Morning Announcements

Today's Headlines: Trump's personal aide Natalie Harp — dubbed the "Human Printer" by the Wall Street Journal — follows the president around with a printer for his Truth Social posts and is responsible for his midnight rage posting, including the Obama monkeys video, because no one else on his comms team has any visibility into what goes out at 2am. Trump returned from China having spent most of his time complimenting Xi Jinping's height, claiming Xi promised to stop arming Iran while continuing to buy their oil, getting nowhere on tariffs, and receiving a firm warning to back off Taiwan — which makes 70% of the world's semiconductors — with the one concrete outcome being China agreeing to buy 200 Boeing jets, which sent Boeing's stock down 4% because the market wanted 500. Kash Patel, meanwhile, used an FBI work trip to Hawaii to do a "VIP snorkel" around the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor where snorkeling is explicitly prohibited, and is separately being reported to have padded the FBI's arrest statistics by adding people to the Most Wanted List right before they're captured. The FDA commissioner resigned after the administration approved blueberry, mango, and menthol flavored vaping pods over his objections, and RFK Jr.'s chief spokesperson quit the next day for the same reason — flavored vapes being, apparently, everyone's line in the sand. On a darker public health note, ProPublica found that the growing MAHA-driven trend of parents rejecting Vitamin K shots for newborns — not a vaccine, just a blood-clotting intervention — has led to a measurable increase in infant deaths from preventable brain bleeds. Two House members have been missing for weeks and are both running for reelection, PCOS has been renamed PMOS because the old name caused decades of misdiagnosis, Stephen Miller's wife is in talks with Paramount for a podcast deal, and King Charles announced the UK will finally prioritize banning conversion therapy, which several prime ministers have promised and never delivered.

Resources/Articles mentioned:

NYT: After Xi's Warning on Taiwan, He and Trump Strike Positive Tone: Live Updates on Trump's China Visit

WSJ: The Late-Night Truth Social Storms That Offer a Window Into the President’s Mind

PBS: FBI Director Kash Patel took 'VIP snorkel' at a Pearl Harbor memorial, emails show

MS Now: FBI insiders: Kash Patel is ‘padding the stats’ to boost his record of arrests

Forbes: 2 House Members Have Been Absent For Weeks, Missing Dozens Of Votes

NYT: Marty Makary, Trump’s F.D.A. Commissioner, Resigns After Weeks of Pressure

The Hill: RFK Jr.’s chief HHS spokesperson resigns over flavored vapes

ProPublica: Babies Are Bleeding to Death as Parents Reject a Vitamin Shot Given at Birth

AP News: The condition PCOS is now called PMOS. What to know about the name change and what it means for care

Axios: Scoop: Paramount in talks with Katie Miller for podcast deal as it eyes expansion

Them: U.K. Government Pledges for Fifth Time in Eight Years to Ban Conversion Therapy

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Today's Headlines: Trump touched down in Beijing for his Xi Jinping summit — greeted by a military band and hundreds of children waving flags — while Elon Musk technically skipped his own OpenAI trial to attend as emotional support, despite the judge explicitly not excusing him. On the Iran war, US intelligence assessed that Iran still has operational access to 30 of its 33 missile sites and about 70% of its prewar missile stockpile, which is not what "totally obliterated" means, and for the seventh time Senate Democrats tried to advance a war powers resolution to force a congressional vote on Iran and for the seventh time it failed. On the domestic front, the DOJ is discussing settling Trump's personal tax return lawsuit for up to $10 billion in taxpayer money — potentially including dropping all audits of Trump, his family, and his businesses — while the FBI has been running an internal "payback squad" of agents handling cases against Trump's political enemies out of off-site locations for over a year. Trump got his preferred Fed chair with Kevin Warsh confirmed 54-45, the narrowest margin in modern history, and the White House is planning 250 pardons to celebrate America's 250th birthday because of course it is. On the redistricting front, Louisiana senators stayed up all night to advance a map eliminating one of the state's two majority-Black districts, and South Carolina's governor called a special session specifically to pass a new map eliminating Jim Clyburn's seat with a simple majority instead of the usual two-thirds vote. Alligator Alcatraz is closing after costing Florida hundreds of millions in under a year, and Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions were unanimously overturned by South Carolina's Supreme Court after it emerged the court clerk told jurors not to be "fooled" by him — before writing a book about the trial.

