BOLSTERING THE DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE: @BretBaier examines efforts to overhaul the defense industrial base through stable, multi-year funding frameworks and a growing reliance on agile commercial startups. As Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey notes, multi-billion-dollar deals with prime contractors like Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman are locking in production for critical systems like Tomahawk, THAAD, and Patriot interceptors. Meanwhile, the Defense Innovation Unit and next-gen tech firms like Castelion and Rocket Lab are utilizing rapid commercial manufacturing practices to scale up hypersonic capabilities and outpace modern threats.

ALASKA SENATE SHOWDOWN: @MattFinnFNC examines the high-stakes Alaska Senate race between incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan and leading Democratic candidate Mary Peltola. While Peltola navigates controversy following reports from former staffers regarding campaign culture, the race hinges heavily on local pocketbook issues, including the critical "fish vote," proposed trawling regulations, skyrocketing diesel costs for remote Alaskans, and national policy debates.

SUPREME COURT RULING ON MISSOURI MAP: @ShannonBream reports the Supreme Court has blocked Missouri for a third time from implementing a new congressional map ahead of the upcoming November elections, citing the risk of electoral chaos at such a late date. Additionally, the high court has lifted restrictions on a controversial federal voter database just weeks before voters head to the polls.

INVESTIGATION INTO OLE MISS STUDENT DEATHS: @NatalieChuck breaks down the latest updates in the investigation into the deaths of University of Mississippi freshmen Aidan Hamilton and junior Robert Strang in separate incidents. While investigators found store-bought kratom at both scenes, a substance banned locally, police have not yet confirmed a direct link following raids on a nearby vape shop. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch urges students to avoid unknown substances entirely as toxicology tests continue.

PENTAGON CLAUDE BAN: A federal appeals court has upheld the Trump administration's designation of AI firm Anthropic as a supply chain risk, allowing the Pentagon to proceed with removing Claude models from its systems and barring product usage for War Department work. The legal battle began in February after the administration flagged national security concerns, while Anthropic pushed back over ethical red lines regarding mass surveillance and autonomous armed drones. @ShannonBream reports.

SAUDI ARABIA AND THE NUCLEAR QUESTION: New reporting from the Washington Post highlights concerns that Saudi Arabia could consider developing a nuclear weapon in response to escalating threats in the Middle East. Recalling past remarks from the Saudi Crown Prince alongside Bret Baier's exclusive interview with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who insisted his country does not seek the bomb, lawmakers in Washington remain heavily focused on the implications of civilian nuclear program agreements and broader regional proliferation.

HOLDING GLOBAL SHIPPING HOSTAGE: Senior leaders from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have met in Riyadh for urgent talks under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement following weeks of missile and drone attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. With the militant group seizing key Red Sea port cities and threatening the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, international leaders are weighing a unified response. Meanwhile, reports indicate Iran is proposing a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a resumption of nuclear talks, while demanding the U.S. lift naval blockades and oil sanctions.

HURRICANE NOLO THREATENS HAWAII: @RobertRayWx breaks down the latest tracking on Hurricane Nolo, which is sitting less than 200 miles south and intensifying toward a Category 3 major hurricane. Even without a direct landfall, forecasters warn that parts of the Big Island could see up to 30 to 40 inches of rain, with Maui potentially facing 20 inches, threatening severe river inundation, compromised infrastructure, and flash flooding as runoff cascades down the 14,000-foot peaks.

