Morning Announcements

Today's Headlines: Iran may have hacked over 30 Minnesota water systems, with the FBI investigating amid existing warnings that Iranian hackers have been specifically targeting water and wastewater infrastructure. Speaking of hacking, Anthropic's AI models hacked into three companies during tests, topping OpenAI's model which only hacked one, which is either a quality gap or a concerning arms race depending on how you look at it. On this administration's shenanigans, Trump is threatening to pull Todd Blanche's attorney general nomination after Cornyn and Tillis refused to vote for him, though his plan appears to be waiting until their terms end and his preferred replacements take their seats — and a new court filing in the Comey case reveals that Trump's Secret Service tracked Comey's cellphone without a warrant in real time, coordinating directly with the DOJ and updating Air Force One, including while Comey stopped to visit his deceased son's grave, with one Secret Service agent noting internally that pinging the phone was "legally a bad idea." On the war beat, Trump announced a deal for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw from Gaza, with neither Hamas nor Israel confirming any of it and no official timeline provided. The US continues heavy strikes on Iran while Saudi Arabia announced 14 countries have agreed to form a Maritime Defense Alliance to protect international shipping. Finally, two new studies confirmed that Europe's catastrophic wildfires were made significantly worse by human-caused climate change, with Spain's fire conditions made 20 times more likely and France's doubled, and scientists noting that no amount of money for fire prevention helps when climate conditions are this extreme — cool, cool.  Resources/Articles mentioned: AP News: Cyberattacks on Minnesota water systems investigated as officials warn about Iranian hackers WSJ: Anthropic AI Models Hacked Three Companies During Tests WSJ: Trump Threatens to Pull Blanche Pick in Clash With ‘Wounded Bear' Senators MS Now: Secret Service felt pressure from administration to surveil James Comey, new documents reveal AP News: Trump announces a deal for Hamas to disarm in Gaza, but many hurdles and uncertainty remain CNN: Saudi Arabia says 14 countries backing maritime alliance to protect shipping routes AP News: Human-caused climate change made Spanish, French fires much more likely, scientists calculate Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Congress was quite busy. Rand Paul turned the Senate into a personal vendetta circus, dragging Anthony Fauci in for a hearing where he pleaded the Fifth almost 100 times — because the entire point was to find something to criminally prosecute him for despite Biden's preemptive pardon — and Paul is now threatening to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress for asserting his constitutional right. Todd Blanche's attorney general confirmation vote was cancelled because Thom Tillis and John Cornyn want the bare minimum assurance that he won't create Trump's insurrectionist slush fund or give Trump permanent IRS immunity — things Blanche won't promise — though both senators still ultimately want to vote for him, so there really is no point to this. Jay Clayton, who has zero intelligence or national security experience, was confirmed as Director of National Intelligence anyway, because experience is optional now. On the war beat, Iran launched a ballistic missile strike on a US base in Jordan, Trump told Fox News the US would "beat the fucking shit out of them," the US and Saudi Arabia jointly struck Iranian-aligned militants in Iraq, and then Iranian drones set two ships on fire in an Egyptian port in what Iranian sources called a demonstration that "global shipping and energy supplies could be more deeply disrupted." Trump called it "more of the same" and said "it's our turn to hit them," he must think war works like the game Battleship. In election interference news, Elon Musk is reviving his America PAC for the midterms after spending $250 million to elect Trump in 2024, with plans for door-knocking, digital ads, and direct mail — and has reportedly been talking to Trump's team about how he can be most helpful. And finally, The Federal Reserve voted 9-3 to keep interest rates between 3.5 and 3.75%, with the three dissenting votes wanting a rate increase due to persistent inflation, which is not the news anyone wanted. Resources/Articles mentioned: WaPo: Rand Paul threatens to hold Fauci in contempt after he declines to answer questions NYT: Senators Cornyn and Tillis Threaten to Block Blanche Nomination Over Trump's IRS Deal CNN: Trump's new intelligence chief takes over an office in turmoil Axios: Exclusive: Musk plans massive push for GOP in midterms NYT: Iran War Live Updates: U.S. Begins New Wave of Attacks on Iran, Military Says Axios:U.S. launches fresh airstrikes in Iran AP News: Trump announces a $22.5B makeover of Dulles airport that will eliminate the 'people movers' WSJ: Fed Holds Rates Steady but Three Officials Vote for Increase Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear issued Mitch McConnell an ultimatum — prove you can serve or resign — pointing out that if Mitch can chat with Scott Jennings for 20 minutes he can call into a Kentucky news station. Lindsey Graham's memorial service at the Capitol brought together an unlikely guest list including Zelensky and Netanyahu, both of whom used the funeral as an opportunity for behind-closed-doors Trump meetings — Netanyahu called it "one of the best conversations I've had with Trump, and Zelensky said it was "good" and they discussed Patriot missiles and Ukraine diplomacy. In other Trump adjacent news, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced plans to sell a $20 billion stake in the World Cup to private investors led by Thrive Capital, owned by Jared Kushner's brother Joshua Kushner and his wife Karlie Kloss, because of course it is, with reactions from FIFA's 211 member associations being nearly universally negative. On the AI beat, AI companies are now buying rare books in bulk and destroying them to scan the pages for model training, because they've run out of internet content that isn't their own slop. Additionally, Elon Musk is suing the state of Minnesota over its ban on AI nudification, arguing that generating non-consensual sexual images of people without their knowledge is "free speech." Finally, ICE agents are going undercover at at least 15 airports nationwide to arrest foreign nationals with expired visas while traveling — including spouses of American citizens — using airline data shared through TSA, and the administration simultaneously created a new rule channeling nearly half a million asylum seekers directly into deportation proceedings without a hearing, because due process is apparently optional now. Resources/Articles mentioned: Axios: Speak or resign: Beshear ups demand for McConnell health status AP News: Lindsey Graham eulogized as an 'American original' with global reach CNBC:Netanyahu, Zelenskyy come to DC for Graham's funeral, meetings with Trump amid wars WSJ: FIFA Explores Stake Sale in New $20 Billion Entity Futurism: AI Companies Are Buying Antique Books, Ingesting Their Contents to Train Models, and Then Destroying Them at Incredible Scale KARE 11: Elon Musk's X.AI sues to block Minnesota's AI nudification ban, calling it a 'ban on free speech' NYT: ICE Arrests Surge at Airports, Opening New Front in Deportation Drive WaPo: Asylum seekers could be sent directly to deportation court under new rule Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Mitch McConnell's office released a photo with his wife and a doctor's note confirming he's still in a rehab facility and won't make it to the Fancy Farm Kentucky annual picnic, because THAT'S what everyone was concerned about. To add to the depraved and morally corrupt Republicans news, Ohio congressman Max Miller, whose ex-wife filed roughly 2,000 pages of court documents alleging he threw boiling water at her, pointed a gun at her head, and broke their two-year-old daughter's collarbone, is being defended by House Speaker Mike Johnson who said "the key word is allegation" — while Pete Buttigieg was separated from his four-year-old twins for 24 hours over a completely fabricated CPS tip from someone police later called "possibly mentally unstable," which Michigan police waited six days to even begin investigating, so the system is working great. The DNC is also in crisis, with chair Ken Martin reportedly throwing his phone at a staffer, the party so deep in debt it's asking vendors to invoice them after November, and paying $75,000 a month in loan interest. On the immigration beat, ICE built a surveillance database monitoring protesters using facial recognition, license plate scanning, and DNA collection, which was documented in a police report obtained by Mother Jones — the same outlet that found at least 59 ICE and CBP agents have been accused of sexual and violent crimes in the past two decades, 50 of them sex crimes many involving children, while a top DHS statistics official resigned citing the administration's "war on immigrants." In other news, Trump asked the Supreme Court to reinstate his mail-in voting executive order that a federal appeals court already blocked for threatening to disenfranchise eligible voters. Trump says Iran came back to the table seeking peace talks, Iran says that's not true, and a Ukrainian drone hit an Iranian supply line running to Russia — meaning the Iran and Ukraine wars have officially converged. And finally, France recorded its first ever pyrocumulonimbus cloud — a fire-generated storm system that French firefighters called "an operational impossibility, a natural force beyond our control."  Resources/Articles mentioned: Rolling Stone: MAGA Rep. Allegedly Assaulted Wife, Put Gun to Her Head. Republicans Don't Care WaPo: Police vetted dubious allegation only after Buttigieg was separated from children  NYT: Inside the Phone-Throwing Drama at the Troubled, Broke Democratic Party NBC News: Mitch McConnell releases health update, saying he's not ready to return to work yet  WaPo: Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow new limits on mail ballots Mother Jones: Records Reveal How Homeland Security Agents Surveilled ICE Protesters Mother Jones: Report: Dozens of ICE and CBP Agents Have Abused Women and Children Wired: DHS Official Resigns, Citing ‘War on Immigrants' CNN: Live updates: Trump says US halted strikes on Iran at Tehran's request WSJ: Two Wars Converge in the Caspian Sea as Ukraine Hits Iranian Supply Line to Russia WIRED: France Records Its First-Ever Pyrocumulonimbus Cloud Amid Record-Smashing Fires Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: The White House Correspondents Dinner happened over the weekend — Trump did an hour of his greatest hits, mocked Kaitlin Collins and his own guest Nicki Minaj, and Wolf Blitzer presented the Wall Street Journal with an award for uncovering Trump's Epstein ties while noting the reporter had to move after Trump doxxed her home address in a lawsuit, which is a sentence about the current state of press freedom. The Trump administration is moving to rename New York Penn Station — renderings obtained by Gothamist already show a presidential seal with Trump's name on it — because courts blocked his Kennedy Center name and apparently he needs a replacement trophy. Meanwhile, court documents from an Energy Department lawsuit revealed that the administration canceled $7.5 billion in energy grants to states specifically because they voted for Kamala Harris and have two Democratic senators, with an Energy Department attorney explicitly stating there was no programmatic or performance-based reason for the cancellations, which is actually quite honest. In food safety news, nineteen million eggs have been recalled for salmonella across 17 states with nearly 100 people sickened and 26 hospitalized, meaning the lettuce, beef, and now eggs are all compromised simultaneously, MAHA. On the war beat, Iran strikes were paused for two days to give negotiations "some space," days after Trump said he was considering an attack "bigger than ever before," while the Pentagon quietly removed four recently killed service members from the official Iran war casualty count because they died after the "ceasefire" — and the injury count fluctuated between 482 and 420 on the Pentagon's own website. This week: Zelensky visits the White House Tuesday, the US and UK are meeting in London to find countries willing to help with the Strait of Hormuz, and Sam Altman is heading to DC to pitch the government on approving the AI model that autonomously hacked another company last week. Resources/Articles mentioned: NYT: Nearly 100 Cases of Salmonella Tied to Voluntary Recall of 19 Million Eggs NYT: At Correspondents' Dinner, a Rambling Trump Hurls Insults The New Republic: Trump Team Moves to Rename New York's Penn Station NYT: Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him Axios: Dems' 2028 primary schedule angers some progressives WaPo: Trump wants to give U.S.