Massie loses Kentucky primary; Cassidy flips on Trump in Iran vote

President Trump gets the win he wanted in Kentucky

Thomas Massey is out, plus the other primary headlines from last night

Also, critics are calling it a political slush fund, the fight over Trump's new IRS deal and who could end up getting paid

And the U.S. is going after Raul Castro. Why federal charges are expected today in a deadly case that goes back about 30 years

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. Another win for President Trump last night as one of his

most persistent Republican critics on Capitol Hill lost his seat. Kentucky Congressman Thomas

Massey lost Tuesday's primary to Trump-backed challenger and former Navy SEAL Ed Galrain

in what has been described as one of the most expensive U.S. House primaries ever

Galrain's campaign got a boost not only from Trump's endorsement, but from heavy outside spending

including major support from pro-Israel groups, which Ad Impact says accounted for about half of

the money spent to help his candidacy. Massey has been one of the GOP's most consistent critics

of the U.S. involvement in the war with Iran. I would have come out sooner, but I had to call my opponent and concede

and it took a while to find Ed Galrine in Tel Aviv. Look, they used a lot of dirty tricks, but we stayed the course

We did not. We didn't bend a knee. We didn't throw a foul ball

We didn't do any of those things. We didn't kneecap anybody. We had lots of opportunities to try a lot of stuff like that, and we never did it

We ran a clean race. We weren't really running against Ed Galrine

We weren't running against Donald Trump. We were running for what we believe in

Massey's term doesn't end until January, giving him several more months on Capitol Hill

and more opportunities to clash with the Trump administration. Also in Kentucky, another Trump-backed candidate picked up a win

Congressman Andy Barr won the Republican primary for Mitch McConnell's open Senate seat

and will face Democrat Charles Booker in November. And Kentucky wasn't the only state with major races on the ballot Tuesday

In Georgia, voters pushed both the Republican governor's race and the GOP Senate primary into runoffs

Former college football coach Derek Dooley and Congressman Mike Collins advanced in the Senate race

after Congressman Buddy Carter fell short. Whoever emerges will face Democratic incumbent John Ossoff

in one of the most watched Senate races of the midterms. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones

and healthcare billionaire Rick Jackson will meet in a runoff for the governor's nomination

In Alabama voters set up a familiar matchup Republican Tommy Tuberville and former Democratic Senator Doug Jones will face off in the race for governor six years after Tuberville defeated Jones for his U Senate seat

The Senate took a step Tuesday toward reining in President Trump's war powers in Iran, moving a measure forward that had failed seven times previously

The 50 to 47 vote advances a resolution that would require the president to pull American forces from the conflict unless Congress formally authorizes the war

Four Republicans broke with their party to help push it forward. One of them, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy

Cassidy flipped his vote just days after losing his primary to a Trump-backed challenger

The timing is already turning heads on Capitol Hill. The U.S. military campaign is now nearly three months old, and the deadline for congressional authorization has already passed

Democrats argue the president cannot continue military operations without clear approval from Congress

Some Republicans say active hostilities have largely ended. The resolution still has a long ways to go

It must survive at least two more Senate votes and pass the House, which rejected a similar measure last week

Even if it clears Congress, Trump is expected to veto it. New details are emerging about President Trump's settlement with the IRS

and they're drawing new questions about a deal that already created a nearly $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund

Newly released language would also bar the IRS from pursuing claims or examinations involving Trump, his family, or related businesses

Investigators discovered the new terms Tuesday in an addendum linked to the Justice Department's settlement announcement

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote that the federal government is, quote

forever barred and precluded from prosecuting or pursuing any and all claims asserted by the IRS against Trump, his family, or his business

The language covers tax matters, including Trump, family members, trusts, companies, and other related entities

The addendum expands on Monday's agreement that created the roughly $1.8 billion fund

for people who claim they were targeted by government weaponization during the Biden presidency

The administration is pushing back against criticism that the fund or the agreement benefits the president personally

Here is Vice President J.D. Vance on Tuesday. The question is, is a dollar of this money going to the Trump administration? No

Is a dollar of this money going to Donald Trump personally? No. Is a dollar of this money going to Donald Trump's family? No. The people that would get the money are people, some of whom have been prosecuted completely disproportionate to any crime they've ever committed

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the agreement during congressional testimony. It is true that this is unusual. That is true. But it is not unprecedented. And it was done to address something that had never happened again either

So there is an impressive nature of what we did yesterday in response to years and years of weaponization Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said it too soon to pass judgment on the new fund

I think that it's way, way, way too early for us to rush to judgment on whether this was a good or a bad idea

to describe it as a slush fund, or really even to criticize it

You know why? Because there's not been a single claim filed. There's not been a single payment made

Critics see it very differently. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy told reporters the judge in the case even called it corrupt

because Trump was essentially suing himself. We've never, ever seen anything like this before

I get it that people don't know what a big number is anymore, but $1.7 billion, that's a lot of money

That's your taxpayer money. You worked hard for that money. And that money is now going into a political slush fund for the president to give to January 6th rioters to hand out to his political allies around the country

That's outrageous. Massachusetts Democrat Richard Neal accused Trump of turning the federal government into, quote, his personal protection racket, writing on X

This corruption marks a dark day for democracy. We are learning more this morning about the two teenagers accused of carrying out Monday's deadly attack at a San Diego mosque that killed three people

Investigators say the two, identified as 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Vasquez, met online where authorities say they became self-radicalized

The FBI says it found evidence the pair drew inspiration from previous mass shooters

including the gunman who carried out the 2019 Christchurch mosque attack in New Zealand

Investigators say Clark and Vasquez filmed Monday's attack and posted it online

Authorities also say they left behind what the FBI is describing as a manifesto before taking their own lives

In the vehicle they used, we also identified writings and various ideologies outlining religious and racial beliefs of how the world they envisioned should look

These subjects did not discriminate on who they hated. Investigators say the writings included anti-Semitic rhetoric along with hate directed at Muslims, the LGBTQ community, black people, women and people across the political spectrum

Authorities also say both expressed beliefs about white people being replaced or eliminated

As the investigation moves forward, the community is continuing to mourn the three men killed

One mosque security guard, Amin Abdullah, is being hailed as a hero

after investigators say he triggered a lockdown alert at the mosque's school and confronted the attackers

actions police say may have saved countless lives. New developments this morning as the U.S. is preparing to take a major step

against one of Cuba's most powerful figures. The Justice Department and the FBI are expected to announce criminal charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro the brother of longtime Cuban leader Fidel Castro Reports say U officials plan to accuse Cuba leadership of ordering the shootdown of civilian planes in 1996

The two brothers-to-the-rescue aircraft had departed from Florida and were part of a group

that flew missions supporting Cubans trying to leave the island. The Cuban Air Force shot down

both planes over international waters, killing four Cuban Americans. NBC News reports a grand

jury has already returned an indictment, though the specific charges have not been made public

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is expected to take part in today's announcement in Miami

home to one of the country's largest Cuban-American communities. The case surfaces as the United

States continues to increase pressure on Cuba's government. The island has faced deep economic

struggles, including fuel shortages, repeated blackouts, and growing poverty. Just last week

CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Cuba and met with officials from the country's interior ministry

where he said the U.S. was prepared to engage in security and economic issues

Finally this morning, we take you to Bangladesh, where a rare buffalo has become an unlikely celebrity

because some people think it looks a lot like President Donald Trump

The nearly 1,500-pound albino buffalo has been drawing crowds, with people stopping by just to see it in person after photos and videos took off online

Visitors say it's the blondish hair, the face, even the hairstyle. One man said he thought the comparison was exaggerated until he saw the buffalo for himself

Another woman said the resemblance is, quote, exactly like Trump, though she was quick to add one important difference

She described the buffalo as, quote, very calm and polite. Those were her words, not ours

I mean, it's the hair for sure. I looked at this a couple of times this morning

It's not only the hair, it's the hair color and the hairstyle. It might even be a wig, right

So here's my idea. Let's send a straight arrow Bangladesh correspondent there to do some investigating

And he or she can report back to us. All right, I tried

All right, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today. At 9 this morning, the trial begins for former assistant principal Ebony Parker

who faces felony child neglect charges tied to allegations, she failed to stop the 2023 classroom shooting of teacher Abby Zwirner

At 11, President Trump heads to Connecticut to deliver the commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy

At noon, Freddie Mac releases its latest weekly mortgage report, giving us another snapshot of where borrowing costs stand

At 1, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is set to announce that indictment against Raul Castro from Miami

No noise, no sides. News Guard gives us a perfect score for reliability

All sides give us a center rating with balance certification. We give you facts first and the news straight

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 DiGrelli

Have a great day