American Fever Dream

Today’s Headlines: The fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files escalated after the Department of Justice released a letter signed by Deputy AG Todd Blanche outlining redactions and listing “politically exposed” names — mostly celebrities and public figures already publicly referenced. Attorney General Pam Bondi said no additional files will be released, despite reports that millions of pages remain sealed. Consequences are, at least, unfolding abroad. Thomas Pritzker stepped down from Hyatt Hotels Corporation. Buckingham Palace backed a police investigation into Prince Andrew, while French authorities assembled a team to examine related allegations. Investigations also involve former Norwegian PM Thorbjørn Jagland and port executive Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. European leaders are weighing alternatives to Visa and Mastercard over economic security concerns, as the EU and Indo-Pacific partners — with Canadian PM Mark Carney — discuss forming a major trade bloc. At the Munich Security Conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to reassure allies amid doubts about U.S. commitment to NATO, reportedly skipping EU leadership meetings while meeting Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Slovakia’s Robert Fico. A joint European report concluded Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was killed with a rare synthetic toxin; Russia rejected the findings. In domestic news, ICE is planning a $38 billion detention expansion, including a Georgia warehouse purchased from Moscow-linked PNK Group at a steep markup. A separate report detailed turbulence inside DHS under Secretary Kristi Noem, including private jet travel and the firing — then rehiring — of a Coast Guard pilot over a misplaced blanket. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the Pentagon will end graduate partnerships with Harvard University and review similar programs. A federal grand jury declined to indict Senators Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin over a video about refusing illegal orders. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Labor Statistics revised 2024–2025 job numbers down by more than 1.5 million combined — the largest downward revision in decades. And finally, former President Barack Obama clarified he’s seen no evidence of extraterrestrials visiting Earth. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: The Daily Beast: Bondi Desperately Tries to Bury Epstein Files for Good—Again ​​WSJ: Thomas Pritzker, Named in Epstein Files, Retires as Hyatt Executive Chairman Reuters: European figures caught in web of Epstein ties  NYT: Europe Worries Trump Poses Threat to Its Financial and Tech Sovereignty News 18: Mark Carney Leads Push To Form Major Trade Bloc As Trump Threatens Canada With Tariffs: Report NBC News: Warmer words but relations remain frosty between the U.S. and its old friends in Europe Axios: What we know about rare poison Russia is accused of using on Navalny WaPo: ICE plans to spend $38B on warehouse conversions WSJ: A Pilot Fired Over Kristi Noem’s Missing Blanket and the Constant Chaos Inside DHS CNN: Pentagon may bar tuition aid for top universities in Hegseth’s crackdown on ‘biased’ schools CNBC: DC grand jury declines to indict Sens. Kelly, Slotkin for seditious conspiracy NYT: Job Growth Was Overstated, New Data Shows CNN: Obama clarifies alien comments after telling podcast ‘they’re real’ Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson

Today’s Headlines: Early voting is officially underway for North Carolina’s March 3 Senate primary — your reminder that primary season is here and checking your state’s election dates is now mandatory civic behavior. The timing matters, because Washington is doing the most: the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is likely to shut down after Senate Democrats blocked a funding bill that didn’t include limits on ICE practices. If it happens, the shutdown would also hit the TSA, FEMA, and the United States Coast Guard — just as Congress leaves town for a Presidents’ Day recess.  Meanwhile, border czar Tom Homan claims ICE is ending deployments to Minnesota, though reporting suggests those deployments may not have actually ended — or possibly started. At the same time, Customs and Border Protection is moving ahead with a $225,000 contract for Clearview AI, a facial recognition tool built on billions of scraped images, now approved for “tactical targeting” and network analysis.  That mysterious whistleblower complaint involving Tulsi Gabbard also landed exactly where everyone expected: it centered on her burying an NSA report about a Trump associate’s call with a foreign intelligence agency. Just as we guessed…last week, that associate was Jared Kushner, and the call reportedly involved Iran. Benjamin Netanyahu met with Donald Trump at the White House, after which Trump publicly scolded Isaac Herzog for not pardoning Netanyahu over corruption charges — while brushing off questions about responsibility for October 7. Elsewhere, X, owned by Elon Musk, is under scrutiny after reports it sold premium accounts to Iranian regime officials despite U.S. sanctions. And finally, Gallup announced its ending monthly presidential approval ratings after nearly 90 years. The last one, taken in December, clocked in at 36%. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: Axios: Inside North Carolina's 2026 high-stakes primary races Politico: DHS shutdown all but certain after failed Senate vote - Live Updates NYT: Trump Administration to End Surge of Immigration Agents in Minnesota Wired:: CBP Signs Clearview AI Deal to Use Face Recognition for ‘Tactical Targeting’ WSJ: Gabbard Whistleblower Complaint Based on Intercepted Conversation About Jared Kushner Axios: Trump says Israeli president "should be ashamed" for not pardoning Netanyahu Wired: Elon Musk’s X Appears to Be Violating US Sanctions by Selling Premium Accounts to Iranian Leaders NYT: Gallup Will No Longer Track Presidential Approval Ratings Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson