Morning Announcements

Today's Headlines: Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry suspended the state's congressional primary elections — which were supposed to start tomorrow — citing the Supreme Court's redistricting ruling as cover to let the Republican-controlled legislature redraw the map first and set a new election date, which will conveniently be a jungle primary where Republicans could theoretically sweep all six of Louisiana's House seats without a single Democrat winning anything. Speaking of elections being quietly dismantled, a previously unknown Jeffrey Epstein suicide note has been sitting sealed in a New York courthouse since his death, discovered by his cellmate and hidden inside a graphic novel written on yellow legal pad paper — the DOJ says it hasn't seen it, the Times says it hasn't seen it, and somehow this is just now coming out. Former AG Pam Bondi finally agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee about the Epstein coverup, but only after Democrats filed civil contempt charges against her for blowing off her first appearance, and even then she negotiated it down from a sworn deposition to an unsworn interview, which is lawyer for "I can lie more freely." Trump pulled his surgeon general nominee Casey Means — the non-doctor health influencer — after a single Republican senator who is an actual doctor couldn't bring himself to vote for her, replacing her with Fox News contributor and real radiologist Dr. Nicole Saphier, who wrote a book in 2020 called "Make America Healthy Again." Congress passed a spending deal that ended the partial DHS shutdown, funding everything except ICE and Border Patrol for now, which Democrats are calling a win in the same way you call it a win when you only stub one toe. Trump shocked Pentagon officials and European allies alike by spontaneously posting on social media that he's pulling US troops out of Germany — the first anyone on either side of the Atlantic had heard of — possibly triggered by the German Chancellor calling the US "humiliated" by Iran. The Atlantic published a piece called "The Yolo Presidency" reporting that Trump has stopped comparing himself to Washington and Lincoln and has upgraded to Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, and Napoleon,. Disney and ABC told the FCC they won't be renewing their broadcast licenses early, won't be firing Jimmy Kimmel, and are prepared to fight it in court — Kimmel mocked Trump again anyway, and Trump responded by posting that people are "angry" and it "better be soon."

Resources/Articles mentioned:

Shreveport Times: Trump praises Governor Jeff Landry for suspending Louisiana elections

CNN: How Janet Mills was boxed out of the Maine Senate race by Graham Platner’s rise

NYT: Jeffrey Epstein’s Possible Suicide Note Hidden From Public View

CNN: Bondi will testify in House Oversight Committee’s Jeffrey Epstein probe

NBC News: Trump pulls Dr. Casey Means' nomination for surgeon general, announces replacement

Axios: House Republicans cave to Senate with vote to end 75-day DHS shutdown

Axios: Scoop: Rep. Chuck Edwards under investigation by House Ethics

The Atlantic: The YOLO Presidency - The Atlantic

Politico: Trump’s call to reduce US troops in Germany shocks Pentagon

WSJ: Shark Tank’s Mr. Wonderful Is Planning One of America’s Biggest Data Centers

WSJ: Jimmy Kimmel Mocks Trump Again After FCC Opens Review of ABC TV Licenses

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

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Today's Headlines: The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to gut Louisiana's congressional map on racial gerrymandering grounds, but the real headline is what the decision does to the 1965 Voting Rights Act — essentially making it easier for Republican-controlled legislatures to draw racially discriminatory districts going forward. Republican states wasted exactly zero time responding: Louisiana is already redrawing its map, Florida is moving forward with DeSantis's new 24-to-4 Republican-favoring map, and Mississippi's governor had apparently pre-scheduled a special legislative session to start 21 days after the ruling dropped, which tells you everything about how surprised he was by it. Meanwhile, Virginia's Supreme Court blocked the redistricting map that Virginia voters literally just approved, because apparently voting for something doesn't mean it happens anymore. On the Iran front, Pete Hegseth testified before the House Armed Services Committee, insisted the $25 billion war is being won, and blamed congressional Democrats for being the real obstacle to opening the Strait of Hormuz — the same strait his boss declared open weeks ago. He also declined to explain why he fired a bunch of experienced generals and admirals, adding that more firings are coming, before heading over to repeat the performance before the Senate. The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady for the third straight meeting, and Jerome Powell chaired his final meeting as Fed Chair before Trump's nominee Kevin Warsh takes over. LIV Golf lost its Saudi funding after the kingdom decided it had burned enough billions on the experiment, leaving a bunch of PGA defectors in a very awkward position and the league scrambling for new investors. And Amazon is reportedly in early talks about an Apprentice reboot hosted by Donald Trump Jr., which is either the most on-brand thing that's ever happened or a sign that we are truly in the final act.

