Thursday, April 30th, 2026 - SCOTUS Guts Voting Rights Act, Republican Gerrymandering Begins, Hegseth Defends $25B Iran War

Wednesday, May 6th, 2026 - Trump Rants And Snoozes, DOJ Staffing Issues, ICE Detention Abuse, AI Regulation, Polymarket's Fake Panama HQ

Today's Headlines: Trump hosted kids at the White House for a Presidential Fitness Award ceremony, fell asleep while RFK Jr. spoke, and used the occasion to rant about Iran to a room full of children — meanwhile, Pete Hegseth was simultaneously insisting the ceasefire was still intact while missiles were actively flying over the Strait of Hormuz, and Marco Rubio filled in at the press briefing to tout US humanitarian aid for Cuba, a country we are currently blockading. In other news, over a quarter of DOJ attorneys — roughly 3,400 lawyers with an average tenure of over 13 years — have walked out or been fired since Trump took office, ICE's own internal records confirm a 37% spike in use of force against detainees across 98 facilities, and a new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that ICE enforcement is actually hurting US-born workers in construction and similar sectors, with no wage increases to show for it. In creepy Congress members news, Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards is under investigation for alleged misconduct toward two female staffers in their 20s, including gifts, a handwritten love letter, and a Las Vegas vacation he took during a government shutdown he almost missed voting to end — his office also had a 59% staff turnover rate in 2025, more than double the House average. In tech and media news, the White House is planning an executive order on AI oversight involving Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI before models are released to the public, Pennsylvania sued Character.AI for having its chatbot impersonate a licensed psychiatrist complete with a fake license number, and James Murdoch is reportedly in talks to acquire Vox Media, which owns New York Magazine, The Verge, and Eater, potentially outbidding the competing offer from former NBC spinoff Versant. And finally, NPR went to Panama looking for Polymarket's corporate headquarters and found an essentially empty office where nobody had ever heard of the $15 billion prediction market platform — which also happens to share a law firm with FTX, so that's extremely reassuring. Resources/Articles mentioned: The New Republic: Trump, 79, Falls Asleep After Bragging to Kids About Iran War Plans [https://newrepublic.com/post/209963/trump-falls-asleep-white-house-kids-iran-war-plans] Common Dreams: Hegseth Brags About Attacks on Iranian Ships in Strait of Hormuz While Claiming Ceasefire Holds [https://www.commondreams.org/news/strait-of-hormuz-attack] The Hill: Marco Rubio gets presidential tryout in White House briefing room [https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5864788-rubio-trump-2028-presidential-contender/] Axios: Scoop: Rep. Chuck Edwards singled out young female aides for special attention [https://www.axios.com/2026/05/04/chuck-edwards-letter-house-ethics] Financial Times: US Department of Justice loses a quarter of its lawyers [https://www.ft.com/content/a1316aae-83d9-4e2a-87aa-93de964bbbe0?syn-25a6b1a6=1] WaPo: Internal ICE records reveal widespread use of force in detention centers [https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/05/04/ice-detention-centers-force/] Axios: ICE activity hurts some U.S.-born workers, study finds [https://www.axios.com/2026/05/05/ice-immigration-us-workers-job-market-study] Axios: SEC proposes rule to allow public companies to report twice a year [https://www.axios.com/2026/05/05/sec-trump-quarterly-earnings] NYT: White House Considers Vetting A.I. Models Before They Are Released [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/technology/trump-ai-models.html] Reuters: Pennsylvania sues Character AI, says chatbot poses as doctors [https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/pennsylvania-sues-character-ai-says-chatbot-poses-doctors-2026-05-05/] NYT: James Murdoch’s Company Said to Be in Talks to Acquire Major Parts of Vox Media [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/business/media/james-murdoch-vox-media.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur] NPR: NPR went looking for Polymarket's Panama headquarters. It's elusive [https://www.npr.org/2026/05/05/nx-s1-5807918/polymarket-panama-prediction-market]  Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com [http://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 [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 - Iran Ceasefire Dead, SCOTUS Unfreezes Mifepristone, Redistricting Wars, GOP pressures Fetterman to Flip

Today's Headlines: The ceasefire is officially dead — Iran fired on multiple ships in the Strait of Hormuz after Trump said escorting vessels through the strait would be totally chill and Iran said that would be a ceasefire violation, and then Iran fired anyway. The UAE is also reporting missile attacks on a fuel facility and ships off its coast. Trump responded by holding remarks at the White House where he bragged about the economy, called it a "mini war," and mentioned he scored well on a cognitive test — so there’s that. In slightly better but don't-get-excited news, the Supreme Court issued a one-week temporary order restoring mail access to mifepristone while they figure out what they actually want to do, which is great for approximately the next seven days. On the redistricting front, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is dispatching a congressman to Albany to work on a new New York map, though realistically nothing gets implemented before 2027. There was also a shooting near the Washington Monument shortly after JD Vance's motorcade passed through — Secret Service exchanged gunfire with an armed man, a nearby child was hit and is reportedly okay, and the White House went into lockdown briefly while everyone figured out what was happening. Meanwhile, Trump is apparently offering Senator John Fetterman a financial windfall plus a full endorsement if he switches parties, which Fetterman publicly says is a hard no — though privately, per Politico, he's being a little less emphatic about it. In trial news: Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni settled their lawsuit hours before she walked the Met Gala red carpet, terms undisclosed; UK police are working to bring a suspect in the 2007 Madeleine McCann disappearance to trial, complicated by Germany's extradition laws; and a judge denied Sam Bankman-Fried's request for a new trial, calling his claims baseless, so he's staying in prison for 25 years unless he somehow charms his way into a Trump arrangement. And finally, three people on a cruise ship have died from what WHO believes is a hantavirus infection — the same illness that killed Gene Hackman — with at least three more confirmed cases and five suspected, because apparently we needed one more thing to worry about. Resources/Articles mentioned: NBC News: Trump says U.S. will begin guiding ships through Strait of Hormuz [https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-says-us-will-begin-escorting-ships-strait-hormuz-rcna343364] Axios: US, Iran exchange fire in strait as Trump attempts to open shipping lane [https://www.axios.com/2026/05/04/strait-hormuz-us-merchant-ships-cross] Axios: Iran ceasefire in peril as UAE says it's under attack [https://www.axios.com/2026/05/04/iran-attack-uae-missiles-ceasefire-hormuz] WaPo: Supreme Court restores access to abortion pill by mail for now [https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/05/04/supreme-court-abortion-pill-mail-access/] The Hill: Jeffries leads redistricting effort in New York [https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5862987-jeffries-redistricting-plan-new-york/] WaPo: Gunfire between Secret Service and armed person briefly locks down White House [https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/05/04/capitol-hill-shooting-white-house-lockdown/] Politico: Inside the Quiet Republican Effort to Flip Fetterman [https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2026/05/04/fetterman-switch-parties-republican-00904177?nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nname=playbook&nrid=0000016b-1b31-d193-a5fb-7b7b684e0000] THR: It Finally Ends: Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni Settle Lawsuit Ahead of Trial [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/blake-lively-justin-baldoni-settle-lawsuit-trial-1236585350/] Telegraph: Met seeks UK trial for Madeleine McCann suspect [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/04/met-uk-trial-madeleine-mccann-suspect-christian-brueckner/] ABC News: Judge denies Sam Bankman-Fried new trial after financial fraud conviction [https://abcnews.com/US/judge-denies-new-trial-sam-bankman-fried-after/story?id=132471994] WSJ: Health Officials Work to Contain Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship [https://www.wsj.com/health/three-people-dead-in-suspected-hantavirus-outbreak-on-cruise-ship-d3777a4f?mod=hp_lead_pos6] Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com [http://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 [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Monday, May 4th, 2026 - Spirit Airlines Is Dead, Iran War Rolls On, Cuba Is Next, Abortion Pill Access Frozen, GameStop Wants to Buy eBay

