00:00President Trump promising more cash to Americans ahead of the midterms from $5,000
00:06checks to new rewards for reporting fraud. Plus, we now know who reportedly ordered the
00:12startling slowdown that disrupted Ukraine's military operations. New reporting points
00:17to Elon Musk and investigators question Ilhan Omar's sister in a growing immigration probe.
00:23Now Trump is weighing in and now she could go to jail. And I think she's a sick and very
00:29dishonest person.
00:30And a new attack ad in Ohio's governor's race features the Democratic candidate's own mother.
00:36Now her brother is firing back. The stories that matter. The facts you can trust.
00:45From across the country to around the world. This is unbiased updates from straight arrow.
00:53Hey everybody, I'm Christian Bryant. It's Wednesday, October 21st.
00:57Hope your morning's off to a good start. Let's get you caught up and ready for the day ahead.
01:01We begin this morning with President Trump promising more money to Americans.
01:05And with the midterms less than two weeks away, those promises are piling up cash payments,
01:10farm relief, refunds, and now rewards for people who report fraud against the federal government.
01:16On Tuesday, Trump and Vice President JD Vance announced a new whistleblower incentive program.
01:21Trump says people who report government fraud could receive 1% of the amount they uncover.
01:27He even suggested someone reporting $100 billion in fraud could get a billion-dollar reward.
01:33But the government's own website puts the maximum payment at $30,000 and says a report must lead to
01:40criminal charges. Trump disagrees with those limits and he says he'll personally decide who gets paid.
01:46I will be the arbitrator of all of these decisions. In other words, I'll determine
01:54whether or not the person is deserving and I'll determine, and I will be very generous,
01:59believe me. We're not looking to save on that. And I'm not doing it for any other reasons other than
02:05to expedite because I think it's very important. But it'll be a binding arbitration. You'll get your money
02:13immediately. The announcement follows an $8 billion relief package Trump promised farmers
02:18Monday night as they struggle with soaring diesel prices. And he made that promise at a campaign
02:24rally in Kansas, telling supporters that if Republicans win the midterms, they'll pass even more farm
02:30aid. Trump has also promised $5,000 checks to American adults if Republicans keep control of Congress.
02:37He's announced $90 payments to Medicare recipients and $500 refunds for nearly a million people over
02:44excessive Affordable Care Act fees. Some of that money has already gone out. Other payments are still
02:49promises, including the $5,000 checks that would require congressional approval. And with voters already
02:56casting ballots, Trump is adding to a growing list of financial promises just ahead of the midterms.
03:03New reporting points to Elon Musk as the person who ordered a slowdown of Ukraine's military
03:08satellite internet service, disrupting its ability to defend against Russian attacks. The Wall Street
03:14Journal and CBS News report Musk ordered the restrictions on Starshield, the military version
03:19of SpaceX's Starlink network. Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the slower service
03:26was preventing his forces from using interceptor drones to shoot down Russian attack drones.
03:31And for days, there was confusion over who was responsible. Musk posted that the U.S. government,
03:37not SpaceX, controls access to Starshield and decides on any speed restrictions. President Trump
03:43said Monday he didn't know who ordered the slowdown but wanted to find out. Now, sources tell the
03:48journal that Musk spoke with senior administration officials, including Trump, before imposing the speed
03:53limits. But other officials say the decision caught them by surprise and that neither Trump nor the
03:59Pentagon specifically ordered the restrictions. Both Trump and Musk have criticized Ukraine's attacks
04:04on Russian oil refineries, which Trump blames for higher energy prices. The dispute adds to growing
04:10tensions between Trump and Zelensky, even as the U.S. tries to negotiate an end to the war.
04:16Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is now in Russia for talks with Vladimir Putin following yesterday's meeting
04:22with Zelensky. We're learning more about the federal investigation into Democratic Congresswoman
04:27Ilhan Omar. Investigators have now interviewed her sister, Sarah Noor, according to CNN and Fox News.
04:34Federal agents searched Omar's Washington, D.C. home earlier this month, carrying out boxes of material
04:40and seizing her cell phone. According to Reuters, investigators are looking into whether Omar or members
04:46of her family provided false information when they came to the U.S. as refugees or later applied for
04:52citizenship. CNN reports investigators are specifically looking into whether Omar or her late father
04:57misrepresented her age when she became an American citizen in 2000. And according to Reuters, one possible
05:04goal of the investigation could be to strip Omar of her U.S. citizenship and deport her. President Trump
05:11was asked about that possibility in the Oval Office Tuesday. Could she be deported?
