Morning Announcements

Today's Headlines: Thomas Massie lost his primary to Trump-backed Ed Gallrein, and Trump followed up by endorsing Ken Paxton over sitting Senator John Cornyn in Texas — picking the very crazy over the more traditional crazy, as is on-brand. Speaking of people who can't stop themselves, Trump demanded a DOJ investigation into Maryland's mail-in ballots over a completely routine reissuing error, because Maryland didn't vote for him and apparently that requires a federal explanation. On organized resistance, the NAACP launched an "Out of Bounds" campaign urging Black athletes to withhold support from college sports programs in states eliminating Black voting representation — a direct hit on the south's most lucrative programs, which should get their attention. Turning to the grift of the week, Trump's $1.776 billion "Antiweaponization Fund" keeps getting worse, with acting AG Todd Blanche confirming January 6th insurrectionists "wouldn't be excluded" from filing claims, P. Diddy's publicist already exploring eligibility, and the whole thing requiring only 2 out of 5 board members to approve any claim with zero fraud recourse — so that's airtight. On the war front, the Senate's war powers resolution finally passed 50-47 on the eighth attempt thanks to three absent Republicans and Bill Cassidy switching his vote the week after losing his primary, while the head of the International Energy Agency warned that global oil supplies are shrinking fast with only weeks of inventory left, right as fuel prices spike at the start of travel season — great timing all around. Closer to home, the Trump administration rolled back EPA limits on forever chemicals in drinking water affecting over 200 million Americans, a Brookings analysis found that roughly 75% of the 100,000 children separated from parents during Trump's immigration crackdown are likely US citizens, and Trump signed an executive order directing banks to vet customers for immigration status — though banks lobbied it down to advisory only, because their money is still green either way. And in the one piece of good news, 30,000 New York City hotel housekeepers secured a contract raising average pay to over $100,000 a year by 2034, which is the most functional thing to happen all week.

Resources/Articles mentioned:

NBC News: Trump endorses Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn ahead of Texas Republican Senate runoff

The New Republic: Trump Demands Investigation Into Blue State That Didn’t Vote for Him

PBS: NAACP calls for boycott of Southern college sports programs over voting rights

PBS: WATCH: Trump calls planned White House ballroom 'a gift' to U.S.

PBS: Blanche faces senators on new Trump 'weaponization' fund, Epstein, budget cuts

CBS: Trump's $1.7+ billion fund sparks rush to capitalize: "All J6ers will apply"

WSJ: Senate Advances War Powers Measure After GOP’s Cassidy Switches Sides

Bloomberg: IEA Chief Warns Commercial Oil Inventories Are Falling Very Fast

The Guardian: Trump officials plan to repeal limits on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water | Trump administration

Brockovich Data Center: Brockovich Data Center

AP News: Trump orders banks to take a closer look at clients' citizenship in new immigration enforcement move

NYT: Brookings Institution Report: Over 100,000 Family Separations in Trump Crackdown

NYT: N.Y.C. Hotel Housekeepers Will Earn Over $100,000 Under New Contract

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Today's Headlines: Three people were killed in a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego — the city's largest mosque — by two teenage gunmen who died of self-inflicted wounds, with a security guard preventing the attack from being significantly worse. Notably, one shooter's mother had called police two hours earlier as a runaway juvenile report, telling them her son might be suicidal and had taken three of her weapons and her car. On the grift beat, the DOJ officially created the "Antiweaponization Fund" — a $1.776 billion taxpayer-funded slush fund that will pay unlimited, untaxable claims to anyone who says they were persecuted by the Biden administration, administered by a secret five-member board appointed by Todd Blanche, Trump's former personal criminal attorney. This is the "concession" Trump made in exchange for dropping his $10 billion IRS lawsuit — while still personally pocketing $230 million and getting all his family's tax audits dropped. Meanwhile, 60 Minutes reported that nine interconnected Polymarket accounts made $2.4 million betting on specific military actions during the Iran war with a 98% win rate across 80 bets, including the exact dates of the first strikes and the ceasefire announcement, which raises some extremely interesting questions about who's behind those accounts. Trump also announced he's pausing his planned Iran strike — which he said was scheduled for today — at the request of Gulf state leaders, while simultaneously instructing Hegseth to have a "full, large scale assault" ready at a moment's notice, because that's what de-escalation looks like now. Speaking of Hegseth, he flew to Kentucky on taxpayer — sorry, "personal" — time to campaign against Thomas Massie ahead of today's primary. In dictator vibes news, Putin arrived in Beijing today to meet with Xi Jinping four days after Trump's visit. North America's electric grid watchdog issued its strongest-ever warning that data centers are pushing the grid toward blackouts and water shortages, and Trump's reflecting pool paint job is now also reportedly toxic to the workers applying it and the public breathing it in. And finally, Elon Musk lost his OpenAI trial in under two hours — on a technicality about waiting too long to file — and his attorney responded by comparing the loss to battles during the Revolutionary War, which is completely normal legal analysis.

Resources/Articles mentioned:

AP News: Teenage gunmen open fire on San Diego mosque, killing 3 men and then themselves

AP News: Justice Department announces nearly $1.8B fund to compensate Trump allies in a deal to drop IRS suit

CBS News: Suspected insider accounts net $2.4 million on Polymarket Iran war bets with 98% win rate, firm finds

Axios: Trump says he's pausing plan to attack Iran

The Hill: Pentagon says Hegseth campaigning against Massie in ‘personal capacity’

The Guardian: Xi prepares to welcome Putin to China four days after hosting Trump

QZ: How AI data centers create cascading power outages

The Guardian: Workers racing to turn reflecting pool blue for Trump may be at risk, union warns | Washington DC

Wired: Elon Musk Loses Landmark Lawsuit Against OpenAI

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Today's Headlines: Trump is reportedly willing to drop his $10 billion IRS lawsuit in exchange for a $1.7 billion government slush fund to pay out political allies — including $230 million for himself, a waiver on all family tax audits, and a public IRS apology — totally extortion. Meanwhile, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, one of the only Republicans who voted to convict Trump after January 6th, lost his primary and became the first senator in 12 years to lose one, because minimal backbone has a price in today's GOP. Because hantavirus clearly wasn’t enough to worry about, the WHO declared Ebola a global health emergency after outbreaks in Uganda and the DRC with 246 suspected cases, no available vaccine, and no functioning USAID to help — and the person Trump put in charge of the hantavirus response is a urologist who specializes in penile implants and has promoted pandemic conspiracy theories, so we're in great hands. In other news, Trump's new counterterrorism strategy ranks drug cartels above Islamist militants, considers leftists on par with al-Qaeda, and doesn't mention far-right extremism at all, though Sebastian Gorka did find time to call out Tucker Carlson specifically. In global matters, a commander of Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah was charged with plotting attacks on 20 Jewish sites across the US, Europe, and Canada, a drone struck a UAE nuclear power plant with no injuries, and Trump told Axios Iran will get "hit much harder" despite having no leverage — while US officials now believe China will invade Taiwan within four years, Cuba has acquired 300 military drones from Russia and Iran and is reportedly eyeing Guantanamo Bay or Key West, and Ukraine launched its largest drone attack of the entire war — 600 drones across 14 Russian regions — in retaliation for Russia's assault last week. Finally, Harvey Weinstein's third trial ended in a mistrial after nine of twelve mostly-male jurors wanted to acquit him, a French judge opened an inquiry into MBS's role in Khashoggi's murder, and Everlane is being acquired by Shein for $100 million.

Resources/Articles mentioned: 

Time: Trump May Drop IRS Suit in Return for $1.7 Billion ‘Weaponization’ Fund

CNN: Trump sent a message by targeting Bill Cassidy. In defeat, Cassidy delivered one back

WSJ: Thomas Massie’s Lonely and Expensive Fight Against Trump

NYT: W.H.O. Declares Ebola Outbreak a Global Health Emergency

The New Republic: Trump’s Hantavirus Official Is a Penis Implant Specialist

PrPublica: Trump Counterterror Plan Targets Leftists, Ignores Far-Right Violence

Ken Klippenstein: New Counterterror Strategy Eyes Tucker Carlson

Time: The Iran-Backed Militia Behind a Terror Plot Against American Jews

AP News: Drone strikes UAE nuclear plant as US and Iran signal they are prepared to resume war

Axios: Trump warns Iran "clock is ticking" until US launches harder strikes

Axios: Scoop: Trump advisers fear China may target Taiwan in next 5 years

Axios: Exclusive: U.S. eyes attack-drone threat from Cuba

The Guardian: At least four people killed in Russia as Ukraine launches retaliatory strikes

Euronews: French judge opens probe into 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi

CNN: Judge declares a mistrial in Harvey Weinstein’s rape retrial after jury deadlocks

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'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

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

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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

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 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

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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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Today's Headlines: The Iran war is very much back on — Trump threatened Iran with "one big glow," called the exchange of fire "just a love tap," and bragged about sinking small boats, while US intelligence confirmed Iran still has about 70% of its missiles intact despite Trump claiming it's down to 18-19%. Gas prices have hit $4.50 a gallon — up over 50% since the war started — with CEOs warning that consumer spending is collapsing and everyone is borrowing to get by. Shell, meanwhile, posted $7 billion in Q1 profits, more than double the previous quarter, which seems fine. As if the war weren't enough to worry about, on the redistricting beat, Tennessee signed a new map eliminating the state's one Democratic seat by splitting Memphis into four suburban districts, Alabama passed their gerrymandering legislation while tornado sirens blared and the building flooded, and Mississippi is planning their own special session in a Jim Crow-era capitol that's been a museum for years. On top of that, Marco Rubio announced new sanctions on Cuba's state-owned industries and military conglomerate, while the State Department quietly beefs up disaster preparedness in South Florida in anticipation of further Cuba hostilities. Somehow Kash Patel is in the news again, he reportedly ordered polygraphs for over two dozen staff to find out who talked to The Atlantic about his drinking, while launching a criminal leak investigation against the reporter he's also suing for $250 million. Elsewhere, Trump's 10% tantrum tariff was ruled illegal by the Court of International Trade, Elon Musk was formally summoned by the French government to cooperate in their X investigation after skipping a voluntary interview — with Trump's DOJ calling it a "criminally charged criminal proceeding" — and Kalshi raised a billion dollars bringing its valuation to $22 billion, which means someone should probably check if their headquarters exists. And finally, a ransomware attack on Canvas knocked out coursework for students at over 3,000 schools, which is either a crisis or the greatest thing ever depending on your GPA.

Resources/Articles mentioned:

Axios: Iran and U.S. exchange fire in Strait of Hormuz

Bloomberg: Consumers Are ‘Running Out of Money’ and Cutting Back, CEOs Warn

Bloomberg: Consumers Are ‘Running Out of Money’ and Cutting Back, CEOs Warn

NYT: Shell Reports Nearly $7 Billion Profit After Oil Prices Surged Amid U.S.-Iran War

WaPo: U.S. intelligence says Iran can outlast Trump’s Hormuz blockade for months

Axios: Rubio announces new Cuba sanctions

Mother Jones: After SCOTUS Destroyed the Voting Rights Act, Southern States Rush to Pass Jim Crow Voting Maps

WVLT: TN governor signs new congressional map into law, dividing Memphis and marking end of special session

The New Republic: Alabama Republicans Vote to Pass New Map as Tornado Sirens Blare

The Guardian: Mississippi house to hold redistricting session at Jim Crow era capitol

MS Now: Kash Patel ordered polygraphs of more than two dozen members of his team, sources say

NYT: Trade Court Rules Trump’s 10% Global Tariff Is Illegal

WSJ: Elon Musk Summoned to France to Face Criminal Charges

NYT: Kalshi, The Prediction Market, Is Now Valued At $22B 

WSJ: Harvard, Berkeley and Thousands of Schools Suffer Cyber Outage

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

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Today's Headlines: A federal judge unsealed what the DOJ claims is Jeffrey Epstein's suicide note yesterday — found tucked inside a graphic novel by his former cellmate. On related Epstein news, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testified behind closed doors at the House Oversight Committee about his relationship with Epstein, his former next-door neighbor whom he claimed to find "disgusting," and yet somehow visited Epstein's island for lunch with his family and several nannies after Epstein's 2008 conviction — his explanation being that he only meant he wouldn't have a "1 on 1" relationship with Epstein, which is genuinely one of the worst answers ever offered to a congressional committee. Elsewhere in this administration, The Atlantic has more reporting on FBI Director Kash Patel, revealing he flies on government planes stocked with personalized Woodford Reserve bourbon engraved with his name and the FBI shield, which he hands out as gifts — one of which ended up on an online auction site. Speaking of taxpayer resources being used creatively, Republicans in Congress are reportedly proposing to give Trump a billion taxpayer dollars for his White House ballroom-slash-bunker, and debris from Trump's East Wing demolition that was dumped at a National Park Service golf course has tested positive for lead, chromium, and other toxic metals. In Trump vs The Pope news, Trump accused Pope Leo of supporting Iran getting a nuclear weapon, the Pope responded that he isn't afraid and will keep advocating for peace, and Rubio flew to Rome to meet with him anyway. Back home, the FBI raided the office of Virginia Democratic state senator Louise Lucas, who led the redistricting effort that netted Democrats four new congressional seats, though the investigation's subject remains undisclosed. In tech news, Anthropic and SpaceX announced a partnership giving Anthropic access to SpaceX computing power for Claude Pro and Max, and Kevin O'Leary's Manhattan-sized Utah data center got approved despite furious local protests he dismissed as fake and possibly AI-generated. And finally, RFK Jr. withdrew an FDA rule that would have banned minors from indoor tanning beds — which the WHO classifies as a Group 1 carcinogen on par with cigarettes and asbestos — because apparently that was next on the list.

Resources/Articles mentioned:

NYT: Jeffrey Epstein’s Purported Suicide Note Is Released by Federal Judge

NBC News: Howard Lutnick evasive during Epstein testimony, House Democrats say

The Atlanic: Kash Patel’s Personalized Bourbon Stash

NBC News: Republicans propose $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to secure Trump ballroom

WaPo: White House East Wing debris dumped at nearby golf course has toxic metals, report says

NYT: Rubio to Visit Rome After Trump’s Feud With the Pope and Meloni

Politico: FBI raids office of Dem state lawmaker in Virginia who led redistricting efforts

NBC News: Anthropic and SpaceX announce major partnership as AI arms races continues

Gizmodo: Kevin O'Leary's Massive Data Center Project in Utah Gets the Greenlight, Locals Are Furious

LA Times: RFK Jr. clears path for minors' use of tanning beds, much to the dismay of dermatologists

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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