Resources/Articles mentioned:

NYT: How China Sent a Message to Trump on His Arrival

NBC News:A judge told Musk he wasn’t excused from trial. He went to China with Trump anyway

NYT: U.S. Intelligence Shows Iran Retains Substantial Missile Capabilities

The Guardian: Senate fails to curb Trump’s war on Iran even as Republican opposition grows

CNN: Justice Department considers settling Trump’s $10 billion IRS leak lawsuit

WSJ: White House Explores 250 Pardons to Mark America’s 250th Birthday

Not Us: FBI Created ‘Payback Squad’ to Handle Political Cases, Sources Say

WSJ: Kevin Warsh Is Confirmed as Fed Chair in 54–45 Senate Vote

NYT: Florida Plans to Close ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ Vendors Are Reportedly Told

Axios NoLa: Louisiana advances congressional map with reduced Black representation

The Hill: McMaster set to call South Carolina special session on redistricting: Reports

NYT: Alex Murdaugh Murder Convictions Overturned by South Carolina’s Top Court

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Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson

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Today's Headlines: Trump had a full episode between 1am and sunrise Tuesday, posting dozens of times about the 2020 election, the reflecting pool, and Barack Obama — before waking up and telling reporters he doesn't think about Americans' financial situations "at all." He also disowned his favorite pool guy after the reflecting pool paint job came out bubbly, uneven, and full of holes, despite having previously bragged about this being the greatest pool contractor in history — he then flew to China to meet Xi Jinping, bringing 16 CEOs including Elon Musk and Tim Cook, to meet with the country actively helping Iran win his war. On the war front, the Pentagon is considering renaming the conflict "Operation Sledgehammer" — not just rebranding, but a legal strategy to restart the 60-day congressional authorization clock — while Hegseth told Congress the $29 billion war could resume without their approval, which even some Republicans found uncomfortable but not uncomfortable enough to act on. Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, Kash Patel denied the drinking allegations before Congress and offered to take an alcohol disorder test only if Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen takes it with him, which is a choice. In Epstein files news, Democrats held a field hearing in Palm Beach where Epstein survivors testified, including one woman appearing publicly for the first time only because her name was published unredacted in the files, who revealed Epstein was assaulting her while in prison and that she couldn't report it because her visa was tied to him — one of at least 55 people whose immigration status was connected to his estate. In a completely under-covered story, the former mayor of Arcadia, California pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal foreign agent for China after running a fake local news site publishing pro-China propaganda on government directives. And finally, Stephen Colbert's late night show ends next Thursday, closing out with Seth Meyers, John Oliver, and both Jimmys — which was a good TV moment in an otherwise chaotic week.

Resources/Articles mentioned: 

CNN: In wild late-night posting spree, Trump attacks Obama with imaginary quote and false conspiracy theories

NBC News: Trump says he’s not thinking about Americans’ finances ‘even a little bit’ in Iran talks 

NYT: Reflecting Pool Repairs Appear Uneven and Behind Schedule, Officials Say

NYT: Trump to Be Joined by Elon Musk and Other CEOs at Xi Summit in China

NBC News: Pentagon considering renaming Iran war ‘Sledgehammer’ if ceasefire collapses

AP News: Hegseth gets bipartisan grilling on rising costs of the Iran war and Trump's end game

The Hill: Patel agrees to take alcohol test after heated exchange with Van Hollen

The Guardian: Epstein survivors give tearful testimony in House field hearing in Palm Beach

ABC News: California mayor charged with acting as illegal agent for China

NYT: Stephen Colbert Hosts 4 of His ‘Best Television Friends’

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

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Today's Headlines: The Iran ceasefire is on "massive life support" per Trump, while Iran's foreign minister insists their latest proposal was reasonable — and the administration responded by sanctioning 12 companies helping ship Iranian oil to China, days before Trump flies to Beijing to meet Xi Jinping, where that will definitely not be awkward. This is further complicated by reports that China was preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran last month, meaning both China and Russia are now actively supporting Iran, great. On the Hantavirus front, 18 Americans from the cruise are back in the US, at least 2 appear infected, and the other 16 are being monitored at a federally funded biocontainment facility in Nebraska — the WHO still says global risk is low and this is not another COVID. In other news, Trump's plan to paint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool "American flag blue" was quoted at $1.8 million — it's actually $13.1 million, no other contractors were allowed to bid, and the justification was that delays would cause "serious injury to the government." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy filmed a road trip reality show visiting historic landmarks, which a watchdog group alleges was sponsored by Toyota, Boeing, and United Airlines — companies he's supposed to regulate — through a conveniently named nonprofit funded by auto companies. Meanwhile, Republican Rep. Max Miller was accused in court filings of throwing boiling water on his ex-wife while their 2-year-old was present — also not his first abuse accusation, having previously been accused of assault by then-White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham in 2020. Texas sued Netflix for spying on children, collecting user data without consent, selling viewing habits to data brokers, and designing the platform to be addictive — Netflix says the lawsuit lacks merit. The guy who stormed the White House Correspondents Dinner pleaded not guilty, with his attorneys arguing that both acting AG Todd Blanche and Jeanine Pirro should recuse themselves since they were both at the dinner. And finally, NBC is launching a Wordle game show hosted by Savannah Guthrie and Jimmy Fallon. 

