00:00Ever wonder what we learn that doesn't make it into a two-minute story?
00:03That's what Offscript is all about.
00:05Longer conversations, extra reporting.
00:07And then to make things more complicated, environmental factors often interact with genetics.
00:13And the context behind the headlines from the people who know the stories best.
00:17President Trump chose to go to Michigan and make his presence felt and make himself part of the conversation there.
00:23Unbiased updates Offscript, Thursdays at Straight Arrow.
00:29Is the Strait of Hormuz about to reopen?
00:31Iran says the deal is close.
00:34As President Trump denies reports, the U.S. has depleted its weapons stockpile.
00:39Plus, too close for comfort.
00:41Trump's Marine One helicopter comes within hundreds of feet of a passenger jet after what appears to be an air
00:47traffic control mix-up.
00:48And a new kind of flu shot.
00:51The FDA clears the first mRNA vaccine for seasonal influenza.
00:58The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world.
01:03These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow.
01:09Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
01:11This morning, President Trump is pushing back on reports.
01:14The United States is running low on key missiles, while expressing new optimism about talks to reopen the Strait of
01:21Hormuz.
01:21Yesterday, we told you about reports that the U.S. has sharply drawn down some of its most important missile
01:28stockpiles during the war with Iran.
01:30Early this morning, Trump rejected those reports, writing that the U.S. has massive amounts of munitions,
01:37while warning the leakers of what he called treasonous statements are being hunted down and could face long prison sentences.
01:44But the Washington Post reports Trump privately clashed with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week after learning the shortages were
01:52more serious than he believed.
01:54The Post says concerns about U.S. munitions have also factored into his military decisions.
02:00Meanwhile, Trump said a deal involving the Strait of Hormuz could come this week.
02:04Iran said today it is in the final stages of drafting an agreement with Oman,
02:09but said the talks are about shipping routes and vessel movement, not a full reopening of the Strait.
02:15In Las Vegas Wednesday, Trump reiterated that the U.S. is in talks with Iran, while also doubling down on
02:22threats.
02:23I'd rather make a deal, because I don't want to kill people.
02:27I do not want to kill people.
02:28But at some point, we were set for the biggest attack of any attack, and we've hit them very hard
02:37for the last few months.
02:39But we were all set for the biggest attack since World War II.
02:44And they called me, and they said, please don't do it.
02:47Let's talk.
02:47And then they said, we never said that.
02:50You know what?
02:51The fake news knows they did say that.
02:53But we are talking.
02:54Let's see what happens.
02:55Trump said he still prefers a negotiated deal with Iran, but warned the U.S. is prepared to take further
03:02military action if talks fall apart.
03:05Federal aviation officials are investigating a close call involving President Trump's Marine One helicopter after it departed before air traffic
03:14had been fully cleared at Reagan National Airport.
03:17The incident happened Tuesday as Marine One lifted off from the Ellipse just south of the White House, heading to
03:23Joint Base Andrews.
03:24Under standard procedure, the crew must give Reagan National's control tower at least three minutes' notice so controllers can stop
03:32other air traffic.
03:34Air traffic recordings show the chopper pilot tried several times to make that call, but the transmission was never clearly
03:41received.
03:42Marine One departed while commercial air traffic was still moving, prompting the tower to warn the crew that an American
03:48Airlines regional jet was taking off.
03:50The pilot acknowledged the traffic and said the helicopter would take a momentary delay.
03:56The FAA says the two aircraft briefly lost the required separation, but were already moving away from each other and
04:03never came dangerously close.
04:05Officials tightened flight rules around Reagan National after last year's deadly mid-air collision between an Army Blackhawk helicopter and
04:12an American Airlines regional jet that killed 67 people as the American flight was inbound from Wichita, Kansas.
04:18The FAA is now reviewing this latest incident to determine whether any additional corrective action is needed.
04:26President Trump is still leaving the door open when it comes to the future of his top federal prosecutor in
04:31Washington,
04:32even as the man hoping to become the next attorney general says the president has every right to fire her.
04:38Questions around Janine Pirro continue after her office dropped the felony case against former Olympian David Hearn and three other
04:46people accused of damaging the new Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool.
04:51Prosecutors now say new evidence shows the damage was caused by a botched installation, not vandalism.
04:57But Trump has repeatedly rejected that conclusion, something he says he told Pirro to her face this week.
05:04Everybody saw the vandalism. All you have to do is look at the tape.
