Friday, November 14th, 2025 - Epstein drop receipts; Gaetz scandal re-enters the chat; Trump’s retaliation tour; Starbucks strike; Penny gets cancelled
Description
Today’s Headlines: The internet is still digging through the 20,000 Epstein estate documents, but the big takeaways so far: Trump and Epstein were apparently still in contact during Trump’s first term, Epstein seemed to know Trump’s flight schedule, and he even told journalist Michael Wolff he had the dirt to “take Trump down,” including alleged details about Trump’s finances and money laundering for a Russian oligarch. Meanwhile, new NYT reporting revisits the Matt Gaetz scandal, centering on the 17-year-old girl he paid for sex. She describes how she was homeless, trying to afford braces, and ended up connected to Gaetz through his associate Joel Greenberg. She later became the key witness in the DOJ’s trafficking investigation—which ultimately went nowhere. On the political-retaliation tour, the Trump administration just referred Democrat Eric Swalwell to the DOJ for possible mortgage and tax fraud, courtesy of Trump ally Bill Pulte (the 50-year-mortgage guy). And the DOJ is also probing former CIA Director John Brennan under a theory that he and Obama were part of a long-running “deep state” plot against Trump. Elsewhere, 1,000 Starbucks workers went on strike on Red Cup Day, and after 232 years, the U.S. Treasury is finally killing off the penny—because spending 3 cents to make 1 cent is just bad math.
Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode:
NPR: House committee releases over 20,000 documents from Epstein estate
NYT: How a 17-Year-Old Girl Became Enmeshed in the Matt Gaetz Scandal
NBC News: Trump official refers Rep. Eric Swalwell for a federal criminal probe over alleged mortgage fraud
NYT: Trump Loyalists Push ‘Grand Conspiracy’ as New Subpoenas Land
CNBC: Starbucks workers union launches strike in more than 40 cities on chain's key holiday sales day
NYT: U.S. Mint Presses Final Penny After More Than 200 Years - The New York Times
Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson
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