April 24, 2025 • 14 mins
Secretary Rubio demands Iran abandon uranium enrichment while Ukraine peace talks stall over Crimea's status, showcasing the complex challenges facing the administration.
• Secretary Rubio draws firm line with Iran, insisting on complete abandonment of uranium enrichment
• Ukraine peace talks hit roadblock with Zelensky refusing to recognize Russian claims to Crimea
• AG Pam Bondi announces cuts to DOJ programs as part of broader government efficiency efforts
• Twelve states sue Trump administration over tariff policies, questioning constitutional authority
• Michelle Obama explains inauguration absence as a personal boundary-setting decision
• Former First Lady addresses marriage speculation, emphasizing importance of "saying no"
Source Credits:
https://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/rubio-says-iran-must-give-up-nuclear-enrichment-in-any-deal-with-the-us/U3TIFZHYFBAIZJFIRMNAWDB6BE/ https://nypost.com/2025/04/23/us-news/london-talks-end-without-ukraine-peace-deal-as-zelensky-says-emotions-have-run-high/ https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ag-pam-bondi-announces-greatest-hits-amid-doge-cuts-including-250k-work-jailed-trans-inmates https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/23/states-sue-trump-in-bid-to-block-new-tariffs.html https://nypost.com/2025/04/23/us-news/michelle-obama-reveals-why-she-skipped-trumps-inauguration/
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello America.
Joc here with your RantingPolitics headline updates, where
we are diving into today's mostexplosive political stories
that you need to know aboutComing up in the next 18 minutes
.
We've got Secretary of StateRubio throwing down the gauntlet
to Iran on nuclear enrichment,and their response might
surprise you.
Plus, emotions are running hotin London as Ukraine peace talks
(00:26):
hit a Crimean sized roadblock.
We'll also dive into AGPambandee's latest greatest hits
of budget cuts at DOJ, a dozenstates taking Trump to court
over his tariff blitz andMichelle Obama finally
explaining why she skipped theinauguration.
And no, it's not what thegossip blogs want you to believe
.
If you're just tuning in forthe first time, welcome to
(00:48):
America's fastest growing dailynews rundown, designed
specifically for your commuterun or coffee time.
Stick around for all this andmore in your daily dose of
unfiltered news and common sensecommentary.
This is Ranting PoliticsHeadline Updates.
(01:19):
Secretary of State Marco Rubiohas drawn a firm line in the
sand regarding negotiations withIran, declaring that Tehran
must completely abandon itsuranium enrichment program if it
wants to strike a deal with theTrump administration and avoid
potential military conflict.
Speaking on journalist BariWeiss's podcast, rubio stated
plainly If Iran wants a civilnuclear program.
(01:41):
They can have one, just likemany other countries can have
one, and that is they importenriched material.
This hardline stance representsa significant departure from
previous diplomatic approaches.
The Iranian response was swiftand unequivocal.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchifired back that the core issue
of enrichment itself is notnegotiable, setting up what
(02:04):
could be an insurmountableobstacle to progress.
We're seeing a return to thetension that characterized
Trump's first-term approach toIran, when he pulled out of the
Obama-era nuclear deal thatfocused on monitoring rather
than eliminating Iran'senrichment capabilities.
Now, with technical-level talksexpected this weekend, the gap
between positions appears vast.
(02:25):
Rubio acknowledged thechallenging path ahead, telling
Weiss I would tell anyone we'rea long ways from any sort of
agreement with Iran.
It may not be possible, wedon't know, but we would want to
achieve a peaceful resolutionto this and not resort to
anything else.
The stakes couldn't be higherwith the Middle East already on
edge.
Anything else.
(02:45):
The stakes couldn't be higherwith the Middle East already on
edge.
Rubio warned that any militaryaction at this point in the
Middle East, whether it'sagainst Iran, by us or anybody
else, could in fact trigger amuch broader conflict.
There was momentary confusionwhen Trump's Middle East envoy,
steve Witkoff, initiallysuggested the US might be open
to allowing Iran to continuelow-level uranium enrichment.