05:16Well, she could be. She could also go to jail. She could also go to jail. You know,
05:21they keep talking about deportation. No, she could go to jail. This is just my opinion. I think she's a
05:26sick, a very dishonest person, but who hates our country. And she comes from a country that is
05:36essentially not even a country. Somalia. It's a real shithouse, okay?
05:42Omar has not been charged with a crime and no court has found that she committed immigration fraud.
05:48She denies any wrongdoing and calls the raid an act of political intimidation.
05:53Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is confirming his campaign is behind a controversial new attack
05:58ad in Ohio's governor's race featuring his Democratic opponent's estranged mother.
06:03In the ad, Amy Acton's mother accuses her daughter of lying about her past and says she can't be
06:09trusted to lead Ohio. Take a listen. It's not easy for a mother to say this,
06:14but Amy has a serious problem. She is a liar. My daughter needs help and she can't help you
06:22if she needs help herself. The ad is drawing criticism from both Republicans and Democrats,
06:28but Ramaswamy is standing by it and his campaign says it plans to spend $4 million promoting it.
06:35Acton has spoken publicly about being sexually abused as a child by her stepfather who was later
06:41charged with rape. She and her brother were removed from their mother's custody. Now,
06:46Acton's campaign is firing back with an ad featuring that brother who defends her account of the abuse and
06:51condemns Ramaswamy. I received a lot of abuse, but Amy always got the worst of it. Shame on Vivek.
06:59It's the contempt he has for Amy is the contempt he has for Ohio. He's not fit to lead.
07:03Acton also responded on social media saying she has long known her mother was quote,
07:08deeply sick and unwell and accusing Ramaswamy of exploiting her for political gain.
07:14Actress Christina Applegate is sharing a stunning update about her health.
07:19Five years after revealing she had multiple sclerosis, she says doctors have now told her
07:24she never had the disease. The 54-year-old actress announced the news on her podcast,
07:30Messy, which she co-hosts with fellow actress, Jamie Lynn Sigler. Applegate says her doctors
07:36began reexamining her diagnosis after she stopped receiving an infusion treatment and her immune cell
07:42counts didn't change. Eventually, her doctor told her she didn't have MS after all.
07:46She came into my room and she said, um, congratulations, you don't have MS.
07:55Congratulations. What does that moment feel like?
07:59So loaded. I cannot imagine. Well, I was like, not happy at all.
08:07Yeah, you know, not everybody else was so happy. I know when you told me, I feel like my literal
08:13first words for you. Like you can dance again because that's just like where my head goes.
08:17Right. Because you don't get misdiagnosed and then all of a sudden I'm better.
08:21Right. I haven't gotten better, Jamie. Yeah.
08:24If anything, I've gotten worse in some ways.
08:28Applegate says she still struggles to walk and often needs a wheelchair.
08:32She's been open about her health problems since her original diagnosis in 2021.
08:36And earlier this year, she told people magazine she was spending most of her time in bed and MS diagnoses
08:43are more common than you might think. A study of patients referred to two specialty centers
08:48found nearly one in five had been misdiagnosed. There's no single test that can definitively
08:54diagnose MS and other conditions can cause similar symptoms. Applegate says her doctors will begin a
09:01new investigation next week to find out what's been causing her symptoms all these years.
09:06Finally, this morning, LeBron James is off to a winning start with his new team.
09:11James made his Philadelphia 76ers debut Tuesday night, helping beat the defending NBA champion,
09:17New York Knicks 106 to 100. And it was supposed to be a big night for New York. The Knicks
09:22were raising
09:23their championship banner and receiving their rings at Madison Square Garden. But Philadelphia had other
09:28plans. James finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists, kicking off his record 24th NBA season.
09:36Fellow newcomer Jalen Brown, who came over from Boston, added 19 points and Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers
09:43with 28. Not a bad first night for Philadelphia's new look lineup. We give you the headlines here.
09:50Unbiased updates off script gives you everything that comes next. It's a podcast where I talk with the
09:55journalists behind our reporting. Watch off script tomorrow only on san.com or the straight arrow app.
10:02And before we go, if you're raising kids while also caring for aging parents, you're not alone.
10:08This week, straight arrow is taking on the challenges of modern parenting with the parenting paradox.
10:14Check out the stories all week at san.com slash parents. That's unbiased updates for this Wednesday.
10:22For the unbiased updates team and all of us at straight arrow, I'm Christian Bryant.
10:26Thank you so much for watching. Have a good one and we'll see you back here tomorrow.