-Iran talks ‘some space' as he weighs escalation, aide says  AP News: Pentagon's official Iran war death toll no longer lists 4 troops killed during renewed fighting Axios: Trump to meet Zelensky at White House Tuesday Axios: Scoop: U.S., U.K. planning international conference on Strait of Hormuz Axios: What OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will tell the White House this week Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Trump announced a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia, then posted a P.S. the next day conditioning the whole thing on Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel — a condition so significant it threw the entire deal into jeopardy before Congress even had a chance to reject it — while simultaneously telling Axios he's "close" to ordering a massive Iran strike "bigger than ever before" and that Israel would "join in two minutes" if asked, which is a casual thing to say about starting a regional war. The House passed a War Powers resolution to stop Trump's Iran strikes with four Republicans joining Democrats, oil hit $100 a barrel, the Houthis started attacking tankers in the Red Sea, and the Senate rejected the House resolution roughly 24 hours later, so that was a fun emotional rollercoaster. The Trump administration also quietly imposed new tariffs of up to 12.5% on 60 countries at midnight, using an expiring tariff program as legal cover because their authority to do so is, in their own words, light. In other news, The DOJ withdrew its subpoenas for New York Times journalists' phone records — including their spouses and mothers — after a judge spent an hour in court making clear how unacceptable it was, though they say the underlying leak investigation continues, so the retreat is partial at best. And finally, the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells in Mississippi — who went missing on July 4th under suspicious circumstances and was found dead two days later — is getting significant attention, with questions about why one of his friends had his phone and car keys without mentioning it, a local judge parent writing a lengthy essay about her son's innocence, law enforcement immediately ruling out foul play, and the state medical examiner keeping parts of Nolan's body that would have been critical in determining cause of death, while the independent autopsy came back inconclusive. He was the only Black boy on a boat with four white kids in Mississippi, and Nancy Grace has entered the chat, so this story isn't going anywhere. Resources/Articles mentioned: WaPo: Trump adds condition to Saudi nuclear deal: Normalizing relations with Israel Axios: Exclusive: Trump "close" to decision on "massive attack" on Iran NYT: House Rebukes Trump on Iran in War Powers Vote as Senate Blocks Debate AP News: Brent oil tops $100 per barrel, as tumbles for Tesla and Alphabet yank Wall Street lower BBC: Yemen's Houthis attack Saudi tanker as US launches more Iran strikes  WaPo: House votes to restrain Trump on Iran as Senate fails to advance similar measure Axios: Trump rebuilds trade regime with new tariffs on global trading partners NYT: U.S. Withdraws Subpoenas Issued to New York Times Journalists AP News: What to know about the autopsy and investigation into Nolan Wells' death Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Trump attended the dignified transfer of four service members killed in Iran, then immediately posted that the US would bomb a bridge or power plant in Tehran every time Iran fires anything at a Strait of Hormuz ship — which legal experts would describe as a war crime — before heading to Georgia for a rally where he called the Iran war a "skirmish," invented a weak nickname for Jon Ossoff, and called affordability a Democratic scam, while a guy behind him spent the whole time visibly mocking him. The US also signed a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia giving it a path to enriching uranium — with weaker inspection requirements than Obama's Iran deal — which is a fascinating position for an administration that says Iran can never enrich uranium, while also considering military strikes in Mali against an al-Qaeda affiliate, while letting Saudi Arabia, which harbored the al-Qaeda operatives who planned 9/11, enrich nuclear material, make it make sense. Meanwhile, House Republicans passed a $95 billion budget bill covering the Iran war, farmer tariff bailouts, and voting law changes, plus a stock trading ban that exempts the president from the ban on stock trading — which is the entire point of a stock trading ban — with a random voter ID requirement inserted for good measure. Republicans also sent a criminal referral for Jack Smith to the DOJ for allegedly lying about reading their text messages during his Trump investigations, which is a bold move from the party currently under investigation for everything. Three election deniers endorsed by Trump won Arizona primary races for offices that will directly influence certifying the 2028 election, with OG election denier Andy Biggs winning the Republican governor's primary to face Katie Hobbs in November. And OpenAI announced that its own AI system autonomously hacked into another AI company called Hugging Face in what they called an "unprecedented cyber incident."  Resources/Articles mentioned: WaPo: Trump administration weighs military options in Mali, officials say NBC News: Trump attends dignified transfer of 4 service members killed in Iran attacks since the ceasefire ended The Guardian: Trump scoffs at ‘affordability' as he touts economic policies at Georgia rally | Donald Trump WaPo: U.S. signs nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that gives it path to enriching fuel NYT: House Adopts $95 Billion G.O.P. Budget for Iran War AP News: House votes to limit stock trading by members of Congress, elevating a campaign issue Fox News: Jack Smith hit with criminal referral as GOP moves testimony fight toward prosecution WaPo: Arizona primary takeaways: Trump's picks prevail and a House Democrat survives AP News: OpenAI says its AI technology acted on its own in an 'unprecedented' hack of another company  Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Pete Hegseth went to Congress to ask for $1.5 trillion more for the Iran war — on top of the $37.5 billion already spent — while the Pentagon has been quietly underreporting troop injuries, with the New York Times revealing over 400 Americans have been hurt, nearly 100 just in July, which the Pentagon characterized as "mostly mild concussions" which is indeed, an injury. The 17 service members killed in a war we supposedly won several times were also not mentioned with particular urgency. In another Oval Office mess of an interview, Trump met with Lebanon's president to discuss the Israel-Lebanon peace agreement, then took press questions and downplayed Chinese election interference the week after his entire primetime election fraud circus, because consistency is not the vibe. On the election beat, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill announced that a software glitch registered over 6,600 noncitizens to vote between 2023 and 2024, with fewer than 400 ultimately voting — a mix of Democrats, Republicans, and independents — the glitch was fixed in 2024, the vendor was fired, ineligible voters were removed, and Trump is going to love every second of this regardless of context. Graham Platner's replacement in the Maine Senate race is state legislator Troy Jackson, who secured the nomination and had reporting drop about his temper within 24 hours — including allegedly throwing a water bottle during a meeting about red flag gun laws. On public health, cyclosporiasis cases hit a record high with over 4,100 confirmed and 7,400 more under investigation, and measles cases reached a 35-year record with nearly 2,300 cases — the highest since measles was eliminated from the US in 2000 — and we're only halfway through the year. And finally, a judge ruled Trump must hand over detailed financial records for over 400 companies in a family trust as part of the defamation lawsuit he brought against the BBC over a January 6th documentary, which is the legal equivalent of suing someone and accidentally showing them your diary. Resources/Articles mentioned: WSJ: Hegseth Estimates Cost of Iran War at $37.5 Billion NYT: Pentagon Withheld Dozens of U.S. Military Injuries in Iran War WaPo: Trump meets with Lebanese leader, pledges support for peace efforts with Israel CNN: Trump downplays Chinese election interference five days after describing breach of historic proportions  WaPo: Nearly 400 noncitizens voted in elections in New Jersey, governor says WaPo: Democrat set to replace Platner in Maine led state Senate with a temper NYT: Cyclosporiasis Cases in the United States Hit Record High  WaPo: U.S. measles cases hit 35-year record with months left in 2026  Politico: Judge says Trump must hand over financial records to BBC  Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Kash Patel scheduled a trip to Russia in October with no disclosed agenda or meeting list, which is a perfectly normal thing for the FBI director to do while leading an agency that investigates Russian interference. In tariff news, Trump dropped new tariffs on Canada — specifically cars, alcohol, cheese, and hockey sticks — on products covered by the USMCA trade deal he negotiated himself in 2020 and called "the best deal ever," though they don't kick in for 30 days so this is probably a stunt. Meanwhile, the cyclospora lettuce saga got weirder when the FDA announced the positive test on Taylor Farms lettuce was a "false positive" — conveniently after Taylor Farms donated a million dollars to Trump's super PAC in 2025, six days after the FDA delayed food traceability rules that would have applied to companies like Taylor Farms, and one day after Taylor Farms executives met with senior FDA officials before issuing their voluntary recall and blaming Taco Bell, so the whole thing smells like something other than lettuce. On ICE, the FBI will no longer investigate confrontations between ICE agents and civilians — essentially eliminating the only oversight ICE was ever exposed to — with responsibility for investigating ICE now falling to ICE itself, and traffic stops resuming less than 24 hours after DHS said they'd stop them. On a related press freedom note, the DOJ subpoenaed phone records of multiple New York Times journalists, at least two of their spouses, and one of their mothers, dating back to January 1st — long before their reporting on Trump's Qatari jet. A judge temporarily blocked the Paramount-Warner Brothers merger for two weeks, siding with 12 state attorneys general on antitrust grounds, which means Bari Weiss running CNN is on hold until at least August 3rd. On the election beat, Lindsey Graham's sister Darline — sworn in less than two weeks after her brother died — announced on Sean Hannity that she's running for the full six-year term, citing "inner peace," which is one way to process grief. And finally, on a genuinely positive note, Senator Andy Kim introduced MediKIDS, legislation that would automatically enroll every child at birth in health insurance through age 26, covering 4.4 million uninsured kids. Resources/Articles mentioned: AP News: Trump imposes 50% tariffs on Canadian goods, citing disputes over autos, alcohol and cheese Reuters: US FDA says false-positive lettuce test doesn't change Taylor Farms cyclospora probe NYT: Federal Agents Were Told FBI Will No Longer Investigate ICE Confrontations NYT: Trump Administration Sought Phone Records of Times Journalists and Their Relatives NBC NEws: Judge pauses Paramount-Warner merger Politico: Sen. Darline Graham will run for full term to replace brother Lindsey Politico: FBI Director Kash Patel plans Russia trip Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Andrew and Tristan Tate were arrested in Miami by US Marshals at the UK's request, facing 59 total charges including rape, sex trafficking, assault, and charges related to indecent images of a child — their attorney says they're innocent, they'll fight extradition. On the corruption beat, Trump is now selling hedge funds early access to his Truth Social posts for $100,000 a month through a service called Truth API, which is institutionalized insider trading dressed up as a subscription service — and he owns 41% of the company selling it, so that's clean. Meanwhile, Trump's primetime election fraud document dump turned out to contain zero evidence of Chinese meddling or a deep state coverup, but did confirm that Russia was pushing the exact same Biden corruption narratives Trump was pushing in 2020 — which is not the smoking gun he was looking for. In other news, The State Department hosted a global left-wing terrorism summit led by Marco Rubio and Stephen Miller, with 60+ countries invited on short notice to discuss a threat that far-right extremists — responsible for over 75% of domestic terrorism deaths since 2001 — were not mentioned at, not even once. In war news, four US service members were killed after Iran struck Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan with ballistic missiles and drones, bringing the total American death toll to 17 since the war started, and Trump's response was to order the military to "open the gates of hell" on Iran. After the mystery explosive diarrhea culprit was discovered, Taylor Farms recalled all of its central Mexico iceberg lettuce across 27 states, with Walmart, Sysco, and Taco Bell pulling products, and the same lettuce supplies Chipotle, McDonald's, Costco, and Trader Joe's, so America's salad situation is complicated. And finally, Spain won the World Cup defeating Argentina 1-0 in overtime, Trump attended, got booed multiple times, and photobombed Spain's trophy photos by overstaying his welcome on stage. . Resources/Articles mentioned: AP News: Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate arrested in Miami, US Marshals Service tells AP CNN: Iceberg lettuce recalled in 27 states due to potential cyclospora contamination Time: Trump Media to Sell Traders ‘the Fastest' Access to Truth Social Posts PBS: Trump says these documents prove his false claims of election fraud. Here's what they really say NBC News: At global gathering, Rubio and Miller urge world to defend against ‘radical leftism' AP News: US announces another troop death as Israel warns Tehran's attacks are coming close AP News: Highlights: Spain beats Argentina 1-0 to win its second World Cup title Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Trump's Big Boy speech was overhyped, overproduced, and deeply disappointing — with NBC and ABC refusing to air it. In true Donald fashion, he threatened to shut down both networks and the content itself were his greatest hits of repeatedly disproven 2020 election claims delivered at an off-pace that makes more sense now that we know his teleprompter operator was placed on leave for making $100,000 on Kalshi bets predicting the content of Trump's speeches — a guy who has operated Trump's teleprompter since 2016, personally takes his last-minute edits, and was questioned about how the January 6th speech came together. The actual upshot of the speech is that the administration plans to release thousands of declassified 2020 election documents and send letters to states they suspect of malfeasance, giving themselves cover to deploy election monitors and potentially troops in November. Meanwhile, Todd Blanche reluctantly met with Epstein survivors after Republican Senator Thom Tillis threatened to withhold his confirmation vote unless he did — survivor Liz Stein called it a box-checking exercise that had "absolutely nothing to do with them," Tillis immediately tweeted his commendation, and Blanche's confirmation is now essentially assured, which is the least surprising outcome imaginable. In a surprising shift, a hundred House Democrats — a third of the caucus — voted to cut off military aid to Israel, up significantly from 37 last time, right after California congressman Ro Khanna was detained for over an hour by armed Israeli settlers and soldiers in the West Bank and released only after contacting the US embassy, with Ambassador Mike Huckabee calling it a stunt. In other news, the cyclosporiasis parasite outbreak has been traced to shredded iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell supplied by Taylor Farms across five states, with over 5,000 cases and 4,000 in Michigan alone. The Treasury's top tax policy official was pushed out after raising concerns that a White House request could violate IRS law carrying a five-year prison sentence — following the law cost him his job, which is exactly why the law exists. And eleven Republican lawmakers sent a formal letter to the WNBA demanding accountability for "racially motivated" attacks against Caitlin Clark, because weaponizing women's sports never goes out of style. Resources/Articles mentioned: CNN: Live updates: Trump delivers speech, claims declassified documents show US election vulnerabilities ABC News: White House teleprompter operator made more than $100K betting on Trump's speeches: Sources WSJ: Authorities Link Parasitic Outbreak to Taylor Farms Lettuce Supplied to Taco Bell CNN: Todd Blanche holds tense meeting with Epstein survivors after key GOP senator's ultimatum  ESPN: In letter, lawmakers seek 'accountability' from WNBA on Clark Axios: Measure to cut Israel aid fails in bipartisan House vote The Hill: Khanna accuses Israeli military of ‘lying' about West