After backlash fromconservatives in Israel, witkoff
(03:12):
quickly clarified that Iranmust stop and eliminate its
nuclear enrichment andweaponization program.
Meanwhile, in what might be apositive sign, rafael Mariano
Grossi, head of theInternational Atomic Energy
Agency, announced that Iran hasagreed to allow a UN technical
team to discuss restoring camerasurveillance at nuclear sites.
Grossi, who met with Iranianofficials in Tehran last week,
(03:32):
described Iran as engaged with asense of trying to get to an
agreement.
That's the reporting from theAssociated Press, and we'll keep
you updated as thesehigh-stakes negotiations
continue to unfold.
Peace talks aimed at ending theRussia-Ukraine conflict hit
another roadblock yesterday asdiscussions in London concluded
without any agreement.
Representatives from the US, uk, ukraine, france and Germany
(03:55):
walked away from the table withlittle more than promises to
keep talking.
According to reporting from theNew York Post, the main
sticking point Crimea.
Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky remains adamant that
recognizing Russia's claim tothe peninsula is completely off
the table, despite this being acentral component of Trump's
proposed peace deal.
Zelensky didn't mince wordssaying.
(04:16):
Emotions have run high todayover the US suggestion to cede
Crimea.
He reminded everyone thatUkraine's constitution
explicitly bars recognizing anypart of its territory as Russian
.
Posting on X.
Ukraine will always act inaccordance with its constitution
.
Trump's final offer peace dealwould give Russia formal US
(04:36):
recognition of Crimea as Russianterritory, a major departure
from Washington's longstandingWells Doctrine, which has
refused to acknowledge annexedterritory for the past 85 years.
Russia would also get de factorecognition of its occupation of
four eastern regions, alongwith a pledge that the US
wouldn't support Ukraine joiningNATO, plus sanctions relief.
(04:58):
In return, ukraine wouldreceive security guarantees from
European forces, notablywithout US involvement, and
Russia would return a smallportion of Ukraine's Kharkiv
region.
The deal would also includenavigation rights in the Dnieper
River and post-war rebuildingassistance.
The White House isn't pleasedwith Zelensky taking his
objections public.
Press Secretary CarolineLeavitt told reporters.
(05:21):
Unfortunately, presidentZelensky has been trying to
litigate this peace negotiationin the press and that's
unacceptable.
To the president, these shouldbe closed-door negotiations.
Trump himself took to TruthSocial to express his
frustration, writing it'sinflammatory statements like
Zelensky's, that makes it sodifficult to settle this war.
He has nothing to boast about.
(05:42):
Despite the tensions, ukraine'sforeign minister, andriy Sibiha
, described the talks as aconstructive exchange of views
and reaffirmed Ukraine'scommitment to peace efforts led
by US President Donald Trump.
He added Ukraine wants the warto end more than anyone else in
the world.
Meanwhile, russia seems in norush to resolve things.
(06:03):
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskovdismissed Trump's push to end
the war quickly, telling Russianoutlet VGTRK.
The issue of settlement isextremely complex, of course, so
it is hardly possible to setsome hard deadlines and try to
rush the resolution of theconflict into a shortened time
frame.
This would be an exercise infutility.
(06:24):
The Trump administration haspreviously threatened to walk
away from mediation efforts ifprogress isn't made so far.
They've shown willingness topressure Ukraine by briefly
pausing intelligence sharing andmilitary aid last month, but
have yet to follow through onthreats to tighten sanctions
against Russia.
With both sides digging intheir heels on key issues, the
path to peace remains as elusiveas ever.
(06:47):
The Department of Justice iswielding the budget axe with
gusto, and Attorney General PamBondi is not shy about showing
off the results.
According to Fox News, bondiannounced what she called some
of the DOJ's greatest hits inwasteful spending cuts.
Part of the broader efforts bythe Department of Government
Efficiency, or DOJ as it's beennicknamed.
(07:07):
Among the fat being trimmed isa whopping $2 million that had
been allocated for nationallistening sessions of
individuals with livedexperience.