05:07If you look at the tape, plus we have a witness or two witnesses that saw the vandalism.
05:13So certainly when there was vandalism, it was actually, in my opinion, it was major vandalism.
05:18And I told her I was not happy.
05:21Trump told reporters he has not decided whether Pirro will keep her job.
05:25Wednesday, Todd Blanche was asked whether firing Pirro would send a message to federal prosecutors who make charging decisions.
05:33He didn't weigh in on the case itself, but he made one thing clear.
05:38Hypothetically, if the president chose to fire a United States attorney, it turns out he's allowed to do that because
05:43he's the president of the United States.
05:44So I don't. And by the way, he if the president wanted if President Trump wanted to fire anybody right
05:50within his administration,
05:52he very he understands he has the power to do that.
05:55The comments come as Blanche's own nomination to lead the Justice Department faces a critical test in the Senate.
06:02Republicans can afford to lose just one more vote after Senator Susan Collins announced her opposition.
06:08That leaves Louisiana's Bill Cassidy and Alaska's Lisa Murkowski as two of the last undeclared Republicans ahead of a confirmation
06:16vote expected as early as today.
06:18Now to medical news, the FDA has approved the first mRNA-based seasonal flu vaccine.
06:26Trump administration's health officials on Wednesday approved Moderna's M-Flasceva vaccine for adults 50 and older.
06:34The approval comes with a condition.
06:36Moderna must complete an additional clinical trial to further study the vaccine in adults 65 and older.
06:42In a late stage clinical trial, the shot was about 27 percent more effective than a standard flu vaccine.
06:50Like Moderna's COVID shots, it uses messenger RNA technology.
06:55The company says that platform can produce a new vaccine in about two to three months compared with roughly six
07:02months for traditional egg-based flu vaccines,
07:05giving scientists a better chance to match the strains circulating each season.
07:10The approval comes after the FDA earlier this year delayed its review of the vaccine before reversing course and moving
07:17ahead with the application.
07:19For the first time since celebrity blogger Perez Hilton was hospitalized, his family and team are speaking out.
07:27Paramedics rushed Hilton to a Miami-area hospital Tuesday night after he appeared on a TikTok live stream
07:33covered in blood from apparent self-harm, prompting multiple 911 calls and a response from Miami-Dade Sheriff's deputies.
07:41They said they found Hilton alone inside the home and used de-escalation techniques.
07:47Emergency services then got him to a hospital for medical care.
07:50The sheriff's office says its crisis response unit and licensed mental health professionals also provided support to his family.
07:58On Wednesday, Hilton's family and team posted their first public statement since the incident.
08:04Quote, we can confirm that Perez is receiving medical care and our family's focus right now is on his well
08:10-being.
08:11We kindly ask that you respect Perez's privacy as well as the privacy of his family during this difficult time.
08:18They also thank people for their support and said they will provide additional updates if they're able.
08:24TikTok says its automated system flagged the live stream, but a moderation error delayed its removal.
08:31The company says it alerted law enforcement, removed the video and disabled the account.
08:37Finally this morning, a look at the sun like we've never seen it before.
08:41Scientists in Hawaii have captured the highest resolution images ever of the sun's surface,
08:48revealing details that were invisible until now.
08:51The photos taken with the Daniel K. Inui Solar Telescope show feathery, wave-like patterns stretching across the sun.
09:01Researchers believe they're seeing a phenomenon called the Kelvin-Hemmholtz instability,
09:06something scientists have long predicted but have never observed this clearly on the sun.
09:12The discovery could help explain how energy moves through the sun's atmosphere
09:16and improve scientists' understanding of solar activity.
09:20The findings were published this week in the journal Nature.
09:24Wow. I believe we just blinded you with science.
09:27All right. There's more to the story. That's why we created Offscript.
09:31It's a new show where we go beyond the headlines, talk with journalists behind the reporting,
09:37and dig into stories we just can't fit into this short morning show.
09:41You can watch Offscript later today on our app or at san.com slash offscript.
09:46No noise, no sides, Unbiased Updates gives you the facts straight.
09:51You can watch us anytime at san.com or on the app, or join our other listeners on Spotify.
09:57At Straight Arrow, we fear no fact.
09:59Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Thursday.
10:01We'll see you back here tomorrow, Friday. We love that.
10:04For all of us here at Straight Arrow, I'm Craig DiGrelli. Have a great day.
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