Bank incident that led to detainment WSJ: Top Treasury Tax Official Ousted After Clashes With White House Over IRS Audits Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Pete Hegseth announced that the military will now annually screen all service members over 30 for testosterone deficiency with voluntary testing for under-30s who are concerned, and testosterone replacement therapy available to anyone who wants it — which is gender-affirming care, offered by the guy who banned gender-affirming care. In Congress hearings, Todd Blanche's attorney general confirmation hearing featured him calling himself "the president's lawyer — was the president's lawyer" in real time, being grilled about the Epstein files coverup, Ghislaine Maxwell's prison spa with an emotional support puppy, and the fake IRS settlement, while Texas Senator John Cornyn said he hasn't decided how to vote. Meanwhile, Jay Clayton, Trump's pick for Director of National Intelligence overseeing all 18 spy agencies, spent his hearing refusing to say who won the 2020 election, offering only that Biden "was certified" — which is the kind of answer that tells you everything you need to know. On the Epstein files, Epstein's email friend Kathy Ruemmler testified that her emails with him were "taken out of context," which is the phrase everyone involved with Epstein eventually lands on, while JD Vance went on Joe Rogan and called himself "one of the OG Epstein conspiracy theorists," said Epstein had access to the highest levels of American and Israeli intelligence, and admitted the administration "absolutely screwed up" the files release — which is a remarkable set of statements from a sitting Vice President. Vance's Secret Service detail is also reportedly fed up with his family using military helicopters for his eight-year-old's golf lessons and house-hunting trips at $16-24,000 an hour. Finally, the widow of Corey Comperatore — killed at Trump's Butler rally — said in an interview she believes the assassination attempt was an "inside job" based on a government report showing the Secret Service missed over 100 local radio warnings about the shooter, and is hoping Trump will reach out to answer her questions,  and the Trump administration is considering requiring some green card applicants to post $100,000 bonds at US consulates abroad as a condition of their applications, with the money returned only after they become citizens — a five-year minimum process — and no word on who keeps the interest. Resources/Articles mentioned: AP News: Hegseth announces new policy to test troops for low testosterone NBC News: We can keep doing this': Ossoff questions Jay Clayton over who the 2020 presidential election WaPo: Blanche insists he's not Trump's ‘yes-man' as attorney general vote looms WSJ: Kathryn Ruemmler Grilled in Congress Over Her Emails Joking With Jeffrey Epstein Axios: Vance: "We did" mishandle Epstein files release MS Now: Vance's security detail ‘fed up' with hastily arranged personal and family travel requests News Nation Now: Widow of Trump rally shooting victim talks report on Secret Service failures WSJ: U.S. Weighs Bond of $100,000 for Some Green-Card Applicants Abroad Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: ICE has halted most traffic stop arrests nationwide after killing two people in one week who weren't even their targets — and before that pause could even be properly announced, a third ICE-related death occurred in Florida when a man fleeing an early morning gas station stop was hit by a tractor-trailer, bringing the week's total to three. Elon Musk has been referred for potential criminal prosecution in Wisconsin after a bipartisan election board found probable cause he violated the state's bribery law by handing $1 million checks to voters during last year's Supreme Court race — his guy lost by ten points anyway, so the bribery was both illegal and ineffective. The Supreme Court is requesting $15 million in additional security funding after threats against justices jumped 25% last year and are expected to jump another 40% this year. On the Epstein Files beat, Todd Blanche's Senate confirmation hearing to become the real attorney general is today, right as New Mexico's attorney general accused him of obstructing the state's investigation into Epstein's Zorro Ranch — where documents allege Epstein had two women buried — so the timing is immaculate. On Iran, Trump dropped the Strait of Hormuz toll idea and went back to threatening Iranian civilian infrastructure, while also telling Netanyahu to pull Israeli troops out of Syria and Lebanon. Meanwhile, the Trump administration removed protections on nearly three million acres of Utah national monuments to allow drilling and mining, despite Utah officials saying there's little energy potential at Bears Ears and companies previously found Grand Staircase-Escalante's coal deposit unprofitable during Trump's first term — so the destruction is both gratuitous and pointless. And finally,  New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a one-year ban on data center construction in the state while assessing their environmental impact, which is the most rational thing anyone in government has done all week. Resources/Articles mentioned: NYT: Trump Drops Plan to Charge Ships Fees in the Strait but Will Restore Blockade: Iran War Live Updates Axios: Scoop: Trump tells Netanyahu to move forces out of Syria and Lebanon CNN: Elon Musk likely broke the law by giving voters $1 million, Wisconsin board says Axios: Kagan: Threats against SCOTUS expected to soar MS Now: New Mexico's AG says DOJ is stonewalling probe of Epstein ranch — again WaPo: Blanche to face skeptics in GOP after judge's scathing criticism WaPo: ICE halts most traffic-stop arrests in wake of fatal shootings AP News: Man fleeing immigration officers in Florida is struck and killed by tractor trailer, police say Axios: Trump cuts nearly 3M acres from 2 Utah national monuments Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Lindsey Graham's sister Darline Graham Nordone was appointed to his Senate seat within days of his death — never held office, framed as a neutral placeholder, and now South Carolina's first female senator, which would be more historic if it weren't handed to her by Trump as a favor. The FBI also showed up at Graham's DC home less than 48 hours after his death with at least 8 agents, claiming "abundance of caution" and "nothing indicated foul play." On the administration's ongoing efforts to undermine election integrity, Trump announced a primetime speech Thursday night, which MSNBC immediately reported will be used to declare the 2020 elections of Warnock and Ossoff illegitimate due to "voting machine vulnerabilities" — part of a broader whole-of-government effort to relitigate 2020 that includes a new White House task force run by Bill Pulte, whose dad is in the Epstein files, and thousands of pages of classified documents they claim show election irregularities. Two FBI agents in Atlanta were also fired for refusing to join the sham Georgia election probe. On Iran, US strikes on Iran entered their third consecutive night with the naval blockade back in full force, and Trump is now suggesting the US charge other countries tolls for Strait of Hormuz passage, which is a thing he said out loud. Meanwhile, ICE shot and killed a 26-year-old Colombian man named Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Maine — authorized to work, had a social security number, on his way to work, not even the person ICE was targeting — in front of his three-year-old daughter in Bluey pajamas in the backseat. There is no bodycam footage but plenty of iPhone witnesses, and hundreds immediately came out to protest. In yet another blow to our narrowing freedoms, Four New York Times reporters were subpoenaed at their homes on a Friday night in a probe run by Kash Patel, apparently because Trump was angry about reporting that his Qatari jet lacks adequate security, which is the most efficient abuse of FBI resources we've seen yet. Finally, we leave you with a little bit of hope. A federal judge voided Trump's fake IRS settlement, called it "collusion" and an "exercise in self-dealing," and referred Trump's lawyers and senior DOJ officials to state bar authorities for ethical review. And twelve state attorneys general sued to block the Paramount-Warner Brothers merger that would put Bari Weiss in charge of CNN, with Paramount threatening to leave California in response. Resources/Articles mentioned: AP News: Darline Graham Nordone, sister of Lindsey Graham, chosen to fulfill remainder of his US Senate term The Hill: FBI visits Graham's DC home Reuters: Trump to assert voting machine vulnerabilities in Thursday speech Yahoo: Two FBI agents fired for refusing to join Georgia 2020 election probe MS Now: Trump election task force to begin releasing classified intel documents AP News: Trump says US is ‘reinstating' blockade on Iran in Strait of Hormuz AP News: ICE officer who fatally shot driver in Maine was 'fearing for public safety,' agency says Maine Morning Star: Hundreds protest fatal ICE shooting in Biddeford NYT: White House Directed Patel to Oversee Investigation Involving Times Reporting Reuters: U.S. judge finds Trump misused court in IRS case, refers lawyers for discipline Deadline: Paramount-WBD Merger Is Anti-Competitive, State AGs Allege In Proposed Action Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Senator Lindsey Graham died Saturday night at 71 from a ruptured aorta, just hours after returning from Ukraine where he'd met with Zelensky and signed a new sanctions deal against Russia — the internet immediately blamed the Russians, his office says it was heart disease. South Carolina's governor will appoint a replacement to finish his term, a special Republican primary is set for August 11th, and Nancy Mace — who came in last in the governor's race one month ago — is already considering running against Democratic candidate Dr. Annie Andrews, which would be must-see television. On a related note, Mitch McConnell's office finally released an actual photo proving he's alive, which matters more than usual this week since Graham's death made the Republican Senate majority even thinner. On the war beat, Trump bombed 140 targets across Iran on Saturday night, Iran responded by firing missiles and drones at US bases across Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain, and the UAE, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, and Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a statement promising revenge "whether he himself is dead or alive," which is ominous enough without needing to name Trump specifically. In election shenanigans, Trump fired all three members of the Election Assistance Commission by email ahead of the midterms and the DOJ is deploying election monitors to swing jurisdictions in six states. Meanwhile, Apple sued OpenAI for allegedly asking job candidates to bring Apple prototypes to interviews and having a former Apple employee download technical documents on a company laptop before jumping ship, which tracks with everything anyone knows about Sam Altman. A parasite called cyclosporiasis tied to contaminated produce has infected nearly 3,000 people across 31 states with prolonged diarrhea as the main symptom, the CDC is investigating. And finally, the bipartisan housing bill Trump refused to sign automatically became law after he failed to veto it within 10 days, because he either doesn't know or doesn't care how bills work. Resources/Articles mentioned: Politico: Lindsey Graham dies at 71 after ‘brief and sudden illness,' his office says WaPo: Lindsey Graham dies of aortic dissection, preliminary medical report says NYT: Lindsey Graham Was Facing Re-election in November. What Happens Now? X: Jake Sherman | Mitch McConnell Statement  NBC News: Trump ousts remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission ahead of midterms Newsweek: Map shows states where Trump admin is deploying election monitors WaPo: US strikes Iran again as it tries to limit attacks on ships on the Strait of Hormuz NBC News: Dozens hospitalized with cyclosporiasis as cases of gastrointestinal illness spike in 31 states CNBC: Apple sues OpenAI alleging trade secret theft, says scheme was 'at every level' The Hill: Bipartisan housing bill becomes law after Trump's signature snub Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Mitch McConnell is still missing with zero health updates, Elaine Chao's spokesperson says she left for China two days before he was hospitalized and has since returned. Mitch's absence is now actively complicating Senate business since he sits on the Appropriations Committee that needs to pass a government funding bill by September 30th — so the republicans need him conscious and present, which remains unconfirmed. In other news, The Secret Service apparently made Trump swap planes leaving Turkey out of "an abundance of caution" over Iran escalation concerns about how quickly the Qatari hand-me-down was retrofitted, despite Trump insisting the plane is fine. Meanwhile the  White House columns are now covered in a tarp printed to look like the White House, which is a real thing that exists. On the Immigration beat, ICE shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national with no criminal record who had lived in the US for decades and was on his way to work, with federal officials claiming self-defense and no footage to back it up — and Mexico is now reportedly planning to file criminal complaints in the US over multiple ICE custody deaths, because apparently diplomatic complaints weren't getting through. In Texas, Ken Paxton, AG and Republican Senate candidate who literally just created a voter fraud tip line, appears to have voted at an address he hadn't lived at for over a year across six elections including the primary that made him the Republican nominee — information that only surfaced because of his divorce filings — and spent July 4th weekend in England with his alleged mistress, patriotic. On the cost of living beat, Walmart is cutting grocery prices by 12%, DeBeers is making its deepest diamond price cuts ever now that lab-grown diamonds have broken their monopoly, and the government is quietly changing how it calculates inflation in a way that will make the numbers look slightly better going forward, with timing that is, shall we say, convenient. Resources/Articles mentioned: WLKY: Sen. Mitch McConnell's wife releases statement amid his hospitalization WaPo: How Mitch McConnell's absence complicates the Senate's business and war funding ABC News: Secret Service urged Trump to depart Turkey on old Air Force One as a security precaution, sources say The Daily Beast: White House Gets Tacky Tarp Over Trump's New Project AP News: Family demands an independent probe after ICE officer fatally shoots a man in Houston Axios: Mexico threatens legal action over citizens' deaths in ICE custody The Texas Tribune: Ken Paxton's voter registration may violate Texas election law SA Current: Republican Ken Paxton spotted with alleged mistress in England over Independence Day weekend WSJ: Walmart Lowers Prices on Thousands of Items, Including Beef and Coca-Cola Bloomberg: De Beers Makes Diamond Price Cuts for Shrinking Buyers Club Axios: Measurement tweaks will make inflation data look better Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear had to write his own senator a letter asking if he's alive, after Trump blew up the cover story that multiple Republican senators had "just spoken to McConnell" by telling reporters on Air Force One that he has "no idea" what condition Mitch is in. The clock is ticking to August 4th, when Kentucky's Democratic governor loses the ability to appoint a replacement, and the suspicion is that McConnell's office is very deliberately running it down. Graham Platner dropped out of the Maine Senate race Wednesday night with an 11-minute video blaming corporate media, the Democratic Party, and "large forces" — notably not himself — and Maine Democrats are now holding a 600-person convention to find a replacement for a must-win seat. At NATO, Trump declared the Iran ceasefire over, threatened to cut off all trade with Spain, begged for Greenland, called Zelensky "President Putin," reminded everyone he's number one on TikTok, and then wrapped up by affirming the US's "ironclad commitment" to Article 5 — so the summit ended better than it started, barely. He also had to fly home on the old Air Force One instead of his Qatari hand-me-down, and when asked if it was due to an assassination threat, didn't deny it but said he's "number one on Iran's kill list," just like TikTok. In a rare moment of actual consequences, Trump was ordered to pay E. Jean Carroll her $5.8 million damages award after his appeals ran out, leaving him with a remaining balance of a mere $83 million. And Prince Harry lost his privacy lawsuit against the Daily Mail along with Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, and others, with the group potentially owing $50 million pounds in attorneys fees. Resources/Articles mentioned: Yahoo: Trump Blows Up Claims That Mitch McConnell Is Healthy NYT: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear Demands Health Update on Mitch McConnell X: Graham PLatner Suspends Campaign Press Herald: Maine Democrats planning 600-person convention to replace Graham Platner The Guardian: Sabre-rattling to ‘tremendous love': erratic Trump dominates final hours of Nato summit NBC News: Judge orders release of the $5.8 million payment Trump owed E. Jean Carroll The Guardian: Prince Harry and other claimants could face £50m legal bill after losing phone-hacking case | Associated Newspapers Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Graham Platner still hasn't dropped out of the Maine Senate race despite Bernie withdrawing his endorsement and a second sexual assault allegation — this time from an ex-girlfriend who says he removed condoms during sex without her consent, which is classified as sexual assault in several countries — and his campaign's response was to call it politically motivated and bring up Brett Kavanaugh. Even better, Platner is now reportedly negotiating what he wants in exchange for leaving, including demanding his replacement come from Bernie's political orbit, while the Maine Democratic Party has told his campaign they have no role in the process. Trump is at the NATO summit in Turkey where he's mad at the alliance, mad at Meloni again, wants Greenland again, appeared to fall asleep and needed Erdogan to physically steer him around the room, and seems willing to sell Turkey the F-35 jets Netanyahu specifically asked him not to sell — so the girls seem to be fighting. Meanwhile the Iran war Trump declared over at Versailles last month is very much back on, with Iran attacking three ships in the Strait of Hormuz in the last 24 hours, the US responding with "powerful strikes," and the administration revoking the sanctions waivers that allowed Iran to sell oil, making the memorandum of understanding worth approximately nothing. And Trump announced he's building a granite helipad on the White House lawn, paid for by Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sikorsky, with no timeline for completion, because a helipad is what matters while the world is on fire. Resources/Articles mentioned: WaPo: Ex-girlfriend of Graham Platner says he removed condoms without consent during sex WaPo: Bernie Sanders calls on Graham Platner to drop Senate bid WaPo: Trump's NATO-bashing casts shadow over U.S. pledge to defend allies Axios: Trump signals openness to selling Turkey F-35 fighter jets CNBC: U.S. resumes 'powerful strikes' on Iran after Hormuz Strait ship attacks, CENTCOM says Axios: U.S. revokes Iran oil waivers after attacks in Strait of Hormuz AP News: Trump says he's building a White House helipad for a new, more powerful Marine One Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: The US lost to Belgium 4-1 in the World Cup Round of 16 despite Trump personally calling FIFA to get Balogun's red card suspension reversed, which worked, and Belgium won anyway — so the meddling was both successful and pointless. On the election beat, Graham Platner, who won Maine's Democratic Senate primary a few weeks ago despite a Nazi tattoo is now facing a heavily corroborated sexual assault allegation so severe that nearly every major backer including Hasan Piker and Ro Khanna immediately called for him to drop out — Democrats have until July 27th to find a replacement if he exits by July 13th, which they should probably get moving on since Maine is a must-win Senate seat. In other news, Trump is headed to the NATO summit in Turkey this week, which he only agreed to attend because it's hosted by Erdogan, one of his last real NATO allies, with Netanyahu already lobbying him ahead of arrival to rein in Erdogan's anti-Israel rhetoric. Trump also rang the stock market opening bell from the Oval Office to celebrate the launch of Trump Savings Accounts, which devolved into rants about crypto, Biden, and World Cup red cards, and the preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson — the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk last September — began yesterday in Utah, with Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk's parents, Donald Trump Jr., and Jack Posobiec all in the courtroom. Meanwhile, the DOJ accidentally sent the sealed second volume of Jack Smith's classified documents report — the one Trump has spent over a year keeping hidden — to the defense lawyers of the former prosecutor currently being prosecuted for leaking that exact report, and the only reason it's still secret is because her lawyers were more careful with it than the government was. On AI, Meta's AI safety strategy involves paying adults to pretend to be teenagers and feed suicide and sex prompts to competitor chatbots, which they describe as "comprehensive AI safety benchmarking," and OpenAI is reportedly offering the US government a 5% stake in the company. Finally, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei's funeral drew over a million people this week while his son and successor Mojtaba — wounded in the airstrike that killed his father — didn't attend any of the ceremonies. It's giving Mitch energy. Resources/Articles mentioned: Yahoo Sports: USA vs. Belgium score, World Cup live updates: U.S. looks to mount comeback as Christian Pulisic is subbed out in second half Politico: Exclusive: Woman who dated Graham Platner says he sexually assaulted her Axios: Scoop: Netanyahu asks Trump to rein in Erdoğan ahead of NATO summit WaPo: After America's 250th, Trump will test how far he can push NATO allies PBS News: WATCH: Trump officially launches Trump Accounts for kids, ringing Wall Street opening bell Financial Times: OpenAI proposes handing Trump administration 5% stake  WIRED: Meta Contractors Posed as Teens to Prompt Rival Chatbots About Suicide, Sex, and Drugs  TNR: DOJ Accidentally Gives Jack Smith Report to Person They're Suing AP News: Prosecutors argue the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk should stand trial AP News:Mourners throng funeral procession in Tehran for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Trump's July 4th celebrations were a disaster on every front — his Mount Rushmore speech was cancelled by a hailstorm, the National Mall events were evacuated due to severe wind and rain with guests sheltering in the African American History Museum, and his record-breaking fireworks show was obscured by its own smoke, leaving DC with the worst air quality in the world by 7am. Making it worse, Democrats released a report alleging Freedom250 was a wire fraud scheme that redirected donor money from the legitimate bipartisan America250 celebration, pressured corporate donors to switch their commitments, and diverted $75 million of the $100 million Congress allocated to parts unknown. White nationalist group Patriot Front also showed up in matching outfits, so all in all a great party. On Donaldtella's pet projects, former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, 67, was indicted on a felony destruction of property charge for pulling up liner that was already peeling — the first of at least 11 people facing legal consequences for being near a broken pool — while Interior Secretary Doug Burgum insists vandals cut gashes in it without producing a single frame of surveillance footage, and announced they'll use the same contractor to fix what the same contractor broke. On the World Cup beat, Trump called FIFA chief Gianni Infantino to get suspended American soccer player Folarin Balogun unsuspended from the World Cup, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee conveniently reversed its decision, and Trump celebrated on social media seemingly unbothered that a championship won this way won't be considered legitimate by anyone. On Mitch, it emerged that his wife Elaine Chao traveled to China to meet with the vice president just three days after he was hospitalized with cardiac arrest, with photos of her in Chinese state media discussing US-China relations. And finally, Mallory McMorrow dropped out of the Michigan Senate Democratic primary, leaving establishment-backed Haley Stevens against Bernie-backed Abdul El-Sayed ahead of the August 4th primary. Resources/Articles mentioned: CNN: DC experiences ‘Code Red' air quality after massive fireworks display MSNow: White nationalists march in D.C. on July 4th AP News: Democrats accuse Trump-linked fundraisers of fraud over diverted donations for America's anniversary NYT: David Hearn, Olympian Canoeist, Is Indicted After Arrest at Trump's Reflecting Pool AP News: Trump's administration won't seek new bids to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool  Yahoo: Ominous New Scaffolding Goes Up at Trump White House NBC News: U.S. star Folarin Balogun eligible to play vs. Belgium after FIFA suspends red card ban The Daily Beast: Mitch McConnell's Wife's Bizarre Move After CPR Drama Revealed Axios: McMorrow suspends Michigan Senate bid in shock move Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Mitch McConnell has apparently been on death's door for three weeks and nobody thought to mention it — Punchbowl News reported yesterday that he was found unconscious after likely suffering a heart attack, with EMS dispatch audio referencing CPR in progress for a cardiac arrest, while his office has been telling us he's "working closely with staff," which is one way to describe being in a hospital after cardiac arrest. Harvey Weinstein is also in Bellevue Hospital with heart failure as a complication of pneumonia after being rushed from Rikers, awaiting his September sentencing for sexual assault. America's 250th birthday celebration is upon us, with Trump promising the world's longest fireworks show starting at 10:30pm, plus a speech he's calling a rally that he promised to deliver even if it's 107 degrees, so happy birthday to us. Trump also took his Qatari hand-me-down plane on its inaugural flight to North Dakota for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opening, where he compared himself to Teddy Roosevelt without quoting him once, interacted with an AI version of Roosevelt, floated giving himself the Medal of Honor for "taking on Russia Russia Russia," and bragged about winning the Iran war. Meanwhile, Former CIA Director John Brennan is suing the DOJ to prevent them from destroying evidence related to Trump's revenge investigations into him, which is the correct move and the only language Trump can read. Democratic panic is setting in after DSA candidate Melat Kiros, 29, beat 29-year incumbent Diana DeGette in Colorado's congressional primary — with Colorado's attorney general Phil Weiser also beating establishment favorite Michael Bennet in the governor's primary. And the Trump administration lifted its restrictions on Claude Fable 5 and Mythos, which it banned weeks ago for cybersecurity concerns, while simultaneously asking OpenAI to restrict its new GPT-5.6 Sol model for national security vetting, because the administration's relationship with AI safety is whatever is most convenient at any given moment. Resources/Articles mentioned:  NY Post: Mitch McConnell was found 'unconscious' in DC home last month, may have suffered heart attack TMZ: Harvey Weinstein Suffers Heart Failure at Rikers Island, Sources Say WaPo: Trump's July 4 fireworks to start much later and last much longer AP News: Retrofitted Qatari jet takes flight as Air Force One for Trump's trip to North Dakota NYT: Ex-C.I.A. Chief Asks for Order Forcing Trump Administration to Preserve Records NBC News: Colorado Senate Primary Election 2026 Live Results: Hickenlooper, Gonzales and More CNBC: Anthropic says Trump admin has lifted export controls on Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: The Supreme Court ended its term with three rulings: birthright citizenship was technically upheld 6-3, but the fine print is alarming — the actual split on birthright citizenship itself was 5-4, Kavanaugh wrote a wink-wink concurrence suggesting Congress could legislate it away, and Thomas wrote a 91-page dissent about an explicit constitutional sentence, so Trump immediately announced he wants Congress to start ending it today. The Court also ruled 6-3 to uphold state bans on transgender female athletes in women's sports, setting precedent for 25 other states, and lifted federal limits on coordinated party spending in elections, which is a major practical win for Republicans who spend more through super PACs. Meanwhile, NPR briefly reported that Samuel Alito was retiring, retracted it ten minutes later, and veteran Supreme Court reporter Nina Totenberg — who has covered the court for four decades — had to personally apologize to Alito, which is an institutional mistake of historic proportions. On the corruption beat, Trump reportedly made at least $1.4 billion in 2025 from crypto and memecoins alone — $600 million from World Liberty Financial, $600 million from memecoins — bringing his Bloomberg net worth to $7.6 billion, which is a remarkable glow-up for someone who needed help posting bond for a court verdict last year. The New York Times reported that the Trump administration convinced Kazakhstan to give a US mining company — in which Trump's sons and Howard Lutnick's sons have stakes — access to tungsten reserves, then gave that company $1.6 billion in federal funding to mine it, and that Trump and Lutnick family businesses have financial ties to at least 14 companies receiving or under consideration for nearly $9 billion in federal minerals funding. The Atlantic reported that Trump's 250 pardons are actively in motion, with a former official describing the volume of requests as "batshit crazy," $2 million apparently being the going rate, and foreign nationals from India, Greece, Turkey, and France reportedly told their cases are under consideration. Congress left for July 4th recess early after the SAVE Act failed again, won't be back until July 13th, and Mitch McConnell has now been missing for nearly 20 days — with the suspicion that his office is running out the clock to August 4th, when Kentucky's Democratic governor can no longer appoint his replacement if something were to happen. Resources/Articles mentioned:  NYT: Supreme Court Rejects Trump's Efforts to End Birthright Citizenship: Live Updates NYT: Supreme Court Allows States to Bar Transgender Athletes From Girls' Sports NYT: Supreme Court Lifts Spending Limits on Political Parties and Candidates CNN: ‘I am so, so sorry': NPR reporter explains SCOTUS retirement error The Atlantic: The White House Considers Granting 250 Pardons for the Nation's Birthday Bloomberg: Trump Reports at Least $1.4 Billion in 2025 Crypto Earnings NYT: Trump Cut a Billion-Dollar Mining Deal. His Sons Stand to Profit.  