Morning Announcements

Today's Headlines: The EU is floating the idea of Canada becoming its first-ever associate member in response to Trump's trade war — which would be a historic geopolitical realignment — and separately proposed banning children under 13 from social media entirely across member states, with 13-15 year olds getting supervised mini accounts with one hour daily limits, Europe is actually doing the things we keep talking about doing. Back in the states, the Fed raised interest rates by a quarter point for the first time since 2023. As usual, markets fell, and Trump responded by demanding rates drop to 1% or less because "our country is booming," which is one way to describe $6 diesel and a $38 billion war. Congress had an unusually productive day: the House passed expanded Russia sanctions, voted to hold Leon Black in contempt for suing the committee that subpoenaed him rather than testifying about his Epstein ties, and the Senate blocked the crypto industry's self-written Clarity Act 50-49 — six votes short of passing — given the president's own ability to profit from crypto made it a tough sell even for some Republicans. Mitch McConnell returned for day two and nearly voted the wrong way on the farm bill before aides redirected him, which is either reassuring or alarming depending on how you look at it, but the bill passed and that's something. And Trump campaigned in North Carolina for Republican senate candidate Michael Whatley and told the crowd he would withhold FEMA disaster funding if Whatley loses, which is textbook extortion. Resources/Articles mentioned: Axios: EU chief floats associate membership for Canada after U.S. trade attacks Wired: The EU Plans to Ban Social Media for Under-13s CNBC: Fed approves interest rate hike, signals one more to come this year   Axios: House passes Russia sanctions bill PBS: House votes to hold billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress over Epstein investigation NYT: Senate Votes to Block Crypto Bill in Major Blow to the Industry The Hill: Senate panel advances farm bill following McConnell's return Trump tries to salvage 'tough' North Carolina Senate race for 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: Kash Patel testified before Congress for four and a half hours, during which Republican Senator John Kennedy asked why he would "even get into bestiality" — a reference to the FBI's new hiring policy — and Kash responded that "we're not into bestiality" before claiming the policy change was to help trafficking victims, which is not what the policy said, making it one of the more surreal exchanges in recent congressional history. Kash also defended firing FBI agents for being "disloyal" to Trump by having investigated January 6th or Iranian threats. The Kennedy Center voted to close itself after another judge blocked Trump's name going on the building, Trump posted that it's closing for repairs that will only happen if his name goes on it, and the courts said no again. To add to that loss, Trump went on a Truth Social rant against Kavanaugh, Coney Barrett, and Gorsuch for the mail voting ruling while calling Alito and Thomas "legends both," sent Todd Blanche out to clean it up on TV, and is still pressuring states for voter data and planning to send agents to polling sites in swing counties. On the war beat, the Iran war has officially cost over $38 billion as of August 1st and is projected to add at least half a point to inflation in early 2027 even if it ended today — which it won't — diesel hit an all-time high of $6 a gallon after Iranian drones hit a Saudi pipeline, and the Fed is expected to raise interest rates for the first time since 2023. All that is probably why Thomas Massie introduced a resolution to impeach Pete Hegseth for illegally continuing the Iran war, which probably won't work but will force Republicans on record. And finally, DOGE's approach to shrinking the government cost taxpayers $9.5 billion in 2025 paying federal employees not to work — 435% more in paid administrative leave than the prior year.  Resources/Articles mentioned: NBC News: Kash Patel defends FBI's new policy on bestiality at Senate hearing WaPo: FBI director faces sharp questions from senators about his firing of agents AP News: Live updates: Kennedy Center board votes to close most of the iconic performing arts venue NYT: Trump Slams Supreme Court Over Mail-In Voting Ruling WSJ: Trump's Frustration With His Own Supreme Court Appointees Boils Over AP News: Iran war has cost the US more than $38B, budget office says WSJ: U.S. Diesel Prices Hit New Record High as Fuel Squeeze Bites  Axios: Massie moves to impeach Pete Hegseth over Iran War WSJ: Pentagon Wants Only the Fittest Troops to Attend Upcoming Hegseth Speech NYT: Federal Employees Were Paid $9.5 Billion Not to Work in 2025 Under DOGE Effort 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 blocked Trump's executive order restricting mail-in ballots with less than two months to the midterms — genuinely good news, though just one prong of a multi-pronged operation that also includes the DOJ sending threatening letters to 30 election officials demanding voter data, and a DHS whistleblower accusing the department of illegally directing agents to access voter rolls and investigate 40 voters a day each. Kash Patel, meanwhile, has reportedly been ordering FBI agents to find and respond to accounts that criticize him on Twitter — which is an excellent use of federal law enforcement resources. Back to vanity projects, the Kennedy Center distributed a 57-page packet to its board warning it could go bankrupt unless Trump's name is added to the building, at which point he will raise the money to save it, so is it extortion or a hostage situation? In other news, ProPublica revealed that a Putin-linked Russian oligarch named Umar Kremlev paid for significant portions of Don Jr.'s wedding celebration, including a fireworks show and a private island rental, with Bettina Trump clarifying on Instagram that Umar merely "hosted two incredible nights of celebrations" as "an extraordinarily generous wedding gift," which is totally normal. Let's move on to President Trump who called AI safety concerns a hoax, compared warnings about AI risks to climate change warnings and called Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang mid-appearance on stage to deliver this message. Speaking of climate change, the EPA repealed rules limiting greenhouse gas emissions from coal and natural gas plants and added a separate rule preventing future administrations from ever regulating climate pollution from power plants. Great. And finally,  Mitch McConnell showed up to work after three months, cast the deciding vote on a conservative judge confirmation.  Resources/Articles mentioned: NYT: Live Updates: Supreme Court Rejects Trump's Restrictions on Voting by Mail NYT: Whistle-Blower: Federal Agents May Have Broken State Laws in Search For Voter Fraud The New Republic: Texts Reveal Kash Patel Ordering Staff to Fight “Ifindretards” Account WaPo: Kennedy Center could close as early as Tuesday, warns of bankruptcy, documents show ProPublica: Donald Trump Jr.'s Wedding Bankrolled by Putin-Linked Russian Oligarch AP News: Trump calls AI risks a 'hoax,' says there is a 'SICK conspiracy' against AI and data centers AP News: EPA eliminates rule that limits planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from power plants AP News: McConnell returns to the Senate for the first time since his June 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: Trump skipped the 9/11 memorial ceremony in New York to fall asleep at the Pentagon's 9/11 ceremony. He then flew to Ireland where the Irish president seated him behind a notably small desk, protests featured an inflatable Trump being inflatable-Netanyahu'd in the streets, and he called Irish reunification "fantastic" and "a cool thing," breaking 28 years of official US neutrality on an issue that has historically caused quite a bit of conflict. This landed at an awkward moment given that Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland are meeting today to discuss potentially dissolving the United Kingdom entirely. Trump also lunged at ABC reporter Rachel Scott when she asked about his $5,000 check promise and pointed out the national debt is $40 trillion, the White House called journalist Aaron Rupar a "sick, deluded freak" for noting Natalie Harp was in Ireland, and Trump blamed Zelensky for global energy prices and told him to stop hitting Russian diesel. It was quite the weekend for the President. While we're on that, a Russian drone strike near the Polish border may have targeted a train carrying Boris Johnson and David Petraeus, prompting air raid warnings in Poland. In other news, An American diplomat accused of possessing child sex abuse material was quietly flown out of London on a secret military flight before police could question him. France expanded its Epstein investigation, identifying 13 new potential victims and multiple potential recruiters, one of whom was found dead in his home right before he was set to be questioned. On AI, Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and Dario Amodei all posted this weekend calling for AI regulation and a slowdown — simultaneously — very sketchy. And finally, ectopic pregnancy deaths have nearly doubled since the pandemic and increased even more in states with abortion bans, and Texas responded by simply deciding not to analyze maternal mortality data from 2022 and 2023 — the years the abortion ban went into effect — making it impossible to measure its impact. Resources/Articles mentioned: WaPo: At the Pentagon, Trump ties the legacy of 9/11 to his Iran war NYT: In Doonbeg, Trump's Irish Open Visit Prompts Protests and Praise NYT: Trump Says Irish Unification Would Be ‘Fantastic,' Breaking With Precedent Telegraph: Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish leaders meet to plan break-up of United Kingdom The New Republic: Trump Lunges at Female Reporter Asking About Those Supposed $5K Checks Newsweek: White House Calls Journalist ‘Sick, Deluded Freak' Over Natalie Harp Post NYT: Trump Blames Ukraine for Global Diesel Shortage The Guardian: Train carrying Boris Johnson and ex-CIA chief may have been targeted in Russian strike, officials say | Ukraine Sky News: US officials 'secretly flew diplomat out of UK' after indecent image allegations NYT: France Widens Sex-Trafficking Investigation Linked to Jeffrey Epstein WaPo: Top AI leaders unite to warn the technology is advancing too fast Fortune: Sam Altman confirms OpenAI won't go public this year, saying an IPO now would come at an 'ill-advised moment' given AI safety concerns CNN: Ectopic pregnancy deaths have nearly doubled. It's worse in states with abortion bans Texas Observer: Texas Maternal Mortality Committee's Next Report Will Skip Post-'Roe' Deaths. Lawmakers Suspect Political Influence. 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: Today marks 25 years since September 11th — 2,977 people killed that day, and over 5,000 first responders who have since died from toxic exposure at Ground Zero. The 9/11 Memorial added a seventh moment of silence this year specifically to honor those who died in the years following. The Republican convention pregamed the anniversary with "Trumpapalooza" — featuring a "God Made Trump" video, promises of $5,000 checks nobody will ever see, and a crowd member screaming that James Talarico and Abdul El-Sayed should be shot. Speaking of Talarico, a new poll shows him leading Paxton 48-43, which explains why ABC refused to air Jimmy Kimmel's Talarico interview after the FCC threatened the network, its affiliates, and local Texas stations — the interview is up on Kimmel's YouTube now, and if the Colbert precedent holds, more people will watch it there anyway. On the election interference beat, an appeals court rejected Trump's mail-in voting restrictions on the grounds that the president doesn't have authority to regulate state elections — though he'll almost certainly appeal to the Supreme Court — and the Supreme Court rejected Missouri's gerrymandered congressional map for the second time, leaving the state past its ballot deadline with no guidance on what map to actually use in November, which is a mess entirely of their own making. And finally, benchmark mortgage rates hit a 14 year high, so yay.  Resources/Articles mentioned: 9/11 Memorial: News Release: 9/11 Memorial & Museum Adds Moment of Silence to 25th Anniversary Commemoration, Honoring Those Lost to 9/11 Health Effects NYT: Republican Convention Live Updates: Vance and Trump to Speak on Day 2 of Midterm Event NBC News: Jimmy Kimmel says show won't air James Talarico interview on TV, citing FCC threats The Guardian: US appeals court rejects Trump's bid to restrict mail-in voting before midterms NYT: Supreme Court Again Blocks Republican-Backed Missouri Voting Map The Hill: Benchmark mortgage rate hits 14-month high as bond yields keep rising 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 dumb (with a b) Republican convention kicked off in Dallas with John Fetterman appearing in a video praising Trump and calling Democrats extremists and socialists to no one's surprise. In semi-related news, Ken Paxton lost the endorsement of his own former top law enforcement official — a decorated Texas Ranger who blew the whistle on Paxton to the FBI in 2020 — to Democratic opponent James Talarico, because even the people who worked for him can't stand him. Moving on, Trump celebrated the AFD's German election win with "MGGA — Make Germany Great Again," actively cheering on the Nazi party with two more German regional elections coming in ten days. Trump also gave $45,000 cash gifts to Natalie Harp, communications director Margo Martin, and 26-year-old executive assistant Chamberlain Harris — nearly a third of each of their $150,000 salaries — plus $20,000 to Walt Nauta, all of which appears to violate federal law prohibiting supplementing government employees' salaries from outside sources. On the tech beat, an Anthropic researcher named Jacob Coxon quit his job and gave up significant equity because he believes his company and its competitors are building tools that could destroy humanity, while a colleague on Twitter put the odds at 10% that AI destroys humanity by 2030 — and separately, a human mathematician accused OpenAI of solving a century-old math proof only because they heard about his work through an Anthropic scientist, which would have given Anthropic the credit, so Sam Altman allegedly stole a math discovery, which tracks. Yesterday marked a year since Charlie Kirk was killed, Georgetown students held a lookalike contest in DC, and Turning Point USA was not amused. And finally, South Park is renaming itself South America for season 29, explicitly mocking Apple and Google for caving on Lake Ontario. Resources/Articles mentioned: AP News: Democratic Sen. Fetterman speaks at a GOP midterm convention, fueling party-switch fears  WaPo: Paxton's former top law enforcement official endorses Talarico Axios: Trump's "MGGA" praise collides with Germany's Nazi past WaPo: Trump gave $45,000 cash gifts to Natalie Harp, two other close aides WSJ: Anthropic Researcher Quits Over ‘Out-of-Control' AI Fears WIRED: OpenAI Just Claimed a Huge Math Discovery. Some Academics Are Crying Foul WJLA: Georgetown students plan Charlie Kirk lookalike contest for anniversary of death: report Variety: ‘South Park' Changes Name to ‘South America' as Creators Roast Apple and Google for Obeying Trump's Lake America Name Change 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: So Donnie's AI slop posting frenzy over the weekend caused Iceland to summon the US ambassador after he posted a map with the American flag over all of North America, Greenland, and Iceland — Denmark called it "disturbing and completely inappropriate" — and Iceland is now accelerating its EU membership vote, having previously moved it up after Trump confused them with Greenland four times in one speech. Trump also threatened to ban Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier from the US market unless they build planes domestically, despite Bombardier's supply chain already involving 3,000 American companies across 47 states, with wings made in Texas and engines from Phoenix. And on the Iran war, the US launched more strikes on Iranian oil tankers in response to Iran's latest attacks on American warships. Meanwhile, the Smithsonian's secretary Lonnie Bunch is stepping down by year's end, citing Trump's harassment of the institution and attempts to rewrite American history in its museums. The Republican Party's invented midterm convention kicks off in Dallas this week with Trump's approval rating at around 30%, and not every Republican is showing up — Susan Collins among the notable absences. This week marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and New York City released over 170,000 pages of documents suggesting city officials knew the air quality near Ground Zero after 9/11 was unsafe while telling the public otherwise, with more firefighters dying of related illnesses than were killed on the day itself. Speaking of 9/11, TSA launched a new program called Gateside allowing PreCheck members to enter airports without tickets to meet people at gates – a pre-9/11 experience making a limited comeback. And finally, a dozen countries including the UK, France, and Canada announced they're halting trade with Israeli West Bank settlements, with Israel responding by closing the British consulate in East Jerusalem and expelling British representatives from Gaza. Resources/Articles mentioned: CBC: Iceland summons U.S. ambassador over Trump's threat to take over Arctic nation AP News: Trump threatens Canadian jetmaker Bombardier, which has an extensive US footprint WSJ: U.S. Strikes Iranian Oil Tankers in Response to Tehran's Attacks on Navy Ships AP News: Lonnie Bunch to retire from Smithsonian leadership following clash with Trump administration NYT: Which Senate Candidates Are Skipping Trump's Republican Convention? Axios: NYC unveils records suggesting officials knew air was unsafe after 9/11 AP News: TSA brings back gate access for some people without plane tickets 25 years after 9/11 WSJ: European Nations Impose Trade Bans on Israel Over West Bank Settlements 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: It was a wild Labor Day weekend for Trump who spent the holiday posting AI images of himself as the Hulk, on the moon, with George Washington, and a map renaming New Mexico to "New America" and stepped off Air Force One as a brunette. Meanwhile, Tweedles Dum and Dee, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff visited Kyiv for peace talks with Zelensky, raved about how respectful Putin has been to them personally, and promised announcements "in the coming weeks" before winter. In semi-related news, the Russia backed far-right AFD party won a landslide in Germany's Saxony-Anhalt regional election with 78% turnout, forming the first far-right state government since the original Nazis, with two more German regional elections coming September 20th. Canada's 50% retaliatory tariffs on over 700 American imports went into effect at midnight, doubling what they already had in place, because liberation day is the gift that keeps on giving. In disturbing