Today's Headlines: Spirit Airlines quietly ceased to exist overnight Saturday — no warning, no functioning customer service, just stranded pilots, crew members, and passengers. The real culprit is fuel costs, which are also why you're paying $4.45/gallon nationally and Californians are staring down $6+ at the pump — up over a dollar from a year ago. Speaking of costs, Trump's war with Iran rolls on: he told Congress Friday that hostilities are officially "terminated" thanks to an April ceasefire, while simultaneously keeping a full naval blockade running in the Strait of Hormuz because Iran still poses a "significant threat" — and could "misbehave." A British cargo ship was attacked in the strait yesterday, Iran is playing toll booth operator for non-US ships, and actual diplomats are quietly exchanging drafts of a peace framework while Trump posts on Truth Social that Iran "has not yet paid a big enough price." He also mentioned, fairly casually, that the US will be taking over Cuba "almost immediately," so stay tuned. Back home, a federal appeals court froze the rule allowing abortion medication to be prescribed via telehealth and shipped to patients — a major win for the anti-abortion movement — and Alabama and Tennessee are both calling special legislative sessions to redraw congressional maps and dilute Black voter representation, following the Supreme Court's recent green light to do exactly that. A summer water crisis is also taking shape across Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Nevada thanks to dangerously low snowpack, with Corpus Christi already under restrictions — largely because the petrochemical companies consuming most of the local water supply are still very much open for business. On a lighter note, a new JAMA Psychiatry study identified three distinct ADHD subtypes using brain scans from over 1,100 children, including a third type defined by emotional dysregulation that activates an entirely different part of the brain, which could meaningfully change how doctors diagnose and treat patients. GameStop's CEO is attempting a $56 billion hostile takeover of eBay, and finally, The Devil Wears Prada 2 opened to $77M domestically and $156M internationally in its debut weekend, driven overwhelmingly by women, and reportedly achieved profitability in roughly 48 hours. Resources/Articles mentioned: NBC News: Spirit Airlines collapse strands travelers: What to know about refunds, rebooking and fares [https://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/spirit-airlines-shutdown-what-to-know-rcna343222] FOX Business: National average gas price reaches $4.45 before summer driving season [https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/national-average-gas-price-reaches-4-45-before-summer-driving-season] Politico: Trump tells Congress the Iran war has ‘terminated’ as legal deadline hits [https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/01/trump-congress-war-terminated-00902681] Axios: Trump says new strikes possible if Iran "misbehaves" [https://www.axios.com/2026/05/02/trump-iran-strikes] AP News: Trump says the US will 'guide' stranded ships from the Strait of Hormuz, starting on Monday [https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-war-ceasefire-negotiations-strait-454006a0a9bb19a45a2f299c0869cefb] Newsweek: Donald Trump says US will take over Cuba ‘almost immediately’ [https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-us-take-over-cuba-11905781] WIRED: This Summer, the American Water Crisis Becomes Real [https://www.wired.com/story/the-summer-the-american-water-crisis-turned-real/] Axios: Appeals court limits abortion pill access [https://www.axios.com/2026/05/01/court-limits-abortion-pill-access] NBC News: Alabama and Tennessee set special sessions to consider new congressional maps after Supreme Court ruling [https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/alabama-governor-calls-special-session-move-primaries-redistricting-ge-rcna343125] WaPo: Brain scans reveal 3 ADHD subtypes, including a more extreme form [https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/04/30/adhd-subtype-extreme-brain-scans/] WSJ: GameStop Offers to Buy eBay for $56 Billion [https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/gamestop-is-offering-to-buy-ebay-for-56-billion-ceo-ryan-cohen-says-fd330f5a?mod=hp_lead_pos2] AP News: ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ struts to first place with $77 million debut [https://apnews.com/article/devil-wears-prada-2-box-office-4a36472a6bc5b3ac48097d3a823d3a10] Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com [http://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 [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Friday, May 1st, 2026 - Louisiana Gov Suspends Primaries, Epstein Suicide Note, Trump Posts Troop Withdrawal on Social Media, Disney vs Trump

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 [https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2026/04/30/louisiana-governor-jeff-landryexpected-to-cancel-congressional-elections-after-supreme-court-ruling/89873077007/] CNN: How Janet Mills was boxed out of the Maine Senate race by Graham Platner’s rise [https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/30/politics/janet-mills-maine-senate] NYT: Jeffrey Epstein’s Possible Suicide Note Hidden From Public View [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/us/jeffrey-epstein-suicide-note-sealed.html] CNN: Bondi will testify in House Oversight Committee’s Jeffrey Epstein probe [https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/29/politics/bondi-deposition-epstein-house-oversight] NBC News: Trump pulls Dr. Casey Means' nomination for surgeon general, announces replacement [https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/trump-pulls-casey-means-nomination-general-replacement-nicole-saphier-rcna261423] Axios: House Republicans cave to Senate with vote to end 75-day DHS shutdown [https://www.axios.com/2026/04/30/homeland-security-government-shutdown-dhs-funding] Axios: Scoop: Rep. Chuck Edwards under investigation by House Ethics [https://www.axios.com/2026/04/30/chuck-edwards-investigation-house-ethics] The Atlantic: The YOLO Presidency - The Atlantic [https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/04/donald-trump-legacy-history/686817/] Politico: Trump’s call to reduce US troops in Germany shocks Pentagon [https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/30/trump-germany-troop-pullout-pentagon-shocked-00900619] WSJ: Shark Tank’s Mr. Wonderful Is Planning One of America’s Biggest Data Centers [https://www.wsj.com/real-estate/shark-tanks-mr-wonderful-is-planning-one-of-americas-biggest-data-centers-8c138281?mod=hp_featst_pos5] WSJ: Jimmy Kimmel Mocks Trump Again After FCC Opens Review of ABC TV Licenses [https://www.wsj.com/business/media/fccs-brendan-carr-planning-early-review-of-disneys-abc-tv-licenses-83f46f2d] Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com [http://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 [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Thursday, April 30th, 2026 - SCOTUS Guts Voting Rights Act, Republican Gerrymandering Begins, Hegseth Defends $25B Iran War

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 [https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-voting-rights-congressional-redistricting-louisiana-aa5d7dbde7c13654f341d152c2ad5229]  Axios: Supreme Court boosts DeSantis' GOP congressional map [https://www.axios.com/2026/04/29/desantis-redistricting-supreme-court-florida-vra] The Hill: Virginia Supreme Court leaves order temporarily blocking redistricting certification in place [https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5854983-virginia-supreme-court-redistricting/] WaPo: Hegseth slams ‘defeatist’ lawmakers in fiery House hearing on military budget [https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/04/29/hegseth-congress-iran-war-firings/] WSJ: As Hormuz Traffic Stalls, U.S. Pitches New Coalition to Get Ships Moving Again [https://www.wsj.com/world/as-hormuz-traffic-stalls-u-s-pitches-new-coalition-to-get-ships-moving-again-85c7ea79?mod=hp_lead_pos2] Politico: DOJ sues New Jersey governor over immigration enforcement mask ban [https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/29/doj-nj-immigration-enforcement-mask-ban-00899342] Axios: Fed holds rates steady amid the most dissents in decades [https://www.axios.com/2026/04/29/fed-powell-interest-rates] WSJ: Powell to Remain on Fed Board, Citing Legal Pressure From Trump [https://www.wsj.com/economy/central-banking/fed-closes-powell-era-with-rates-on-hold-and-divide-over-what-comes-next-0aec10c2?mod=hp_lead_pos1] WSJ: Saudi Arabia Pulls Funding From LIV Golf. Its Star Players Face a Painful Road Back. [https://www.wsj.com/sports/golf/liv-golf-pga-tour-bryson-dechambeau-3abf7b85?mod=hp_lead_pos4] WSJ: Amazon Discusses ‘Apprentice’ Reboot—With Don Jr. as a Potential Host [https://www.wsj.com/business/media/amazon-discusses-apprentice-rebootwith-don-jr-as-a-potential-host-fe09e885?mod=hp_lead_pos9] Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com [http://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 [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]