Resources/Articles mentioned:

AP News: Supreme Court weakens the Voting Rights Act and aids GOP efforts to control the House 

Axios: Supreme Court boosts DeSantis' GOP congressional map

The Hill: Virginia Supreme Court leaves order temporarily blocking redistricting certification in place

WaPo: Hegseth slams ‘defeatist’ lawmakers in fiery House hearing on military budget

WSJ: As Hormuz Traffic Stalls, U.S. Pitches New Coalition to Get Ships Moving Again

Politico: DOJ sues New Jersey governor over immigration enforcement mask ban

Axios: Fed holds rates steady amid the most dissents in decades

WSJ: Powell to Remain on Fed Board, Citing Legal Pressure From Trump

WSJ: Saudi Arabia Pulls Funding From LIV Golf. Its Star Players Face a Painful Road Back.

WSJ: Amazon Discusses ‘Apprentice’ Reboot—With Don Jr. as a Potential 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: The Atlantic reported that Pete Hegseth has been feeding Trump a sanitized version of the Iran war while JD Vance and actual military brass warn about depleted missile stockpiles and the reality that Iran isn't opening the Strait of Hormuz over a social media post. Trump responded by posting that Iran told him they're "in a state of collapse" — a claim that appears to have originated entirely in his own head. Iran's actual proposal — a long-term ceasefire with toll collection on the strait and nuclear talks postponed — was called unacceptable by Marco Rubio, though other senior officials hadn't officially rejected it yet. On the energy, the UAE abruptly quit OPEC with one day's notice, saying it wants to sell more oil than the cartel allows — which won't immediately affect gas prices but adds long-term volatility to an already chaotic energy market. Back in Congress, the Senate voted 51-47 to reject legislation requiring Congressional approval before starting a war with Cuba, with John Fetterman joining Republicans to kill it. In case you forgot, King Charles is still here and he  addressed Congress with a lovely speech about the environment, Ukraine, NATO, and rule of law — none of which apply to the administration he was visiting — while Epstein survivors held a separate roundtable with Rep. Ro Khanna, since Charles declined to meet with them. Meanwhile, the FCC ordered an accelerated review of Disney's broadcast licenses years ahead of schedule over Jimmy Kimmel's Melania joke, and James Comey was indicted a second time on two charges of threatening the president's life over a beach seashell arrangement spelling "86 47." In other congressional chaos, New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean Jr. hadn't been seen since March 5th before surfacing with a vague statement about a "personal medical issue" — while records show he was actively trading between $50,000 and $190,000 in stocks the entire time. Over in Silicon Valley, Elon Musk took the stand in his own lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman, and separately backed out of his promise to support Rep. Thomas Massie — the only Republican pushing to release the Epstein files — just as Massie faces a Trump-backed primary challenger. And finally, Purdue Pharma was ordered to dissolve itself by end of week as part of its criminal opioid settlement — the company admitted wrongdoing, its owners face zero personal consequences, because of course.

Resources/Articles mentioned:

The Atlantic: The Pentagon May Not Be Telling Trump the Full Picture About the War

Axios: Trump claims Iran told U.S. it wants Strait of Hormuz open ASAP

NYT: UAE Says It Will Leave OPEC as Iran War Strains Oil Markets

Axios: Senate rejects curb on Trump military action in Cuba

BBC: King Charles and Queen Camilla attend state dinner at White House - live updates

PBS: WATCH: Epstein survivors and families join Rep. Khanna for roundtable ahead of King Charles visit

AP News: US will issue commemorative passports with Trump’s picture for America's 250th birthday

WaPo: James Comey indicted over 2025 social media post allegedly threatening Trump

CNBC: FCC launches review of Disney broadcast licenses years ahead of schedule

AP News: Judge approves OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma's criminal sentence, a last step before it dissolves

Politico: Tom Kean Jr. says he’ll be back ‘very soon’ - Live Updates

Axios: Elon Musk sits out Thomas Massie's primary 

Axios: Elon gets his day in trial against Sam Altman and OpenAI

Mother Jones: FDA May Finally Make It Illegal to Shock Autistic Kids as Punishment

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: Cole Tomas Allen was charged in federal court with attempting to assassinate President Trump plus two gun charges — more charges may be coming, and conviction alone could mean life in prison. Trump, meanwhile, has pivoted from brief media civility straight back to ballroom obsession, with Lindsey Graham leading the charge to get Congress to approve $400 million in taxpayer money for a White House ballroom-and-bunker — never mind that it wouldn't hold half as many people as the Washington Hilton it's meant to replace. The National Trust for Historic Preservation told the DOJ to go pound sand and is keeping its lawsuit blocking construction. Trump is also back gunning for Jimmy Kimmel's job over a joke that Melania has the glow of "an expectant widow" — Karoline Leavitt backed him up at the podium, Melania tweeted at Disney to "take a stand," and all of this happened four days after the joke aired. On the Iran front, Iranian officials sent a new proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz with either a long-term ceasefire or full peace deal, while punting nuclear negotiations to later — the White House hadn't responded as of this recording, and Iran's foreign minister was in Moscow meeting with Putin. King Charles is visiting Trump, with British officials doing everything possible to keep Charles out of Trump's infamous armchair photo sessions. Journalist Katie Phang sued acting AG Todd Blanche for failing to release the Epstein files as required by law — she's not seeking damages, just the documents the law already mandates. Gateway Computers founder and Ghislaine Maxwell ex-boyfriend Ted Waitt — the man who brought her as his plus-one to Chelsea Clinton's wedding — is testifying before Congress about his Epstein ties. Ron DeSantis proposed a Florida congressional map creating 24 Republican districts and just 4 Democratic ones, directly violating the Fair Districts Amendments that 63% of Floridians voted into their state constitution, and the legislature immediately scheduled a special session to ram it through. And Paramount filed an FCC petition requesting that foreign investors from Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar be allowed to indirectly own over 50% of the company post-merger — and asked for up to 100% foreign ownership approval for "future investments."