Resources/Articles mentioned:

AP News: Passengers from virus-stricken cruise ship fly to home countries for monitoring

CNN: Live updates: Trump says ceasefire with Iran on ‘massive life support’ after he rejects Tehran’s proposal

NYT: Reflecting Pool Repairs to Cost $13.1 Million. Trump Had Promised $1.8 Million

Reuters: Netflix sued by Texas for allegedly spying on children, addicting users

The Hill: Watchdog group asks Transportation IG to probe Duffy’s ‘road trip’ with family

Yahoo: MAGA Congressman Accused of Beating and Burning His Ex-Wife

AP News: Man charged in White House correspondents' dinner attack pleads not guilty

NYT: Wordle to Become Prime-Time TV Show, With Savannah Guthrie as Host

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

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Today's Headlines: Trump kicked off the week rejecting Iran's latest peace proposal with "I don't like it — totally unacceptable," while a confidential Economist document reveals Russia offered Iran 5,000 advanced drones and training for 10,000 soldiers to use them against American troops. Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei hasn't been seen publicly since being severely injured in the airstrike that killed most of his family, complicating Iran's ability to negotiate. Someone also unveiled a 22-foot golden Trump statue at a Florida golf course, which his evangelical adviser insists is definitely not idol worship. In the redistricting wars, Virginia's Supreme Court struck down the congressional map that Virginia voters just voted for — the same court that previously cleared it — handing Republicans a significant midterm advantage before the south has even finished gerrymandering. Trump announced an "election integrity army" in every state this November, the FBI opened a new investigation into Wisconsin's 2020 election results, and the DOJ subpoenaed Fulton County for the names of every 2020 election worker, which Fulton County is fighting in court. To distract from all of this, the Pentagon started releasing UFO files, which is a thing that is happening. In brain worm updates, RFK Jr. is reportedly exploring banning certain SSRIs including Zoloft, Prozac, and Lexapro — his department denied it, though he just announced initiatives to reduce SSRI prescriptions. The Trump administration is also planning to cut Social Security disability benefits for people living with family members by up to a third, potentially affecting 400,000 people — call your congresspeople. Trump Media posted a $405 million loss on just $900,000 in revenue, 600,000 MAGA fans who paid a nonrefundable deposit for the Trump Phone in 2025 still don't have their devices and are finally revolting, and the Hantavirus cruise passengers are being carefully evacuated home from the Canary Islands with isolation protocols in place. And finally, Rudy Giuliani — who was read his last rites last week — is attempting to get his hospital bills covered by a federal fund for 9/11 first responders, which is one way to handle bankruptcy.

Resources/Articles mentioned:

Newsweek: Pastor defends Golden Trump statue from biblical backlash

WSJ: Trump Blasts Iran's Response on Reopening Hormuz, Handling Uranium

The Economist: Secret document reveals Russia’s plans to aid Iran

NYT: Virginia Court Strikes Down Redistricted Voting Map in a Huge Blow to Democrats

Advance Local: Trump: GOP will have ‘election integrity army’ in every state during 2026 midterms

Wausau Pilot & Review: FBI is investigating Wisconsin's 2020 election, sources confirm - 

PBS: Justice Department seeks the names of 2020 election workers in Georgia's Fulton County

NBC News: Pentagon releases declassified UFO files including videos and photos held by the government for decades

Politico: Wiles cracks down on leaks

CNBC: U.S. payrolls jump more than expected, but the report had several red flags for the economy

The Daily Beast: MAGA Fans Revolt Over Trump Phone Disaster

Bloomberg: Trump Media Posts $405 Million Loss Driven by Crypto Holdings

CNN: Live updates: Hantavirus outbreak, passengers disembark cruise ship in Tenerife

Reuters: Exclusive: Kennedy's health officials explored US ban of some widely used antidepressants

ProPublica: The Trump Administration Aims to Penalize Disabled Adults Who Live With Their Families

The Daily Beast: Rudy Giuliani Wants 9/11 Health Fund to Cover His Medical Bills

Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com

Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson

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