news, the Tate brothers, picked up another set of Romanian indictments for trafficking minors, money laundering, and witness intimidation while sitting in Florida custody awaiting potential extradition to the UK, and seven Epstein survivors sued hairstylist Frederic Fekkai — named by Massie last week — alleging his salon was the "epicenter for victim grooming," with one of his locations inside a store owned by Les Wexner, also named by Massie, so the connections keep connecting. And finally, Hunter Biden announced a meme coin called $LAPTOP launching on Coinbase, with 20% of proceeds going to people who lost money on Trump's meme coin, which is something. Resources/Articles mentioned: Axios: Witkoff and Kushner make first Kyiv visit for peace talks NYT: Trump Floats Renaming New Mexico as ‘New America,' Prompting Pushback The Independent: ‘What's going on with Trump's hair?' Internet puzzled over president's new brunette coiffure NYT: Is Work Starting for Trump's Arch? It Depends Who's Asking. AP News: Germany's Merz shocked by far-right state election triumph but doubles down on unpopular reforms NYT: Brushing Aside Trump's Threats, Canada Retaliates on Tariffs NYT: Andrew and Tristan Tate Face New Charges in Romania: A Timeline of the Cases Against Them Allure: A New Lawsuit Alleges Frédéric Fekkai's Hair Salon Was Epstein's "Epicenter for Victim Grooming" WSJ: Hunter Biden (and His Laptop) Enter the Cryptosphere With New Meme Coin 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: Today's episode is dedicated to Gloria Steinem, who passed away at 92 years old. In what can only be described as a fitting tribute, ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok all went down simultaneously shortly after, forcing people to use their actual brains for a few hours. On the Immigration beat, ICE is spending $5 million to build a national voter database on behalf of DHS, acquiring voter registration and history files from specific states. A 17-year ICE veteran whistleblower also came forward accusing the Trump administration of fast-tracking unqualified candidates as agents before background checks were complete, calling it an "unprecedented lowering of standards" and a national security risk. In a rare moment of accountability, Trump's own DOJ charged an ICE officer with lying about shooting a Venezuelan immigrant in Minneapolis — the same officer Texas's governor previously refused to extradite to face state charges. In Epstein files news, Leon Black skipped his congressional testimony on his Epstein ties and instead sued the House Oversight Committee to block his subpoena, arguing they can't force him to hand over NDAs signed with women Epstein trafficked to him, and the committee responded by threatening contempt charges. We'll see if that actually happens though. Meanwhile, Nvidia announced a $13 billion acquisition of Hugging Face — the AI platform OpenAI's model previously hacked — betting on an open-source AI future similar to China's approach, which is either brilliant or deeply ironic. And finally, for the first time in recorded human history, people over 65 now outnumber children under 5 globally, per a new US Census report — a milestone driven by declining birth rates and longer life expectancy.  Resources/Articles mentioned: WIRED: ICE Plans to Pay $5 Million to Create National Voting Database NYT: ICE Skipped Basic Checks in Rush for Recruits, Whistle-Blower Says AP News: Live updates: ICE officer federally charged with lying about shooting of Venezuelan man, AP source says AP News: Billionaire Leon Black skips Epstein deposition and sues House panel over subpoenas Politico: House Oversight chair still wants attorney general to testify on handling of the Epstein files - Live Updates The Verge: ChatGPT, Grok, and Claude all went down at the same time Wired: Nvidia's Hugging Face Acquisition Is a $12.9 Billion Bet on Open-Source AI Axios: Historic first: Older adults now outnumber the youngest children worldwide 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 accused the US of a war crime after strikes hit a wedding killing four civilians, the US denied targeting civilians, Iran responded by launching missiles at US bases in Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, and Bahrain — so the ceasefire is going great. The USS Abraham Lincoln's 5,000-person crew finally docked in Thailand after nearly nine months at sea, were told by the military not to speak to journalists about the conditions they endured, and local authorities in Pattaya preemptively cracked down on prostitution ahead of their arrival. And to absolutely no one's surprise, Apple caved to Trump and changed Lake Ontario to Lake America on Apple Maps following his personal request, which is a remarkable display of corporate spine from a company worth $3 trillion. It's been a while but on the Epstein beat, Congressman Thomas Massie proposed the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, reading the names of 14 Epstein associates he believes need to be investigated — notably not mentioning the one person referenced in the files more than anyone else. In tech, GoPro is pivoting to AI, defense, and national security after merging with an optical company, its stock shot up 40%, and Dyson announced a $499 AI toothbrush with a built-in camera that can livestream your brushing to an app, which no one asked for. Google avoided being broken up despite being found guilty of antitrust violations, getting instead a vague requirement to make unspecified changes to its ad business. Meanwhile, a new study from San Diego State found that fewer women are creating TV shows for streamers than a decade ago, female directors of broadcast programs have declined, and the majority of speaking roles for women skew toward their 20s and 30s while men's roles don't drop off until their 50s. And finally, Milo Yiannopoulos told Piers Morgan that being detained and deported by ICE was humiliating and frightening, and that if he'd known this was possible he would never have supported Trump. Resources/Articles mentioned: AP News: Iran fires on its Gulf neighbors, retaliating for US strikes after a wedding was hit The Guardian: USS Abraham Lincoln's crew of 5,000 arrive at notorious Thai resort after 270 days at sea | US military The Independent: Thailand issues prostitution warning as USS Abraham Lincoln docks in tourist town after 200 days at sea Axios: Apple joins Google in renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America" PBS News: WATCH: Massie names 14 Epstein associates to 'shame' DOJ CNBC: GoPro joins AI bonanza with pivot into data centers as shares skyrocket 40% The Rundown: Dyson puts AI in a $499 toothbrush Yahoo: Google won't be forced to break up its ads business The Hollywood Reporter: Fewer Women Are Creating TV Shows Now Than They Were Nearly a Decade Ago, Study Finds Mediate: Milo Yiannopoulos Tells Piers Morgan He's 'Very Ashamed' of Supporting Trump Following ICE Arrest 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 launched strikes in the Strait of Hormuz for the second day in a row without saying what they were targeting, two more oil tankers got attacked, and JD Vance's Yale buddy Dan Driscoll quit as Army Secretary after Hegseth got paranoid about their friendship and blocked Driscoll's plans to modernize the Army for drone warfare — so the guy who wanted to prepare for the future of war got pushed out by the guy who built himself a salon at the Pentagon. On the financial beat, Global bond markets are selling off, US interest rates just hit a 20-year high, and what that means for you personally is that your credit card, mortgage, and car loan just got more expensive — thanks in part to the Iran war, oil prices, and everyone powerful being addicted to borrowing money. In other disturbing news, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that Trump can keep building his ballroom-bunker, with Roberts writing in his dissent that it's probably illegal but the lawsuit didn't have standing. A USPS whistleblower came forward saying the Post Office defied court orders while building Trump's mail ballot system, the voter list portal states need to use doesn't exist yet, and tens of thousands of ballots could get rejected as a result — Democrats responded with a strongly worded letter to the Post Office, yep, the Post Office. In things we can no longer safely ingest news, Horizon Organic chocolate milk was recalled across Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods for early spoilage, which is annoying but at least it's not glass. And finally, Republicans invented a "midterm convention" in Dallas where a photo with Trump costs $88,000 and a photo with JD Vance costs $35,000.  