US embassy hit in Baghdad; Trump officials push for Cuba shakeup

This morning, Israel says it has taken out two top leaders in Iran as new attacks hit American targets in the region

Plus, is Cuba next on the Trump takeover list? A new report says the U.S. wants the Cuban president ousted as the island goes dark and fuel runs dry

And a judge blocks RFK Jr.'s vaccine overhaul, calling out how the changes were pushed through

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

These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News. Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli. We start with news just in this morning with key takeouts in

the war with Iran. Israel says it has killed two top Iranian leaders. Israel's defense minister

announcing this morning that Israel killed the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council

of Iran, Ali Larajani, in a strike overnight. The Israeli military also says Golem Reza Soleimani

died in an Israeli attack on Monday. They say he led the Revolutionary Guards all volunteer

by siege force for years, a group used to crack down on protests, and he played a key role in

recent unrest. Meanwhile, a U.S. embassy and American allies are facing new attacks. Witness

video appears to show air defense systems intercepting drones targeting the U.S. embassy

in Baghdad, Iraq. It's not clear if there was any damage or injuries. A witness tells Reuters

at least three drones were heading toward the compound. Two were shot down and a third struck

inside, sending smoke into the air. The United Arab Emirates temporarily shut down its airspace

early today. Its military says it was responding to missile and drone threats from Iran. And this

is big. President Trump says he is now delaying a planned trip to China as the war continues

He told reporters Monday he asked to push the trip back by, quote, a month or so. China's

foreign minister says the U.S. clarified the delay is not tied to tensions in the Strait of Hormuz

Earlier, Trump said he wanted clarity on whether China would help secure the important shipping

route. The president is also facing backlash after claiming a former president told him

he wished he had bombed Iran. I've spoken to a certain president who I like, actually

a past president former president He said I wish I did it I wish I did But they didn do it I doing it Yeah Can I can you that I don want to embarrass him It would be very bad for his career even though he got no career

Aids for all four living former presidents, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden, deny that claim

Now to a different matter. The Trump administration is quietly pressing for a leadership shakeup in Cuba

New York Times reports U.S. officials have told Cuban negotiators that President Miguel Diaz-Canel needs to step aside if the two countries are to reach a broader agreement

According to people familiar with the talks, Washington is not trying to dismantle Cuba's communist system

but wants Diaz-Canel removed as the public face of the government while negotiations move forward

U.S. officials believe replacing him could open the door to economic changes and potential deals with American businesses

Diaz-Canel has led Cuba since 2018. He was the first president since the 1959 revolution whose last name was not Castro

Remember Fidel and Raul? The Castro family still holds major influence behind the scenes

The talks are happening while Cuba's economic and energy crisis continues to deepen

Officials say the country's entire electrical grid failed on Monday, plunging the island's roughly 11 million residents into darkness

It's the third nationwide blackout in just four months. Crews have restored limited power in parts of Havana and a handful of hospitals

but large areas of the island remain without reliable electricity. Fuel shortages are also worsening the crisis

Long lines have formed outside gas stations and tankers carrying fuel have been stuck at ports while the country scrambles to secure energy supplies

Diaz-Canel says Cuba has gone three months without oil shipments and blames the shortages on U.S. sanctions and an energy blockade

President Trump has suggested the United States could take a much bigger role in the island's future

saying this week he believes he could have the, quote, honor of taking Cuba

A federal judge has blocked Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s sweeping changes to the nation's childhood vaccine schedule

a significant setback for one of the administration's most controversial health policy moves

The ruling sides largely with major medical groups that argued the administration improperly changed vaccine recommendations

and reshaped the federal advisory panel that helps guide them. In his opinion the judge sharply criticized the administration for bypassing the CDC Independent Vaccine Advisory Committee calling the move quote a technical procedural failure

itself and a strong indication of something more fundamentally problematic, an abandonment of the

technical knowledge and expertise embodied by that committee. Kennedy removed all 17 members

of that committee last year and replaced them with new appointees, several of whom have been

critical of vaccines. Under Kennedy, federal health officials revised the childhood immunization

schedule, reducing the number of diseases routinely recommended for vaccination. The judge also put on

hold actions taken by Kennedy's reworked advisory panel, which had been scheduled to meet again this

week in Atlanta. The Trump administration is already signaling it plans to fight the decision

In a statement to Straight Arrow News, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and

Human Services said the administration, quote, looks forward to this judge's decision being

overturned, just like his other attempts to keep the Trump administration from governing

A jury in Utah has convicted a mother who wrote a children's book about grief after her husband's

death of murder. The panel found Corey Richens guilty on multiple counts, including aggravated

murder and fraud tied to insurance payouts after the 2022 death of her husband, Eric Richens

Prosecutors say she slipped five times the lethal dose of fentanyl into a cocktail she gave him

They say she was millions of dollars in debt and she believed she would inherit his estate, valued at more than $4 million

Eric Richens' family says the verdict brings them long-awaited justice. Four years ago, our family lost the brightest light

Eric is deeply loved and missed every single day. We are grateful to everyone who has worked tirelessly to bring justice for Eric

Our focus is now on honoring Eric's life and supporting his boys as we all continue to heal

Sentencing is set for May 13th on what would have been Eric Richen's 44th birthday

The aggravated murder conviction alone carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison

The man accused of planting pipe bombs on Capitol Hill in 2021 is now asking a judge to throw out the case

arguing he's covered by President Trump's blanket January 6th pardons. Defense attorneys for Brian Cole Jr. say the case is tied to the events of January 6th

even though investigators believe he planted the bombs the night before. Searchers found the devices and safely detonated them the afternoon of January 6th outside the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters Investigators say the bombs did not go off but were capable of exploding

Cole's attorneys argue his actions were part of the same political dispute surrounding the 2020 election

and the certification of the vote, and say the language of Trump's pardon is broad enough to include him

A White House official rejects that argument, telling Politico the bombs were placed January 5th

and the pardon applies to events at or near the Capitol the next day

The FBI arrested Cole this past December. He has pleaded not guilty to charges, including transporting explosives and attempted use of explosives

Finally this morning, could there be another planet? Astronomers say yes, it's an exoplanet that sits just outside our solar system

They're calling it L98-59D. Got that? Located about 35 light years from Earth

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope helps spot it, and researchers say it's unlike anything we've seen before

Look at this. The planet appears to be covered in oceans of molten rock

with an atmosphere rich in sulfur gases. Scientists say that combination would likely make it smell like rotten eggs

and makes it highly unlikely to support life. The findings were published in the journal Nature Astronomy

Researchers say the planet is larger than Earth in both size and mass

and offers new insight into how extreme worlds form beyond our solar system

That is really neat. All right, before we head out, here's what we're tracking on this St. Patrick's Day

Illinois voters headed the polls for primary elections, including a closely watched race to replace retiring Senator Dick Durbin and several House contests

In Savannah, one of the country's largest St. Patrick's Day parades gets underway this morning, drawing thousands of visitors to the historic Georgia city

Also this morning on Capitol Hill, both House Democrats and Republicans hold press conferences after their weekly closed-door party meetings

At two, top U.S. intelligence leaders appear before the House Intelligence Committee for the annual worldwide threats hearing, outlining the biggest security risks facing the United States

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We'll see you back here tomorrow. For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrelli

Have a great day