From under the desk to in your ears, V. Spehar joins Betches Media in a new podcast dedicated to curing the collective malaise brought on by our chaotic political environment. Every week, Spehar and co-host Sami Saage will tenderly guide you through the biggest moments in politics and pop culture with a healing dose of perspective and humor. Rather than spiral over the latest unprecedented event, the hosts dig for the 2024 political tea you *really* want to hear while offering all the information you need to be an empowered citizen, without the side of despair to keep you up at night.
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Friday, February 13th, 2026 - Primary season is here; DHS shutdown looms; ICE ends MN deployment, gets facial recognition; Gallup ends prez ratings
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
Thursday, February 12th, 2026 - Bondi melts down; Congress blocks Canada tariffs; Pride flag comes down; EPA deregulates
Today’s Headlines: Attorney General Pam Bondi’s House Oversight testimony devolved into a chaotic shouting match, yielding few answers about the DOJ’s handling of the Epstein files. Bondi repeatedly deflected, bizarrely citing stock market highs as a more appropriate topic, and accused Rep. Thomas Massie of having “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” The most notable takeaway: Bondi appeared to confirm the DOJ tracked which Epstein-related documents Democratic committee members reviewed, raising fresh concerns about internal surveillance. In Congress, six House Republicans joined Democrats to pass a resolution blocking Trump’s Canada tariffs, which were imposed without congressional approval. The Senate passed a similar measure earlier, but Trump can veto it, and the Supreme Court—currently reviewing the tariffs—has yet to rule. Several quieter policy shifts drew scrutiny. The Institute of Museum and Library Services revised federal grant guidelines to prioritize “uplifting and positive” patriotic narratives aligned with Trump executive orders, signaling a shift away from apolitical, merit-based funding. In New York, the Pride flag was removed from the Stonewall National Monument following a federal ban on “non-agency” flags in national parks. Environmental rollbacks accelerated as the EPA moved to reverse its finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health, while the Federal Judicial Center removed climate science guidance from its judges’ manual after political pressure. ProPublica also reported the U.S. Forest Service concealed knowledge that firefighters’ gear contained cancer-linked PFAS chemicals. Finally, a deep-red Oklahoma special election delivered a surprise: Democrats overperformed by roughly 30 points, marking their strongest showing in the district in nearly two decades.
Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode:
NBC News: Pam Bondi hearing devolves into shouting matches with Democrats over Epstein and DOJ prosecutions
NYT: House Votes to Cancel Trump’s Canada Tariffs
ProPublica: Institute of Museum and Library Services Grant Guidelines Take Political Turn Under Trump
NYT: Pride Flag Is Removed From Stonewall Monument After Trump Directive
Axios: EPA's "endangerment finding" rescission looms
ProPublica: Federal Judicial Center Pulls Climate Change Chapter From Official Manual for U.S. Judges
ProPublica: Firefighters Wore Gear Containing “Forever Chemicals.” The Forest Service Knew and Stayed Silent for Years.
Newsweek: Democrat Overperforms by 30 Points in Deep Red Oklahoma
Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson
Wednesday, February 11th, 2026 - Epstein names drop, Trump mentions mount; ICE testifies; DOJ rides for Bannon
Today’s Headlines: Congress is scrambling to keep up with Europe’s Epstein accountability push. Rep. Ro Khanna publicly named six men he says were “likely incriminated” in the Epstein files, including retail billionaire Les Wexner, UAE hotel developer Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, an Italian politician, a Russian author, a former NYPD detective tied to an escort ring, and one largely unknown figure. Lawmakers say more names are coming. Members who reviewed the files also claim there are over a million mentions of Trump, documents contradicting his claim that he kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago, and evidence showing Trump called Palm Beach police in 2006 to report Epstein — portraying himself as disturbed and uninvolved. It was a packed day on Capitol Hill. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick admitted he did visit Epstein’s island with his family after previously denying any social contact. Immigration officials testified ahead of a possible government shutdown, defending ICE while refusing to directly address the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti. Lawmakers also learned only about a quarter of ICE agents have body cameras, ICE wants more funding, and the agency plans to operate at the 2026 World Cup. In related news, ProPublica reported more than 18,000 habeas petitions filed this year by immigrants alleging illegal detention — driven by mass detention policies rather than allowing people to remain in their communities during proceedings. Elsewhere, Trump’s DOJ asked the Supreme Court to overturn Steve Bannon’s contempt conviction, while a Trump-appointed judge blocked the administration from forcing states to hand over voter data. Trump also criticized Netanyahu’s West Bank settlement expansion — while simultaneously floating another aircraft carrier deployment toward Iran. In election news, progressive organizer Analilia Mejia won New Jersey’s 11th District Democratic primary, defeating an AIPAC-backed field. And in Nebraska, lawmakers capped things off by passing a bill cutting minimum wages for teenage workers.
Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode:
NYT: Grand Jury Rebuffs Justice Dept. Attempt to Indict 6 Democrats in Congress
Politico: House Dem identifies ‘wealthy, powerful men’ DOJ redacted in Epstein files - Live Updates
NYT: Former Palm Beach Police Chief Said Trump Told Him ‘Everyone’ Knew About Epstein in 2006
ABC News: Howard Lutnick, Trump's commerce secretary, says he visited Epstein's island
Axios: ICE director grilled over Trump's immigration crackdown
Axios: ICE will be at the World Cup, director says
ProPublica: Habeas Petitions Filed in Second Trump Term Hit Historic High
WaPo: DOJ seeks to undo Steve Bannon’s conviction for defying Jan. 6 subpoena
NYT: Michigan Judge Rebukes Justice Department’s Effort to Obtain Voter Data
Axios: Exclusive: Trump says he opposes Israeli annexation steps in West Bank
Axios: Exclusive: Trump says he might send second carrier to strike Iran if talks fail
NYT: New Jersey 11th Congressional District Special Primary Election Results 2026
Nebraska Public Media: Legislature passes minimum wage decrease for teen workers
Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson
The Hosts
Sami Sage
Sami Sage is the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Betches. She’s the host of the @Betches and Morning Announcements podcasts and in her spare time likes to scroll on her phone and stare at her dogs, Bruce Bader Ginsburg and Larry David.
V. Spehar (They/Them)
Vitus “V” Spehar is an accomplished TikToker, political advocate, and host of the newest podcast from Betches Media. Their signature brand, Under The Desk News, started out as a series expanding on news events in a nutshell and quickly became GenZ and Millennials go-to source for news. V’s in-depth citizen journalism led them to collaborate with notable figures like former President Obama, President Biden and more than a dozen members of Congress to inform their massive audience in a sustainable way while pushing for civic participation.
Featured Guests
Katie Couric
Tammy Duckworth
Kirsten Gillibrand
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