US hits Iran after promised retaliation; GOP senators delay Blanche nomination

The U.S. hits back after Iran targets American forces, what the Pentagon says about its latest

strikes as the conflict enters its sixth month. Plus, Dr. Anthony Fauci returns to Capitol Hill

and gives the same answer again and again, why Republicans now want to hold him in contempt

And actor Jared Leto faces new sexual misconduct allegations. Hear how he is responding

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. We begin with the war in the Middle East

where the United States has launched a new wave of strikes inside Iran after President Trump

promised to strike back. The U.S. military says it hit dozens of targets inside Iran overnight

including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal defense sites, and other strategic locations

The strikes came just hours after Trump vowed retaliation for Iran's attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces, saying

it's our turn to hit them. As the attacks continued, the fallout reached other countries across the region

Egyptian officials say a drone sparked a fire at a port on the Mediterranean coast

though they have not said who was responsible. In Jordan, the military said it intercepted five missiles fired from Iran

And in Kuwait, officials said an Iranian strike hit a building used by a Chinese company, killing one worker

Now to the other ongoing conflict. A Russian missile strike on Ukraine may have sent a cruise missile deep into NATO territory

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said a missile believed to have been fired by Russia exploded in a field in eastern Poland early Thursday

Authorities say the blast left a large crater in Lublin province, about 55 miles from the Ukrainian border

Tusk said all indications point to a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile. He said Poland was prepared to shoot it down if it had continued on course, and that it has kept NATO allies informed

The missile appeared to land away from homes, but the wider attack struck cities across Ukraine

Ukrainian President Zelensky says Russia fired at least 70 missiles and more than 280 attack drones overnight

Officials say eight people, maybe even more, were killed, including children. Zelensky added that one strike destroyed a family home in southern Ukraine, killing two parents and their three children

Back in Washington, two top Senate Republicans have stalled Todd Blanche's nomination to become attorney general

forcing a last-minute delay of a key committee vote. The Senate Judiciary Committee was scheduled to vote today on whether to advance Blanche's nomination to the full Senate

But Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Tom Tillis of North Carolina say they want stronger assurances that a proposed settlement of President Trump lawsuit against the IRS would not shield him or his family from future tax audits

The delay followed hours of negotiations with the Justice Department Wednesday. When asked about the holdup, President Trump appeared to downplay the dispute

Well, all I can say is Todd Blanche is outstanding. And I thought he's I thought it was pretty routine because he's so good

He just wouldn't find a better person. So I don't know. Maybe John Cornyn's upset with me because I didn't endorse him

I don't know what it is, but I haven't heard that there's a problem. I heard he's going through quite nicely

Cornyn has said he wants the settlement rewritten to make clear it applies only to current IRS audits

and does not protect the president from any future audits. Republicans say they will seek to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress

after he repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment during a heated Senate hearing on the COVID pandemic and his role in public policy

The former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases refused to answer questions from lawmakers Wednesday

saying more than 100 times that his attorneys advised him to invoke his constitutional right against self-incrimination

Fauci accused committee chair Rand Paul of trying to trap him into making statements that could be used against him

after Paul recently released more than 1,100 pages of Fauci's personal diaries

Any reasonable person who has followed his unhinged obsession with me would readily come to the same conclusion

Therefore, although it pains me to do so because of the respect I have

for the legislative branch of government and my decades-long record, of cooperating with Congress, under the advice of my attorneys, I will invoke my right under the

Fifth Amendment of the Constitution to refrain from answering your questions. Thank you

Republicans called Fauci a villain and focused their questioning on the origins of COVID

federal funding for virus research in China, and whether Fauci misled Congress about the

government's response to the pandemic. But the real question is, was it dangerous? Was it a wise

decision to fund this? And you haven't deviated from that. You've never admitted that it could

have been a mistake funding this research in China. The hearing grew even more contentious

when Fauci's attorney tried to address the committee. Paul refused to recognize him

then called for Capitol Police to escort him out. Democrats, meanwhile, argued the hearing was less

about finding answers and more about targeting Fauci. And it is unfortunate that you have been

put in the position that you are in today. And it must be enormously frustrating to know that this

hearing is designed to entrap you The hearing followed the release of Fauci diaries and internal records which Paul says raised questions about Fauci public statements to the American people during

the pandemic. The White House has also launched a website promoting the lab leak theory as the

origin of COVID, though the virus's origin remains disputed. The hearing also drew a response from