Resources/Articles mentioned: Axios: Why Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned NYT: Bond Sell-Off Threatens to Squeeze Borrowers Around the World WSJ: Trump Says Communities That Oppose Data Centers Risk Becoming ‘Backwards and Poor' Axios: Supreme Court allows Trump's ballroom construction to proceed Axios: USPS whistleblower warns new ballot system could fail USA Today: Nearly 54K cases of chocolate milk recalled. See affected products WSJ: An $88,600 Photo With Trump: GOP Hopes to Raise Millions During Convention 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: And we're back to actual warring again. The US and Iran are shooting at each other again for the first time in a month — US strikes on Iranian rocket launchers, Iran hitting US bases in Jordan and the UAE — and when reporters asked Trump if he'd rule out nukes, he said yes and no in the same breath and called it a stupid question, which is on brand. Trump also personally called Apple to ask them to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America on Maps, and is apparently "confident" it'll happen soon, Apple however did not comment on the matter. In other disturbing news, the Pentagon has been secretly hiring conservative veteran influencers in civilian roles to defend Hegseth online and go after his critics, funded possibly by taxpayers — turns out those are the replacements for the press outlets Hegseth kicked out of the Pentagon — and ICE is dropping $2 million on robot dogs with 360-degree cameras and extendable arms, to go with the electric shock gloves, because why not. On the food and environment beat, a carcinogenic forever chemical just got approved for crops including apples, oranges, corn, and almonds, three groups immediately sued, 10,000 cases of tofu are being recalled from 29 states for possible ink contamination, and the Trump administration wants to hand over part of Yosemite National Park to a private equity firm that wants to build upscale cabins and commercial buildings — in exchange for equivalent land elsewhere, make it make sense. Meanwhile, protesters showed up at Peter Thiel's Argentina mansion, George Santos got Kalshi's first ever lifetime ban for betting on his own State of the Union attendance and responded by threatening them on Twitter, and John Galliano quietly dropped out of his 2027 Met Gala retrospective, which was probably the right call. Resources/Articles mentioned: The Guardian: Trump threatens further action as US and Iran exchange fire in new flare-up | US-Israel war on Iran AP News: Trump has asked Apple to change Lake Ontario name to 'Lake America' on its maps, interior chief says Today: Tofu Recalled in 29 States for Contamination Yahoo: The Center for Food Safety: Trump Administration Sued for Approving 'Forever Chemical' Pesticide Trifludimoxazin NYT: Trump Administration Looks to Give a Swath of Yosemite Park to Developer WaPo: Pentagon secretly installs military influencers in civilian roles NBC News: ICE plans to buy robot ‘dogs' for some immigration enforcement operations France 24: Argentines march on Peter Thiel's mansion WSJ: Ex-Congressman George Santos Receives Kalshi's First-Ever Lifetime Ban NYT: John Galliano Withdraws From Met Museum Show After Backlash 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: This weekend was a mixed bag of news so let's start with good news. Olivia Rodrigo raised $10 million at her Daisy Chain Fields festival for women's charities including Planned Parenthood and the Center for Reproductive Rights, then Melinda French Gates walked onstage and doubled it to $20 million. MapQuest made a surprise comeback to number two in the App Store as a result of Google Maps changing Lake Ontario to Lake America in compliance with US government sources. And back to regularly scheduled craziness, Trump threatened to report Kristen Welker to the FCC for covering his declining approval ratings, because that's how the First Amendment works. Trump is also skipping the 9/11 memorial because he wanted to give a speech and no one has given a speech there since 2012, making him the only living president not attending, and historic Japanese cherry trees gifted in 1912 were quietly bulldozed before official approval to make room for a DC golf course expansion. Sony and Warner Music sued Anthropic Friday night for what they called "one of the largest and most blatant ongoing thefts of intellectual property in history," alleging Claude was trained on tens of thousands of copyrighted musical compositions — legal experts say this is a landmark AI copyright case. A federal judge ruled that AI-generated child sexual abuse material is legal to possess privately as long as it doesn't depict a real person, and the FBI quietly dropped its hiring ban on people who have engaged in theft, prostitution, and animal cruelty because Kash Patel drove out enough qualified agents that standards had to go somewhere. IV saline bags were recalled for fiberglass contamination across 14 states, mangoes at select Walmarts were recalled for salmonella, and over 800 people were killed in catastrophic Nepal-Tibet floods with 90 Americans among the 2,500 still missing — the US sent $500,000 in aid, which is what a mid-size fundraiser raises in a weekend. And finally, Milo Yiannopoulos was deported back to the UK for an expired visa, which is the only functional thing ICE has done all year. Resources/Articles mentioned: Rolling Stone: Melinda French Gates Doubles Olivia Rodrigo's Daisy Chain Fields Donation to $20 Million Axios: Google Maps switches to "Lake America" as Canada compares change to SNL skit The Hill: Trump promises NBC's Welker will be reported to FCC ‘for rebuke or punishment' NYT: Trump Plans to Mark 9/11 at the Pentagon, Not Ground Zero NBC News: Pete Hegseth is talking about a possible run for president in 2028, sources say People: Dozens of Trees Quietly Toppled in D.C. Without Court Approval Ahead of Trump's New Golf Course Makeover: Report Forbes: Medical Saline Recalled Over Potential Fiberglass Contamination FDA: Panorama Produce Recalls Mangoes Due to Possible Salmonella Contamination BBC: Nepal floods latest: Officials 'intensifying' efforts to free hundreds believed trapped in hydropower tunnels Business Standard: US pledges $500,000 aid, WHO extends support to Nepal amid flash floods | World News Axios: Sony, Warner sue Anthropic, alleging "blatant theft" of intellectual property WaPo: Federal judge warns law is being left behind by AI child sex abuse images Axios: Sony, Warner sue Anthropic, alleging "blatant theft" of intellectual property WaPo: Federal judge warns law is being left behind by AI child sex abuse images CBS News: At the FBI, a history of hiring prostitutes or stealing from employer may no longer be a barrier to being hired The Guardian: Far-right media provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos deported by ICE from US to UK | US immigration  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: Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America — yes, really — musing that maybe he'll rename the Atlantic and Pacific next, while Canadian PM Mark Carney responded that "Ontario" is a 400-year-old Wendat word meaning "the lake is beautiful, the lake is big," which is a more dignified response than the moment deserved. Back to actual issues, Iran has been running an AI-powered disinformation operation on Instagram and Facebook, posing as average Americans to spread political misinformation about immigration and the Israel-Palestine war, with Meta taking down 35 accounts — which is a lot of effort from a country we're supposedly defeating militarily. The military situation is genuinely alarming across every front: a sailor who jumped off the USS Abraham Lincoln in what his wife describes as a suicide attempt — after his paternity leave requests were repeatedly denied while his wife gave birth — is now facing disciplinary action for "malingering" and AWOL charges for being medically evacuated. Pete Hegseth fired the Army's top general days after the general was advised to drop an investigation into how Kid Rock got a military helicopter fly by so he could wave at it on social media. Oh but there's more, Jennifer Hegseth, Pete's wife and former Fox News producer, has been attending classified intelligence meetings with foreign officials with no confirmed security clearance — she was in the Houthi PC small group chat. Five service members told MSNBC they're being asked to violate international law by targeting civilian infrastructure, and applications to leave as conscientious objectors have surged since the Iran war started. The US is also "beyond critically low" on Patriot missile interceptors in Europe — because of the Iran war — right as the CIA director had to fly to Moscow in person to tell Russia not to attack NATO. A Navy engineer's rape lawsuit against the ship captain who allegedly entered her room with a master access key was dismissed by a judge who said it should be treated as a workplace compensation claim. To add to the overall craziness, ICE arrested 49,000 people in July alone, with less than 4% having any prior violent conviction. And finally, Fauci's prosecution is apparently going nowhere, which is the best news of the day. Resources/Articles mentioned: MS Now: Canada's prime minister gives Trump a history lesson after U.S. renames Lake Ontario Axios: Exclusive: Meta disrupts Iran-linked AI operation targeting politicians, journalists MS Now: Navy sailor who jumped off USS Lincoln faces disciplinary charges NYT: ‘It's Bonkers': Jennifer Hegseth's Hands-On Role in Her Husband's Pentagon IB Times: Judge Dismisses Navy Engineer's Rape Lawsuit, Says Alleged Assault by Captain Was Work Injury  MS Now: Retired Army general on fired general reportedly told to drop Kid Rock probe: ‘Very disturbing' WaPo: Before Hegseth fired him, top general was advised to drop Kid Rock probe Ap News: Exclusive: US Patriot missile stocks in Europe are 'beyond critical' due to Iran war, officials say  NYT: ICE Arrests Soar as People With No Criminal Record Are Increasingly Targeted WSJ: Republican Efforts to Prosecute Fauci for Contempt Are Hitting a Wall 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: We're almost to the weekend and we're starting off with tech and medical science. Meta settled its youth addiction trial for $17 billion paid over ten years across 47 states — with new safety requirements for minors including time limits, night mode, and hidden like counts. Of course the company's stock went up after the settlement, which tells you everything about who won. Bill Gates published a 5,784-word AI warning blog post saying there is "no plan" for the transition to the AI era, too late the hero, Bill. In medical news, the FDA approved a new pancreatic cancer drug that nearly doubles survival time compared to chemo alone — genuinely significant given that disease kills 7 out of 8 patients within five years — though at $40,000 a month, accessibility will be an issue. On the food safety beat, an emergency recall was issued for nearly 30,000 pounds of Argentinian beef sold in Florida and Texas, as Trump simultaneously told Glenn Beck he wants to reduce regulations on beef processing plants. During that same Glenn Beck call, Trump attempted to mourn Dolly Parton and ended up mostly saying she liked him, sure. Meanwhile, The CIA director's Moscow visit turned out to involve Russian intelligence officials rather than Putin directly, with the stated purpose being to warn Russia not to attack NATO — while Iran and Russia simultaneously announced a $25 billion nuclear energy deal and a Putin-Pezeshkian summit next week, so it's going great. In bizarre election news, a federal prisoner currently serving time in New York until 2036 somehow got enough votes in Alaska's primary to run for the House in November, listing a South Dakota address and his mother's New York phone number on his filing paperwork, because Alaska's elections are genuinely something else. And finally, a massive mudslide on the Nepal-Tibet border has killed over 150 people with hundreds more missing including 47 American tourists, rescue helicopters unable to land, and climate change-driven permafrost thaw making the damage significantly worse. Resources/Articles mentioned: CNBC: Meta settles social media addiction case with California, other states for $16.7 billion WSJ: Three Takeaways From Bill Gates's 5,784-Word Warning on AI: ‘There Is No Plan' Axios: Scoop: Senate Republican investigates Flock cameras  WSJ: FDA Approves Drug for Pancreatic Cancer in Milestone for Treatment of Deadly Disease Wide Open Country: Emergency Recall Declared for Beef Imported by Trump Administration US News: Trump Says He Will Look at Beef Processing Regulations, as Farmers Fight Tariff Plan France 24: Kremlin says CIA chief met Russian counterparts, not Putin, in Moscow AP News: A federal prisoner with no clear ties to Alaska advances in primary for the state's US House seat NBC News: Hundreds missing after flood hits Nepal-Tibet border, 157 bodies recovered 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: Dolly Parton, the legendary country singer, songwriter, actress, and philanthropist, has died at 80. Beyond music, she leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of generosity and her work supporting medical research. Shifting gears, the CIA director made an attempted secret trip to Moscow with the plane sitting on the ground for eight hours and no explanation of who Ratcliffe met with or why, with possibilities ranging from hostage negotiations to addressing Russia's recent NATO provocations. Pivoting to the trade war, Canada announced 50% retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion in American goods effective September 8th, matching Trump's tariffs dollar for dollar on dairy, seafood, steel, appliances, and toilet paper, while Trump responded by threatening to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America on a gold-lettered map posted to Truth Social. That'll show them. And since we're on the subject of renaming, the DOJ argued in court that the Kennedy Center will collapse into a "decrepit structure" without Trump's name on the facade. On the Iran war beat, Tulsi Gabbard reportedly warned Trump before he started the Iran war in February that Iran would immediately close the Strait of Hormuz, that killing the Supreme Leader would produce a more hardline regime pursuing nuclear weapons, and that Iran would strike US bases across the region — all of which happened. On “the decline,” the Agriculture Secretary couldn't say where the 300,000 metric tons of mystery ground beef is coming from, saying conversations are "still going on," which is not reassuring. Two unvaccinated people in Lancaster, Pennsylvania died of measles — the first US measles deaths this year — amid a local outbreak of nearly 400 cases, a third of them children, as case numbers continue to break records for the most since measles was eliminated in 2000. Gary, Indiana is entering its second week without power for thousands of residents with no restoration in sight, and Darline Graham won her South Carolina Senate runoff, spending nearly a million Trump-backed dollars to inherit her brother's seat and run against Dr. Annie Andrews in November. Resources/Articles mentioned: NYT: C.I.A. Director Makes Secret Visit to Moscow The White House: President Trump Is Finally Ending Canada's Free Ride AP News: Canada strikes back at US with retaliatory tariffs as trade war escalates Axios: Kennedy Center's survival depends on Trump, DOJ says in new filing WSJ: The Warnings That Came Before a War Now Reaching the Six-Month Mark The New Republic: Trump Team Refuses to Explain Imported Beef Origin as Backlash Grows NYT: Two Unvaccinated People Died From Measles in Pennsylvania, Officials Say CNN: Powerful storms knocked out power in northwest Indiana 2 weeks ago. This majority Black city has suffered the most NBC News: Elections live updates: Darline Graham beats Ralph Norman in South Carolina GOP Senate primary runoff 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 Wall Street Journal revealed that Trump personally called a senior DOJ official to settle the antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation — days before trial, after Live Nation's CEO met with Trump at the White House to "discuss Kennedy Center bookings". Live Nation reportedly promised $10 billion in US investment in exchange for a favorable settlement so generous that most states refused to join it and kept suing, ultimately winning a jury verdict in April finding Live Nation illegally monopolizing the concert ticketing market. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to let Trump's mail-in voting restrictions move forward — not on whether they're constitutional, but on whether states had legal standing to sue — meaning DHS is now distributing citizenship lists to states and the Postal Service will only send ballots to pre-approved voters, with each state left to decide whether to comply before the Court rules on the actual merits, which is a convenient timeline heading into November. The Court also let Trump's ballroom-bunker construction continue while they decide whether it can continue. Yes, you read that right. On the immigration beat, the Trump administration is planning the largest mass visa revocation in US history, targeting up to 200,000 B1 and B2 visas held by asylum seekers issued between 2016 and 2026. And because somehow we are still at war with Iran even after “winning” several times, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held an event threatening any country that does business with Iran with "the full reach of American power" under something called Operation Economic Outcast, without specifying any actual steps or deadlines, while Iran's trading partners apparently told them they don't really care. And finally, today is the South Carolina Senate runoff between Lindsey Graham's sister Darline — who refused to say whether she would have certified Biden's 2020 win — and Ralph Norman, with Trump's super PAC spending $800,000 on her behalf.  Resources/Articles mentioned: WSJ: The Trump Intervention That Got the DOJ Off Live Nation's Back Axios: Trump says communities that oppose data centers are "making a mistake" NBC News: Supreme Court sides with Trump on some restrictions for mail-in ballots WaPo: Supreme Court eases path for Trump's sweeping limits on mail-in balloting Time: The Supreme Court Let Trump's Ballroom Proceed—for Now. Here's What That Means Axios: Trump administration to revoke up to 200,000 visas of asylum seekers NYT: Trump Lays It on the Line for Darline Graham Ahead of South Carolina Runoff MS Now: Darline Graham refuses to say if she would have certified 2020 election results 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

Sami Sage sits down with comedian and political commentator Alex Pearlman to talk about why the Democratic Party has no leader, why politicians under 45 who grew up online (Ossoff, Mamdani, AOC) actually know how to communicate, and why Alex is touring 12 cities to get people off their phones and back into real conversations. They also cover Kamala's 2028 odds, the DSA's messaging problem, and getting money out of politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: It was quite a weekend! Trump turned DC streets into a 1.7-mile IndyCar speedway for another Freedom 250 event, took a ceremonial lap in the presidential limo with Melania — not Natalie — while his Qatari plane did a flyover. In other shady news, Trump announced he's importing up to 300,000 metric tons of "product for ground beef" without specifying what the product is, where it's from, or how it'll be discounted 25% — which landed one day after a New York Times investigation revealed the Bureau of Land Management has been selling wild horses to buyers who ship them to slaughter plants through a legal loophole, with sales more than doubling in 2025. On the tariff beat, The trade war with Canada is officially back on with 50% tariffs on $20 billion in goods, Canadian PM Mark Carney promising to match them dollar for dollar starting September 8th, and Carney publicly stating that Trump is demanding Canada change its French language and Quebec culture as conditions for reversing tariffs. We finally have a nominee to lead the FDA, Trump nominated Dr. Heidi Overton and she has an MD and a PhD, which is more than expected. She has also called for conservatives to "infiltrate" public health institutions though, which is less reassuring given that 2026 has already seen four times the average number of foodborne illness cases. The Department of Education took the first steps to strip the American Bar Association of its law school accreditation authority, which would prevent graduates of non-accredited schools from sitting the bar exam in most states — a creative way to destabilize the entire legal profession. Back to shady, Jared Kushner quietly met with Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries to discuss working together on housing and cost of living, which suggests the White House privately expects Democrats to win the House majority in November. And finally, a wildfire near Reno has burned over 13,000 acres with zero containment, putting 42,000 people under evacuation orders including two hospitals, with 40 additional fires burning across Nevada simultaneously. Resources/Articles mentioned:  CNN: Freedom 250 IndyCar race in Washington, DC, and other Trump administration news CNN: Trump defends pause on beef tariffs amid criticism from US cattle producers Variety: Taylor Sheridan Accused of Stealing ‘Yellowstone' From 2016 Pitch in Copyright Lawsuit NYT: Under Trump, Protected Wild Horses Are Going to Slaughter Time: Who Is Heidi Overton, Trump's Nominee to Lead the FDA? AP News: What to know about Trump's 50% tariffs on Canadian goods that just went into effect WSJ: Trump Administration Attacks Bar Association's Power to Accredit Law Schools AP News: Jared Kushner meets with Democratic leader Jeffries with House control at stake in November NYT: Fire Near Reno, Nev., Prompts Evacuations of Homes and Hospitals 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: Melania Trump made a surprise White House appearance — her first in weeks or possibly months — to announce a foster care initiative, opening with "I heard you missed me, here I am," which nobody would have thought twice about if it hadn't come directly after Jon Ossoff's comment that Trump wants to "travel with Natalie." The timing really did the heavy lifting there. Walmart posted its weakest growth since 2020, the FDA upgraded its frozen berry recall to its highest risk level over e.coli contamination, sourdough bread in Seattle was recalled for metal shards, and 65,000 people in Gary, Indiana have been without power for nine days with no restoration until at least next Tuesday. In other unpleasant news, the FBI raided Eric Swalwell's home and took his phone and computer as part of an investigation into his relationship with suspected Chinese spy Christine Fang, because some people really do make it too easy. The USS Abraham Lincoln was finally relieved of its nine-month deployment and is heading back to San Diego — a direct result of its crew publicly threatening to take their own lives. The publisher of Stars and Stripes announced his retirement citing "fundamental differences" with Hegseth's Pentagon, one week after the publication broke the Abraham Lincoln story, so do what you will with that information. Meanwhile, North Korea fired ballistic missiles hours after Kim Jong Un's sister dismissed Trump's requests for a diplomatic meeting and denied they'd even been in contact, which is a remarkable response to throwing South Korea under the bus for nothing. Russia flew a naval drone into Romanian airspace, which Romanian jets destroyed, and the EU Commission president called it hybrid warfare without naming Russia, which is the diplomatic equivalent of a strongly worded letter. And Trump is fighting to build a ballroom at his golf course in the Irish village of Doonbeg, where his only obstacle is a local hermit with no phone or social media who has blocked thousands of development projects across Ireland purely for sport. Resources/Articles mentioned: The Guardian: Michael Cohen, ex-fixer for Trump who once testified against him, hosts president on his radio show – US politics live WaPo: Walmart posts weakest growth in years, a worrying sign of inflation-weary Americans WaPo: FDA upgrades recall of frozen berries to highest-risk warning FDA: Updated – Grand Central Bakery Seattle Recalls Potato Sourdough Bread Due to Possible Foreign Object CBS Chicago: Gary, Indiana residents must wait until Tuesday for power, more than a week after severe storms The Hill: FBI raided Swalwell's home, seized devices as part of Chinese spy probe WaPo: Trump increasingly lashing out at allies as victory in Iran war proves elusive NYT: U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln Leaves Middle East After Months at Sea in Operation Against Iran  FT: North Korea launches missile barrage after dismissing Donald Trump's overture  The Guardian: EU's von der Leyen warns of ‘escalating campaign of threats' as Romania destroys naval drone – as it happened | Ukraine WaPo: Trump wants a ballroom in Ireland. One man is having a ball fighting it. 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 spent yesterday morning showing off his new White House helipad and giving an unprompted infomercial for Scott's Miracle-Gro that spiked the company's stock — a useful distraction from reporting that his aide Natalie Harp, the Human Printer, worked at the White House for a year without a security clearance because she refused until Trump personally intervened. He also TACO'd again, the Canada tariffs Trump announced at 50% were paused before they went into effect because they're "probably going to make a deal," and the US national debt hit $40 trillion for the first time, doubling in a decade, so the economic situation is going great.Surprise! We've got some great news, an mRNA vaccine to prevent skin cancer from recurring was successful in clinical trials, with Moderna and Merck potentially launching commercially next year and with possible applications to other cancers. Violent crime also dropped nearly 10% in 2025, the largest single-year decline since the FBI started tracking in 1936, with murder down 18% and robbery down 18.5%, which is the kind of news that deserves more attention than it's getting. Now back to regularly scheduled shenanigans. The Army is offering soldiers four days off to play Grand Theft Auto 6 as a re-enlistment incentive, and at least 20 have signed up, which says something about both the state of military recruitment and the anticipation for GTA 6. Elon Musk is reportedly planning to spend $100-200 million on the midterms, with a focus on helping Ken Paxton win a Texas Senate seat — Paxton has raised $9 million to James Talarico's $69 million, so Elon's money is going to be doing a lot of heavy lifting. In primary results, Trump's preferred Wyoming governor candidate lost to an experienced state legislator, and Alaska's jungle primary produced a genuinely chaotic situation where two Dan Sullivans are running — the incumbent Republican senator and a retired schoolteacher who argues he's been Dan Sullivan longer, which is technically true. And finally, Harry and Meghan are reportedly moving back to the UK with Archie and Lilibet, not as working royals, which means those HRH titles are about to get a workout. Resources/Articles mentioned: WaPo: Trump shows off his new helipad, brags about construction projects MS Now: Trump aide Natalie Harp worked at the White House without security clearance for a year  Reuters: US could cut key tariffs as part of proposed Canada deal, source says CNBC: U.S. government debt passes $40 trillion, more than doubling in a decade Variety: US Army Offering Soldiers Four Days Off to Play 'GTA 6' if They Reenlist Axios: Moderna and Merck shares soar on mRNA cancer vaccine Axios: FBI: 2025 had biggest violent-crime drop in 90 years WaPo: 8 takeaways and surprises from Florida, Wyoming and Alaska primaries Wired: Elon Musk Is Expected to Point His Money Machine at Texas Politics AP News: Prince Harry and Meghan are returning to the UK with their children, British newspaper says** 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 Trump family received a conditional bank charter for their crypto firm World Liberty Financial — co-run by Eric Trump and Steve Witkoff's son — allowing them to issue their own stablecoins, which means more money for them and more risk in the financial system. Meanwhile, Disney and ABC are suing the FCC for retaliating against them politically by reviewing their broadcast licenses two years early over Jimmy Kimmel, The View, and DEI — citing Trump's own Truth Social posts. In other news, Meta's jury trial started in California with four states seeking billions in damages and platform reforms, alleging the company deliberately designed addictive features for children, studied how to maximize that addiction, and collected data on under-13s without parental consent while hiding all of it — with 25 more states going to trial later.  