WaPo: GOP rebellion over Trump's elections overhaul leads House to recess for July Fourth early WaPo: Congressman says depression diagnosis caused months-long absence Yahoo: Few details known on Mitch McConnell's health 2 weeks after hospitalization Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Clarence Thomas showed up to Congress yesterday and was all sus about why, though Politico reported Republicans say he was there for the special members-only doctor's office. The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that mail ballots postmarked by election day can be counted even if they arrive up to five days later — not what Trump wanted, who went off on the justices despite his own voters benefiting equally — and separately declined to hear his appeal of the E. Jean Carroll verdict, meaning he has to pay her $5 million. The Court also overturned the 91-year-old Humphrey's Executor precedent, allowing Trump to fire FTC commissioners without cause and setting a standard that applies to basically every federal regulator except the Federal Reserve Board, meaning he still can't fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook like he wanted. More major rulings are expected this week on transgender athletes in sports, campaign finance, and birthright citizenship, which the administration is determined to end. In other news, Airbnb cofounder Joe Gebbia, now running Trump's "National Design Studio" alongside DOGE veterans, has reportedly been quietly rebuilding government websites — including passport applications, TrumpRX, and a White House-controlled mirror of vote.gov — with tracking code that records and replays every click, scroll, and keystroke and sends the data somewhere off the public internet, so that's normal. Meanwhile, a Wall Street Journal investigation found that over 1,000 viral Polymarket betting videos showing people winning big were entirely staged — Polymarket paid influencers to post fake wins using a password-protected dupe website that mimicked real trades, then paid clippers to spread the videos, racking up 140 million views of completely fabricated winnings. And finally, Comcast announced it's spinning off NBCUniversal — including Bravo, SNL, Law & Order, the theme parks, and Peacock — to focus on broadband, and investors loved it, sending shares up over 4% after a rough year. Resources/Articles mentioned:  The Daily Beast: Clarence Thomas, 78, Busted on Mystery Medical Visit SCOTUS Blog: Justices uphold state law allowing for late-arriving mail-in ballots The Hill: Supreme Court won't hear Trump's bid to overturn Carroll sexual abuse verdict  SCOTUS Blog: Supreme Court allows Trump to fire FTC commissioner and overturns major restraint on presidential power | SCOTUSblog SCRIPPS News: Eight cases await Supreme Court ruling as major opinion day arrives Monday The Guardian: ‘It's dangerous and it's going to erode trust': redesign of US government websites stokes surveillance fears | Trump administration WSJ: They Looked Like They Were Getting Rich on Polymarket—but None of It Was Real WSJ: Comcast Plans Company Split as Competition Escalates Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Trump's America 250 Great American State Fair opened on the National Mall in the rain, the power went out, the ferris wheel didn't work, there was no fair food, at least 10 states declined to send delegations, and Trump called it "packed to the brim" — the North Carolina booth displayed a Confederate flag overlay on a video loop before sponsors pulled out, which is on brand for an event whose main attractions were a Turning Point USA booth and a broken ferris wheel. Trump also unveiled a limited edition passport featuring his own face with the words "welcome, but be good!," announced plans to renovate a DC golf course starting September 1st, and personally inspected Lafayette Park to ensure it will have exactly 47 maple trees because he's the 47th president. The administration also announced the "Patriot Games" — aka the Hunger Games — a high school athletic competition on the National Mall in August where kids from each state compete for a $250,000 scholarship they split two ways, streaming on ESPN. The Iran war is back on: Trump announced strikes on Iranian targets after an attack on a commercial tanker, threatened to "militarily complete the job," Iran responded by asserting full control of the Strait, threatening to halt negotiations, and launching drone and missile attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait — while Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement requiring Israel to withdraw if Lebanon verifies Hezbollah has been fully dismantled, with the US committing $100 million in humanitarian aid. On the Russia beat, coup rumors against Putin got louder this weekend as Russia continues losing in Ukraine, Putin has dramatically increased his personal security, and former Russian defense minister Sergei Ivanov — once seen as Putin's potential successor — died at 73, with his death announced first by a basketball organization he was honorary president of, which is suspicious to say the least. In other news, a new CNN analysis found that Americans in Democratic congressional districts live longer, with nearly 70% of House Democrats representing districts where life expectancy exceeds the national average versus over 70% of Republicans representing districts where it falls below, alongside higher rates of diabetes, obesity, and uninsured residents in Republican districts. Mississippi passed a law creating a registry of undocumented immigrants to share with ICE, covering fewer than 30,000 people out of nearly 3 million state residents. And finally, a dangerous heat dome is forecast for the central and eastern US just in time for July 4th celebrations, so happy 250th America. Resources/Articles mentioned:  Newsweek: Map Shows States Skipping America 250 Fair News Observer: Confederate flag fuels fresh controversy over NC at national ‘State Fair' WaPo: Organizers remove Confederate flag image from N.C. booth at fair on the Mall Forbes: Trump's Patriot Games: What We Know About Nationally Televised Event NYT: White House Releases Images of the Trump ‘Patriot Passport' WaPo: Work on East Potomac Golf Links overhaul will begin Sept. 1, Trump says DW: How real is a coup threat against Russia's president? MSN: Putin faces internal strains as ally Ivanov dies at 73 Axios: U.S. launches fresh Iran strikes as Trump threatens to "complete the job" WaPo: Iran insists it has sole control of Hormuz, ignoring Trump's threats AP News: Iran attacks Bahrain and Kuwait following US strikes and threatens to halt talks MS Now: Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement after marathon talks AP News: A new law could create a list of immigrants illegally living in Mississippi. Advocates are alarmed CNN: Americans now live longer in Democratic-held House districts. Here's why NYT: A ‘Heat Dome' Could Bring Triple- Digit Temperatures to the Midwest and Eastern U.S.  Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Meta tried to silence former employee Sarah Wynn-Williams from promoting her tell-all Careless People for over a year through an arbitration agreement, she's now suing in federal court, and the book sold 130,000 copies anyway. On the Epstein files, Leon Black is testifying to Congress today about his $170 million payment to Epstein and his alleged use of Epstein as a hush money middleman, with "please call Leon Black" appearing over 300 times in the Epstein files, and a federal judge separately ruled the DOJ must unredact specific Epstein file pages by July 2nd — including FBI interviews with a woman who claimed Trump sexually assaulted her as a minor — or make a case in court for why they can't. On the war beat,  Bill Cassidy reversed his war powers vote essentially the day after his screaming match with Trump, Iran attacked another ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the chief negotiator announced that "management of the Strait will never return to the way it was before," and the White House formally requested $87 billion more from Congress for the war, because the previous billions went so well. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court dropped three 6-3 rulings that struck down Hawaii's gun law banning firearms in public spaces, ended TPS for Syrian and Haitian refugees who have been here over a decade and made it illegal for consumers to sue manufacturers over undisclosed product hazards, which is bad news for the MAHA crowd. A lower court judge blocked Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting and creating citizenship voter lists, calling it an attempt to "intimidate local election officials" that falls outside presidential authority. And finally, New York City's Rent Guidelines Board voted to freeze rent on approximately one million rent-stabilized apartments starting October 1st, which is Zohran Mamdani's second big win this week after sweeping the primaries, and landlords are already preparing to sue about it. Resources/Articles mentioned: WSJ: Meta Tried to Silence Her. Now She's Suing NBC News: Lawmakers expected to press billionaire Leon Black about Epstein ties The Hill: Judge orders DOJ to produce, unredact sought after Epstein files ABC News: In reversal, Senate votes to block war powers resolution, delivering Trump a win Axios: Federal judge blocks Trump's mail-in voting order The Hill: 5 takeaways from Supreme Court's big rulings on immigration, guns CNN: Supreme Court gives Trump major wins on two immigration cases Axios: Supreme Court blocks lawsuits over chemical risks WSJ: New York City Board Approves Mamdani's Rent Freeze Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: In a rare occurrence, we're starting with good news. The FDA approved a new drug called Trodelvy that reduces aggressive triple-negative breast cancer progression by 40% compared to chemo — affecting 48,000 Americans a year — science is awesome. Zohran Mamdani swept Tuesday's New York primaries, no he wasn't on the ballot but all three of his DSA-endorsed challengers defeated incumbent Democrats including Dan Goldman and Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair Adriano Espaillat, triggering a full Democratic Party freakout — Letitia James called out Mamdani on CNN, former DNC chair Jaime Harrison posted a barely-veiled "if you hate the party don't use its resources" thread, and Mamdani responded with a Jalen Brunson clip from the Knicks parade. In Trump shenanigans, Donald admitted at a Pennsylvania rally that he personally called the US attorney in California to "take a look" at the governor's primary results, claiming Steve Hilton started winning about an hour after the call, which is either a confession of election interference or the most casual admission of abuse of power we've heard yet. He then refused to sign the bipartisan housing bill his own White House negotiated unless Republicans first pass the SAVE Act to overhaul voting laws before the midterms, got into a screaming match with Bill Cassidy at a Senate lunch over the Iran war vote. As expected, Speaker Mike Johnson immediately announced he'd push the SAVE Act through budget reconciliation to appease him — which is not what budget reconciliation is for, but here we are. In other news, Pete Hegseth forced out highly respected four-star General Christopher Donohue, who headed the Army in Europe and Africa, with more "personnel changes" expected next week as Hegseth continues his speed run of replacing competent military commanders with pliant ones. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited the Oval Office, kissed Trump's ring, and had to sit there while Trump ranted for the fourth consecutive day about someone cutting the reflecting pool with a box cutter. And finally, Bending Spoons — the Italian tech company that owns Vimeo, WeTransfer, AOL, and Eventbrite — is planning a $19 billion US IPO. Resources/Articles mentioned: WSJ: New Drugs Are Replacing Chemo for Aggressive Breast Cancer NYT: Cait Conley Wins Primary to Face Mike Lawler in N.Y. Swing District NBC News: Trump endorses a second candidate in the South Carolina governor's race Axios: Socialist "earthquake" in NY leaves Democrats reeling: "Huge defeat" Politico: Trump says he asked US attorney for California election probe: ‘Do me a favor' AP News: Live updates: Trump speaks at National Mall rally for America 250 CNN: What's in the ‘SAVE America Act' and why is it so important to Donald Trump? MS Now: Inside Trump's closed-door clash with Senate Republicans The Hill: Speaker Johnson says he will push SAVE America Act through reconciliation 3.0 The Hill: Trump lays out new details on Reflecting Pool ‘vandals' WSJ: Hegseth Cuts Army Commander's Storied Career Short as Part of Broader Shake-Up Reuters: Vimeo owner Bending Spoons seeks $1.62 billion US IPO, sources say Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Anti-ICE protesters in Texas were sentenced to between 50 and 100 years in prison after a judge stacked consecutive sentences for each count — normally they'd run concurrently — in what was explicitly viewed as a test case for how courts will handle dissent against the Trump administration, and separately the DOJ indicted 15 Minnesota protesters for "violently opposing federal law enforcement" by trying to block ICE arrests, so the message is clear. The Washington Post dropped a blockbuster investigation revealing that Tulsi Gabbard's political career was effectively run by her cult leader guru Chris Butler, who emailed her directives from a special address telling her what policies to support, how to behave on television, and writing her tweets down to the word and exact time to post. Ukraine, meanwhile, is winning the intelligence war against Russia using an underground network of "vidmas" — female honey pots drawn from Ukrainian folklore — to locate Russian troops for drone strikes, and separately knocked out power to half of Russian-occupied Crimea.  On the Iran war beat, the Senate passed a war powers resolution to prevent further military action in Iran on its tenth attempt — ten! — with four Republicans joining Democrats, Fetterman voting for the war, and Mitch McConnell still missing. In a rare bipartisan effort, Congress also passed a housing bill banning private equity from buying more than 350 homes at once and relaxing local building regulations, which won't fix the housing crisis immediately but is technically something. In other news,  Foreign hackers from Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are infiltrating American homes through smart devices and cheap consumer gadgets like digital photo frames to steal data. Also, the Trump administration installed AI surveillance towers around the reflecting pool in the rain — which refilled the pool they had just drained — and put up chain link fences around the national monument, classy. Finally, SpaceX's stock is already down 45% from its all-time high less than two weeks after its IPO, and the company has already issued $25 billion in bonds despite just raising $75 billion, which is not a great sign. Resources/Articles mentioned: The Guardian: Texas anti-ICE protesters convicted of terrorism charges sentenced to at least 50 years in prison PBS News: Federal prosecutors charge 15 people with conspiracy to impede agents during Minnesota immigration crackdown The Atlantic: The Warrior-Witches of Ukraine's Resistance  Kyiv Post: Half of Crimea Left Without Power After Overnight Explosions WaPo: Tulsi Gabbard, her guru and the mysterious messages that shaped her political career AP News: Senate for first time approves a war powers resolution in a rebuke to Trump over Iran conflict Axios: Congress passes big housing bill with bipartisan support WSJ: How Hackers Found a Back Door Into the American Living Room Yahoo: Trump Launches AI Surveillance of Reflecting Pool as Disaster Grows Yahoo Finance: SpaceX stock tumbles 16.4%, shaving off most IPO gains since debut Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Mitch McConnell has been hospitalized for over a week with his office offering nothing beyond "he's still working closely with staff." Meanwhile, JD Vance called the Iran talks a "classic Trump deal" while the administration temporarily lifted oil sanctions letting Iran sell oil in US dollars for the first time since 2018 — when Trump blew up the original deal — with Iran saying they made "no new commitments," the Strait of Hormuz status depends entirely on who you ask, and Vance gets visibly snubbed by Iran's foreign minister during a photo op. Trump responded to New York Times war coverage by threatening to add their reporting to his $15 billion defamation lawsuit and calling them treasonous, which is bold from someone whose last Times lawsuit was thrown out within days. The administration is threatening to withhold a billion dollars in homeland security funding from states unless they overhaul their election laws — paper ballots, federal audits, administration-preferred voter databases, all at state expense — which is unconstitutional and headed straight for court, while a George W. Bush-appointed judge blocked DOJ subpoenas targeting Tim Walz and other Minnesota officials, finding "overwhelming" evidence they were issued purely to harass political opponents. Jeanine Pirro is threatening to prosecute anyone caught "vandalizing" the reflecting pool, at least five people have been federally cited for being near it, and Trump claimed someone made a 350-foot gash in a pool he simultaneously described as uncuttable. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigned — the country's seventh prime minister in ten years, right on Brexit's tenth anniversary — with Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as frontrunner to replace him, while researchers found Elon Musk played an "instrumental" role in inciting Belfast's anti-immigrant riots by generating over half of 115 million views driving the unrest, prompting England and Wales's attorney general to ban his office from using X. Finally, Tucker Carlson announced he's done with the Republican Party and won't support them in the midterms.  Resources/Articles mentioned: WAVE: Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell in the hospital, ‘still working closely with staff," says office WSJ: U.S. Allows Iran to Sell Oil in Dollars for First Time in Decades NYT: U.S. Eases Sanctions on Iranian Oil, but Progress on Nuclear Issues Is Muddy  The Daily Beast: Grimacing Vance Snubbed by Diplomats at Iran Peace Summit Yahoo News: Trump calls New York Times story "treasonous," vows to add to lawsuit CNN: Exclusive: Trump administration plans to use homeland security funds to pressure states into election changes Axios: Judge blocks Trump subpoenas targeting Walz, other Minnesota Democrats Yahoo: Jeanine Pirro vows to prosecute anyone ‘vandalizing' Reflecting Pool BBC: Andy Burnham sworn in as MP after Keir Starmer announces resignation PBS News: How UK's Keir Starmer went from election landslide to downfall  NYT: In the U.K., a Violent Cycle: Hateful Attacks, Right-Wing Agitation and Riots LeMonde: Elon Musk's role was 'instrumental' in the Belfast riots, researchers say The Guardian: Attorney general tells department to stop using X amid UK disinformation concerns Axios: "I'm out": Tucker Carlson says he's done with the GOP Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Oh boy, what a weekend! Trump deployed the National Guard to the reflecting pool, where they arrested a 67-year-old former Olympic cyclist who stopped during a bike ride and touched the water to feel the liner — charging him with destruction of government property. Trump posted that "multiple individuals" were arrested for vandalism and threatened "years in jail." The algae situation is now worse than ever, and we now know that the no-bid contract was awarded to a company owned by a Trump donor and Mar-a-Lago member named John Cafaro whose firm Greenwater Services was clearly not equipped for the job. Trump also got into a feud with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after claiming she "begged" him for a photo at the G7, which Italy responded to by canceling a planned state visit and Meloni posting a video saying "Italy and I do not beg," and Trump doubled down anyway. He also posted a photo of a random woman captioned "great daughter, my honor!!" who turned out to be a Clinton-era businesswoman whose actual daughter is the chairwoman of the Manhattan Republican Party. On the war beat, less than a day after signing the memorandum of understanding, US intelligence warned Trump that Netanyahu would likely undermine the deal — which he immediately did by continuing strikes in Lebanon, prompting Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz again. JD Vance made it to Switzerland for negotiations on Sunday with Tweedles Dee & Dum (Kushner & Witkoff), and Trump promptly torpedoed the meeting by posting threats of "harder strikes" against Iran while it was actively happening, causing Iran to walk out and demand an apology. As of Sunday night talks were back on, and Trump announced that if everything falls apart he's blaming JD Vance. The Pentagon also told Congress it needs $80 billion to cover the cost of the Iran war and replenish depleted ammunition supplies, Republicans need 60 Senate votes to pass it, and it's not looking great. Meanwhile, the Qatar-gifted $400 million plane has completed modifications and is ready to join Trump's Air Force One rotation, and the DOJ refused in a court filing to put in writing that they won't create the Traitor Fund, calling a written promise "unnecessary" because they already said so verbally, which is exactly what someone planning to do it anyway would say. Resources/Articles mentioned: Newsweek: Cyclist Arrested at Reflecting Pool Speaks Out as National Guard Deployed NYT: Firm Tied to Trump Donor Got No-Bid Contract to Clean Reflecting Pool NPR: Trump claims vandals damaged D.C. Reflecting Pool, and says it will be drained again  AP News: Trump deepens the dustup with Italy's Meloni, who says his 'unprovoked attacks are senseless' Newsweek: Trump Late-Night Post Sparks Scramble to ID Mystery Woman in Photo WaPo: White House says goodbye to an Air Force One as it prepares for Qatar jet The Independent: Trump's DOJ refuses to supply signed statements saying ‘slush fund' is really dead WaPo: U.S. intelligence warns Israel is likely to undermine Iran peace deal, officials say The Guardian: Iran says it is closing strait of Hormuz over Israeli strikes in Lebanon  AP News: US-Iran negotiations expected through the night after Trump shakes talks with threats WSJ: Pentagon Tells Lawmakers It Needs $80 Billion for Iran War and Other Bills Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: The Obama Presidential Center officially opened on the South Side of Chicago yesterday — a 19-acre campus with a museum, library, gardens, and a sledding hill — on Juneteenth, the same day Trump signed a worse version of Obama's Iran deal at Versailles, which is the kind of historic irony that writes itself. The Knicks held their ticker tape parade in downtown Manhattan to celebrate their first NBA championship in 53 years, Zohran Mamdani gave them the keys to the city, and Knicks owner James Dolan used his remarks to shade the mayor without naming him. JD Vance spent yesterday claiming Trump would rank at the top of an IQ test against all 45 previous presidents and telling Israel to "wake up and smell the reality" that Trump is their only ally left in the world, which is both a threat and an accurate description of what Trump's Iran deal accomplished. Ukraine hit a major Moscow oil refinery for the second time this week in one of its largest drone attacks of the war, with Zelensky saying the goal is to bring Putin back to the negotiating table and announcing G7 leaders — including the US — reached "unprecedented agreement" on additional air defense support for Ukraine. On the immigration beat, a Reuters analysis found that the death rate in ICE detention centers has more than doubled under Trump, from one death per 3,848 detainees historically to one per 1,630 since January, with 50 people dying from suicides, cardiovascular events, and untreated chronic conditions. The Trump administration quietly redirected $350 million from Secret Service training and recruitment funds to the White House ballroom-bunker, bringing its total projected cost to $600 million with taxpayers footing more than half — despite Trump's promise that he and donors would cover it entirely. And the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, less than a week after its $14 million renovation, now has the worst algae levels in five years, and the hydrogen peroxide treatment meant to fix it caused the new paint to start peeling off in sheets. Resources/Articles mentioned: NYT: Barack Obama Presidential Center Opens in Chicago The Hollywood Reporter: Spike Lee, Timothée Chalamet and All the Stars Spotted at the New York Knicks Ticker-Tape Parade NY Post: Knicks owner Dolan throws shade on Mamdani after mayor's longwinded speech: ‘I don't need your vote'  Axios: Vance warns Israel: Don't fight "only ally" Trump on Iran deal AP News: Ukrainian drones set a Moscow refinery ablaze in a major attack on the Russian capital Reuters: Death rate in ICE immigrant detention centers more than doubles under Trump, Reuters analysis finds  WaPo: Millions in Secret Service funds redirected amid ballroom construction WaPo: Reflecting Pool algae bloom is one of biggest recorded in years after $14M renovation Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Trump signed the Iran peace deal remotely in a hastily arranged gaggle — not the formal Swiss ceremony originally planned — after the two-page memorandum was leaked ahead of signing, forcing him to spend his G7 time defending a deal he'd spent two days trying to keep secret. The terms are as follows:  immediate ceasefire on all fronts including Lebanon, the US ends its naval blockade and Iran opens the Strait within 30 days, the US and allies finance at least $300 billion in Iranian reconstruction, sanctions end, and Iran pinky promises no nuclear weapons with the rest of the nuclear questions to be negotiated later. Trump's own base and Netanyahu both hated it, largely because it's worse than the JCPOA Obama negotiated — which Trump spent years calling the worst deal in history. Israel continued launching strikes on Lebanon right up until the deal was signed, because of course it did. On the election beat, Trump's Senate picks won in Georgia, Oklahoma, and Alabama, but his Georgia governor pick lost to a healthcare executive who spent $200 million of his own money, and an election denier lost the Georgia secretary of state race, which is the best news of the week. Georgia Republicans also quietly admitted they don't have enough time to redistrict before the midterms, so that particular voter suppression project is on hold until at least 2028. The Trump administration announced it's dismantling the Department of Education by moving special education oversight to HHS and civil rights enforcement to the DOJ, because nothing says "we care about disabled kids" like putting their education under the same department currently being run by a guy who thinks vaccines cause autism. And finally, Sean Penn wrote and is directing a January 6th movie with Bradley Cooper reportedly in talks to play a cop caught up in the insurrection, interesting. Resources/Articles mentioned: WSJ: Apple to Raise Prices Due to Memory Chip Crunch, Tim Cook Says X:  Antifa_Ultras  WaPo: After draping White House in gold, Trump heads to ‘the real deal': Versailles NYT: Vance Is Pressed on Epstein, Race and His Boss on ‘The View' The Independent: Trump's 14 point Iran deal leaked as president threatens to drop bombs again if Tehran doesn't ‘behave' NBC News: Israel cut out of Iran deal as Trump keeps deriding Netanyahu in public NBC News: Georgia Republicans backtrack on redistricting plans NYT: Takeaways From the Runoff and Primary Elections in Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma WaPo: Education Dept. plans to move special ed and civil rights out of the agency Sean Penn To Direct Timely Movie Next, Re-Teaming With Warner Bros On Story Of January 6th Cop With Bradley Cooper In Talks To Star Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Kash Patel allegedly authorized a taxpayer-funded slush fund to pay loyal FBI agents roughly $40,000 each — over a million dollars total — which Democratic congressman Jamie Raskin described as either corrupt cash payments to friends or hush money for agents who witnessed his drinking, and separately, Patel blew the cover of a sealed ongoing investigation by tweeting that the FBI foiled a plot to attack the UFC fight before anyone was supposed to know about it, which the Secret Service was furious about. The plot itself involved five American citizens arrested across four states who planned a drone and gun attack on the White House cage match, motivated by hatred of "capitalist elites" and AIPAC donors. On the corruption beat, Trump's family crypto firm World Liberty Financial is reportedly about to receive a federal banking charter, creating a perfectly smooth legal route for anyone who wants to pay the president directly. Meanwhile, a study from Mike Pence's own think tank found that Trump's tariffs eliminated a million jobs and that 90% of the $265 billion in tariff revenue was paid by American importers rather than foreign countries, which is exactly what economists said would happen. At the G7 in France, Trump still won't reveal the actual terms of the Iran agreement, announced the US would pull some troops out of Europe after European leaders condemned the Iran war, and displayed some concerning physical symptoms that everyone was too polite to mention. A Russian warship fired five warning shots at a British yacht carrying two retirees in the English Channel, which Russia called an "isolated incident" and blamed on the yacht dangerously approaching a warship — a yacht. Secret White House memos revealed by the Haberman/Swan book show the administration seriously debated suspending habeas corpus and invoking the Insurrection Act, with Stephen Miller pushing hard for both until a staff secretary talked him down, which means we came closer to martial law than anyone announced. And the newly renovated $14 million reflecting pool, already covered in algae, is now being treated with hydrogen peroxide poured in gallon by gallon.  