President Trump, who said he watched it all. Well, I watched the whole thing today, but more

importantly, I was a part of the whole Fauci. I inherited Fauci. But Fauci wanted to have nobody

wearing masks, if you remember, and then everybody had to wear five masks, as many masks as you could

get. I mean, made a lot of mistakes. And he wasn't a big factor for me. He was a very big factor for

Biden. Paul says the committee will vote next week on whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress

President Trump is taking his fight over an $83 million defamation verdict to the U.S. Supreme Court

Trump is asking the high court to throw out the defamation verdict a federal jury awarded E. Jean Carroll last year

The award followed a jury's finding that Trump defamed Carroll after he called her a whack job

said he had never met her, and denied her allegations after she won a separate $5 million civil judgment against him

That earlier case stemmed from Carroll's claim that Trump sexually abused her in the mid-1990s

A jury in civil court found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded her $5 million

Trump has long denied the allegations. In the Supreme Court filing, Trump's lawyers argue the appeals court failed to properly consider

whether he was protected by presidential immunity when he made the statements about Carroll

They say the ruling could expose future presidents to personal civil liability for statements made while in office

Lawyers also argue Trump made those remarks from the White House while responding to reporters' questions about the allegations

Actor and musician Jared Leto is pushing back against a new wave of sexual misconduct and assault allegations

several involving women who say they were teenagers at the time. Ten women spoke to the BBC for its new documentary, Jared Leto, Hollywood's Dark Secret

Nine are telling their stories publicly for the first time. Four accused Leto of conduct the BBC says could be criminal

One woman says he sexually assaulted her in a motel bathroom when she was 17

Another says she had sex with Leto in California at 17, which would be considered statutory rape

A third says he threatened her with sexual assault when she was 19

And another says Leto made repeated sexually explicit calls to her when she was 16

In a statement to The New York Times, Leto denied the allegations, saying

quote, I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life. These claims are absolutely and categorically false

The women say the encounters happened between 2002 and 2016 when Leto was in his 30s and 40s

The BBC says it corroborated several accounts with friends and family plus reviewed photos and messages supporting some of what the women allege Leto has not been charged with a crime related to the allegations Finally this morning President Trump has unveiled another major renovation project in the Washington area

This time, it's Dulles International Airport. Trump on Wednesday announced a $22.5 billion plan to modernize and expand Dulles International Airport

which opened in 1962. The project would add or renovate more than 5 million square feet of space

including replacing the aging C and D concourses and building a 32,000-space parking garage closer to the terminals

It would also phase out the airport's familiar people movers, the mobile lounges that have shuttled passengers between the main terminal and gates for more than six decades

They would be replaced with a U-shaped passenger train, a central pedestrian tunnel, and additional moving walkways

Trump said the goal is to modernize the airport while preserving its famous main terminal

It's considered one of the worst airports anywhere in the world. We're going to make it maybe the best with some hard work and some good thought process

All the while preserving the iconic original terminal. That is one of the great architects of the world did the original terminal

And it was very, very important that it be left. Trump said some parts of the project will require congressional approval

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said construction could begin as early as next spring if lawmakers approve the plan

The Dulles Project joins a growing list of high-profile construction plans backed by the president

including a new White House ballroom and a proposed triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial

All right, because of this airport story, I have the airport announcement in my head, and it's just spinning

Caution, the moving walkway is about to end. Caution, the moving walkway is about to end

Maybe I just put it in your head. All right, there's always more to the story

That's why we created Offscript. It's a new exclusive show where we go beyond the headlines

talk with journalists behind the reporting, and dig into stories we just can't fit into this short morning show

You can watch Offscript later today only on SAN.com and the Straight Arrow app

Those here on Biased Updates for this Thursday, 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

That's why we created Unbiased Updates Offscript, an exclusive show where we turn off the prompter for smart insights about the stories shaping your week

There is evidence, right, that it's foreign actors who are creating these accounts

Unscripted conversations, transparent reporting, and the context behind the headlines from the people who know the stories best

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

Unbiased updates off script. Thursdays at Straight Arrow