A DOJ whistleblower filed a complaint alleging the Ivy League antisemitism task force pressured universities into settlements with little to no evidence, calling the investigations "predetermined" political PR stunts designed to suspend federal funding — with career attorneys overruled when they objected. Pete Hegseth flew to Iowa on a taxpayer-funded military aircraft in his "personal capacity" to explore a 2028 presidential run while sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln are still stranded at sea, ships are being attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, and at least one sailor was killed near Oman. Trump is also pushing aides to arrange a Kim Jong Un meeting this fall, apparently believing he can convince North Korea to give up a nuclear program they've been building since the 1990s, while simultaneously saying the Strait of Hormuz is under control as two more ships were attacked. In more food recall news, Outshine fruit bars were recalled nationwide due to possible glass contamination, because apparently popsicles are also not safe anymore. And finally, Florida primary results are in: Trump's pick Byron Donalds will face Democrat David Jolly in the governor's race, and abusive congressman Cory Mills lost his seat. Resources/Articles mentioned: CNBC: Trump family-backed crypto firm World Liberty gets conditional bank charter approval CNN: Disney sues Trump's FCC over ‘retaliatory campaign' against ABC AP News:Trial for Meta begins with states arguing its platforms preyed on vulnerability of young brains  NYT: Outshine Frozen Fruit Bars Recalled Over Glass Contamination Concern WaPo: Politics drove antisemitism probes against Ivy League schools, DOJ whistleblower says  WSJ: Trump Pushes for Kim Jong Un Meeting This Year NYT: Two Ships Transiting Strait of Hormuz Are Attacked as Oil Prices Rise WaPo: Hegseth travels to Iowa in his ‘personal capacity' amid 2028 speculation NYT: Election Live Updates: Democratic Socialist Scores Florida Upset in Latest Victory for Progressives 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 threatened to "bomb the shit out of" Oman — a longtime US ally and the country currently facilitating Iran negotiations — because Iran and Oman are having side talks about the Strait of Hormuz that don't include him, and when asked why, he said "I don't think they behave very well," which confused even Fox News. Jared Kushner and Netanyahu spent several hours reaching the conclusion that Hamas should hand over weapons to an American general before any Gaza reconstruction begins, Netanyahu won't redeploy the IDF, and two working groups will be formed — all of which Netanyahu is navigating with one eye on his October reelection, so temper expectations accordingly. On the public health beat, the FDA upgraded the 20 million egg recall to its highest-risk classification, meaning the salmonella could cause death, with additional recalls hitting jalapeños, potato chips, frozen pizza, dog food, and lactation granola — check fda.gov for the full list. Kindergarten vaccination rates declined for every tracked vaccine this year, with exemption rates rising in 41 states from 3.6% to 4.2%, and 24 states now above 5% — which sounds small until you remember that's all it takes to collapse herd immunity. Meanwhile, Google bought 100 million Spirit Airlines emails and 500 million Microsoft Teams chats for $10 million at bankruptcy auction to train its AI. In court updates, the Supreme Court again denied Trump's attempt to escape paying E. Jean Carroll $5 million, without elaborating, while he still owes her another $83 million on a separate verdict they haven't weighed in on yet. Luigi Mangione's state murder trial is postponed indefinitely while his lawyers pursue double jeopardy arguments and Jill Stein has an arrest warrant after skipping a hearing for allegedly kicking a cop at a Gaza protest. One last thing, polls are open today for the Florida and Alaska primaries, so go vote! Resources/Articles mentioned: Axios: Dems plan Oman war powers push after Trump threatens bombing NBC News: Kushner and Netanyahu agree U.S. general should oversee Hamas ‘demilitarization,' source says NYT: FDA Classifies Egg Recall as Class I for Highest Health Risk  Gizmodo: Granola Is the Latest Recall in America's Salmonella-Drenched Food System Axios: Kindergarten vaccine exemptions rose in 2025-2026: CDC Axios: Google wins bankruptcy auction for Spirit Airlines emails, chats, documents WaPo: Supreme Court rebuffs Trump's bid to overturn $5 million verdict in Carroll case AP News: Luigi Mangione's state murder trial postponed indefinitely amid double jeopardy fight STL MagazineL: St. Louis judge issues warrant for Jill Stein's arrest  AP News: AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Florida's state primary 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: Todd Blanche went on Meet the Press and admitted he cannot pledge DOJ independence from the White House, and that the DOJ may ask the Supreme Court to intervene in 22 cases where judges blocked Trump's election interference efforts — specifically the administration's attempt to get voter rolls including names, addresses, and partial social security numbers from 30 states and DC. Trump also asked the Supreme Court to let him finish the $900 million White House renovation after courts ordered construction to stop by August 21st, now openly calling it a "national security structure" and "military complex" rather than a ballroom, posting an AI-generated video of himself consulting AI George Washington about the design, and accusing the people who sued him of treason for "revealing top military secrets" — about a ballroom. He also wants to redesign the entire Navy aircraft carrier fleet to look like World War 2 ships at $22 billion each. Meanwhile, families of sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln spoke to the Guardian describing relatives who lost 20-30 pounds, no clean drinking water, sparse food, and a five-week wait to see the ship's only psychiatrist — and when Trump was asked if the sailors had been deployed too long, he said they hadn't been deployed long enough. A detail the administration has not been eager to divulge is that Iran destroyed the Bahrain port where US Navy ships would normally dock, so every American warship in the region has nowhere to resupply. Trump also reduced joint military exercises with South Korea to please Kim Jong Un, posting a throwback photo of the two of them and noting they have "many where we're smiling" — sure, Donald. Jared Kushner met with Hamas in Egypt where they reaffirmed their commitment to disarming, which Netanyahu doesn't believe. In other news, Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty to two federal stalking charges and his lawyers are using the plea to argue double jeopardy on state charges, while his New York murder trial still starts next month. And finally,  Lake Mead and Lake Powell — the two largest reservoirs supplying water to seven western states — hit their lowest levels in seven decades, because July was the hottest month on record and winter was the driest. Resources/Articles mentioned: NBC News: Attorney General Todd Blanche says DOJ may take states' voter roll fight to Supreme Court Axios: Trump shrugs off concerns about dismal conditions on USS Abraham Lincoln The Guardian: Families of US sailors denounce Trump and Hegseth for ‘dismissing their experiences and calling them liars' | US military WaPo: Navy weighs major warship redesign to match Trump's preferences WaPo: Trump says White House needs ‘military complex' as courts block his ballroom WaPo: Trump reduces military exercises with South Korea, citing good ties with Kim Jong Un Axios: Hamas leaders tell Kushner they will demilitarize Gaza, sources say Axios: Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to stalking slain UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson AP News: Lake Powell hits record low, threatening key water and electricity supply for millions 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 USS Abraham Lincoln is being replaced by the USS George Washington after reporting that sailors who had been at sea for over 250 days without disembarking attempted to take their own lives — Hegseth insists the conditions are being "completely misrepresented," Democrats in Congress are demanding answers, and the Pentagon quietly swapping out the carrier while denying there's a problem is its own kind of answer. Meanwhile, US intelligence officials were actually fairly skeptical about the credibility of the Iran assassination threat that sent Trump fleeing Air Force One in a catering truck, and it was relayed to the CIA by the Israeli government — with some suggesting it was designed to pressure Trump into restarting the war. In Trump drama news, The Kennedy Center's board voted to defy a federal court order and restore Trump's name to the facade — now reading "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump" — before closing for two years of renovations, because nothing says respect for the arts like slapping your name on a building and then shutting it down. A federal judge dismissed the DOJ's lawsuit against Harvard over alleged antisemitism on campus, calling the cases "too isolated and episodic" to prove a civil rights violation, and the DOJ is already assessing next steps. And finally, Luigi Mangione is expected to appear in federal court today to potentially plead guilty to federal charges, while his state murder trial is still set for September 8th — and if he pleads guilty federally, his attorneys could argue double jeopardy to get the state charges dismissed. Resources/Articles mentioned: NBC News: USS Abraham Lincoln to be replaced amid poor conditions for troops deployed to Middle East WaPo: CIA had ‘low confidence' in Iranian threat before Trump switched planes in Turkey AP News: Kennedy Center votes to restore Trump's name and close for 2 years, challenging a judge's order AP News: Judge dismisses Trump administration lawsuit alleging antisemitism at Harvard University CNN: Luigi Mangione could plead guilty in federal case as soon as Friday  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: Karoline Leavitt is leaving her job as White House Press Secretary at the end of August, officially to spend more time with her family, though the timing — coming weeks after her boss