we're getting the studio
00:08ready for their debut. But we'll still have all the news you count on. For now, here are today's
00:12Unbiased Updates. The Supreme Court steps in on mail-in voting, the new rules it just blocked
00:19weeks before the midterms. Plus, back on Capitol Hill, Mitch McConnell casts his first Senate vote
00:25in three months after a fall put him in the hospital. And a $2 billion hit to America's
00:31weapons stockpile. The new Pentagon watchdog report warning war in Iran has left the U.S.
00:37short on munitions, and the Pentagon scrambling to replenish them.
00:43The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.
00:49These are your Unbiased Updates from Straight Arrow.
00:55The Supreme Court has blocked the Trump administration's attempt to restrict mail-in
00:59voting, for now. On Monday, the justices rejected an emergency request to lift a lower court order
01:05blocking the new Postal Service rules. The vote was 7-2, with Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel
01:11Alito dissenting. That means states can continue sending mail ballots under the existing systems.
01:17And in some states, ballots are already going out. The administration wanted the Postal Service
01:23to require states to submit voter information through a federal portal and get approval for
01:28their mail ballot envelopes. Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the administration's push in an
01:33interview with CBS News Monday, arguing mail voting carries a greater risk of fraud.
01:38By definition, if you're using mail-in voting, the potential for fraud is greater than in-person
01:46voting with ID. Okay, so there can be no dispute.
01:48What is the evidence for that? Well, it's common sense. Different states have different
01:53rules on when mail-in voting is allowed. So every state, every auditor in every single state
01:59has uncovered evidence of mail-in voting where there was potential fraud. Okay. And so what
02:04President Trump is doing and what the executive order that President Trump signed wants to do is
02:08make sure that we're eliminating fraud in our elections. The Supreme Court majority said
02:13the administration is unlikely to ultimately win its case. Alito disagreed, arguing the Postal Service
02:19quote, has broad authority to regulate the mail and likely has the power to impose the new
02:24requirements. Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed the rules should not take effect this close to the
02:30midterms, but left open the possibility that the administration could prevail if the issue returns
02:35to the court after the election. After three months out of public view, Mitch McConnell is back at the
02:41U.S. Capitol. The 84-year-old Kentucky senator returned in a wheelchair Monday. You can see him
02:47there at the bottom of your screen. He cast his first Senate vote since a fall at his Washington
02:52home, sent him to the hospital in June. McConnell voted to advance the nomination of Matthew Byrne to
02:57be a federal judge in Ohio. The vote was a close one, 47 to 46. It was McConnell's first public
03:04appearance since his hospitalization. He later spent weeks in rehab before returning home in August,
03:10and his long absence had fueled questions about whether he would return before his final Senate
03:16term ends in January. McConnell says his recovery has been long and often frustrating and acknowledges
03:22he's not quite back to 100 percent, but he says he'll try to be there for the tough votes with
03:28the farm
03:28bill at the top of his list. McConnell also says he plans to spend his final months in office supporting
03:34NATO and Ukraine in its fight against Russia. President Trump has a message for those warning
03:40artificial intelligence could get out of control. He's not buying it. In a series of posts Monday,
03:46Trump called fears of AI taking over the world and destroying humanity a, quote, hoax. And he says
03:53the only guardrail AI needs is a strong and smart president. Trump also claimed there's a sick
03:59conspiracy against AI and data centers, arguing that slowing development would give China an advantage.
04:05As he put it, whoever wins AI wins. The comments come as some of the biggest names in AI are
04:12sounding
04:12the alarm. Anthropic CEO Dario Amadei is calling for the industry to slow development, warning safety
04:19measures aren't keeping pace with what the technology can do. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has also called for a
04:26more deliberate pace and says government help will be needed for international coordination.