I'm not entirely sure what thatmeans, but apparently it's now
deemed unnecessary.
Sessions of individuals withlived experience.
I'm not entirely sure what thatmeans, but apparently it's now
deemed unnecessary.
Another $600,000 is being savedby eliminating funding for what
(07:28):
was described as a parallelconvergent mixed methods case
study research design to assessthe efficacy of police
departments' LGBTQ liaisonservices.
That's quite a mouthful for aprogram now on the chopping
block.
The DOJ is also cutting$250,000 that was previously
used to fund a grant for workingwith incarcerated transgender
individuals providinggender-affirming care, including
(07:49):
housing in gender-appropriatefacilities.
More to come, bondi promised ina post on X, suggesting this is
just the beginning of a largercost-cutting initiative.
These moves are part of theTrump administration's broader
Doge effort to slash what theyconsider wasteful government
spending and reduce the scope offederal agencies.
Just last week, doge announcedit had worked with the National
(08:12):
Science Foundation to cancel 402diversity, equity and inclusion
grants, saving taxpayersapproximately $233 million.
Among those canceled NSF grantswas $1 million for something
called anti-racist teacherleadership for statewide
transformation.
The NSF confirmed the changes,stating.
(08:33):
Today, nsf announced it isterminating awards not aligned
with agency priorities.
While supporters praise thesecuts as responsible fiscal
management.
Critics argue they specificallytarget programs designed to
support marginalized communities.
The administration, however,remains committed to its
(08:54):
efficiency campaign, with Dogepublicly commending Bondi's
efforts.
At the Justice Department, adozen states, led by New York,
have just thrown down the legalgauntlet against President
Trump's sweeping tariff policies.
According to CNBC, these statesfiled a lawsuit Wednesday in
the US Court of InternationalTrade seeking to have the
(09:16):
president's recently imposedtariffs declared illegal and
unenforceable.
New York Attorney GeneralLetitia James didn't mince words
in her statement, saying thepresident does not have the
power to raise taxes on a whim.
But that's exactly whatPresident Trump has been doing
with these tariffs.
At the heart of the lawsuit isa fundamental constitutional
question Does the president havethe authority to unilaterally
(09:39):
impose these tariffs?
The states argue emphaticallythat he does not.
Their complaint specificallychallenges Trump's use of the
International Emergency EconomicPowers Act, or IEEPA, as legal
justification for his tariffpolicy.
Since returning to office,trump has issued a series of
executive orders implementing arange of tariffs on foreign
(10:02):
imports, including a massive145% tariff on products from
China and 25% tariffs on goodsfrom Canada and Mexico, plus a
10% tariff on imports from mostother countries around the world
.
The lawsuit points out that innearly five decades since IEPA
was enacted, no other presidenthas used it to impose tariffs
(10:24):
based on any declared nationalemergency.
The state's legal filing arguesthe Constitution assigns to
Congress, not the president, thepower to lay and collect taxes,
duties, imposts and excises.
Arizona Attorney General ChrisMays pulled no punches in her
assessment, calling thepresident's actions not only
economically reckless, it isillegal, and adding that Arizona
(10:47):
cannot afford President Trump'smassive tax increase.
This isn't the first legalchallenge to the tariffs.
Just last week, five smallbusinesses filed a similar
lawsuit in the same court.
However, on Tuesday, athree-judge panel denied those
plaintiffs' request for atemporary restraining order that
would have suspended thetariffs while the case proceeds.
(11:07):
The White House has yet torespond to this latest legal
challenge from the states, whichinclude Arizona, colorado,
connecticut, delaware, illinois,maine, minnesota, new Mexico,
oregon and Vermont, alongsideNew York.
Now to a story making headlinesfor what didn't happen rather
than what did.
Former First Lady MichelleObama has finally addressed her
(11:29):
notable absence from PresidentTrump's second inauguration,
offering a surprisinglystraightforward explanation on
her podcast IMO with MichelleObama and Craig Robinson.
It started with not havinganything to wear, obama revealed
in Monday's episode.
