Trump wants say in Iran’s successor; Did Noem’s testimony cost her job?

Israel steps up its strikes inside Iran and Lebanon as President Trump says he wants Iran's current leadership out and replaced

Plus, why did Trump suddenly fire Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem? The heated Senate exchange many believe sealed her fate

And a Texas congressman drops his re-election bid after admitting to an affair with a staff member

The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world

These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News. Hello everyone, I'm Simone del Rosario in for Craig Negrelli

New this morning, Israel is continuing its broad wave of strikes in Iran and Lebanon

targeting the Iranian regime and the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah. It comes as President Trump says he wants Iran's current leadership removed

and a hand in choosing who comes next. Trump told NBC News in a phone interview Thursday

quote, we want to go in and clean out everything. And in a separate interview with Axios, he says

he believes the U.S. should be involved in choosing Iran's next leader, comparing it to how he says

he helped install Venezuela's current government. He also called on members of Iran's Revolutionary

Guard to stop fighting. And I'm once again calling on all members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard

the military and the police to lay down their arms. They're only going to be killed

and now is the time to stand up for the Iranian people and help take back your country

You're going to have a chance after all these years to take back your country. Accept immunity

We'll give you immunity and we'll be giving you really the right side of history because that's

what it is. So you'll be perfectly safe with total immunity or you'll face absolutely guaranteed

Trump also says Moshtaba Khamenei, the son of slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

would be, quote, unacceptable as Iran's next leader. Iranian officials have delayed announcing

a successor for days, but political figures in Tehran suggest an announcement could come soon

On Capitol Hill, the U.S. House Thursday failed to pass a war powers resolution that would have

limited Trump's ability to order strikes on Iran without congressional approval. A similar measure

failed the Senate the day before Meanwhile Israel says it has launched a broad wave of strikes targeting Iranian regime infrastructure in Tehran overnight Israel also carried out new strikes in Lebanon

with the Israeli defense forces saying it hit Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Beirut

including a command center and facilities used to store drones. Lebanon's prime minister is now

urging international intervention, warning, quote, humanitarian disaster is looming, and saying the Lebanese people did not choose this war

The war with Iran is now driving demand for a weapon Ukraine has spent years perfecting

interceptor drones designed to hunt down the same Iranian-made drones now targeting U.S. forces and allies in the Middle East

ABC News reports U.S. officials and several Gulf nations are now in talks with Ukraine about buying those systems

They're cheap, they're fast, and they specifically target Iran's Shahed drones before they hit their attack mark

The technology was developed during Russia's war on Ukraine, where swarms of Iranian-style drones have repeatedly hit Ukrainian cities and infrastructure

Ukraine's interceptor drones are designed to chase them down midair using cameras and AI tracking before pilots fly the drones directly into the incoming threat

Now, the systems cost just a few thousand dollars each, far cheaper than the traditional air defense missiles that can run into the millions

And it's that cost that's drawing attention from countries now facing Iran's attacks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the United States and several Middle Eastern partners have already asked for help, including for equipment and Ukrainian specialists

He says Ukraine is prepared to share its experience, but only if it doesn't weaken Ukraine's own defenses against Russia

President Trump is making a major change at the Department of Homeland Security

firing Secretary Kristi Noem and tapping Oklahoma Senator Mark Wayne Mullen to take over the agency

Trump announced the shakeup on social media, saying he will nominate Mullen to lead the

department with a confirmation process expected to start soon. The move comes after a week of

intense scrutiny on Capitol Hill, where Noem faced tough questions about DHS operations

including the deadly shootings of two American citizens by immigration enforcement officers

earlier this year. Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana pressed Noam repeatedly during one

of those hearings, and multiple reports, including CNN, say her exchanges with Kennedy may have been

a turning point for Trump The decision also marks a shift for the president who had previously defended Noam and said he had no plans to remove her despite growing criticism from both parties Mullen is expected to step in at DHS at the end of the month and told reporters he hopes his

confirmation process begins right away. As for Noam, she's expected to remain in the administration

in a new role called Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas

Texas Republican Tony Gonzalez is dropping his bid for reelection after admitting he had an

affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide. Gonzalez says he will still serve out

the rest of his term in Congress. In a statement posted to social media late Thursday, he said

quote, through the rest of my term, I will continue fighting for my constituents for whom

I am eternally grateful. The announcement came just hours after House Republican leadership

urged him to step aside in the race just days after Gonzalez advanced to a runoff primary

against conservative activist Brandon Herrera. The move comes as the House Ethics Committee

has opened an investigation into the Gonzalez affair. He says he will fully cooperate

Republicans hold a razor-thin majority in the House. This Texas district leans red

It's been more than a decade since a Democrat has held the seat. Democrat Katie Padilla-Stout will face Herrera in the fall

Savannah Guthrie made a quiet return to familiar ground this week, stopping by the Today Show

studios Thursday for the first time since her mother disappeared more than a month ago

The longtime NBC anchor didn't go on the air, but she visited colleagues to thank them for

their support. In a statement, NBC said Guthrie plans to return to the show eventually, but right

now remains focused on helping her family and working to bring her mother home. During the

visit, Guthrie told staff she does intend to come back, though she acknowledged it won't be easy

I have every intention of coming back, she says. I don't know how to come back

but I don't know how not to. You're my family, and I would like to try

Meanwhile, investigators in Arizona say new forensic evidence tied to the case has led to

a dead end. The Pima County Sheriff's Department says black gloves found roughly two miles from

Guthrie's Tucson home were tested for DNA and traced back to a local restaurant employee

Authorities say that person is not connected to the investigation, and other DNA evidence collected is still being yzed

84 Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson home in early February and authorities believe she was taken against her will Investigators have released surveillance images of a masked suspect approaching the home Video that security company Ring CEO says could have been even more

helpful had there been more cameras on the property. He's been ridiculed for those comments

For now, the investigation continues with no arrests and no clear suspect

Let's end on a lighter note this morning. The viral baby monkey that melted the internet

clutching a stuffed animal is starting to let go and join the rest of his troop

Punch, an orphan Japanese macaque at a zoo near Tokyo, is starting to learn what keepers call the rules of monkey society

Punch was born last July and hand-raised after his mother abandoned him

He was given a stuffed orangutan to help him practice an important survival skill, clinging

His attachment to the stuffy went viral. But zoo staff say the little monkey is now spending less time with the toy and more time with other macaques

sitting with adults, getting groomed, and even hitching rides on their backs

He still sleeps with the plushie at night, but the zoo's director says using it less during the day is a good sign Punch is becoming more independent

And his fame isn't slowing down because of it. The stuffed orangutan has been so popular it's caused shortages

and crowds at the zoo's Monkey Mountain are so big now, visitors are limited to just 10 minutes at a time

I'm glad Punch is doing a lot better. Now before we head out, here's what we're tracking today

At 8.30 this morning, the Labor Department releases the February jobs report

Economists expecting a relatively stable labor market. At 11, the Philadelphia Flower Show opens at the Pennsylvania Convention Center

It's billed as the largest indoor flower show in the world. At noon, a public memorial service in Chicago for the late Reverend Jesse Jackson

with former Presidents Clinton, Obama, and Biden all expected to attend. And later tonight, President Trump departs Joint Base Andrews for Palm Beach

where he often stops to take questions from reporters before boarding Air Force One

We'll keep an eye on that. We're the fastest, fairest few minutes in news

If you agree, be sure to tell your friends about us. You can always watch us on san.com or on our app, or you can stream us on Spotify

Those are your unbiased updates for this Friday. We'll see you back here next week

Oh, and for everyone not in Arizona and Hawaii, don't forget to spring your clocks forward before you go to bed tonight

Daylight saving time officially begins on Sunday. For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Simone Del Rosario

Have a great weekend