Iran threatens wider attacks as war expands; Trump set for prime-time address

The war is spreading. Iran threatens new targets as U.S. strikes push closer to Tehran

And the fight over the Strait of Hormuz intensifies. Plus, tonight we find out what Trump has been teasing, the president's rare primetime address

and why he's putting the 2020 election back in the spotlight. And the Pentagon wants a new health check, why the military is starting testosterone screenings

and who will be tested first. The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world

These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow. Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli. This morning, Iran is threatening to strike regional infrastructure

if the United States follows through on President Trump's warning to target bridges and power plants

The U.S. intensified its campaign early this morning, striking targets farther north and, for the first time in this latest round of fighting, hitting areas around Tehran

U.S. forces also fired on a ship they say tried to break through the American naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz

Iran responded with missile and drone attacks aimed at U.S. allies Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait, while warning its retaliation could expand

At a defense technology event Wednesday, Trump again insisted the U.S. is close to winning the war

The country is booming and we'll have Iran defeated soon. They'll be defeated very soon

And then I guess it'll be even better. Pakistan, meanwhile, says it is keeping talks open with Iran and other regional officials

in an effort to revive negotiations between Washington and Tehran. A foreign ministry spokesman said the renewed fighting over the Strait of Hormuz serves no one's interests

President Trump is promising what he calls really big news during a rare primetime address to the nation tonight

with the president saying elections and voting machines will be the key focus

The White House has revealed few details about the address, but earlier this week

Trump said it will center on election integrity, voting machines and what he calls a major announcement

But it's really big news. It's really, really big news. And our country has to shape up

But what we're going to be talking about Thursday is it doesn't get bigger because without free and fair elections, you don't have a country

We'll be discussing other things, too. But it's going to be a very big announcement

The Washington Post reports the president is expected to discuss declassified intelligence

along with claims about voting machine security and foreign election interference. Trump has continued to argue the 2020 election was compromised, despite recounts, court rulings

and previous U intelligence assessments finding no evidence that voting or voting machines were altered Democrats are already pushing back Georgia Senator John Ossoff says he believes the president could use tonight speech

to lay the groundwork for challenging future election results or justifying federal action ahead of the midterms

There's talk that he might try to declare me and Raphael Warnock illegitimate senators

Obviously, the president has no power to do that, but he does have the power to try to intimidate people

He's demonstrated his will to abuse power. I expect him to use whatever he puts out there on Thursday as a pretext either for some attempted unconstitutional use of federal power to interfere in the election or to lay the groundwork for challenging the result

The speech comes just months after the FBI seized 2020 election materials in Fulton County, Georgia, as part of the administration's review of past election records

The president is scheduled to speak from the White House at 9 p.m. Eastern

Later this morning, Todd Blanche returns to Capitol Hill for day two of his confirmation hearing to become attorney general

Day one followed a familiar script. Republicans tested whether Blanche would stand up to President Trump while Democrats pressed him over his loyalty to the president, the Justice Department and FBI Director Kash Patel

Blanche said repeatedly he has never hesitated to disagree with Trump when he believes it's warranted

A point Republican Senator John Kennedy tried to drive home. Does he ever ask your opinion on actions he should take

Yes. Do you tell him the truth? Every time. Have you ever disagreed with him

Yes. And have you ever disagreed with him and he did it anyway

Yes. Has he ever asked you to do anything illegal? No. Would you do it if he asked you

Absolutely not. But the tone quickly shifted when Rhode Island Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse fired off a series of questions about FBI Director Kash Patel

How long do you intend to put up with that Kash Patel character

Are you good with his airplane jaunts? Are you confident he's not drinking on the job

Are you sure none of his travel is a pretext for vacation activities like snorkeling Olympics and visiting girlfriends

Are you sure he knows what he's doing? Do you vouch for him? Are you willing to look at whether he lied to this committee

That's an extraordinarily obnoxious question, Senator. And I have full faith in Director Patel and the work that he's doing every day

Great. You've got to own that. At the very same time across the Capitol, Trump's pick to lead the office of the director of national intelligence was facing his own grilling

Jay Clayton sparred repeatedly with Georgia Senator John Ossoff over the 2020 presidential election outcome

Watch. Who won the 2020 election? I'm not going to do this with you

This is a job interview we have established that you have an obligation to be honest and forthright with the committee Yes you do have an obligation to be honest and forthright with the committee

Yes. Who won the 2020 election? Like I said, I'm not going to get into that with you

But you do have an obligation to be honest and forthright with the committee. Is anything that I just said not honest or forthright

Yes, you're not being honest or forthright. Who won the 2020 election

I think I've answered the question. We can keep doing this. Well, we're going to keep doing it because you're not being honest and forthright

I'm not going to engage in the theater. It's a simple question, Mr. Clayton

And I've answered it. Who won the 2020 presidential election? I've answered it

You're here asking for the support of senators to lead America's intelligence community

We've established that you have an obligation to be honest and forthright with this committee and with the American public

but you refuse to answer a simple matter of fact about the 2020 election. Is that right

No, that's not right. Then answer the question, who won the 2020 election

I have answered the question. Answer it. What is your answer? I've given you my answer

Back to Blanche, the attorney general nominee returns to the hot seat later this morning

with Republicans still working to lock down the votes needed to advance his nomination

The Pentagon wants to know whether America's troops have low testosterone and is rolling out a new military-wide screening program

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the screenings will begin when service members turn 30

though younger troops will also be able to request the tests. If those tests detect low testosterone, any recommended treatment

including testosterone replacement therapy, would be entirely voluntary. Hegseth called the program an investment in, quote, the individual warfighter

saying service members are America's most decisive tactical advantage. This initiative, it's not about artificial enhancement

It's about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity, and ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain the fight

The Defense Department has not answered questions from several news outlets about whether there would be any consequences for troops who decline treatment

or if women's service members will also receive hormone screenings. The new program fits into a broader effort by the Trump administration

to expand access to testosterone replacement therapy. Have you seen this? Wildfires are burning in remote parts of northeastern Minnesota

while smoke from fires in Minnesota and Canada is affecting the air quality

across much of the eastern U.S. in a dangerous and foul way

St. Louis County in northeastern Minnesota has declared a local emergency as wildfires burn across the Superior National Forest and Boundary Waters Wilderness

The U.S. Forest Service says at least 17 fires are burning, including three inside the remote canoe area wilderness

Rangers estimate between 6 and 10 people were in the area when evacuations began and say about 90 percent were out by Wednesday Governor Tim Walz says rescuers saved two groups of YMCA campers First responders also

carried out 17 air rescues. The fires have burned more than 33,000 acres with hot, dry, windy

conditions and lightning spreading the flames. The smoke is now affecting millions of people

Air quality alerts stretch from the upper Midwest into the Northeast, including parts of New York

Pennsylvania and New England, where residents reported yellow and brown-tinged skies. Health officials are urging people to limit time outdoors, especially children, older adults, and anyone with heart or lung conditions

By the way, I spoke with friends back in Buffalo, New York yesterday. They say they have been surrounded by a yellowish, spooky haze

In fact, Toronto, which is about 90 minutes away, had some of the worst air quality in the world yesterday

Finally this morning, disgraced former New York Congressman George Santos is making an unexpected return to the spotlight

After being expelled from Congress and serving prison time for defrauding campaign donors and collecting fraudulent unemployment benefits, Santos is now heading to reality TV

Santos will appear this fall on Fox's Special Forces World's Toughest Test

a competition that puts celebrities through military-style training and challenges in the jungles of Malaysia

Santos posted on X that the experience, quote, changed my perspective on life

He called it the most humbling thing he's ever done. The cast also includes former NBA player Matt Barnes, former NFL star LaShawn McCoy

and actresses Candice Cameron Bure and Brandi Glanville. After the cast was announced, Santos pushed back against online critics, he wrote

to all the haters, saying those mocking his weight or attacking other cast members

could not walk a day in any of our shoes. The new season, by the way, premieres September 24th

By the way, I looked up to see if there was like a big prize if you win, you know, hundreds of thousands of dollars, nothing

Just like bragging rights that you did it. All right, a busy day in Washington and a big night from the White House

Here's what we're tracking this morning. We'll get the latest read on the job market as new weekly unemployment claims are released

At nine, U.S. Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche testifies for day two of his confirmation hearing

At one, Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt holds her daily briefing, likely facing questions about Iran and the president's primetime address

Tonight, President Trump delivers a primetime address expected to focus on elections and voting machines

Unbiased Updates is the fastest, fairest few minutes in news. You can watch us anytime at SAN.com or on the app

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Thank you so much. Those here on Biased Updates for this Thursday, we'll see you back here tomorrow, Friday

We love that. For all of us here at Straight Arrow, I'm Craig DiGrelli. Have a great day