"It's America that must choose." Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian tells @BretBaier that Iranians "do not wish to fight" and claims the regime wants peace, not death. Throughout the interview, Baier challenged Pezeshkian on ways the IRGC's actions have contradicted diplomatic rhetoric and violated agreements. @SpecialReport

"Do you want a nuclear bomb or not?" @BretBaier cuts to the chase in an exclusive interview with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, directly questioning the leader about his country's nuclear ambitions. "Not at all. Not at all," Pezeshkian responds, insisting Iran does not seek nuclear weapons and saying Tehran was willing to dilute the material. When asked why Iran needed uranium enriched to 60%, Pezeshkian claimed "it's not a big deal" to dilute the material. @SpecialReport

LIMITS OF DIPLOMACY: "I think what we saw from Pezeshkian, I think he was vacuous... A lot of the answers were amorphous or indirect. But we should acknowledge, since we’re at war with them, that he was good to sit down with Bret Baier and to take the questions." @TheJuanWilliams Juan notes that the Iranian leader's responses were often indirect or evasive on key details, acknowledging the significance of sitting down for unvarnished, tough questioning amid an active conflict, while weighing whether military pressure and maximum sanctions will ultimately shift Tehran's resolve.

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER: "With President Trump, actions speak louder than words. They are having a very ceremonial visit... but the actions of this administration—removing China from the Panama Canal, moving the government in Venezuela, securing a deal with Greenland—are helping the United States' position vis-à-vis China, not weakening it." @continetti

POMP AND CEREMONY: "Today’s visit looks a lot like the visit I was on when Trump went to Beijing. There is a lot of pomp. There is a lot of ceremony... but not a lot of announcements and not a lot of concrete things." @AnnieLinskey

NEW: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian avoids answering a direct question from @BretBaier about why Iran's supreme leader has not appeared on video addressing his people or President Trump. Pezeshkian instead shifted the blame toward "aggressors" who have threatened Iranian security, and claimed that Iran is the victim of terrorism, rather than a terrorist regime. |@SpecialReport

CRIME DEBATE IN NORTH CAROLINA: As voters head toward the November midterms, public safety has emerged as the defining issue in North Carolina’s closely watched U.S. Senate race between Republican candidate Michael Whatley and former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper. @markpmeredith reports from Charlotte, examining how recent tragedies, including the death of 24-year-old Kianna Jones, whose ex-boyfriend was out on bail when arrested, and the 2025 transit stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee, have fueled a heated debate over bail reform, repeat offenders, and criminal justice policy across the state.

THE NUCLEAR REALITY: "The Iranians say they were only pursuing nuclear energy for domestic production, but ultimately they were getting closer and closer to weapons grade... The Iranian president is saying one thing, but the reality on the ground told a different story." @TreyYingst

RESISTING UNTIL THE END: "On the military front it was quite interesting to hear him talk about the MOU... remembering this week they continue to do so, targeting at least two oil tankers on Monday and another one later in the week, and so it’s a similar situation for the region right now, as the entire world waits to see if a deal can ultimately be reached with Iran." @TreyYingst Yingst examines Tehran's claims of enduring economic hardship, the reality of skyrocketing inflation and a weakening currency under maximum pressure sanctions, and the ongoing military friction surrounding commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz despite previous diplomatic memorandums.

US MIDTERM ELECTIONS: "We have nothing to do, nor do we consider any type of American elections. If the current American government, within international legal framework, wishes to reach an agreement, fine. If not before the elections or after the elections, what difference does it make for us?" Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addresses whether U.S. midterm elections impact Tehran's political and military decisions, stating that internal American politics hold no bearing on their diplomatic calculations. Pezeshkian concludes by reiterating that while Iran does not seek conflict, the nation remains prepared to stand resolutely in its own defense.

ECONOMIC TOLL: "We will keep resisting until the very end. Yes, we do have economic issues certainly, but in order to remain, we will go through any hardship and endure. If America thinks that they can keep sanctioning us and we will surrender, they can take that into their dreams." Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addresses mounting economic pressures, including skyrocketing inflation, a plunging riyal, and plummeting oil exports. While acknowledging severe economic hardships, Pezeshkian vows that Tehran will continue to resist maximum pressure and sanctions, while questioning why previous diplomatic agreements fell apart shortly after being signed.

"So is Iran choosing war or a deal?" @BretBaier presses Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in an exclusive @SpecialReport interview as U.S.-Iran negotiations continue amid heightened tensions. "We do not choose war. The war was imposed on us. We do not seek war," Pezeshkian responds.