US Launches Military Strikes on Iran, Feds Investigate Terrorism Ties in TX Shooting： AM Update 3⧸2
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Summary
We have hit hundreds of targets in Iran, including Revolutionary Guard facilities, Iranian air defense systems, the U.S. military launching a joint operation with Israel over the weekend, aiming to wipe out Iranian military capabilities. Lawmakers are weighing in on the strikes as the potential for another Middle East quagmire looms.
Transcript
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The U.S. military launching a joint operation with Israel over the weekend,
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aiming to wipe out Iranian military capabilities.
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as the potential for another Middle East quagmire looms.
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and began using a pistol shooting out of his car windows.
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The FBI investigating a possible terrorism connection
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in two dramatic and high-stakes Senate primaries.
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Overnight Friday, the United States working in coordination with Israel,
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launching a sweeping military operation targeting Iran's regime leadership and military infrastructure
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in what officials are calling Operation Epic Fury.
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President Trump yesterday afternoon posting a video update to his social media.
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We have hit hundreds of targets in Iran, including Revolutionary Guard facilities,
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Just now it was announced that we knocked out nine ships plus their naval building,
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Iran's formerly supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, is dead.
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This wretched and vile man had the blood of hundreds and even thousands of Americans on his hands.
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The entire military command is gone as well,
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and many of them want to surrender into saving their lives.
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Combat operations continue at this time in full force,
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and they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved.
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Ayatollah Khamenei was the supreme leader of Iran since 1989.
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In addition to Khamenei, Israeli strikes taking out more than 40 top Iranian regime
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and security officials in the first wave of the attack, according to multiple reports.
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Some of those officials reportedly include the head of National Defense Council,
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Ali Shamkani, and Defense Minister Aziz Nazirzada.
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Reports Iran's former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had also been killed have not yet been confirmed.
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Four American B-2 bombers reportedly dropping dozens of 2,000-pound bombs on Iranian ballistic
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missile facilities, while U.S. naval forces struck additional targets at sea.
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U.S. military forces carrying out 900 strikes in the first 12 hours of the operation alone.
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President Trump addressing the nation early Saturday morning,
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Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating eminent threats from the Iranian regime.
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Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas,
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For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted death to America
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and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder,
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targeting the United States, our troops, and the innocent people in many, many countries.
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Iranian forces killed and maimed hundreds of American service members in Iraq.
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The regime's proxies have continued to launch countless attacks against American forces
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as well as U.S. naval and commercial vessels in international shipping lands.
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Iran responding, launching strikes against Israel and U.S. targets in neighboring states,
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including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
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U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, which oversees U.S. military operations across the Middle East,
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reporting U.S. forces defended against hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks,
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However, the Pentagon confirming three U.S. service members have been killed,
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with several more sustaining minor shrapnel injuries and concussions.
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NBC News reporting the U.S. deaths occurred in Kuwait.
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President Trump acknowledging casualties in yesterday afternoon's video update.
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As one nation, we grieve for the true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice
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for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives.
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We pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude
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And sadly, there will likely be more before it ends.
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Iranian casualties remaining unclear, with local sources estimating at least 200 deaths so far.
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In Israel, nine civilians killed in a missile attack, one killed in Kuwait, three killed in
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the UAE, dozens more injured across the region.
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The strikes following weeks of escalating tension as the U.S. surged military assets into the region,
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including two aircraft carriers, while U.S. and Iranian officials pursued nuclear negotiations.
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Reuters reporting last week the latest round ending with, quote,
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Senator Ted Cruz of Texas saying yesterday on CBS,
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there is no intelligence indicating Iran is anywhere close to having a nuclear weapon,
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but saying U.S. officials felt they still wanted one and still posed a threat.
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Because the diplomacy was an abject failure, they said they would not stop enriching.
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No matter what, they were going to continue to enrich uranium.
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They refused to discuss Hamas and Hezbollah and the Houthis.
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And President Trump understood that the Iranian, quote, negotiation was just a stall tactic.
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Margaret, what I just told you, what I just told you is almost word for word what Secretary of State
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Former CENTCOM commander Frank McKenzie yesterday on CBS on what's likely to happen over the next few days.
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The American people should be prepared for several more days of exchanges of long-range rockets.
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We're going to continue to strike them with our aircraft, with our T-LAMs, our Tomahawk land attack
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missiles. And the essential calculus over the next 72 to 96 hours, Margaret, is going to be
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whether or not we can reduce the Iranian ability to generate volleys. And by volleys, I mean groups
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of missiles that are fired at our bases in the region. I think the president's comments actually
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were spot on when he warned the American people that this wasn't going to be, it wasn't going to
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be a cakewalk. Mr. Trump yesterday indicating a potential timeline of epic fury to the Daily Mail,
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quote, it's always been a four-week process. As strong as it is, it's a big country. It'll take
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four weeks or less. President Trump telling NBC the campaign is already, quote, ahead of schedule.
