Thursday, February 5th, 2026 - Europe vs. Epstein; Trump’s sketchy crypto deal; ICE pulls agents in MN

Morning Announcements

Betches

Daily News, News, News Commentary, Politics

4.7 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 5 February 2026

⏱️ 6 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today’s Headlines: While U.S. officials continue to shrug at the Epstein files, Europe is once again doing the most. Lithuanian prosecutors announced a human trafficking investigation after reviewing information tied to the Epstein documents, citing connections to Lithuanian models and artists and urging potential victims to come forward. Back stateside, DHS said it will pull 700 federal immigration agents out of Minnesota following weeks of aggressive enforcement, though roughly 2,000 agents will remain after about 3,000 arrests during “Operation Metro Surge.” The Supreme Court also issued an emergency ruling allowing California to use its newly redrawn congressional map, after Democrats responded to Trump’s push for GOP-led states to aggressively gerrymander ahead of the 2026 midterms. Meanwhile, new reporting revealed that days before Trump’s inauguration, his family quietly sold nearly half of their crypto company to an Emirati royal with deep intelligence ties, a deal now under scrutiny by House Democrats over national security concerns tied to advanced U.S. AI chips. Elsewhere, the EEOC announced it is investigating Nike for allegedly discriminating against white employees as part of its DEI programs, marking a first-of-its-kind case. And finally, the Washington Post laid off roughly a third of its staff — gutting entire desks — as Jeff Bezos continues his very normal billionaire media ownership arc. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: Reuters: Lithuania launches human trafficking probe related to Epstein files NBC News: Trump administration to withdraw 700 immigration agents from Minnesota NYT: Supreme Court Clears Way for California Voting Map WSJ: ‘Spy Sheikh’ Bought Secret Stake in Trump Company WSJ: Top Democrat Launches Probe Into ‘Spy Sheikh’ Deal With Trump Company Axios: Nike facing federal probe of alleged discrimination against white employees NPR: Bezos orders deep job cuts at 'Washington Post' Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:16.9	Today is Thursday, February 5th, and you're listening to The Morning Announcements presented by Betches Media.
0:22.4	I'm your host, Sammy Sage, and the morning announcements is your daily five-minute breakdown of the headlines
0:26.9	that isn't a megaphone for the loudest voices, but a magnifying glass for the most important news.
0:35.1	It seems like the only people taking action around the Epstein files, which I am still reading
0:39.7	and covering on threads, Instagram, and Substack continue to be the Europeans. Lithuanian
0:44.6	prosecutors announced yesterday that they have opened an investigation into human trafficking
0:48.6	after reviewing information revealed in the Epstein files, which show connections to several
0:53.4	Lithuanian artists and models.
0:55.7	Authorities say they are currently exchanging information with international partners
0:59.3	and urged anyone with valuable information or who was a potential victim of these crimes to come forward.
1:07.6	Borders'ar Tom Holman gave a press conference in Minneapolis yesterday where he announced that
1:12.0	the Department of Homeland Security will withdraw 700 federal immigration agents from Minnesota,
1:17.1	though 2,000 agents will remain, which is still quite a heavy surplus of agents in a city
1:21.6	with roughly 600 police officers and 150 federal immigration agents on a normal day.
1:27.6	DHS says that they have arrested approximately 3,000 undocumented immigrants since the so-called
1:32.7	Operation Metro surge began, which is really a very pathetic ratio.
1:37.6	Imagine if they had deployed 3,000 teachers to teach 3,000 kids to read.
1:41.9	They would call that waste fraud and abuse.
1:46.1	The Supreme Court issued an emergency ruling yesterday that will enable California to use
	...

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