Iran’s surprise attack fails; Fauci returns to Capitol Hill as diaries take center stage

Central Command says Iran tried a sneak attack on American forces, how the U.S. responded, and what comes next

Plus, Dr. Anthony Fauci returns to Capitol Hill, his newly released COVID diaries likely to take center stage

And a smiling photo is not ending questions about Mitch McConnell's health

Now Kentucky's governor is demanding proof. 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 de grelli we begin this morning with a new escalation in the conflict

between the united states and iran after both sides traded strikes overnight jordan says its

air defenses shot down five missiles fired from Iran early this morning. U.S. Central Command

says Iran's Revolutionary Guard also launched multiple ballistic missiles at American forces

in the region in what it calls an attempted surprise attack. CENTCOM says every missile

was successfully intercepted and no U.S. personnel were harmed. The attack followed days of drone

strikes that the U.S. says were carried out by Iran-aligned groups in Iraq

Hours later, U.S. and Saudi forces launched joint precision strikes on multiple logistics

and weapons sites used by those Iran-aligned groups, according to CENTCOM. The Iraq-based Popular Mobilization Forces says at least 20 of their fighters were killed

and 32 others wounded. They also claimed the attacks at seven of their headquarters

Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it stopped three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz

Neither the extent of any damage nor whether any crew members got hurt has been confirmed

In Washington, the Senate has confirmed President Trump's pick to lead the office of the Director of National Intelligence

In a 51-47 party line vote Tuesday night, the Senate confirmed Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence

Republicans had hoped to confirm Clayton in June, but President Trump delayed the process

temporarily installing Bill Pulte as acting director while pressing Congress to pass the Save America Act

Democrats also raised concerns during Clayton's confirmation hearing after he repeatedly declined to say

that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election Republicans meanwhile say Clayton will help return the office of the Director of National Intelligence to its original mission It has been clear for months that under

this administration, the main qualification to be DNI is the willingness to use the position to

spread conspiracy theories about elections and to help Donald Trump make it harder for Americans to

vote. Mr. Clayton assured the committee that he would assist our efforts to return the office of

the director of national intelligence to its original size, scope and mission. He also pledged

to work with the committee to secure the essential funding the intelligence community needs. Clayton

takes over as Congress continues to debate renewal of FISA, the Foreign Intelligence

Surveillance Act, a key surveillance that expired last month. More than 1,000 pages from Dr. Anthony

Fauci's private pandemic diary are now public just ahead of his return to Capitol Hill this morning

Republican Senator Rand Paul released the entries ahead of today's Senate hearing on the origins of COVID-19

Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee, subpoenaed Fauci to testify

The entries cover Fauci's private thoughts from the start of the pandemic through his retirement in 2022

Paul argues the notes conflict with Fauci's public messaging about COVID's origins

Fauci has repeatedly denied claims that he helped cover up the possibility of a leak at a Chinese lab

The entries show scientists wrestling early with where the virus came from

In a January 2020 entry, Fauci wrote the Wuhan market was not the source, but rather, quote, the amplifier

The diaries also reveal Fauci's often tense relationship with President Trump, including private frustration with what he described as the president's rambling news conferences

Trump went on Truth Social on Tuesday and called Fauci a phony

The demands for more transparency surrounding Senator Mitch McConnell's health are growing

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is now publicly calling on the 84-year-old Republican to prove he's still able to serve or step down

McConnell has been hospitalized and in rehabilitation since a fall in June that left him briefly unconscious

On Monday, his office released a new photo of the senator with his wife, Elaine Chao

along with a statement from the attending physician saying he continues to undergo

intensive physical therapy But the governor says that not enough In a letter Bashir wrote As governor of the state you serve I am calling on you to directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve or resign

Bashir told Bloomberg TV that Senate Majority Leader John Thune should look into McConnell's condition if the senator does not respond

Mitch McConnell owes the people of Kentucky, who are his boss, who have elected him repeatedly

a lot more transparency than this. All we've gotten are two photos and statements that virtually

anybody could put out there. If Mitch McConnell won't level with the people of Kentucky in the

United States, Senator Thune has a duty to do so. Thune said Tuesday he had seen Beshear's letter

but called it a matter between McConnell and the people of Kentucky. McConnell's office so far has not commented. The former Senate majority leader is not running for

reelection in November. A Georgia teen who killed two students and two teachers at Appalachee High

School will spend the rest of his life in prison. On Tuesday, a judge sentenced 16-year-old Colt Gray

to life without the possibility of parole for the September 2024 school shooting that also

wounded nine others. Gray showed little reaction as he stood to be handcuffed after the judge

handed down the sentence. The decision came just days after he pleaded guilty to 55 counts

including four counts of murder. Four lives were stolen two of them really just beginning

and it wasn't done out of fear or anger you weren't being bullied at Appalachee

it wasn't done out of hatred you didn't even know anyone at that school

it was done for the infamy of it your crimes do reflect permanent incorrigibility and I will

send you to life without parole for each of the malice murders that you committed

Prosecutors argued Gray planned the attack for more than a year and carried it out in search of fame, citing his writings, online posts and jailhouse phone calls

Defense attorneys asked for the possibility of parole pointing to his age, troubled upbringing and mental health struggles

The attack at Appalachee High School was the deadliest school shooting in Georgia history

Students returned to campus for the new school year on Friday. Meanwhile Colt Gray father Colin Gray is set to be sentenced Thursday after his conviction earlier this year for giving his son the rifle used in the mass shooting and leaving it unsecured Finally this morning I no astrophysicist but apparently space can be a pretty rough place

Listen to this. Astronomers have captured what they believe is a rare glimpse of a black hole

about 750 million light years from Earth tearing a star apart. That bright flash of light you see is believed to be an orphan black hole

as it shreds the star. There is even a name for the phenomenon, a tidal disruption event

Unlike most supermassive black holes which sit at the centers of galaxies

this one appears to be wandering far from the galaxy's core, earning the nickname Orphan

NASA says the black hole's gravity overpowered the star, pulling it apart and releasing an intense burst of light

Scientists first detected the event last November, and their findings were published this week in the Astrophysical Journal Letters

Wow, some pretty wild colors there, really bright. Perhaps we blinded you with science

See what I did there? All right, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today

At 8.30 this morning, Dr. Anthony Fauci testifies on Capitol Hill. Later this morning, South Carolina honors the late Senator Lindsey Graham

with a state funeral before a private burial. At 2, the Federal Reserve is set to announce its latest interest rate decision

followed by Fed Chair Kevin Warsh hosting a news conference. That next hour, President Trump joins Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy

for an announcement at the White House. Unbiased Updates is the fastest, fairest few minutes in news

Watch us anytime at san.com or on the app. And to our rapidly growing audience on Spotify

we see you, and we're glad you're along for the ride. Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Wednesday

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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No spin or agenda. That website was only created one day before announcing his candidacy

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