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The president explicitly framing the operation as designed to cause regime change, urging the
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Iranian people to, quote, take over your government when the bombing campaign stops. In an interview with
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The Atlantic yesterday morning, Mr. Trump saying, quote, the Iranians want to talk, and I have agreed to
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talk, so I will be talking to them, adding, they waited too long. Some of the people we were dealing
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with are gone. Though Mr. Trump declining to say when the talks would occur or with whom they would
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be conducted. Notably, no top Trump administration officials appearing on the Sunday shows yesterday,
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rare any weekend, but particularly on this one, with much of the early reaction coming from lawmakers.
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Many Democrats sharply criticizing the decision to launch the strikes. Here's Senator Adam Schiff of
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California, a Democrat, yesterday on ABC. You're right about the Ayatollah. He was a brutal dictator.
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This is a murderous regime. But at the same time, it posed no imminent threat of attack to the United
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States. They had not reconstituted their nuclear program, which the president just months ago
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said had been obliterated. They do not have ballistic missiles capable of hitting the United States.
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There was simply no basis to go in with this massive military campaign with the goal of regime
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change. And the concern here is that we have unleashed factors in the region now that we cannot
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control. Criticism not exclusive to Democrats. Some voices on the right also warning the operation risks
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pulling the U.S. into yet another endless war in the Middle East. Here, executive director of the
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American conservative Kurt Mills, yesterday on Steve Bannon's War Room.
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And I think there's going to be a real desire to keep President Trump in here. I think the president
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has gotten very poor counsel. And I do think it matters politically that he was the no more endless
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wars candidate in 2016 and 2024, particularly. And this looks like an open betrayal of the base.
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And now there's an argument that this is different than the Bush era neocon wars. But I will flag
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what Bush era neocon is not for this today. Find me one name name one. Bolton is pleased as hell
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about what we're doing. He what he said, his only regret is that he didn't convince Trump to do this
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in 2018. Quick polling on the strikes is mixed. Reuters finding limited support for them. The poll
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conducted after the strikes began, but before the announcement of any U.S. casualties, finding just
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27% of respondents approve, 43% disapprove, 29% say they are unsure. 55% of Republicans say they approve
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of the strikes versus just 13% who disapprove. Among Democrats, 74% disapprove, just 7% approve.
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54% of respondents say they would be less likely to support the campaign if it leads to U.S. troops
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in the Middle East being killed or injured. However, polling by Insider Advantage released
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on Saturday, finding 54% of respondents approve of the president's use of military air and naval
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strikes to eliminate Iran's leadership and disable their nuclear and ballistic rebuilding,
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with just 37% disapproving. So 27% approve in Reuters, 54% in Insider Advantage. Supporters of the
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Strike, challenging critics' claims that President Trump is conducting an illegal military operation.
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Here, Senator Dave McCormick, Republican from Pennsylvania, yesterday on Fox.
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First of all, the president acted completely within his constitutional authority. He briefed the
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Congress, as is required by the War Piles resolution. He has 60 days, even under that resolution, before any
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further requirements come into effect. And what we need to focus on now is continuing to support these
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great young Americans that are carrying out this extraordinary mission.
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Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma, a Republican, arguing on ABC that Iran has been a longtime threat
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We certainly have been provoked on this. Just a year ago, we had over 180 attacks from Iran
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on Americans, either through their proxies or directly from Iran. They continue to be able to fund
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the attack of ships off the coast of Yemen. Obviously, they're funding Hezbollah, the Shia militants.
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They have continued to be able to attack us now for decades, and that has accelerated.
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So just because we have blocked their attacks doesn't mean they're not attacking us. So this
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becomes the situation where you're shooting at a police officer and telling him, you can't fire
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Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a Democrat, breaking with much of his party,
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saying the Supreme Leader's death is worth celebrating.
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How can't you celebrate that the Iranian leadership has been eliminated? Doesn't that make the region
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more safe, more secure, more just, more free? And now, of course, there's other things that's
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possible right now. But right now, why can't you just acknowledge that?
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Founder of the private military contracting company Blackwater, Eric Prince, who spoke to Steve Bannon
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on Sunday, concluding, quote, this was not in America's interests, adding, it's going to lead
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to chaos and saying regime change is not possible without troops on the ground, something Prince
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If you had a chance to talk to the president today, what would be Eric Prince's
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I didn't think this was a possibility today, over the last couple of days, Steve. I didn't
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Coming up, federal officials now investigating possible terror ties in a deadly weekend shooting
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in Austin, Texas. And elsewhere in the Lone Star State, voters heading to the polls tomorrow in
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high-stakes Senate primaries with a bitter battle unfolding in both parties.