used the press corps as an Iran assassination decoy — raises some questions. On the never-ending reflecting pool drama, Jeanine Pirro convened a rare special grand jury to investigate the reflecting pool vandalism case, even after admitting there's no case against the former Olympian they arrested. Meanwhile, cyberattacks have hit water systems in 12 states over the past few years, with 30 Minnesota systems targeted last month alone, and what remains of US cyber intelligence confirmed Iran did it — but Trump is blaming Tim Walz, because of course he is. In other news, multiple US Navy sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have attempted to jump overboard during a record 250-consecutive-day deployment with severe shortages of soap, toothpaste, hot water, food, and toilet paper, and Pete Hegseth — who built himself a personal salon at the Pentagon — called their accounts "fake news." Josh Kushner and Bob Iger are buying the Los Angeles Lakers for a record $12.5 billion, pending NBA board approval, from an insurance billionaire currently under investigation, so something is sus about this one. In primary results, DSA candidate Francesca Hong lost the Wisconsin governor's Democratic primary to David Crowley — who had dropped out and then re-entered after Tony Evers panicked — Mike Lindell lost the Minnesota Republican governor primary and is claiming voter fraud, and Lindsey Graham's sister Darlindsey fell short of 50% in South Carolina heading to a runoff against congressman Ralph Norman on August 25th. Resources/Articles mentioned: Axios: Karoline Leavitt stepping down as White House press secretary ESPN: Sources: Josh Kushner, Bob Iger to buy Lakers for $12.5B NYT: University of Michigan Will Ease Up on Grades for Student Mental Health WaPo: Pirro, in rare move, convenes special grand jury in Washington WaPo: Water systems are ripe for cyberattacks, experts warn after suspected Iranian hacks The Guardian: USS Abraham Lincoln sailors tried to jump overboard amid extended deployment – reports | US military 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 secretly escaped Air Force One in a catering truck at the NATO summit in Turkey due to an Iranian assassination threat — leaving the press corps and cabinet members including Marco Rubio sitting inside the plane he'd just abandoned as a decoy. The plane he fled was the Qatari hand-me-down that clearly wasn't secure enough for the president. When asked if he'd declare a national emergency around the November midterms, Trump said "stranger things have happened, I'll leave it at that" and then actually left it at that, which is alarming, to say the least. Meanwhile, the DOJ deployed election monitors to Minnesota's two biggest counties for their primary elections, a federal judge blocked Trump's postal service mail-in voting restrictions, and Todd Blanche is apparently discussing using ICE at polling places, so the election interference infrastructure is coming together nicely. On the corruption beat, the Antwerp World Diamond Center gave Trump a ring the size of a watch with 300 diamonds, dozens of sapphires, two giant T's, and "crafted in Antwerp for Donald John Trump" engraved on it — and weeks later the Trump administration approved a tariff exemption for Belgium's diamond industry, prompting Elizabeth Warren to send a strongly worded letter. Moving on to Immigration, ICE is planning to spend $20 million on electric shock gloves for agents, made by a company called Compliant Technologies, because subtlety is not the vibe. And finally, a new study found that dogs can distinguish between fear, anger, and sadness in human facial expressions with more nuance than previously known, which is genuinely good news and the only story today that doesn't require a drink afterward. Resources/Articles mentioned: WaPo: Contradicting public statements, Trump took secret flight from Turkey amid Iranian threat The Independent: Trump doesn't deny a possible federal takeover of elections: ‘Stranger things have happened' The Guardian: Polls close in South Carolina, where Republicans brace for runoff in race to replace Lindsey Graham – live Axios: Trump's mail-in voting restrictions blocked nationwide by federal judge AP News: Belgian diamond group that won tariff relief gifted Trump a lavishly encrusted ring AP News: AP Exclusive: ICE plans to give officers gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks  WaPo: Dogs can tell when you're happy, scared or sad, new brain scans show 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 an executive order overriding the CDC's vaccine schedule authority, requiring the MMR vaccine to be broken into three separate shots at separate visits — while claiming he broke up his own kids' vaccines into five stops because he's "seen proof" that vaccines cause autism, which he described as a soda bottle poured into a child's body. Trump also admitted there was "some contractor error" with the reflecting pool while continuing to accuse a former Olympian of vandalism even though charges were dropped, and appointed a Project 2025 co-author as inspector general of the department that will review the reflecting pool renovation. On the tech beat, Meta and TikTok lost their attempt to dismiss thousands of lawsuits claiming their platforms are deliberately addictive and harmful to teenagers. Mark Zuckerberg responded to the cultural moment by releasing a 6,500-word AI manifesto arguing everyone's concerns are overblown and America needs to beat China anyway. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders sent a strongly worded letter urging OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta to pause AI development, citing all three companies reporting their own models going rogue in recent weeks and a petition signed by over 1,200 AI employees calling for an international safety framework. In scary weather news, July 2026 was the hottest month ever recorded in the United States going back to 1895, with NOAA forecasting more of the same through August. Finally, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake — the strongest recorded in the 21st century — hit Colombia and Ecuador, killing at least 111 people with many still missing. Resources/Articles mentioned: The Guardian: Trump signs order attempting to override CDC vaccine schedule and break up MMR shots The Hill: Trump says there was ‘some contractor error' during Reflecting Pool renovation WaPo: Trump nominates loyalist to office that would oversee Reflecting Pool review WaPo: Patriot Games open with dodgeball, lots of MAGA caps and even more questions Axios: Meta, others lose appeal to drop thousands of social media addiction lawsuits Axios: Zuckerberg: AI's biggest risk is one entity with too much control  Axios: Exclusive: Sanders calls for AI development pause Axios: The U.S. just had its hottest month on record AP News: 7.4 magnitude quake strikes western Colombia, killing scores of people 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: Todd Blanche was confirmed as attorney general 50-49 at 4am on Saturday — with spineless Bill Cassidy, who already lost his Senate seat thanks to Trump, casting the deciding vote anyway — cementing the man responsible for Ghislaine Maxwell's emotional support puppy as the top law enforcement officer in the United States. On an equally depressing note, Ohio congressman Max Miller, facing allegations of holding his daughter's stuffed bunny hostage among significantly more violent accusations, missed the deadline to drop out of his reelection race. Speaking of people with no shame, Meta was caught paying neo-Nazis through its invitation-only monetization program, including a white supremacist site banned from X for hate speech. Pivoting to international grifts, a Trump-linked oil company literally called Greenland Energy — incorporated last year by a Trump associate, with Dr. Phil retained to document the whole thing — is preparing to drill in Greenland without permission from Greenland, because why ask. On the war beat, the Pentagon is running dangerously low on weapons and gave defense companies three weeks to scale production, while Trump described ongoing Iran negotiations as "lowkeying it" and "like a chess game," and Iran announced it won't reopen the Strait until the US withdraws, ends the war, unfreezes assets, lifts sanctions, and pays damages — so just a few small asks. Netanyahu rejected Trump's 15-point Gaza plan, Hamas won't disarm until Israel leaves, Israel won't leave until Hamas disarms, and Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey signed a mutual defense pact declaring an attack on one is an attack on all, which is either stabilizing or the beginning of something much worse. Resources/Articles mentioned: CNN: How each senator voted on Todd Blanche's attorney general confirmation Axios: Max Miller stays in as GOP replacement window closes Futurism: Meta Caught Paying Nazis to Post on Facebook The Guardian: Greenland issues ‘strong warning' as Trump-linked oil firm prepares to drill Reuters: Trump administration to invest $3 billion in minerals projects to boost US defense supply chains WaPo: Pentagon presses defense firms to build weapons as Iran war depletes stocks NBC News: Iran sets out steep demands for reopening Hormuz despite hopes Oman deal could break impasse Axios: Trump to Axios: "We are low-keying it" with Iran NBC News: Israel rejects Trump's 15-point plan for Gaza, Netanyahu says NBC News: Pakistan says new defense pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkey is ‘purely defensive' and open to others 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 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