Blanche rescinds $1.8B anti-weaponization fund; Family feud rocks Ohio House race

The acting attorney general gives Republican holdouts what they wanted, but will it be enough to finally lock up the job for Todd Blanche

Plus, off again, President Trump says U.S. strikes on Iran are on pause again, and he claims Tehran has already put a deal on the table

And a bitter family feud spills into Congress as a Republican senator turns on his own former son-in-law just days before a major election deadline

Because I had nothing to hide and I have nothing to hide now

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We begin this morning with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche breaking a weeks-long standoff with Republican senators

by scrapping a controversial part of President Trump's settlement with the IRS

Blanche announced Sunday night that he has formally rescinded Trump's proposed $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund

just two days before the Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote on his nomination to become attorney general

The move follows a political stalemate with Republican Senators Tom Tillis and John Cornyn

who had refused to advance Blanche's nomination until the fund was officially removed in writing

The fund was part of a settlement resolving Trump's lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department

It would have paid people who claimed they were politically targeted by the federal government during the Biden administration

Blanche also revised another part of the settlement, making clear that its protections apply only to IRS matters that were already open when the agreement was signed

and do not shield future tax returns or audits. Now to the war

After President Trump said the United States and Iran would hold new talks today

Tehran is pushing back, saying there are no direct negotiations with Washington underway

In his weekly news conference earlier this morning, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said

quote, we are not negotiating with the United States at this time. He said Iran is holding talks with Oman about the Strait of Hormuz

but added that under no circumstances will the waterway return to its pre-war status

That directly contradicts what President Trump said Sunday night after announcing he had called off new strikes because he believes the two sides are closing in on what he called the perimeters of a deal

including reopening shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. I was asked to by Saudi Arabia, UAE, by Qatar, and by Iran

We were all set to go just about at this time right now, and it would have been a massive attack

We're all set to go, but when the allies ask to call it off, you've got to sort of say, well, let's see

And the reason they ask is I think there's a deal. There's a deal on Hormuz, and then there will be a deal on the nuclear, or you might call it the denuclearization of Iran

Meanwhile, CNN reports U.S. Central Command has asked troops for new, creative, and unconventional ways to pressure and punish Iran

even as the White House says it is giving diplomacy more time. Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, a member of the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees

says the administration has no clear strategy. Well, I don't think it's the president's vision

Here's a guy who got us into this without a strategic goal, without a plan, without a timeline

He's got a secretary of defense that doesn't know how to manage this war

who decided a good metric at the beginning was just to drop as many munitions as he could on as many targets

And now we've got a munitions shortage. Big surprise. So they're flailing. They're stuck. They're responsible for this

And the president is the one that has to try to figure out a way out of this

Kelly also voiced concerns about the Pentagon's request for $67 billion to fund the war

A bitter family feud is now spilling into one of the country's most watched House races

as an Ohio Republican senator has turned on his former son-in-law, urging him to drop out of Congress just days before a key election deadline

Senator Bernie Moreno says Congressman Max Miller should not serve in the House of Representatives

alleging that Miller has carried out a pattern of abuse toward his daughter, Emily Moreno, and their young child

Emily Moreno accuses Miller in court filings of domestic abuse, including pouring hot water on her, holding a gun to her head, and injuring their daughter

Miller has denied the allegations and has sued his ex for defamation On Sunday Miller live for 20 minutes again denying the allegations Every single one of these allegations were

already investigated and I cooperated fully every single time because I had nothing to hide and I

have nothing to hide now. My former wife has struggled with significant mental health challenges

I'm not raising that to embarrass her or to attack her. She's the mother of my daughter, and I sincerely hope she receives every bit of care and support that she needs

Senator Moreno responded just minutes later, writing on X, if there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them

He should not serve in the House of Representatives. I believe Max Miller needs to seek professional help

Miller then fired back. saying if Moreno believed his daughter's claims, he would not have waited two years to speak out, adding, this is all political

Attention now turns to Wednesday, the deadline for Ohio Republicans to trigger a special election to replace Miller on the ballot if he steps aside

So far, though, Miller insists he's staying in the race. Out West, new cell phone video is giving investigators their clearest look yet at the moments before a deadly mass shooting outside an Idaho In-N-Out burger

as authorities continue to piece together why it happened. The video appears to show 24-year-old Chad Williams opening the trunk of his car

removing a long gun, and walking toward the crowded restaurant before police say he opened fire

Three people died, including an In-N-Out employee. Seven others were hurt outside the new restaurant in Twin Falls

Police say Williams later died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators believe he acted alone, but say they're still trying to determine a motive

Police also credit an off-duty Idaho state trooper and an armed citizen for engaging the shooter

saying their actions likely prevented even more people from being killed. Five victims remain in the hospital, including two in critical condition

The FBI is now asking anyone who recorded the shooting or its aftermath to turn over photos, video or audio as the investigation continues

Boy, it looks like the apocalypse. Firefighters in eastern Washington are heading into another difficult day

with thousands of people still out of their homes. And little sign the threat is easing

More than 5 homes remain under evacuation orders after fast wildfires destroyed about 600 homes businesses and other buildings around Spokane Roaring flames have burned more than eight square miles

and as of Monday morning, firefighters had not contained the largest inferno

No deaths have been reported, but officials say gusty winds, dry conditions, and steep terrain

are continuing to drive the fires, a complex of several fires that have combined, making it

difficult for crews to get ahead of fast-spreading flames. The Washington governor has declared a

state of emergency, while FEMA has approved federal funding to help battle several of the fires

Looking ahead, forecasters say the region stays hot and dry through much of the week

with red flag warning still in effect for parts of eastern Washington as the fire emergency grows

and appears to be getting worse by the hour. Finally this morning, surf's up, dude! At least

it was for some four-legged wave riders this weekend in Northern California

The 10th Annual World Dog Surfing Championships took over the beach in Pacifica

with pups sporting surfboards, life jackets, goggles, and plenty of attitude before hitting the waves

Judges scored the canine surfers on their ride, including how long they stayed on the board

their confidence, and the waves they handled. While the event also featured pet adoptions and raised money for local animal charities

Wow, looks like a lot of people had fun. You know what, I watched the video this morning when I came in

and it made me smile, chuckle a little bit. And who doesn't need that on a Monday morning, right

Got to love the dogs. Unbiased Updates is the fastest, fairest few minutes in news

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We fear no fact. Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Monday. We'll see you back here tomorrow

For all of us here at Straight Arrow, I'm Craig DeGrelli. Have a great day. Sometimes the most interesting part of a story never makes it into the headlines

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