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Two people killed and at least 14 more injured in a shooting early Sunday morning at a bar in
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downtown Austin, Texas. The gunman shot dead by police as federal officials now investigating
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possible ties to terrorism. Police responding around 2 a.m. on Sunday to reports of an active gunman
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on 6th Street, a popular nightlife spot in the city. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis yesterday
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describing the incident to reporters. We had a call came in that shooting, that someone was shooting
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around the bar, Buford's bar. We know that a vehicle, a large SUV, drove several times around
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the block in that area. At one point, he put his flashers on, rolled down his window, and began using
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a pistol shooting out of his car windows, striking patrons of the bar that were on the patio and that
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were in front of the bar. He then proceeds westbound on 6th Street, goes to Wood Street where he parks his
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car, gets out, once again starts shooting his gun at some people that are walking by. Everyone knows
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the amount of resources we use on East 6th Street. We were about 55, 56 seconds away coming from east to
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west Austin, and that saved multiple lives. Officers were coming toward him, and at the intersection he
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was shot, and he was killed. Law enforcement identifying the shooter as 53-year-old Endiaga
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Diagne, a naturalized citizen from Senegal. Fox News obtaining a photo of Diagne from the scene,
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carrying a rifle and wearing a sweatshirt, with the caption, property of Allah across the front.
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The shooter reportedly wearing an undershirt with an Iranian flag on it, according to Fox News' Bill
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Malusian. Investigators recovering a Quran from the shooter's car, per the New York Post.
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The attack coming hours after the death of Iran's supreme leader, FBI Director Kash Patel placing
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counterterrorism and intelligence teams on high alert on Saturday, quote,
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to address and disrupt any potential threats to the homeland.
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Texas voters heading to the polls tomorrow into very tense Senate primary races on both sides of
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the aisle. On the Democratic side, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, an outspoken social media star
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with a growing national profile, faces State Representative James Tallarico, a former teacher
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and minister in training, running on a message of unity but with serious progressive policies
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underneath the veneer. The two candidates overlap on policy but offer sharply different political
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strategies. Crockett focusing on energizing her core Democratic voters, while Tallarico is betting
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Democrats can and must expand their appeal beyond the base, campaigning heavily in red districts.
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According to the University of Texas' Texas Politics Project survey, conducted among likely
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Democrat primary voters. Crockett leads 56 to Tallarico's 44. But polling has been all over the place.
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In a poll from Chisholm Strategies, a Democrat-aligned group, Tallarico is ahead by 12 points.
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Emerson releasing a final poll yesterday in the race, with Tallarico up 5. The Real Clear Politics
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average now has Tallarico with a slight lead of just 1.6 points. Bottom line, nobody knows nothing.
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Tallarico emphasizing outreach directly to Spanish-speaking Texans on the campaign trail.
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Crockett, meanwhile, receiving a last-minute boost from former Vice President Kamala Harris,
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who recorded a robocall urging Democrats to support her campaign.
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Texas has the chance to send a fighter like Jasmine Crockett to the United States Senate.
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Jasmine has the experience and record to hold Donald Trump and his billionaire cronies
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accountable. It's time to turn Texas blue. On the Republican side, a bitter three-way
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primary battle between incumbent Senator John Cornyn, State Attorney General Ken Paxton,
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and Congressman Wesley Hunt. Mr. Cornyn, first elected in 2002 and long viewed as the traditional
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Republican statesman, now facing a serious challenge from Paxton,
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a three-term AG who built his profile aggressively suing Democrats, filing at least 100 lawsuits
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against the Biden administration. In the Real Clear Politics polling average, Paxton leading at 41.7
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points, followed by Senator Cornyn's 34.7, then Congressman Hunt at 15.7. The Emerson poll yesterday
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showing the race tightening, with Paxton up just four points over Cornyn. Senator Cornyn going scorched earth
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in the final days before the primary, accusing Paxton of corruption in his official duties
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Crooked Ken Paxton cheated on his wife. She's divorcing him on biblical grounds. So now Paxton's
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wrecking another home, sleeping around with a married mother of seven. And remember this,
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Crooked Ken has increased his net worth by as much as 7,000 percent since taking office. And his actions
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in office, even more troubling. Paxton gave millions of Texas tax dollars to left-wing organizations,
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including the Montrose Center that hosts drag queen shows and performs gender-affirming services to kids
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as young as seven. The wife cheater and fraud, or the Texas workhorse. Senator John Cornyn is endorsed
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by the Border Patrol, and he voted for President Trump 99 percent of the time.
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Paxton previously admitting to an affair, but he and his allies calling accusations of official
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wrongdoing a, quote, politically motivated witch hunt. Paxton's daughter, Maddie, writing an op-ed
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maintaining that, quote, my dad is not perfect, none of us are, but he is a man of deep faith,
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genuine love for his family, and an unrelenting commitment to doing right by the people of Texas.
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Senator Cornyn saying a Paxton win would, quote, be the kiss of death for Republicans.
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The New York Times reporting Cornyn's messaging is an attempt to secure a critical endorsement
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from President Trump, who so far has only said he supports all three candidates.
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The presence of Congressman Hunt, a key factor. If no candidate secures 50 percent plus one vote,
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the contest heads to a runoff between the top two finishers, set for May 26th.
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And that'll do it for your AM update. I'm Megyn Kelly. Join me back here for the MK Show,
00:22:35.060
live on SiriusXM's The Megyn Kelly Channel, 111 at noon east,
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on youtube.com slash megankelly, and on all podcast platforms.
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