Resources/Articles mentioned: MS Now: Kash Patel may have a 'personal slush fund' of taxpayer dollars to pay loyalist agents, says Raskin The Independent: Secret Service enraged at FBI Director Kash Patel after premature announcement about UFC event terror plot: report NBC News: FBI arrests 5 in alleged plot to attack White House UFC event with explosives-laden drones and guns NOTUS: Trump's Family Crypto Firm Is Expected to Get Federal Banking Privileges Fox News: Trump bet tariffs would bring back American factory jobs. New report says it didn't work NYT: Frustrated by Courts, Trump Weighed Suspending a Constitutional Right NYT: After a Bitter Split, European Leaders Play Nice With Trump BBC: Russian warship fires warning shots near UK-registered yacht in Channel The Hill: Workers dump hydrogen peroxide into reflecting pool to fight algae Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Trump attended the G7 in France while touting his Iran deal as a global security breakthrough, despite refusing to release the actual terms — which Iranian state media helpfully shared anyway: Iran gets $24 billion in unfrozen funds plus a $300 billion reconstruction fund, the Strait reopens in 30 days under Iranian arrangements, and the US commits to full withdrawal and non-interference, which Netanyahu is reportedly furious about across every dimension. The deal is technically a nonbinding "memorandum of understanding," not an actual agreement, and the real terms won't be released until it's signed in Switzerland on Friday, so we're essentially taking Iran's word for it. Markets didn't care — stocks shot up and oil fell — which is the most functional thing to happen all week. The Kennedy Center, now controlled by Trump's handpicked loyalists, announced a new endowment in Trump's name to honor his "significant contributions," which is one way to get around a court order removing it from the facade. In revenge lawsuits news, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the DOJ is investigating him, his wife, family, and former staff, calling it political retaliation for considering a 2028 presidential run — and separately, DOJ antitrust lawyers who spent months scrutinizing Paramount's Warner Brothers acquisition and were leaning toward challenging it were blindsided when senior DOJ leadership suddenly closed the investigation and approved the merger on Friday. Anthropic disabled its new Mythos and Claude Fable 5 models less than a week after release, following a Trump administration order citing national security concerns and a claimed jailbreak vulnerability — this comes after the Defense Department designated Anthropic a supply chain risk after the company refused to let the government use its AI for mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. The UK banned children under 16 from all social media platforms effective spring 2027, though Australia enacted a similar ban seven months ago and found 70% of kids under 16 just used VPNs to get around it, so. Finally, Mitch McConnell was hospitalized again on Sunday, is apparently doing better, and remains the only missing congressman anyone notices. Resources/Articles mentioned: The Hill: Kennedy Center establishing new endowment in Trump's name AP News: Trump heads to G7 summit with wind at his back after announcing agreement aimed at ending Iran war NBC: Trump and Iran reach tentative deal to end war, reopen Hormuz WSJ: Israel Is Alarmed by Trump's Deal With Iran AP News: Stocks leap worldwide, and oil prices drop after the US and Iran reach a tentative deal on their war Axios: California Gov. Newsom says he's under investigation by the Justice Department WSJ: Justice Department Decision to Allow Paramount Deal Surprised Staff Investigators WIRED: Anthropic Says It's Taking Claude Fable 5 Offline to Comply With US Government Order WIRED: The UK Places a Sweeping Ban on Social Media for Kids Under 16 WDRB: Sen. Rand Paul says Mitch McConnell is ‘doing better' in the hospital Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Trump's 80th birthday UFC fight at the White House went ahead as planned, sponsored by Meta, Polymarket, Bud Light, and Monster Energy, with fighters' bonuses paid in Trump crypto instead of actual dollars, weigh-ins at the Lincoln Memorial, and a crowd of million-dollar VIP ticket holders plus military members pre-screened for waist-to-height ratio — just as the Founders intended. The $14 million reflecting pool renovation, completed mere days ago, is already growing green algae because the color choice is algae growth friendly, which is a perfect metaphor. The Kennedy Center name removal deadline came and went with maximum drama — the Trump administration filed last-minute court motions to stop it, millions watched a live stream of construction workers put up a giant tarp, though the tarp remains up for unclear reasons. On the war beat, The US and Iran reportedly agreed on a peace deal, with a formal signing scheduled for Friday in Switzerland — terms not fully disclosed because the administration was busy with the birthday cage match — but the Navy blockade will end and the Strait of Hormuz will open toll-free when signed, kicking off 60 days of nuclear negotiations. The deal was briefly delayed by Israel launching strikes on Beirut, prompting Trump to tell Axios "Why did Bibi have to do a f---ing attack? I was so pissed off. He has no f---ing judgement" — which is a remarkable thing to say about your closest ally on your birthday. On the erosion of free press, the DOJ approved Paramount's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Brothers Discovery, with Bari Weiss reportedly set to oversee CNN as well as CBS News after the deal closes, because apparently the documented viewership collapse at CBS wasn't enough of a red flag. And finally, Argentina's Javier Milei submitted legislation to create a legal category for "non-human corporations" — essentially corporate personhood for AI systems — as part of his plan to make Argentina the Silicon Valley of unregulated AI, which Peter Thiel is presumably thrilled about. Resources/Articles mentioned:  NBC News: No heavyweights allowed: Troops must meet fitness criteria to attend White House UFC event The Guardian: UFC to pay White House fighters in crypto issued by Trump company TikTok: MAYBE WE'LL NEVER EVER TAKE IT DOWN | eiffel tower Yahoo: A tarp now covers where Trump's name used to hang at the Kennedy Center The Independent: Algae in the Reflecting Pool started growing just days after Trump's $14M renovation: report Axios: Scoop: Trump aides fear Haberman and Swan obtained Situation Room tapes for "Regime Change" USA Today: CBS won't air UFC White House event, viewers will need Paramount+ to watch The Guardian: Gee, whiz: elephant relieves itself on floor of Texas Republican convention  WSJ: U.S. and Iran Say They Have Reached a Deal to Stop Fighting NY Post: CBS News boss Bari Weiss poised to oversee CNN editorial operations: report Axios: Scoop: Paramount seeks business counterpart for Bari Weiss at CBS News Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: SpaceX went public today raising $75 billion at a $1.77 trillion valuation, making Elon Musk humanity's first trillionaire. Moving on, Trump spent Thursday morning threatening to seize Iran's main oil hub Kharg Island, then hours later cancelled strikes because Iran "approved a draft agreement" to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and begin 60 days of nuclear negotiations — except Iran's own state media reported no agreement had been approved and that "the Americans kept changing their positions," though the stock market had its best day in two months anyway because the concept of a deal is apparently enough for Wall Street. In voter suppression news, the USPS quietly changed its rules to require states to hand over voter lists for anyone requesting mail-in ballots, with 23 states suing to stop it and the first judge already declining to block it, because of course they did. Trump dropped Bill Pulte as acting DNI after even Republicans said no, replacing him with Jay Clayton — Manhattan US Attorney, former SEC chair, and someone with no intelligence experience but a strong track record of loyalty to Trump. The DOJ is subpoenaing JP Morgan, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo to investigate alleged "debanking" of conservatives, with the primary evidence being that Trump lost his bank accounts after January 6th, and a DOJ staffer working on Traitor Fund legislation quietly asked to recuse himself because he was planning to file a claim from the same fund he's helping write. In Trump shenanigans news, his birthday UFC cage fight is set up on the White House lawn — with rain in the forecast — and workers will operate 20 hours a day year-round to build his gold arch in DC by the end of his term. And finally, Vance Boelter, the Minnesota man who posed as a police officer and murdered the Democratic speaker of Minnesota's state house, her husband, and their dog, pleaded guilty and received two consecutive life sentences plus 40 years. Resources/Articles mentioned: WSJ: SpaceX Officially Raises $75 Billion in Record-Breaking IPO Axios: Why Kharg Island is central to Trump's escalating Iran threats Axios:Trump cancels Iran strikes as mediators claim deal close AP News: US stocks jump, and oil prices ease on hopes for a deal to get crude flowing globally again CNN: Postal Service won't deliver mail ballots for states that don't hand over voter lists, under plan for Trump directive  Axios: Trump picks Jay Clayton for Director of National Intelligence Lever News: The Epstein Prosecutor With A Portfolio Problem WSJ: Jeanine Pirro's Prosecutors Probe Big Banks for Alleged ‘Debanking' Politico: Top DOJ official planned to make a claim with Trump's ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund' AP News: Man pleads guilty to killing a top Minnesota Democrat and her husband while posing as an officer AP News: Lights! Camera! Cage match! The White House lawn's Octagon is ready for Trump's 80th birthday bash AP News: Administration plans intensive, year-round construction schedule for Trump's triumphal arch Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Bill Gates testified before the House Oversight Committee that Epstein tried to blackmail him after he tried to distance himself, saying he never went to the island or witnessed criminal conduct — the standard answer at this point — while a New York Times excerpt from an upcoming Haberman/Swan book revealed the White House Situation Room freakout over the Epstein files last July, with JD Vance emerging as a conspiracy theorist who wanted full file release and suggested Tucker Carlson interview Ghislaine Maxwell to clear Trump, while the administration quietly panicked over a specific sex allegation about Trump. On the war beat, the US launched strikes for the second consecutive night, Pete Hegseth announced they would "negotiate with bombs," Iran responded by attacking Bahrain and Kuwait and closing the Strait of Hormuz with a shoot-on-sight policy for any ship attempting to pass — the Dow fell nearly 1,000 points, the Nasdaq closed down 2%, inflation came in at 4.2% the worst in three years driven by energy prices, and Trump said "I love the inflation," which he said out loud. New reporting found at least 500 babies and toddlers in ICE custody during Trump's second term, averaging 25 per day and ten times higher than under Biden. The EU warned Albania that the Kushner Sazan Island resort could jeopardize their EU membership bid, as tens of thousands of Albanians enter their tenth day of protests. The White House launched an official "Media Offenders" page categorizing journalists under headers like "Left-Wing Lunacy" and "Malpractice." And finally, Nancy Mace abandoned her congressional seat to run for South Carolina governor, finished fifth in the primary, and announced she's "headed back to the private sector as the founders intended." Resources/Articles mentioned: NYT: Bill Gates Says Epstein Tried to Use His Extramarital Affairs Against Him NYT: Inside Trump's White House, the Epstein Files Caused a Freako NYT: Live Updates: U.S. Strikes Iran Again After Trump Says Talks Are Taking Too Long Reuters: Iran announces closure of Strait of Hormuz after US attacks WSJ: Stock Market Today: Dow, Nasdaq Open Lower; Inflation Rises to 4.2% — Live Updates CNBC: CPI inflation report May 2026: Prices rose 4.2% annually MS Now: Jacob Soboroff: ICE detained over 500 babies and toddlers under Trump The Independent: Trump administration says Somali referee denied US entry over links to ‘terror organisation' suspects Noise 11: Trump White House ‘Media Offenders' List Sparks New Press Freedom Debate In America Euronews: ‘Act without delay': Brussels warns Albania over Trump-linked resort project The Hill: Mace ‘headed back to private sector' after congressional term ends Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Iran shot down a US Army helicopter yesterday, the US responded with strikes on Iranian air defense systems, both crew members are stable, and stock futures dropped immediately — so the ceasefire is going great. Meanwhile, the World Cup starts tomorrow and the Trump administration is already making it a disaster: the best male referee in Africa was denied entry despite a valid visa, the Iraqi team's vice captain was detained for seven hours at O'Hare, the team photographer was turned away entirely, and Trump is preemptively blaming Europe for any Ebola outbreaks despite zero confirmed cases there. Meanwhile, the House voted to give ICE and Border Patrol $70 billion more for immigration enforcement — $38 billion to ICE, $26 billion to Border Patrol, and a breezy $5 billion for "unforeseen costs." Anthropic's cofounder published a blog post asking leading AI labs to consider pausing frontier AI development, comparing it to nuclear nonproliferation — the response was a collective "no," with some calling it self-serving given everyone's upcoming IPOs — and this comes as Anthropic is reportedly preparing to release Claude Fable 5, a model it deemed too dangerous for public release just six months ago. Epstein assistant Lesley Groff testified before the House Oversight Committee claiming she "never saw anything improper" after two decades of keeping Epstein's entire schedule, which the committee found highly inconsistent. Tom Steyer conceded the California governor's race, Trump kept pushing election fraud conspiracies about California to the point that a congressman reported a friend canceling their voter registration over Spencer Pratt, and Ken Paxton's own former impeachment attorney endorsed Democrat James Talarico in the Texas Senate race, saying Paxton is too focused on appeasing Trump to be a good senator. And finally, NASA announced the Artemis III crew of four astronauts who will orbit Earth practicing lunar lander docking in preparation for a 2028 moon landing — assuming Blue Origin delivers its lander on time, which is uncertain after one of its rockets exploded during a test. Resources/Articles mentioned: AP News: US and Iran launch airstrikes after Trump blamed Tehran for downing Army helicopter CNBC: Stock futures slip after U.S. launches ‘self-defense strikes' against Iran: Live updates NYT: U.S. Denies Entry to World Cup Referee From Somalia NYT: Iraq World Cup star Aymen Hussein questioned for ‘seven hours' by U.S. immigration officials Axios: Scoop: Trump admin pre-blames Europe for any World Cup Ebola AP News: House passes $70B bill to fund immigration enforcement for 3 years, sending to Trump MS Now: Longtime Epstein assistant denies knowledge of his crimes to House Oversight Committee Business Insider: What smart people are saying about Anthropic suggesting a global AI pause WSJ: Anthropic Releases Fable 5, a ‘Mythos-Class' AI Model With Guardrails WaPo: Maine Senate primary election live results: Graham Platner runs X: X | Ro Kanna  AP News: Ken Paxton's attorney in his impeachment trial endorses James Talarico in US Senate race AP News: NASA unveils Artemis III astronauts to test technology for a future moon landing Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Trump attended the Knicks game last night, shutting down a 10-block radius around Madison Square Garden to sit with owner James Dolan and the usual suspects of administration figures — all of whom got to watch their boss get booed louder than the Spurs during the National Anthem. Trump spent the next morning posting at 5am that Israel and Iran must stop "shooting", which neither country is taking seriously given that strikes continued yesterday despite him reportedly calling Netanyahu directly to ask him to stop — again. Meanwhile, Spencer Pratt officially lost the LA mayoral race to progressive Nithya Raman, who will face Karen Bass in November, and Trump responded by claiming without evidence that "two republicans are being cheated" in California, using the state's slow vote-counting as cover to pre-seed election fraud claims — a preview of his midterm strategy. In other news, five cases of flesh-eating New World screwworm have now been confirmed across Texas and New Mexico, with the USDA building a $750 million sterile fly factory in Texas to combat it, while RFK Jr. — according to multiple colleagues — has shown "little interest in managing the details of his department" and is instead hunting for evidence that vaccines are harmful, receiving almost no Ebola briefings, and leaving nearly half of NIH's 27 institutes without permanent directors. The Pentagon accidentally deleted Mormons from its approved religion list, added them back after Senator Mike Lee lost his mind, then failed to classify them as Christians — a three-step own goal that somehow happened in one week. And OpenAI filed its IPO paperwork with the SEC, becoming the third trillion-dollar AI company to go public after Anthropic and SpaceX, in what was described in an unsigned blog post as something they're announcing only because "we expect it to leak" — which is a strange way to announce a trillion-dollar IPO. Resources/Articles mentioned: Axios: Trump visit locks down midtown Manhattan, scrambling Knicks game NYT: President Trump roundly booed by New York crowd at NBA Finals Game 3 at MSG WTOP: Epstein files reading room to open in DC Axios: Trump calls on Israel and Iran to "immediately stop shooting" as ceasefire frays NBC LA: Nithya Raman overtakes Spencer Pratt for 2nd place in LA mayoral race, results show NYT: Trump Previews Fall Strategy With Baseless Claims of California Vote Fraud AP News: A flesh-eating cattle parasite spreads beyond Texas as new screwworm cases are found NYT: RFK Jr. Appears Disengaged on Many Health Department Matters Beyond Vaccines WaPo: After Mormon lawmakers object, Pentagon revises Christian religious categories Wired: OpenAI Confidentially Files for IPO on the Heels of SpaceX and Anthropic Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Trump's Meet the Press interview derailed when Kristen Welker told him to his face that he lost in 2020, but not before he confirmed on the record that he wants January 6th defendants who assaulted police officers compensated, called them victims of "dirty cops," denied ever promising no new wars, and compared Iran favorably to Vietnam. Coincidentally, a Vietnam veteran filed a lawsuit over the UFC fight night at the White House, arguing it wasn't authorized by Congress and benefits Trump directly since he bought UFC parent company stock while promoting the event, with the Lincoln Memorial scheduled to host fighter weigh-ins, which is a sentence that exists. Trump will also be at the Knicks game inconveniencing everyone with TSA screening and canceled watch parties. On the war beat, Iran fired missiles at Israel for the first time since the April ceasefire, Israel bombed Beirut, oil spiked 3.6%, and Trump responded by calling Fox News to criticize Israel and telling Axios he was phoning Netanyahu because "each of them had their fun" — not the standard framework for analyzing a missile exchange. The May jobs report came in better than expected with 172,000 payrolls added, but markets dipped anyway, prompting Trump to post that "stocks should go up not down, that's the way it was for 200 years," which is not how markets work. And finally, a former Social Security Administration executive blew the whistle on a DOGE-backed plan to mark 2.7 million living people — citizens, permanent residents, teenagers, senior citizens — as dead in federal databases to make life impossible for immigrants and funnel them into Social Security offices where they could be arrested, which didn't go through, though last year officials did successfully file 6,000 people into the Death Master File, some of whom had to physically show up to prove they were alive. Resources/Articles mentioned: NBC News: Read the transcript: President Donald Trump interviewed by NBC News' ‘Meet the Press' moderator Kristen Welker NYT: Trump Defends Compensation Fund and Iran War in ‘Meet the Press' Interview NYT: Lawsuit Aims to Stop U.F.C. Fights at White House on Trump's Birthday AP News: No bags, no watch parties at Madison Square Garden with Trump attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals NYT: Live Updates: Iran Fires Missiles at Israel for First Time Since April Cease-Fire NYT: Israel Bombs Beirut Outskirts as Fighting With Hezbollah Escalates Axios: Trump tells Axios he will ask Netanyahu not to strike back at Iran Bloomberg: Oil Jumps As Israel retaliates Against Iran After Missile Attacks CNBC: Jobs report May 2026 Fortune: Trump stunned as stocks fall on great jobs report. Barclays explains why ‘we are entering the warning zone' WaPo: Whistleblower claims DOGE planned to mark 2.7 million people dead Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: The fate of the Traitor Fund remains unknown — Blanche said they're dropping it but won't put it in writing, Trump said he loves it but "ask the lawyers," Senate Democrats tried to force a vote to block it and Republicans voted against the block anyway, and January 6th defendants are already filing claims — while what is confirmed is that Trump is still getting permanent IRS audit immunity for himself and his family regardless. Meanwhile, Trump is officially nominating Todd Blanche — his personal criminal defense attorney — as permanent Attorney General, while Bill Pulte, the family friend with no intelligence experience named as acting DNI, is already being phased out with Trump hinting he'll be tasked with investigating whether past elections were rigged. In slightly more satisfying news, Trump's name is officially coming off the Kennedy Center less than a week after a judge ordered it — off the facade, out of email signatures, and off employee ID cards. In other news, John Bolton pleaded guilty to illegally retaining classified national security documents after Iranian hackers breached his email, agreeing to pay over $2 million with up to 60 months in prison — less revenge prosecution, more bad judgment. And now that Congress is back to work, the House passed a measure cutting food aid for over 5 million pregnant women and children, great. In war updates, Israel and Lebanon announced a ceasefire that Hezbollah immediately rejected because it would ban their operatives from parts of their own country with no maps or implementation details. And finally, a flesh-eating New World screwworm — not seen in US livestock for 60 years — was found in a Texas calf, with quarantines now in place, which is bad timing for beef prices already at record highs. Resources/Articles mentioned:  NYT: Trump Administration Live Updates: Republicans Defeat First Attempt to Block President's $1.8 Billion Payout Fund  WaPo: House bill rolls back food aid for pregnant women, children Politico: Trump expected to nominate Todd Blanche to be attorney general AP News: Trump says Pulte won't be his nominee for director of national intelligence WaPo: Kennedy Center orders staff to begin removing Trump's name after ruling CNN: Exclusive: John Bolton reaches plea deal over mishandling of sensitive national security information BBC: Hezbollah rejects US-backed Israel-Lebanon ceasefire Axios:New World screwworm confirmed in Texas, stoking fresh cattle fears Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: California and Iowa held their primaries Tuesday — Becerra and Hilton are leading California's governor's race with Steyer's money in a distant third, Karen Bass is holding first in LA's mayoral race with Spencer Pratt in second, and several Beverly Hills residents showed up to vote for Pratt only to discover they don't live in Los Angeles, perfect. Missing New Jersey congressman Tom Kean Jr. — absent for three months — won his uncontested primary anyway, with Trump endorsing him and calling him "tireless," while Kean remains well enough to execute stock trades but not apparently to show up to work. The House passed a War Powers Resolution requiring Trump to withdraw from Iran unless Congress authorizes the war — four Republicans defecting. Iranian drones struck Kuwait's main airport yesterday killing at least one person, and Trump defined the current ceasefire as "when you're shooting in a more moderate manner." The Kushner Albania situation escalated to over 100,000 protesters, a government corruption investigation, and frozen bank accounts tied to the land company behind their resort, over how ecologically protected land was quietly reclassified to clear the way for their development. George Santos is under investigation by the DOJ and CFTC for betting against his own State of the Union attendance on Kalshi after publicly tweeting he'd be there to inflate the odds — which is the most on-brand insider trading imaginable. And finally, DOGE whistleblower Daniel Berulis filed a defamation lawsuit against Elon Musk, revealing that less than a week after his whistleblower report was published, someone cut the brakes on his car, removed the airbag sensor, and left fingerprints inside — with the only entities that had his address on record being his utilities and the Office of Personnel Management, which DOGE had already taken over. Resources/Articles mentioned: The Guardian: Trump-backed candidate loses in Iowa governor's race as Democrats look to flip Senate seat NYT: Election Live Updates: Races Are Close in California With Many Votes Still to Count NYT: A Congressman Was Suddenly Absent. So We Looked. And Looked Politico: New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean Jr. says he's 'energized' but appears to push back timeline for return The Independent: Where's Trump? President resurfaces after a week with no public events amid health questions and tumbling polls NYT: House Passes Iran War Powers Resolution AP News: Kuwait says Iranian drones hit airport and killed 1 as ceasefire is tested again WSJ: Trump Tells Aides He Won't Resume All-Out War With Iran Unless U.S. Troops Are Killed MSN: Albania freezes assets in Kushner resort corruption probe Wired: He Blew the Whistle on DOGE. Then His Brakes Were Cut Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: The Department of Agriculture is dealing with a bedbug infestation in the offices of the agency responsible for containing invasive pests. Yes, you read that right. Todd Blanche confirmed to Congress — not under oath, refusing to put it in writing — that the DOJ is dropping the Traitor Fund, while clarifying that the part protecting Trump and his family from IRS audits remains in effect, which was clearly the point all along, and a federal judge revived Trump's IRS lawsuit to investigate whether the whole arrangement was "premised on deception." The Trump administration hired a convicted January 6th rioter — 19 when he stormed the Capitol — to work in the Defense Department's irregular warfare and counterterrorism section, one of the most sensitive portfolios in the government, and named Bill Pulte — a family friend with zero government experience whose father is in the Epstein files — as acting director of national intelligence, using "acting" specifically to skip Senate confirmation. New Jersey's attorney general sued GEO Group, the private contractor operating Delaney Hall detention center, over inhumane conditions and demanding health inspections — GEO holds a $1 billion ICE contract. The Kushner family is planning a $1.4 billion luxury hotel complex off the Albanian coast, which the prime minister loves and locals are actively protesting. And finally, Democratic congressman Jimmy Gomez — chairman of Congress's "Dad Caucus" — admitted to cheating on his wife after the New York Post outed him, he denied it, and CNN reported the House Ethics Committee is already investigating him for sexual misconduct, completing a full humiliation arc in under 48 hours. Resources/Articles mentioned: Not Us: The Federal Government's Insect-Defense Agency Is Infested With Bed Bugs NBC News: Todd Blanche says DOJ ‘not moving forward' with ‘anti-weaponization' fund NYT: Order Shielding Trump Family From I.R.S. Audits Will Remain, Blanche Says WaPo: Pentagon hires convicted Jan. 6 rioter for sensitive counterterrorism job The Guardian: ‘Americans will be less safe': alarm as Trump picks loyalist as intelligence chief | Trump administration The Guardian: New Jersey sues Geo Group, private operator of Delaney Hall ICE facility NYT: Protests Grow in Albania Over Kushner-Linked Project CNN: Exclusive: House Ethics Committee investigating Rep. Jimmy Gomez over sexual misconduct allegations, sources say Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices