Tuesday, November 18th, 2025 - Trump’s Epstein files flip-flop; Markets tank; Patel’s GF security detail; Kash’s GF gets fed perks; FEMA Chief quits

Today’s Headlines: Trump did a full-speed-reverse on Sunday night, suddenly telling House Republicans to go ahead and vote for releasing the Epstein files—after spending months trying to stop exactly that. By Monday he was even claiming he’d sign a bill to release them, adding the very believable disclaimer: “but don’t talk about it too much.” To change the subject, he floated a new promise: $2,000 “tariff dividend” checks for middle-income Americans next year—right around the midterms. Nothing says “stop asking about sexual misconduct” quite like a surprise government check. Meanwhile, FBI Director Kash Patel’s country singer girlfriend has been assigned her own FBI security detail—yes, on your dime—which is unusual even by this administration’s standards. Airports should be mostly back to normal this week now that FAA restrictions are lifted with the end of the shutdown. At FEMA, acting director David Richardson resigned after a rough seven months and a disastrously mishandled Texas flood response. Karen Evans, FEMA’s current chief of staff, will take over. Markets took a nosedive, with the major indexes seeing their worst day since Liberation Day. The AI bubble might finally be bursting, especially after new filings showed Peter Thiel’s fund and SoftBank both dumped their Nvidia stakes. Finally, a new mental health study found that social media creators are burning out at alarming rates—1 in 10 have had suicidal thoughts tied directly to their work, two-thirds say their self-worth drops when posts underperform, and nearly 70% say their income is totally unpredictable. The Internet economy is thriving; its workers are not. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: Politico: Trump does Epstein U-turn as House Republicans prepare to spurn him Axios: Trump says he would sign law to release Epstein documents Axios: Trump promises $2,000 tariff checks by mid-2026 Forbes: FBI Director Patel’s Girlfriend Has FBI Security Detail, Report Says NBC: FAA has lifted emergency flight reductions used to ease staffing pressure during government shutdown WSJ: FEMA Chief David Richardson Resigns WSJ: Market Rout Intensifies, Sweeping Up Everything From Tech to Crypto to Gold Reuters: Peter Thiel's fund offloaded Nvidia stake in third quarter, filing shows Fast Company: Creators are suffering from a mental health crisis, new study shows Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices