A former National Guardsman once convicted of providing support to ISIS, Iran threatens to shut down one of the world s most critical oil choke points as attacks on commercial ships mount and oil prices surge. Viral outrage over steak and lobster spending at the Pentagon. We ll get you the context critics leave out. A retired Air Force general tied to some of the Pentagon s most classified programs, including on UFOs, now missing for two weeks. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.
00:06:26.340The New York Times reporting eight first responders requiring treatment at hospitals for unspecified injuries.
00:06:32.600Fortunately, no students or staff were injured in the attack.
00:06:36.700Also in the vehicle, authorities recovering a rifle and a, quote, large amount of explosives.
00:06:42.120Fox News reporting the vehicle is registered to a naturalized U.S. citizen from Lebanon, living in Dearborn, Michigan, located about 30 miles away.
00:06:51.820According to DropSite news reporter Ryan Grimm, the suspect identified as Eamon Ghazale.
00:06:57.980Overnight Wednesday, Ghazale posting photos of his family members, including two young children, who were reportedly killed in an Israeli strike on Lebanon.
00:07:06.440The incident is under investigation, authorities reportedly probing whether multiple assailants were involved.
00:07:14.460The new supreme leader of Iran, Mostavah Khomeini, making his first public statement since being selected to succeed his father.
00:07:22.040Khomeini vowing to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed, saying the move is necessary to, quote, pressure the enemy.
00:07:28.580Khomeini also warning that all U.S. military bases in the region should be shut down as Iranian forces prepare possible attacks.
00:07:35.620Those comments coming just a day after a spokesman for the Iranian military threatened to drive oil prices as high as $200 per barrel.
00:07:45.640President Trump responding on Truth Social, writing, quote,
00:07:48.420The United States is the largest oil producer in the world by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money.
00:07:55.860But a far greater interest and importance to me as president is stopping an evil empire, Iran, from having nuclear weapons and destroying the Middle East.
00:08:07.060Oil prices closing yesterday just above $100 a barrel, rising 9.2 percent, the largest one-day jump since 2020, according to the Wall Street Journal.
00:08:17.440The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow shipping corridor connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, normally carrying roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply.
00:08:26.980Traffic now dramatically slowing since the start of Operation Epic Fury.
00:08:30.880Reuters reporting at least 16 commercial ships have been struck since the conflict began, including two fuel tankers attacked Wednesday by Iranian vessels in Iraqi waters, leaving one crew member dead.
00:08:43.300The Iranian Revolutionary Guard repeatedly warning it will target any ships attempting to pass through the strategic choke point.
00:08:50.580President Trump previously saying U.S. Navy vessels could escort oil tankers through the strait if necessary, though there is no indication those escorts have begun.
00:09:01.060At a Women's History Month event at the White House yesterday, President Trump briefly mentioning the operation.
00:09:06.380The situation with Iran is moving along very rapidly.
00:09:56.340Our sponsor, the Electronic Payments Coalition, says Washington politicians are always getting in your wallet.
00:10:02.080And now they're messing with your credit card.
00:10:04.900They say your credit card and the security it offers are under attack.
00:10:08.260And that Senators Dick Durbin and Roger Marshall want to change the nation's payment system to benefit corporate megastores like Walmart and Target at the expense of everyday Americans.
00:10:19.220Credit cards can keep your payments secure and provide rewards that families use to help make everyday purchases more affordable.
00:10:25.340The Electronic Payments Coalition says the Durbin-Marshall mandates would let corporate megastores cut corners on credit card processing, routing transactions over cheaper, untested networks with weaker security and fewer protections.
00:10:38.220Find out more at GuardYourCard.com and consider telling Congress to guard your card.
00:10:43.020Secretary of War Pete Hegseth under a wave of criticism tied to what is framed as lavish spending at the Pentagon.
00:10:52.020A new report from an external government watchdog finds that Pete Hegseth's Pentagon was already on a massive spending spree before the war began, dropping $15 million on steak and another $6.9 million on lobster tail.
00:11:06.620They spent $15 million on steak in one month? Who are you, Sterling Cooper Draper and Price?
00:11:11.340If you had a damn Costco card, you could have got all that stuff cheaper if you were gonna do it.
00:11:17.360They're just hearkening back to our founders.
00:11:19.820As Paul Revere declared on his famous ride, one if by surf, two if by turf.
00:11:25.520The outrage spreading quickly this week across Twitter, cable news, and late night television.
00:11:31.240But the problem? A closer look at the reporting shows the story is far less sensational than it first appears.
00:11:37.580It all began Monday with a post from the government watchdog group, Open the Books.
00:14:23.940Commentator Scott Jennings, the other voice in that clip, proving right.
00:14:30.640Washington Examiner reporter Selena Zito adding some historical context to the debate, writing on X quote,
00:14:36.840If you've never covered the military, or served, or if you don't have family or friends in the military, this would seem like a shocking story.
00:14:45.720It is a common practice for our country to provide these special meals to our servicemen and women, a tradition that has existed for decades.
00:14:54.400Zito resurfacing a 2009 report from a journalist embedded with U.S. troops in Afghanistan, writing, quote,
00:15:00.760The lobsters and crab legs are shipped from the United States and driven down on a refrigerated truck from Bagram.
00:15:08.320On seafood night, the crew serves up 400 of the tasty tails, 130 pounds of Alaskan king crab legs, and 135 pounds each of shrimp and scallops.
00:15:19.460Zito pointing to a real clear investigations report from September 2024,
00:15:23.940Under the Biden administration, finding, quote,
00:15:26.760The military spent $103.7 million on meat, fish, and poultry, including $16.6 million on ribeye steak,
00:15:34.840and 147 orders of lobster tail for $6.1 million.
00:15:39.840Despite many commentators treating the story as an easy political slam dunk,
00:15:44.240Even some of Hegseth's critics stepping in to correct the narrative.
00:15:48.740Activist and veteran Charlotte Clymer, writing on X, quote,
00:15:51.780The people angry over the Pentagon buying millions of dollars worth of steak and lobster are worried about the wrong thing.
00:15:57.880You assume it's for Hegseth and the other officials in the Pentagon.