Monday, August 4th, 2025 - Trump fires stats head; Maxwell in “Club Fed”; Smithsonian restores facts; Bukele’s power grab & more

Today’s Headlines: Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics after a bad jobs report, called the numbers “ridiculous,” and now wants to install friendlier faces. The Smithsonian got caught removing his impeachments from a museum exhibit but is now walking that back. Meanwhile, his allies got the feds to investigate special counsel Jack Smith for possibly being too political, he also announced a $200 million plan to build a Mar-a-Lago-style ballroom at the White House and decided to bring back the Presidential Fitness Test. Ghislaine Maxwell got upgraded to the cushy prison commonly known as “Club Fed” with Elizabeth Holmes & Jenn Shah while NPR and PBS basically get defunded out of existence after Congress slashed funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Sixteen states are also suing Trump’s admin for allegedly threatening doctors who provide gender-affirming care. In Gaza, Hamas released a disturbing hostage video, while Trump’s team now wants one big deal to end the war. Finally, in El Salvador, Trump’s buddy Bukele just scrapped term limits so he can stay in charge indefinitely. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: CNBC: Trump fires commissioner of labor statistics after weaker-than-expected jobs figures slam markets WSJ: Trump Seeks Bigger Overhaul at Labor Statistics Bureau, Adviser Says CBS News: Smithsonian says Trump impeachments will be restored to exhibit NBC News: Office of Special Counsel launches investigation into ex-Trump prosecutor Jack Smith WSJ: Trump to Build $200 Million ‘Beautiful Ballroom’ at the White House AP News: Trump revives the Presidential Fitness Test, a rite of passage for schoolchildren for decades WaPo: Jeffrey Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell moved to a federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas NYT: Corporation for Public Broadcasting Will Shut Down Axios: States sue Trump admin over trans care access Time: Hamas Releases Video of Israeli Hostage Evyatar David in Gaza Captivity Axios: "No piecemeal deals": Witkoff tells hostage families Trump wants full Gaza agreement Ap News: El Salvador reform opens path for President Bukele to stay in power indefinitely Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices