Trump declares Iran ceasefire ‘over’; Criticizes NATO allies over defense, Greenland

The ceasefire with Iran is over. President Trump says U.S. airstrikes are back on after commercial ships were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz

Plus, what's really going on with Mitch McConnell? Top Republicans say they've spoken with the hospitalized senator as they push back on growing online rumors

And Democrats are already looking past Graham Plattner, the latest big-name supporter, to tell him to quit and who's emerging as a possible replacement

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, President Trump says the ceasefire between the United States and Iran is over

after the two countries traded new strikes overnight. Iran's military says it targeted 85 U.S. military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain overnight

retaliating for a wave of American strikes. U.S. Central Command then confirmed American forces hit more than 80 targets

in what it called an immediate response to Iran's attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. also reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil, helping push global oil prices up nearly 6%

President Trump says he's still open to negotiations, but believes the ceasefire is finished

To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore. They're scum. You know what scum is? They're scum. They're sick people. They're led by sick people. And they're vicious, violent people. And if they had a nuclear weapon, they'd use it. As far as I'm concerned, it's over. I'll speak to our negotiators. They want to negotiate. They're good people. Steve Whitcoff, Jared Kushner. But they have to come back to me. As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them

And they're liars. Iran accused the United States of breaking the ceasefire first

while NATO Secretary General Mark Ruda backed the U.S. response, calling the strikes absolutely necessary

In a related story, as the NATO summit enters its final day in Turkey

President Trump says he's not happy with some of America's allies. Trump criticized NATO countries for what he called

their lack of support during the Iran conflict, then renewed his call for the U.S. to take control of Greenland

The president also revived his threat to pull American troops out of Europe over the issue Greenland doesn help Denmark Denmark doesn spend money to really help Greenland

but it's an important part for the United States. And it's surrounded by China ships and Russian ships

And that's not going to happen. The ships is not going to happen. It was Greenland that, and it continues to be

that should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark. And when they wouldn't go along with it

and with all the money we spend to help them with Russia, and we don't have to spend any money

we could remove all of our soldiers out of Europe. Denmark's prime minister fired back saying Greenland is not for sale

and calling on NATO allies to stand together in defense of the alliance

I think the U.S. position is unfortunately very clear on this topic

And our position is as clear as it has been all through

Greenland is, of course, not for sale. We are ready to defend every inch of NATO, including our own territory

But one of the reasons why we have built NATO many, many years ago is if anything happens to one of us

then everybody should stand up for each other. Trump also singled out Spain, calling it a

terrible partner over its refusal to support U.S. actions against Iran and revived an earlier threat

to cut off trade. At the same time, he praised Turkey as a stronger ally than some European

countries, announcing he will lift sanctions on Ankara and will consider allowing Turkey to buy

F-35 fighter jets again, a move some NATO allies, including Greece, are urging him to reconsider

For weeks, there have been more questions than answers about Senator Mitch McConnell's health

Now Republican leaders are pushing back against the rumors, saying they've spoken to him directly

After days of online speculation about McConnell's condition, Senate Majority Leader John Thune

Majority Whip John Barrasso, and longtime McConnell ally, CNN commentator Scott Jennings

all said they spoke with the Kentucky Republican this week while he continues recovering in the hospital

Thune's office said the two had a lengthy and substantive conversation about national security

Barrasso's office said McConnell was, quote, fully engaged and eager to return to the Senate

Jennings posted that he and McConnell talked for nearly 20 minutes about Iran Ukraine Maine and Senate history The new statements come after days of unverified claims online about McConnell health

including posts from far-right activist and Trump ally Laura Loomer that weren't backed by evidence

The 84-year-old former Senate Majority Leader has been hospitalized since June 14th

when paramedics were called to his home in Washington. Dispatch audio revealed a person there was unconscious and in cardiac arrest

His office has said only that he continues to improve and is working with staff, but has not disclosed why he remains hospitalized

McConnell has not cast a Senate vote since June 11th, leaving Republican leaders to navigate a narrow majority

while one of the chamber's most influential voices remains out of public view

In Maine, the race to replace Graham Plattner is already underway, even though he has not officially left the race

Democrats are increasingly acting as though Plattner's exit is only a matter of time after another day of high-profile defections

The latest came from Senator Bernie Sanders, one of Plattner's earliest and most prominent supporters

who said Tuesday he told Plattner to step aside in light of the sexual assault allegation against him

Plattner has denied the rape allegation. With the July 13th deadline fast approaching, Democrats are now focusing on who could take his place in the race against Republican Susan Collins

Three names are getting the most attention. Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, former state health director Nirav Shah, and Secretary of State Shana Bellows

Jackson has already filed paperwork to create a Senate exploratory committee, and supporters have launched a Draft Troy website urging him to enter the race

Meanwhile, Shaw on Tuesday called for an open selection process that would include a televised debate and town halls before Democrats pick a nominee

One name that does not appear to be gaining traction is Governor Janet Mills

Both the New York Times and the Washington Post report there is little expectation she will reenter the race after withdrawing earlier this year

Under Maine law, Plattner has until Sunday to drop out. If he does, Democrats would have two weeks to choose a new nominee

Maine could help decide which party controls the Senate after the midterms

The Justice Department is putting election officials across the country on notice

warning they could face criminal consequences over non-citizen voting. The letters signed by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dillon

went to elections officials in all 50 states and Washington D The DOJ is giving states five days to explain how they will enforce federal voter eligibility laws

and keep what it calls clean voter rolls. The Justice Department says elections officials could face criminal liability

if they knowingly allow non-citizens to remain on voter rolls or help them receive or cast ballots

Voting by non-citizens in federal elections is already illegal. The dispute now centers on how much authority the federal government has to require states to share their voter data

The DOJ has sued 30 states and Washington, D.C. after they refused those requests

So far, federal courts have rejected several of the department's efforts. Finally this morning, if you're like me and still mail letters and cards, especially around Christmas

get ready to pay a little more for a first-class stamp, or as they're now known, a forever stamp

Starting this Sunday, the cost of a forever stamp will rise from 78 cents to 82 cents

That means a book of 20 stamps will go from $15.60 to $16.40

The U.S. Postal Service has now raised stamp prices at least a half dozen times over the past five years

as it tries to address ongoing financial losses. Last year, the USPS reported a $9 billion loss, citing declining mail volume

along with higher health care costs for both current and retired employees

One bit of good news, if you've got a stash of forever stamps already, they're still good

You can keep using them after the new price takes effect this Sunday

I think I have like four left. I had to pay a bill last night and I counted four

So, all right, I'll still use them. Good for me, I guess. All right, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today

At 11 Eastern, President Trump wraps up the NATO summit and heads back to Washington

after high-stakes talks with allies. At 11.30, we're watching the Emmy nominations

to see which shows, stars, and streaming giants make the cut. And later today in Utah, the preliminary hearing continues

for the man accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk as prosecutors continue laying out their case

No noise, no sides. Unbiased Updates gives you the facts first. You can watch us anytime at san.com or on the app

And a special thanks to our listeners on Spotify, where more and more of you are choosing to start your mornings with us

So we certainly do. Thank you. 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 DeGrowley. Have a great day