04:31Vice President J.D. Vance says the administration does have concerns, but warns against going too far
04:37with regulation. You know, it's something that we're concerned by, but we want to make sure that we
04:41actually regulate smartly and we're thoughtful about the risk here. And Congress is wrestling with
04:48the same question. Senate Majority Leader John Thune says any AI rules should have a light touch,
04:54while House Speaker Mike Johnson says he expects Trump to meet with AI company leaders to discuss
04:59safety and what role the government should play. The U.S. has burned through billions of dollars in
05:05munitions in the war with Iran. Now, the Pentagon's own watchdog says it's left America with strategic
05:11shortfalls and bottlenecks replacing them. In its first mandatory report on Operation Epic Fury,
05:17the Pentagon inspector general puts the total cost of war at more than $33 billion
05:22through the end of June. More than $22 billion of that spent on munitions alone.
05:28The report says that heavy use has resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and exposed
05:33bottlenecks in the U.S. defense industry's ability to replenish them. The report also details losses of
05:39American military equipment, including four F-15s and as many as 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones destroyed,
05:46along with damage to an F-35 and seven KC-135 tankers. The Trump administration has pushed back
05:53on concerns about America's weapons stockpiles. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had previously
05:58called reports of a shortage a, quote, manufactured story. And on Monday, President Trump posted on
06:04Truth Social that he had just received a report that the U.S. is producing, quote,
06:08more exquisite and elite weapons than at any time in our history.
06:13Donald Trump Jr. and his new wife are responding to a report that a Russian oligarch with close ties
06:18to Vladimir Putin helped pay for their wedding celebration. Bettina Trump confirmed on Instagram
06:24that Umar Kremlev hosted two nights of celebrations after the couple got married in the Bahamas in May.
06:29The admission comes after ProPublica reported Monday Kremlev paid hundreds of thousands of dollars
06:35and expenses, including the rental of one of two private islands used for a three-day party
06:40and a fireworks show. Trump Jr.'s spokesperson did not dispute the payments, but said Kremlev is a
06:46personal friend, not a business associate. The couple says their actual wedding was a separate private
06:51ceremony with family, and the weekend with friends had already been planned. Kremlev heads the
06:56International Boxing Association. Last month, Putin awarded him Russia's order of friendship. Days before
07:02the wedding, Kremlev was also in China with a delegation accompanying Putin. In her post,
07:07Bettina Trump wrote,
07:08Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us
07:13after our wedding. It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend. She says
07:20they remain incredibly grateful. Finally this morning, you may not know his face, but you definitely
07:26know what Bob Mackie put on the bodies of some of the most famous faces in the world. The legendary
07:32designer died Monday at 87. For more than six decades, Mackie dressed Hollywood, and no collaboration
07:39was quite like his with Cher. The two met in the early 70s, from television to concert tours and red
07:45carpets. Some of Cher's most famous looks were his. He also spent 11 years designing costumes for
07:52the Carol Burnett show, including that famous Scarlett O'Hara curtain dress. Burnett wrote on
07:58Instagram Monday, Sadness doesn't come close to how I feel. I loved him very much. There are fashion
08:04designers who don't do costumes, and there are costume designers who don't do fashion. Bob did it
08:09all. In this interview in 2018, Mackie said there's a big reason he never retired. I just like to do
08:15what
08:15I do. I've done this my whole adult life, and I've never really retired, although I'm certainly eligible.
08:26I just like doing what I do, because I think if you do something people consider that you do it
08:33well,
08:34then I think it's a good idea to just keep doing it and enjoy yourself, and just don't sit on
08:40the
08:40front porch in your rocking chair. And here's one you may not know. That dress? Marilyn Monroe singing
08:46Happy Birthday to President John F. Kennedy in 1962 in that sheer beaded gown? Bob Mackie drew the
08:53original design. Mackie went on to win nine Emmys and a Tony, and earned three Oscar nominations.
09:00Unbiased Updates is the fastest, fairest few minutes of news. Watch us anytime at san.com or on our app,
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09:11For all of us at Straight Arrow, I'm Simone Del Rosario. I hope you have a great day.
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