I mean, I had affirmatively,because I'm always prepared for
any funeral, anything.
I walk around with the rightdress.
(11:51):
I travel with clothes just incase something pops off.
So I was like, if I'm not gonnado this thing, I gotta tell my
team I don't even wanna have adress ready.
This decision quickly spawnedwidespread speculation about her
marriage, which Obama directlyaddressed on the podcast.
My decision to skip theinauguration what people don't
realize or my decision to makechoices at the beginning of this
(12:12):
year that suited me, were metwith such ridicule and criticism
.
She explained.
People couldn't believe that Iwas saying no for any other
reason that they had to assumethat my marriage was falling
apart.
According to the New York Post,obama characterized her choice
as an act of personal boundarysetting, something she's now
(12:32):
trying to teach her daughters,sasha and Malia.
I want them to start practicingnow the art of saying no, she
said, feeling like they'reenough right now.
It's a practice, it's a musclethat you have to build.
Actor Taraji P Henson, whojoined the podcast conversation,
praised Obama's decision,saying women often serve as
shock absorbers for everyoneelse.
(12:54):
When do you ever get to livefor you, henson asked.
I applaud you.
I'm happy that you are takingcare of yourself in the way that
you need to.
The former first ladypreviously addressed these
rumors on Sophia Bush's Work inProgress podcast earlier this
month, emphasizing that herdecision was simply about making
the right choice for herself,not her marriage.
(13:15):
I'm here really trying to ownmy life, she stated.
It took everything in my powerto not do the thing that was
perceived as right, but do thethings that was right for me.
And that wraps up today'sepisode of Ranting Politics
Headline Updates.
We've covered quite a rangetoday, from Secretary Rubio's
(13:36):
hardline stance on Iran givingup nuclear enrichment to the
stalled Ukraine peace talks,where Crimea remains the
sticking point.
We dug into AG Bondi's DOJbudget slashing, those 12 states
suing over Trump's tariffauthority and Michelle Obama's
personal reasons for skippingthe inauguration.
What a news day, folks.
Headlines that matter, withoutthe partisan nonsense.
(13:59):
That's our promise to you.
If you enjoyed today's rundown,make sure to follow us on X at
Ranting RP.
You can also catch fullepisodes on YouTube, spotify,
iheartradio and Apple Podcasts.
For articles, bonus content andour complete archive, head over
to RantingPoliticscom.
This is JOC signing off andthank you, our loyal listeners,
(14:21):
for choosing Ranting PoliticsHeadline Updates.
We'll be back soon with theupdates you need to navigate
these interesting times.
Remember, we don't align with apolitical party.
We align with you, the Americancitizen.
Until then, stay tuned, stayinformed and, as always, stay
free.
Hello America.
Joc here with your RantingPolitics headline updates, where
we are diving into today's mostexplosive political stories
that you need to know aboutComing up in the next 18 minutes
.
We've got Secretary of StateRubio throwing down the gauntlet
to Iran on nuclear enrichment,and their response might
surprise you.
Plus, emotions are running hotin London as Ukraine peace talks
(00:26):
hit a Crimean sized roadblock.
We'll also dive into AGPambandee's latest greatest hits
of budget cuts at DOJ, a dozenstates taking Trump to court
over his tariff blitz andMichelle Obama finally
explaining why she skipped theinauguration.
And no, it's not what thegossip blogs want you to believe
.
If you're just tuning in forthe first time, welcome to
(00:48):
America's fastest growing dailynews rundown, designed
specifically for your commuterun or coffee time.
Stick around for all this andmore in your daily dose of
unfiltered news and common sensecommentary.
This is Ranting PoliticsHeadline Updates.
(01:19):
Secretary of State Marco Rubiohas drawn a firm line in the
sand regarding negotiations withIran, declaring that Tehran
must completely abandon itsuranium enrichment program if it
wants to strike a deal with theTrump administration and avoid
potential military conflict.
Speaking on journalist BariWeiss's podcast, rubio stated
plainly If Iran wants a civilnuclear program.
