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Morning Announcements

Morning Announcements

By: Betches Media
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 Morning Announcements is your daily news rundown from Betches News--because the world’s a mess, and someone’s gotta explain it. Every morning, Betches co-founder and host Sami Sage cuts through the chaos to break down what actually matters, one unhinged headline at a time. All in under 10 minutes, so you can stay informed without spiraling.© Betches Media. All rights reserved. Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Friday, October 3rd, 2025 - Trump’s cartel ‘war’; Project 2025 enters the chat; Generic Mifepristone; Yom Kippur attack; Lutnik talks Epstein

    Friday, October 3rd, 2025 - Trump’s cartel ‘war’; Project 2025 enters the chat; Generic Mifepristone; Yom Kippur attack; Lutnik talks Epstein
    Oct 3 2025
    Today’s Headlines: President Trump has formally declared the U.S. to be in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, invoking war powers and ordering military strikes on Caribbean boats the administration labels as “terrorist organizations.” Lawmakers in both parties are skeptical of the legal basis but—shocker—seem unlikely to act. Meanwhile, the government shutdown has left 750,000 workers unpaid or furloughed, and the White House is now threatening permanent firings with help from Project 2025 architect Russell Vought. Shutdown propaganda even seeped into federal employees’ auto-replies, which were forcibly edited to blame Democrats. The Energy Department axed $7.6 billion in clean energy grants, conveniently targeting states that voted for Kamala Harris. The administration also sent nine universities—including Vanderbilt, MIT, and Brown—a “compact” demanding they overhaul admissions, freeze tuition, and abolish certain departments in exchange for federal funds. Elsewhere, the FDA approved a generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone, sparking predictable outrage despite it being a routine process. Yom Kippur was marred by a deadly terror attack at a synagogue in Manchester, where two worshippers were killed and the attacker was shot dead. And finally, Commerce Secretary Howard “Laughin’” Lutnick, a former neighbor of Jeffrey Epstein, suggested Epstein blackmailed powerful men with videos, casually detonating months of damage control efforts with a single podcast appearance. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: AP News: Trump says US is in 'armed conflict' with drug cartels after ordering strikes in the Caribbean WSJ: Lawmakers From Both Sides Pressed Pentagon on Legal Basis for Cartel Boat Strikes Axios: Trump embraces Project 2025 after disavowing it during 2024 campaign Wired: Government Workers Say Their Out-of-Office Replies Were Forcibly Changed to Blame Democrats for Shutdown AP News: Trump administration cuts nearly $8B in clean energy projects in states that backed Harris WSJ: Exclusive | Trump White House Asks Colleges to Sign Sweeping Agreement to Get Funding Advantage AP News: FDA approves another generic abortion pill, prompting outrage from conservatives Reuters: Synagogue attack on Yom Kippur kills two in UK's Manchester; suspect shot dead ABC News: Howard Lutnick believes Jeffrey Epstein may have used blackmail to get a lighter sentence Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    9 mins
  • Thursday, October 2nd, 2025 - Shutdown blame game; SCOTUS ruled Cook stays, for now; Pentagon polygraphs; Lab made eggs

    Thursday, October 2nd, 2025 - Shutdown blame game; SCOTUS ruled Cook stays, for now; Pentagon polygraphs; Lab made eggs
    Oct 2 2025
    Today’s Headlines: The government is officially shut down, and OMB apparently spent its last working hours ordering at least 16 federal agencies to send out a pre-written email blaming Democrats for it—an illegal little parting gift to federal workers. With the shutdown, you can forget about getting jobs or inflation data for now (except from payroll firm ADP, which says companies shed 32,000 jobs in September—so, yeah, not great). Meanwhile, the Supreme Court told Trump he can’t just boot Fed Governor Lisa Cook on the spot, kicking that fight to January. At the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth is rolling out strict NDAs and even random polygraphs for thousands of staffers, including top brass, in his ongoing war against leakers. And in actual science news, researchers in Nature Communications announced they’ve managed to create functional human eggs from skin cells in a lab—early proof-of-concept that could eventually transform fertility treatments, though no babies are being made from them anytime soon. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: The Handbasket: Trump mandates all federal agencies send email blaming Dems for potential gov’t shutdown Yahoo: While the government is closed, jobs and inflation data go unreported NBC News: U.S. companies shed 32,000 jobs in September in latest sign of labor market weakness NYT: Supreme Court Allows Lisa Cook to Remain at Fed, for Now WaPo: Pentagon plans widespread random polygraphs, NDAs to stanch leaks Wired: Scientists Made Human Eggs From Skin Cells and Used Them to Form Embryos Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    6 mins
  • Wednesday, October 1st, 2025 - Hegseth fat shames top brass; Gov’t shuts down; Trump to “debar” Harvard; TrumpRx; AI actor shopped

    Wednesday, October 1st, 2025 - Hegseth fat shames top brass; Gov’t shuts down; Trump to “debar” Harvard; TrumpRx; AI actor shopped
    Oct 1 2025
    Today’s Headlines: Trump and his War Secretary Pete Hegseth dragged 800 generals from around the world to Quantico for what was basically a “threatening pep rally.” Hegseth banned beards, long hair, and “Nordic pagan” vibes. Trump then called U.S. cities like San Francisco and Chicago “war zones” that should be used as military training grounds, and even ranted about ugly stealth ships. Meanwhile, the government officially shut down at midnight. Around 750,000 federal workers are now unpaid or furloughed (with Trump hinting some might be permanently cut) and — conveniently — there’s no vote on releasing the Epstein files. In other news, the administration is moving to “debar” Harvard, potentially banning it from federal funds and grants after already threatening its tax status and student visas. Trump also struck a flashy Oval Office deal with Pfizer to sell Medicaid and cash-paying consumers cheaper drugs via a new website called “Trump Rx” while Pfizer invests $70 billion in U.S. manufacturing. Other pharma companies are being told to play ball or face tariffs. And on the tech front, OpenAI announced a new TikTok-style video app while a startup called Xicoia is shopping an AI-generated “actor” to Hollywood — so apparently we’re replacing performers before agents now. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: AP News: Trump calls for using US cities as a 'training ground' for military in unusual speech to generals NYT: Government Shutdown Hours Away as Senate Spending Votes Fail WSJ: Trump Administration Opens New Front to Strip Harvard of Federal Funding WSJ: White House Unveils ‘TrumpRx’ Drug-Buying Site and a Pfizer Pricing Deal WSJ: OpenAI Launches Video Generator App to Rival TikTok and YouTube AP News: 'AI actor' Tilly Norwood stirs outrage in Hollywood Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    9 mins
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