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

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