(01:41):
They can have one, just likemany other countries can have
one, and that is they importenriched material.
This hardline stance representsa significant departure from
previous diplomatic approaches.
The Iranian response was swiftand unequivocal.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchifired back that the core issue
of enrichment itself is notnegotiable, setting up what
(02:04):
could be an insurmountableobstacle to progress.
We're seeing a return to thetension that characterized
Trump's first-term approach toIran, when he pulled out of the
Obama-era nuclear deal thatfocused on monitoring rather
than eliminating Iran'senrichment capabilities.
Now, with technical-level talksexpected this weekend, the gap
between positions appears vast.
(02:25):
Rubio acknowledged thechallenging path ahead, telling
Weiss I would tell anyone we'rea long ways from any sort of
agreement with Iran.
It may not be possible, wedon't know, but we would want to
achieve a peaceful resolutionto this and not resort to
anything else.
The stakes couldn't be higherwith the Middle East already on
edge.
Anything else.
(02:45):
The stakes couldn't be higherwith the Middle East already on
edge.
Rubio warned that any militaryaction at this point in the
Middle East, whether it'sagainst Iran, by us or anybody
else, could in fact trigger amuch broader conflict.
There was momentary confusionwhen Trump's Middle East envoy,
steve Witkoff, initiallysuggested the US might be open
to allowing Iran to continuelow-level uranium enrichment.
After backlash fromconservatives in Israel, witkoff
(03:12):
quickly clarified that Iranmust stop and eliminate its
nuclear enrichment andweaponization program.
Meanwhile, in what might be apositive sign, rafael Mariano
Grossi, head of theInternational Atomic Energy
Agency, announced that Iran hasagreed to allow a UN technical
team to discuss restoring camerasurveillance at nuclear sites.
Grossi, who met with Iranianofficials in Tehran last week,
(03:32):
described Iran as engaged with asense of trying to get to an
agreement.
That's the reporting from theAssociated Press, and we'll keep
you updated as thesehigh-stakes negotiations
continue to unfold.
Peace talks aimed at ending theRussia-Ukraine conflict hit
another roadblock yesterday asdiscussions in London concluded
without any agreement.
Representatives from the US, uk, ukraine, france and Germany
(03:55):
walked away from the table withlittle more than promises to
keep talking.
According to reporting from theNew York Post, the main
sticking point Crimea.
Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky remains adamant that
recognizing Russia's claim tothe peninsula is completely off
the table, despite this being acentral component of Trump's
proposed peace deal.
Zelensky didn't mince wordssaying.
(04:16):
Emotions have run high todayover the US suggestion to cede
Crimea.
He reminded everyone thatUkraine's constitution
explicitly bars recognizing anypart of its territory as Russian
.
Posting on X.
Ukraine will always act inaccordance with its constitution
.
Trump's final offer peace dealwould give Russia formal US
(04:36):
recognition of Crimea as Russianterritory, a major departure
from Washington's longstandingWells Doctrine, which has
refused to acknowledge annexedterritory for the past 85 years.
Russia would also get de factorecognition of its occupation of
four eastern regions, alongwith a pledge that the US
wouldn't support Ukraine joiningNATO, plus sanctions relief.
(04:58):
In return, ukraine wouldreceive security guarantees from
European forces, notablywithout US involvement, and
Russia would return a smallportion of Ukraine's Kharkiv
region.
The deal would also includenavigation rights in the Dnieper
River and post-war rebuildingassistance.
The White House isn't pleasedwith Zelensky taking his
objections public.
Press Secretary CarolineLeavitt told reporters.
(05:21):
Unfortunately, presidentZelensky has been trying to
litigate this peace negotiationin the press and that's
unacceptable.
To the president, these shouldbe closed-door negotiations.
Trump himself took to TruthSocial to express his
frustration, writing it'sinflammatory statements like
Zelensky's, that makes it sodifficult to settle this war.
He has nothing to boast about.
(05:42):
Despite the tensions, ukraine'sforeign minister, andriy Sibiha
, described the talks as aconstructive exchange of views
and reaffirmed Ukraine'scommitment to peace efforts led
by US President Donald Trump.
He added Ukraine wants the warto end more than anyone else in
the world.
Meanwhile, russia seems in norush to resolve things.
(06:03):
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskovdismissed Trump's push to end
the war quickly, telling Russianoutlet VGTRK.
The issue of settlement isextremely complex, of course, so
it is hardly possible to setsome hard deadlines and try to
rush the resolution of theconflict into a shortened time
frame.
This would be an exercise infutility.
(06:24):
The Trump administration haspreviously threatened to walk
away from mediation efforts ifprogress isn't made so far.
They've shown willingness topressure Ukraine by briefly
pausing intelligence sharing andmilitary aid last month, but
have yet to follow through onthreats to tighten sanctions
against Russia.
With both sides digging intheir heels on key issues, the
path to peace remains as elusiveas ever.
(06:47):
The Department of Justice iswielding the budget axe with
gusto, and Attorney General PamBondi is not shy about showing
off the results.
According to Fox News, bondiannounced what she called some
of the DOJ's greatest hits inwasteful spending cuts.
Part of the broader efforts bythe Department of Government
Efficiency, or DOJ as it's beennicknamed.
(07:07):
Among the fat being trimmed isa whopping $2 million that had
been allocated for nationallistening sessions of
individuals with livedexperience.
I'm not entirely sure what thatmeans, but apparently it's now
deemed unnecessary.
Sessions of individuals withlived experience.
I'm not entirely sure what thatmeans, but apparently it's now
deemed unnecessary.
Another $600,000 is being savedby eliminating funding for what
(07:28):
was described as a parallelconvergent mixed methods case
study research design to assessthe efficacy of police
departments' LGBTQ liaisonservices.
That's quite a mouthful for aprogram now on the chopping
block.
The DOJ is also cutting$250,000 that was previously
used to fund a grant for workingwith incarcerated transgender
individuals providinggender-affirming care, including
(07:49):
housing in gender-appropriatefacilities.
More to come, bondi promised ina post on X, suggesting this is
just the beginning of a largercost-cutting initiative.
These moves are part of theTrump administration's broader
Doge effort to slash what theyconsider wasteful government
spending and reduce the scope offederal agencies.
Just last week, doge announcedit had worked with the National
(08:12):
Science Foundation to cancel 402diversity, equity and inclusion
grants, saving taxpayersapproximately $233 million.
Among those canceled NSF grantswas $1 million for something
called anti-racist teacherleadership for statewide
transformation.
The NSF confirmed the changes,stating.
(08:33):
Today, nsf announced it isterminating awards not aligned
with agency priorities.
While supporters praise thesecuts as responsible fiscal
management.
Critics argue they specificallytarget programs designed to
support marginalized communities.
The administration, however,remains committed to its
(08:54):
efficiency campaign, with Dogepublicly commending Bondi's
efforts.
At the Justice Department, adozen states, led by New York,
have just thrown down the legalgauntlet against President
Trump's sweeping tariff policies.
According to CNBC, these statesfiled a lawsuit Wednesday in
the US Court of InternationalTrade seeking to have the
(09:16):
president's recently imposedtariffs declared illegal and
unenforceable.
New York Attorney GeneralLetitia James didn't mince words
in her statement, saying thepresident does not have the
power to raise taxes on a whim.
But that's exactly whatPresident Trump has been doing
with these tariffs.
At the heart of the lawsuit isa fundamental constitutional
question Does the president havethe authority to unilaterally
(09:39):
impose these tariffs?
The states argue emphaticallythat he does not.
Their complaint specificallychallenges Trump's use of the
International Emergency EconomicPowers Act, or IEEPA, as legal
justification for his tariffpolicy.
Since returning to office,trump has issued a series of
executive orders implementing arange of tariffs on foreign
(10:02):
imports, including a massive145% tariff on products from
China and 25% tariffs on goodsfrom Canada and Mexico, plus a
10% tariff on imports from mostother countries around the world
.
The lawsuit points out that innearly five decades since IEPA
was enacted, no other presidenthas used it to impose tariffs
(10:24):
based on any declared nationalemergency.
The state's legal filing arguesthe Constitution assigns to
Congress, not the president, thepower to lay and collect taxes,
duties, imposts and excises.
Arizona Attorney General ChrisMays pulled no punches in her
assessment, calling thepresident's actions not only
economically reckless, it isillegal, and adding that Arizona
(10:47):
cannot afford President Trump'smassive tax increase.
This isn't the first legalchallenge to the tariffs.
Just last week, five smallbusinesses filed a similar
lawsuit in the same court.
However, on Tuesday, athree-judge panel denied those
plaintiffs' request for atemporary restraining order that
would have suspended thetariffs while the case proceeds.
(11:07):
The White House has yet torespond to this latest legal
challenge from the states, whichinclude Arizona, colorado,
connecticut, delaware, illinois,maine, minnesota, new Mexico,
oregon and Vermont, alongsideNew York.
Now to a story making headlinesfor what didn't happen rather
than what did.
Former First Lady MichelleObama has finally addressed her
(11:29):
notable absence from PresidentTrump's second inauguration,
offering a surprisinglystraightforward explanation on
her podcast IMO with MichelleObama and Craig Robinson.
It started with not havinganything to wear, obama revealed
in Monday's episode.
I mean, I had affirmatively,because I'm always prepared for
any funeral, anything.
I walk around with the rightdress.
(11:51):
I travel with clothes just incase something pops off.
So I was like, if I'm not gonnado this thing, I gotta tell my
team I don't even wanna have adress ready.
This decision quickly spawnedwidespread speculation about her
marriage, which Obama directlyaddressed on the podcast.
My decision to skip theinauguration what people don't
realize or my decision to makechoices at the beginning of this
(12:12):
year that suited me, were metwith such ridicule and criticism
.
She explained.
People couldn't believe that Iwas saying no for any other
reason that they had to assumethat my marriage was falling
apart.
According to the New York Post,obama characterized her choice
as an act of personal boundarysetting, something she's now
(12:32):
trying to teach her daughters,sasha and Malia.
I want them to start practicingnow the art of saying no, she
said, feeling like they'reenough right now.
It's a practice, it's a musclethat you have to build.
Actor Taraji P Henson, whojoined the podcast conversation,
praised Obama's decision,saying women often serve as
shock absorbers for everyoneelse.
(12:54):
When do you ever get to livefor you, henson asked.
I applaud you.
I'm happy that you are takingcare of yourself in the way that
you need to.
The former first ladypreviously addressed these
rumors on Sophia Bush's Work inProgress podcast earlier this
month, emphasizing that herdecision was simply about making
the right choice for herself,not her marriage.
(13:15):
I'm here really trying to ownmy life, she stated.
It took everything in my powerto not do the thing that was
perceived as right, but do thethings that was right for me.
And that wraps up today'sepisode of Ranting Politics
Headline Updates.
We've covered quite a rangetoday, from Secretary Rubio's
(13:36):
hardline stance on Iran givingup nuclear enrichment to the
stalled Ukraine peace talks,where Crimea remains the
sticking point.
We dug into AG Bondi's DOJbudget slashing, those 12 states
suing over Trump's tariffauthority and Michelle Obama's
personal reasons for skippingthe inauguration.
What a news day, folks.
Headlines that matter, withoutthe partisan nonsense.
(13:59):
That's our promise to you.
If you enjoyed today's rundown,make sure to follow us on X at
Ranting RP.
You can also catch fullepisodes on YouTube, spotify,
iheartradio and Apple Podcasts.
For articles, bonus content andour complete archive, head over
to RantingPoliticscom.
This is JOC signing off andthank you, our loyal listeners,
(14:21):
for choosing Ranting PoliticsHeadline Updates.
We'll be back soon with theupdates you need to navigate
these interesting times.
Remember, we don't align with apolitical party.
We align with you, the Americancitizen.
Until then, stay tuned, stayinformed and, as always, stay
free.
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