Resources/Articles mentioned:

Axios: Correspondents' Dinner suspect charged with attempted assassination of Trump

NYT: Republicans Push for Trump’s White House Ballroom After Gala Attack

National Trust rejects Trump demand to drop ballroom suit in wake of shooting

WSJ: Trump Calls on Disney to Fire Jimmy Kimmel After Melania Joke - WSJ

Axios: Iran offers U.S. deal to reopen strait but postpone nuclear talks

The Guardian: King Charles to meet Trump off camera over fears of Zelenskyy-style clash

The Daily Beast: Top Trump Goon Sued for Failing to Release the Epstein Files

KTIV: Gateway Computer co-founder Ted Waitt called to testify in Epstein investigation

Axios: DeSantis unveils gerrymandered Florida map as redistricting war rages

WSJ: Paramount Requests FCC Approval for Hefty Middle East Ownership

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: Yet another wild weekend of news! A man traveled from San Diego to DC by train with two legally purchased firearms and multiple knives, charged past security at the White House Correspondents Dinner, got shot at by a Secret Service agent who accidentally hit a fellow officer, and was apprehended within seconds. Trump was evacuated, went straight to the briefing room in black tie, and has since used the incident primarily to advocate for his White House ballroom, with the DOJ helpfully filing a motion to drop the lawsuit blocking its construction the very next morning. The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, sent a manifesto to his family calling himself a "friendly federal assassin" and targeting Trump and his cabinet — his family forwarded it to law enforcement, who apparently didn't get there in time. Acting AG Todd Blanche responded to the shooting by saying tighter gun laws aren't the answer, which is exactly what you'd expect from the president's personal criminal defense attorney. On the Iran front, Trump cancelled the latest round of peace talks at the last minute, posting that it was "too much traveling" and that Iran's leadership is confused — Iran then sent a new proposal he called better but not good enough, while Iran's foreign minister flew to Russia to meet with Putin, so that's fun. The acting Secretary of the Navy is now Hung Cao, the tenth person to hold that role across Trump's two terms, a decorated veteran who has claimed to have been "blown up" in combat without evidence, wants American law based on biblical scripture, and warned during a 2023 campaign interview that witches had taken over Monterey, California. In Israel, centrist Yair Lapid and former PM Naftali Bennett announced a new coalition party that could threaten Netanyahu's grip on power, citing Hungary's ouster of Viktor Orban as their model — notable since Netanyahu has been in office for most of the past 17 years. Two major wildfires are burning in southeastern Georgia, with over 120 homes destroyed and one volunteer firefighter dead, while a tornado in northern Texas killed at least two people and displaced 20 families. Meta and Microsoft each announced layoffs of roughly 8,000 employees, both citing AI investment as the reason they need fewer humans around. And Elon Musk finally admitted on Tesla's earnings call that the full self-driving hardware sold to millions of customers for a decade simply cannot do what he promised — triggering class action lawsuits and a rare moment of honesty from a man who has very few of them.

Resources/Articles mentioned:

CNN: Live updates: White House says suspect in Correspondents’ Dinner shooting wanted to target Trump officials

NYT: After Shooting, Trump Demands Approval for His White House Ballroom

Axios: This isn't the time to change gun laws, acting AG Blanche says

Axios: Trump slams "60 Minutes" for asking about gunman manifesto allegations

NY Post: Read White House Correspondents’ Dinner gunman Cole Allen’s full anti-Trump manifesto

WaPo: Trump calls off Witkoff, Kushner trip to Pakistan for Iran peace talks

CNN: Live updates: Iran foreign minister presses on with regional tour despite Trump canceling envoys’ visit

MS Now: Acting Navy secretary’s record raises eyebrows, including his concerns about ‘witchcraft’

NYT: Former Israeli Premiers Join in Bid to Oust Netanyahu in Elections

AP News: A fast-growing Georgia wildfire tops 31 square miles, with evacuations possible

AP News: Tornadoes in northern Texas leave at least 2 dead and destroy multiple homes

AP News: Meta slashes 8,000 jobs, or 10% of its workforce, as Microsoft offers buyouts

Futurism: Elon Musk Admits He Lied to Tesla Customers' Faces for Years About Self-Driving

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