KARAH RUCKER: FORMER VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE IS ASKED IF HE’D BE A WITNESS SHOULD DONALD TRUMP GO TO TRIAL ON CONSPIRACY CHARGES. AND BARBIE MAKES EVEN MORE MOVIE HISTORY – AND WE’RE NOT TOYING AROUND.

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THIS IS STRAIGHT-ARROW NEWS. BRINGING YOU UNBIASED, STRAIGHT FACTS.

TODAY IS MONDAY– AUGUST 7TH. THANKS FOR JOINING US.

I’M KARAH RUCKER.

PENCE IS NOT RULING OUT BEING A WITNESS

FORMER VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE SAYS THERE IS A POSSIBILITY HE BECOMES A PROSECUTION WITNESS IF DONALD TRUMP GOES TO TRIAL ON CONSPIRACY CHARGES RELATED TO THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

SPEAKING TO CBS NEWS ON SUNDAY, PENCE SAID HE CURRENTLY HAS NO PLANS TO TESTIFY BUT WOULD NOT RULE IT OUT. 

TRUMP’S ATTORNEY JOHN LAURO SAID HE WOULD WELCOME PENCE’S TESTIMONY – SAYING THE FORMER VICE PRESIDENT WOULD BE ONE OF THEIR BEST WITNESSES AT TRIAL. 

LAURO SAID THAT ANYTHING THE FORMER PRESIDENT DID AFTER THE 2020 ELECTION WERE QUOTE “INSPIRATIONAL ASKS” PROTECTED BY FREE SPEECH.  

PENCE AND LAURO DISAGREE ON WHAT TRUMP ASKED OF HIS VICE PRESIDENT BEFORE JAN. 6, 2021. LAURO SAID TRUMP JUST WANTED PENCE TO QUOTE “PAUSE” THE CERTIFICATION OF VOTES TO ALLOW STATES TO INVESTIGATE CLAIMS OF VOTER FRAUD. 

PENCE REJECTED THAT DESCRIPTION OF WHAT HAPPENED – SAYING TRUMP’S ATTORNEYS HAD ASKED HIM TO OVERTURN THE ELECTION. 

PENCE SAID HE HAD NO RIGHT TO DO THAT.

BOTH TRUMP AND PENCE ARE SEEKING THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION FOR PRESIDENT IN 2024.

70 MISSILES FIRED  AT UKRAINE FOLLOWING ATTACK ON RUSSIAN PORT

TENSIONS HAVE RISEN IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR OVER THE WEEKEND.

RUSSIA LAUNCHED MORE THAN 70 MISSILES AND DRONES AT UKRAINE OVER NIGHT.

IT WAS ONE OF THE LARGEST ASSAULTS IN RECENT WEEKS THAT CAME IN RESPONSE TO A UKRAINIAN ATTACK ON A **COMMERCIAL RUSSIAN PORT**.

TWO SHIPS WERE HIT AND DAMAGED BY DRONES IN THE BLACK SEA.

IN THE BARRAGE OF MISSILE ATTACKS —

NEARLY A DOZEN RUSSIAN DRONES WERE ABLE TO EVADE AIR DEFENSE SYSTEMS — HITTING A “BLOOD TRANSFUSION CENTER” IN NORTH-EAST UKRAINE —

ALONG WITH A “GRAIN SILO” AND “MILITARY AIR-FIELD” WEST OF THE KYIV.

A NEW DESTRUCTIVE THEME IN THE WAR – BOTH SIDES TARGETING PORT INFRASTRUCTURE. THREE UKRAINIAN PORTS WERE HIT IN THE PAST FEW WEEKS INCLUDING THE ATTACK ON ITS BIGGEST PORT OF ODESA.

THOSE ATTACKS CAME PRIOR TO UKRAINE’S LATEST ATTACK ON A RUSSIAN PORT THAT POTENTIALLY TOOK OUT ONE OF RUSSIA’S WAR-SHIPS.

UKRAINE ISN’T LETTING UP ON THE TACTIC — THEIR MILITARY DECLARED SEVERAL RUSSIAN PORTS “NEW MILITARY THREAT ZONES”.

WHICH MEANS ANY SHIP CARRYING GOODS TO RUSSIA CAN BE CONSIDERED A LEGITIMATE MILITARY TARGET THAT CAN BE ATTACKED.

LOOK FOR OUR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER RYAN ROBERTSON AT S-A-N DOT COM FOR THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN THE UKRAINE WAR.

FDA APPROVES FIRST PILL TO TREAT POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION

THE FDA HAS APPROVED THE FIRST PILL SPECIFICALLY DESIGNATED TO TREAT POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION A CONDITION THAT HALF A MILLION WOMEN — OR ONE IN EIGHT MOTHERS IN THE U.S. — SUFFER WITH EVERY YEAR.

ZURANOLONE IS THE FIRST DRUG FOR POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION THAT CAN NOW BE TAKEN AT HOME.

THE FDA’S APPROVAL COMES AFTER TWO STUDIES FOUND WOMEN WHO TOOK THE DRUG HAD FEWER SIGNS OF DEPRESSION OVER A 4-TO-6 WEEK PERIOD COMPARED TO THOSE WHO TOOK A PLACEBO.

U.S. LOSES IN EARLIEST WOMEN’S WORLD CUP EXIT EVER

SOCCER FANS ARE STILL REELING FROM THE UNITED STATES’ EARLY EXIT AT THE WOMEN’S WORLD CUP ON SUNDAY. 

WHILE THE U-S PLAYED ITS BEST GAME OF THE TOURNAMENT, THEY COULD NOT GET PAST SWEDEN — THEIR QUEST FOR A THIRD CONSECUTIVE TITLE ENDING ON PENALTY KICKS FOLLOWING A SCORELESS DRAW IN REGULATION AND EXTRA TIME. 

IT WAS THE EARLIEST EXIT IN TOURNAMENT HISTORY FOR THE UNITED STATES. 

AFTER THE MATCH, STAR MEGAN RAPINOE, ONE OF THREE PLAYERS TO MISS THEIR KICKS IN THE SHOOTOUT – CALLED IT QUOTE “LIKE A SICK JOKE” AND “A DARK COMEDY.” RAPINOE HAD ALREADY ANNOUNCED THIS WOULD BE HER FINAL WOMEN’S WORLD CUP APPEARANCE.

IN A BRIEF STATEMENT THIS MORNING, U.S. SOCCER SAID- QUOTE:

“WHILE WE ARE ALL DISAPPOINTED OUR JOURNEY HAS ENDED AT THE WOMEN’S WORLD CUP, WE WANT TO THANK THE PLAYERS, COACHES AND STAFF FOR THEIR REMARKABLE EFFORT AND TO OUR FANS BOTH IN THE STANDS AND AT HOME FOR THEIR UNWAVERING SUPPORT. 

AS WE ALWAYS DO AFTER A MAJOR TOURNAMENT, WE WILL CONDUCT A REVIEW TO IDENTIFY AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT AND DETERMINE OUR NEXT STEPS. AS WE LOOK AHEAD, WE EMBRACE THE HARD WORK NECESSARY TO BECOME CHAMPIONS AGAIN.”

GLOBAL TICKET SALES FOR ‘BARBIE’ REACH $1 BILLION

THE WORLD IS MESMERIZED BY BARBIE – THE BEAUTY ICON FOR GENERATIONS IS CAPTIVATING THE BOX OFFICE – HITTING MORE THAN ONE BILLION DOLLARS IN GENERAL SALES. THAT SEALS A PLACE IN HISTORY. GRETA GERWIG’S FILM BECOMES THE FIRST ONE DIRECTED BY A WOMAN TO SURPASS THAT MILESTONE.

BARBIE RAKED IN ANOTHER 53 MILLION DOLLARS DOMESTICALLY OVER THE WEEKEND.

THE GIANT SALES OFF OF BARBIE — AND EVEN ‘OPPENHEIMER’ AND AN ANTI-TRAFFICKING FILM ‘SOUND OF FREEDOM’ —

HAVE HELPED CREATE A BOOM AT THE BOX OFFICE — 

SOMETHING THE INDUSTRY HAS BEEN NEEDING SINCE THE PANDEMIC SLUMP.

{LOCH NESS MONSTER VO}

VOLUNTEERS WANTED FOR LOCH NESS MONSTER SEARCH

CALLING ALL MONSTER HUNTERS! THE LOCH NESS CENTER IN SCOTLAND IS PUTTING OUT THE CALL FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO JOIN THE BIGGEST SEARCH IN MORE THAN 50 YEARS FOR THE FABLED SEA CREATURE.

THE ORGANIZATION WILL BE USING THERMAL DRONES, INFRARED CAMERAS AND A HYDROPHONE DURING THE LATE AUGUST SEARCH TO FIND THE MYTHICAL MONSTER — ALLEGEDLY LURKING BENEATH SCOTLAND’S FRESHWATER LAKE –

THE LOCH NESS. 

ACCORDING TO THE CENTER, THERE HAVE BEEN 1,140 OFFICIAL SIGHTINGS OF THE LOCH NESS MONSTER TO DATE.

VOLUNTEERS ON THIS MISSION WILL BE CALLED ON TO HELP IDENTIFY ANY BREAKS IN THE WATER OR OTHER INEXPLICABLE MOVEMENTS. 

THE LOCH NESS CENTER SAYS THEY CAN’T WAIT FOR WHAT LURKS AHEAD IN THEIR SEARCH FOR PROOF.

THOSE ARE YOUR TOP STORIES THIS MONDAY MORNING.

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UNBIASED. STRAIGHT FACTS. THAT’S STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS. 

WE’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE TOMORROW!

UNTIL THEN I’M KARAH RUCKER.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!