Morning Announcements is a daily show brought to you by the Betches Sup, here to help you make sense of the world in the wake of 2020’s chaos. Every morning, Be...
Thursday, February 20th, 2025 - Trump blames Zelensky; Medicaid cuts, Pentagon layoffs; Israel-Hamas deal update; Mexico vs. Google
Today’s Headlines: Trump blames Zelensky for Russia’s invasion after a Saudi meeting that excluded Ukraine, calling him a dictator and urging elections. Meanwhile, Trump asserts more control over federal agencies with executive orders on legal authority, IVF access, and blocking NYC’s congestion pricing plan (complete with a crown photo). Medicaid faces $880 billion in cuts as part of a GOP budget designed to fund $4.5 trillion in tax breaks for the wealthy. Over at the Pentagon, Trump ordered defense spending cuts, while the IRS begins laying off 6,000 workers. Hamas plans to return the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including a mother and her two children, as the ceasefire continues. And in Mexico, President Sheinbaum threatens to sue Google over its maps labeling the “Gulf of America”.
Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode:
AP News: Trump says Ukraine started the war that's killing its citizens. What are the facts?
WA Post: Trump moves to narrow independence of Fed, along with other Wall Street overseers
WA Post: Trump’s executive order aims to lower the cost of IVF. Here’s what we know.
WA Post: Trump administration revokes approval of NYC congestion toll
NY Times: Trump Says Medicaid Won’t Be ‘Touched.’ House Republicans Want It Cut by Hundreds of Billions.
WA Post: Trump administration orders Pentagon to plan for sweeping budget cuts
NY Times: Trump Administration Live Updates: Hegseth Calls for 8 Percent Annual Defense Cut
WA Post: Bodies of Bibas family, symbol of hostage horrors, to be returned, Hamas says
Axios: Mexico threatens Google with lawsuit over "Gulf of America" label on maps
Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage alongside Bridget Schwartz and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson
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8:13
Wednesday, February 19th, 2025 - Fed prosecutor quits; DOGE Wins; USDA firings; Trump backs Tate; Multi-state floods; Pope hospitalized
Today’s Headlines: Denise Cheung, a longtime federal prosecutor, stepped down after refusing a request to freeze funds from a Biden administration environmental grant without any evidence—something she felt could violate constitutional rights. A judge ruled that Elon Musk’s DOGE team can continue making decisions at federal agencies for now, though the case isn’t over. Meanwhile, the USDA accidentally fired key officials handling the bird flu outbreak, and the FDA food division chief resigned after mass layoffs gutted his team. Trump is reportedly pushing Romania to lift travel restrictions on Andrew Tate, who’s in prison facing serious charges. Flooding in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Georgia has claimed at least 14 lives, and more rough weather is on the way. Lastly, Pope Francis remains in the hospital with pneumonia.
Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode:
WA Post: High-ranking D.C. federal prosecutor resigns over order to freeze EPA funds
NBC News: Judge denies states' bid to curtail DOGE's powers
NBC News: USDA accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and is now trying to rehire them
NBC News: Leader of FDA food division resigns
Forbes: Here’s Why Trump May View Andrew Tate As An Ally—As He Reportedly Pressures Romania To Lift His Travel Restrictions
CNN: At least 14 dead in multi-state floods as rivers rise and rescues continue
WA Post: Heavy snow and ice will hit from the Plains to the Mid-Atlantic
CBS News: Pope Francis has bilateral pneumonia, Vatican says
Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage alongside Bridget Schwartz and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson
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Today’s Headlines: Protests marked Presidents Day with “Not My Presidents’ Day” rallies against Trump and Musk across the U.S., despite freezing temperatures. In New York, four deputy mayors resigned over Mayor Eric Adams' cooperation with Trump’s immigration policy, and pressure mounts on Governor Kathy Hochul to consider Adams' removal. A Delta plane crash in Toronto injured 19 amid FAA staff cuts, while mass DHS firings and tensions at the Social Security Administration highlight ongoing federal upheaval. Trump also nominated “Stop the Steal” organizer Ed Martin as interim U.S. attorney for D.C. Lastly, U.S.-Russia peace talks in Riyadh begin without Ukrainian participation, drawing criticism from President Zelensky.
Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode:
AP News: 'No kings on Presidents Day' rings out from protests against Trump and Musk
NY Times: 4 Top Officials to Resign Over Adams’s Cooperation With Trump
AP News: Delta jet flips upside down on a snowy Toronto runway and all 80 aboard survive
NBC News: Hundreds of FAA employees are let go as Trump's mass layoffs continue
NBC News: Department of Homeland Security preparing to fire hundreds of senior leaders this week
WA Post: Top Social Security official exits after clash with Musk’s DOGE over data
NBC News: Trump nominates 'Stop the Steal' organizer who advocated for Jan. 6 defendants to be D.C.'s top prosecutor
Axios: Zelensky warns Ukraine won't accept decisions made without them in peace talks
Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage alongside Bridget Schwartz and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson
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6:27
Monday, February 17th, 2025 - Vance stuns US allies; Ukraine excluded; Musk’s DOGE fail; Trump’s MAHA & RFK Jr.’s probe; Measles outbreak update
Today’s Headlines: Vice President JD Vance delivered a speech at the Munich Security Conference accusing European leaders of abandoning their core values and meeting with far-right leader Alice Weidel while ignoring Germany’s chancellor. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated Ukraine’s NATO membership is off the table, as U.S. officials travel to Saudi Arabia for peace talks that excluded Ukraine and Europe. In response, European leaders, led by France’s Macron, convened an emergency summit. Russian state media celebrated the fracturing of Western alliances. The White House banned the Associated Press over a naming dispute, and the DOJ dropped corruption charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams after mass resignations of prosecutors. Elon Musk, fresh from a meeting with India’s PM Modi, announced plans for a Dubai tunnel system, oversaw IRS layoffs, and faced a cybersecurity breach of the DOGE website. National Nuclear Security let go key employees responsible for nuclear safety, coinciding with a Russian strike on Chernobyl. RFK Jr. launched a commission on childhood health, but Texas faces a growing measles outbreak linked to low vaccination rates. A hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas saw mixed outcomes, with Trump signaling U.S. support for any Israeli retaliation. Lastly, a new bill aims to designate Trump’s birthday as a federal holiday.
Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode:
The Guardian: JD Vance stuns Munich conference with blistering attack on Europe’s leaders
Axios: Hegseth stands by Ukraine comments as GOP senator slams "rookie mistake"
NBC News: Top Trump administration officials to head to Saudi Arabia for Russia-Ukraine peace talks
Reuters: France's Macron to host emergency European summit on Ukraine
CNN: Zelensky warns days of guaranteed US support for Europe are over, as Kellogg says Europeans won’t be at table for peace talks
The Daily Beast: Laughing Kremlin Insiders Say Trump Has Given Putin Greenlight to Expand the War
CNN: The White House bans the AP indefinitely over the use of ‘Gulf of Mexico’
NBC News: Justice Department moves to dismiss Eric Adams case after extraordinary internal revolt
WA Post: Read prosecutor’s resignation letter in N.Y. Mayor Eric Adams’s bribery case
AP News: Elon Musk met with Modi during the Indian prime minister's US visit. What does he want from India?
Business Insider: Elon Musk's Boring Company is planning to build a tunnel system in Dubai more than 10 miles long
Reuters: IRS prepares to lay off thousands of workers
Huff Post: Elon Musk’s DOGE Posts Classified Data On Its New Website
The Independent: DOGE’s hastily-launched website has already been hacked: ‘This is a joke of a .gov site’
NBC News: DOGE software approval alarms Labor Department employees
NBC News: Trump administration wants to un-fire nuclear safety workers but can’t figure out how to reach them
Axios: Trump creates MAHA commission on childhood chronic illness
NBC News: In rural West Texas, a measles outbreak grows with no end in sight
ABC News: Netanyahu to convene security cabinet after release of 3 hostages
Huff Post: New York Congresswoman Introduces Bill To Make Trump's Birthday A Federal Holiday
Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage alongside Bridget Schwartz and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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13:01
Friday, February 14th, 2025 - Fed layoffs; GOP’s budget cuts, Trans health ruling; Abortion extradition; NY Green Light law; RFK Jr. confirmed
Today’s Headlines: About 77,000 federal employees have accepted Trump’s deferred resignation offer, with more layoffs hitting the Department of Education, GSA, and Small Business Administration. Meanwhile, several DOJ officials in New York resigned after refusing to drop corruption charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams, who was allegedly shielded by Trump’s immigration crackdown. Trump also froze the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, an anti-bribery law. House Republicans rolled out a budget plan with $1.5 trillion in spending cuts, $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, and more funding for immigration enforcement and the military. A federal judge blocked Trump’s order restricting health care for transgender youth, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul vowed to block Louisiana’s effort to extradite a doctor who mailed abortion pills to a teen. Pam Bondi announced a lawsuit against New York’s Green Light law, which limits DMV data sharing with immigration officials. Lastly, RFK Jr. was confirmed as Health and Human Services Secretary—Mitch McConnell was the only Republican to vote against him.
Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode:
CNN: Scores of firings have begun at federal agencies
AP News: Prosecutor who quit after refusing to drop Adams case says she's confident he committed the crimes
CBS News: Trump freezes U.S. law banning bribery of foreign officials
WSJ: House GOP Plan Envisions $4.5 Trillion in Tax Cuts
WA Post: Federal judge blocks Trump order on health care for transgender youth
NY Times: Abortion Provider Won’t Be Extradited to Louisiana, N.Y. Governor Says
CBS News: New York's Green Light Law hit with Department of Justice lawsuit. Here's why.
NY Times: Senate Confirms RFK Jr., a Prominent Vaccine Skeptic, as Health Secretary
Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage alongside Bridget Schwartz and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Morning Announcements is a daily show brought to you by the Betches Sup, here to help you make sense of the world in the wake of 2020’s chaos. Every morning, Betches co-founder and host Sami Sage gives you quick daily updates with the most important info you need to know about politics and current events. Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage alongside Bridget Schwartz.
Listen to Morning Announcements, The Megyn Kelly Show and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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