Thursday, August 21st, 2025 - Gerrymandering & tariff updates; Border device snoops; RFK Jr. drama; N. Korea nukes; WH TikTok & more

Today’s Headlines: Texas lawmakers finally got enough people in the room to move their new congressional map forward, shutting down Democratic objections along the way. Meanwhile in Mississippi, a federal judge ordered the state to ditch its decades-old gerrymandered map that diluted Black voters’ power. On tariffs, Trump quietly expanded his 50% steel and aluminum tariffs to over 400 new products—everything from fire extinguishers to construction materials—hitting about $320 billion worth of imports. Border searches are also spiking: CBP combed through nearly 15,000 travelers’ phones and laptops last quarter, the most ever, and they’re looking for even more invasive tech to dig through people’s texts. At HHS, over 750 employees blasted Secretary RFK Jr. for spreading anti-vax lies that they say are fueling violence against health workers—just weeks after a gunman attacked the CDC. Overseas, Israel is calling up 60,000 more reservists for its Gaza campaign and extending others’ service, even as protests grow at home and a controversial West Bank settlement project gets the green light and a think tank says North Korea has a secret missile base near China capable of launching nukes at the U.S.—one of at least 15 hidden facilities. Lastly, in a weird twist, the White House just launched an official TikTok account on the very app Trump keeps trying (and failing) to ban. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: The Guardian: Texas Republicans bring redistricting bill to house floor after finally reaching quorum AP News: Mississippi Supreme Court map violates Voting Rights Act, judge rules NBC News: Trump expands 50% steel and aluminum tariffs to include 407 additional product types Wired: Phone Searches at the US Border Hit a Record High Axios: HHS workers accuse RFK Jr. of stoking violence against them NBC News: Israel enters first stage of planned assault on Gaza City WSJ: North Korea Has a Secret Long-Range Missile Base Near Chinese Border, Report Says The Guardian: White House launches official TikTok account after Trump vowed ban in 2020 Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices