Tuesday, August 19th, 2025 - ​​Trump-Zelenky meeting; Mail-in voting ban; Newsmax settlement; TX redistricting; Hamas Ceasefire & more

Today’s Headlines: After Trump’s meeting with Putin, Zelensky and several spooked European leaders rushed to DC for damage control. Trump called his Oval Office chat with Zelensky their “best meeting yet” (not saying much), hinted at a three-way with Putin, and bragged Europe would “carry the burden” on Ukraine—all while admitting he’d already “spoken indirectly” with Putin. Meanwhile, Russian TV aired footage of U.S. equipment flying Russian and American flags near Zaporizhzhia. Back home, Trump announced an executive order to ban mail-in voting and attacked voting machines, echoing Putin’s lines while undermining the constitutionality of state run elections. In related news, Newsmax agreed to pay Dominion $67 million for 2020 election lies, following big settlements with Smartmatic and Fox. In Texas, Democrats are back, clearing the way for Republicans to lock in five new House seats and in other potentially corrupt news, the White House was caught keeping a loyalty “scorecard” on businesses’ support for Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” while they weigh taking a 10% stake in Intel—an unusually socialist-sounding move. Meanwhile, the DOJ is set to hand over long-delayed Epstein records, with Bill Barr insisting it was suicide despite “camera blind spots.” And reports say Trump officials helped spring an Israeli cybersecurity exec arrested in Nevada on child sex charges, flying him home before trial. Finally, Hamas has reportedly accepted a new ceasefire and hostage deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar, though Israel hasn’t formally responded, and Netanyahu is still vowing a Gaza City offensive as over a million Israelis strike in protest. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: AP News: Live updates: Trump says he is setting up meeting for Zelenskyy and Putin to discuss Russia-Ukraine war The Daily Beast: Flag-Waving Russian Forces Troll Trump After Crumbling to Putin Axios: Trump raises end to mail-in ballots after claiming Putin questioned their security NBC News: Newsmax to pay $67M to settle defamation lawsuit from voting machine company WSJ: Texas Democrats End Walkout, Ensuring GOP Redistricting Plans Will Pass Axios: Scoop: White House loyalty rating for companies WSJ: Trump Administration Weighs 10% Stake in Intel to Help Bolster Chip Maker CNN: House Oversight Chair says Justice Department to start providing Epstein-related records on Friday Mediaite: Israeli Official Arrested in Nevada Child Sex Operation Is Released and Back in Israel Axios: Hamas accepts latest Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal proposal Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices