Episode Details

Today’s Headlines: Donald Trump’s second-term cabinet is coming together fast. Hedge fund CEO Scott Bessent, a former George Soros employee and respected strategist, has been picked for Treasury Secretary. Other key roles include Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Labor, Scott Turner for HUD, and Brooke Rollins for Agriculture. Matt Gaetz, meanwhile, says he’s leaving Congress after eight years to focus on supporting Trump from the sidelines. The DOJ is pushing to break up Google, proposing that it sell Chrome and Android to restore competition in online search. Google isn’t thrilled, calling the plan “wildly overboard,” with closing arguments happening today. In Texas, the state board of education approved a Bible-based curriculum for public elementary schools, offering schools $60 per student as an incentive to adopt it. And in Georgia, the maternal death oversight panel was abruptly dismissed after whistleblowers exposed preventable deaths linked to the state’s abortion ban. State officials say the leak violated the law, but critics call it an attempt to silence accountability.

Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode:

• CBS News: Trump selects Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary
• NBC News: Matt Gaetz says he doesn't plan to rejoin Congress after withdrawing as Trump's pick for attorney general
• The Verge: DOJ says Google must sell Chrome to crack open its search monopoly
• WA Post: Texas education officials approve Bible-based lessons for K-5 schools
• CBS News: Georgia dismisses members of pregnancy maternal death review board after leak of information on 2 such deaths

Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage alongside Bridget Schwartz and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson

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