Wednesday, August 20th, 2025 - Trump’s hot mic; Security purge & Smithsonian feud; TX standoff; OK’s PragerU tests; TikTok sued; Radioactive shrimp & more

Today’s Headlines: President Trump was caught on a hot mic telling French President Emmanuel Macron that Vladimir Putin “wants to make a deal,” though the Kremlin brushed it off Reports say Putin even suggested Zelensky travel to Moscow — a nonstarter, given Russia’s stance on Ukraine. Trump also ruled out sending U.S. troops to Ukraine as part of security guarantees. Meanwhile, the Trump administration revoked security clearances for 37 current and former national security officials, many tied to the 2016 Russia interference assessment. Trump also escalated his attacks on “woke” institutions, directing his lawyers to target the Smithsonian museums over their exhibits. In California, Republican lawmakers are suing to block Governor Gavin Newsom’s redistricting legislation, while in Texas, State Rep. Nicole Collier is literally sleeping in the capitol to avoid signing a GOP loyalty paper that would otherwise allow her to leave without threat of arrest. Elsewhere, Oklahoma schools chief Ryan Walters announced that out-of-state teacher applicants must pass an “anti-radical” test written by PragerU and immigration authorities rolled out a new policy weighing immigrants’ “positive attributes” in citizenship applications — just as ICE moved to deport a Maine police officer accused of overstaying his visa. Finally, Minnesota joined states suing TikTok over addictive algorithms, and the FDA warned consumers to toss certain Walmart frozen shrimp after reports of possible radioactive contamination linked to an Indonesian supplier. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: BBC: Kremlin plays down Zelensky talks as Trump warns Putin may not want 'to make deal' AP News: Trump administration revokes security clearances of 37 current and former government officials Axios: Trump says he has instructed lawyers to look into "woke" in Smithsonian museums Axios: California Republicans sue to pause Newsom's redistricting effort NBC News: Texas Democratic legislator is sleeping in the state Capitol after refusing security escort to leave AP News: Oklahoma to test ideology of teachers coming from California and New York Axios: Citizenship reviews now ask immigrants to show "positive contributions" to U.S. AP News: Maine police officer arrested by ICE agrees to voluntarily leave the country AP News: Minnesota sues TikTok, alleging it preys on young people with addictive algorithms NBC News: Walmart shrimp may have been exposed to radioactive material, FDA says Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices