Today’s Headlines: White House hardliner Stephen Miller is out here saying the quiet part out loud — during a CNN interview about National Guard deployments, he claimed the president has “plenary authority,” aka limitless power, before mysteriously freezing mid-interview. Meanwhile, Attorney General Pam Bondi doubled down on that energy in her Senate testimony, stonewalling lawmakers on everything from the Epstein files to alleged FBI bribery and whether government officials actually have to follow court orders. The FBI just cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center — two longtime watchdogs for extremism — after complaints from Trump allies that the groups were “biased.” In policy plotting news,  the administration is reportedly eyeing a partial selloff of the $1.6 trillion federal student loan portfolio to private buyers, and it’s refusing to guarantee back pay for federal workers during the ongoing shutdown, apparently to pressure Democrats on Obamacare tax credits. At the Supreme Court, justices seemed ready to strike down Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy after hearing arguments from a Christian therapist claiming free speech violations. A federal judge also blocked the administration’s attempt to force teen pregnancy prevention programs to comply with its anti–“gender ideology” policies. And finally, six former U.S. surgeons general are warning that HHS Secretary RFK Jr. 's health policies are an “unprecedented threat” to public safety — citing his anti-vaccine rhetoric and pseudoscience as proof the nation’s top health post has gone completely off the rails.

Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode:

CNN: CNN Show Transcripts

Axios: Bondi dodges senators' questions on Comey, Epstein probes

WBRC: FBI cuts ties with Southern Poverty Law Center, Anti-Defamation League following complaints

Politico: Trump administration considers sale of federal student loan debt

WSJ: White House Says Federal Workers’ Back Pay During Shutdown Isn’t Guaranteed

NBC News: Supreme Court skeptical of state bans on conversion therapy aimed at LGBTQ kids

AP News: A judge has blocked a Trump administration effort to change teen pregnancy prevention programs

Axios: "Unprecedented threat": Six former surgeons general sound alarm on RFK Jr.

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

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