Thursday, March 5th, 2026 - TX Senate runoff; Missing Epstein files; Pam Bondi subpoenaed; IRS–ICE ruling; Khamenei’s son likely successor

Morning Announcements

Betches

Daily News, News, News Commentary, Politics

4.7 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 5 March 2026

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today’s Headlines: State Rep. James Talarico won the Democratic Senate primary with 53% over Rep. Jasmine Crockett and will face either Sen. John Cornyn or Attorney General Ken Paxton, who are headed to a May 26 GOP runoff after neither cleared 50%. Rep. Dan Crenshaw was primaried from the right by state Rep. Steve Toth, while several incumbents were pushed into runoffs amid redistricting chaos, including Democrats Al Green and Christian Menefee facing each other and Republican Tony Gonzalez battling gun YouTuber Brandon Herrera. In other news, the Justice Department admitted it withheld 47,635 Jeffrey Epstein files after the Wall Street Journal flagged missing records. The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Attorney General Pam Bondi and is seeking testimony from Epstein associates including Bill Gates and Leon Black. A federal judge ruled the IRS illegally shared taxpayer data with ICE in roughly 42,695 cases. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, already under scrutiny over a questionable $143 million DHS contract and internal leadership turmoil, faced more heat on Capitol Hill. ProPublica reports the Trump administration is loosening intelligence-sharing restrictions, aka making it easier to spy on us, without notifying Congress. Abroad, Iran’s leadership transition is intensifying, with Mojtaba Khamenei emerging as a likely successor. President Donald Trump says the U.S. is “actively considering” its role after the conflict, as the Senate narrowly rejected a measure to require congressional approval for continued strikes. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: Axios: James Talarico wins US Senate Democratic primary in Texas, beating Crockett Axios: Brutal night in Texas points to trouble ahead for House members WSJ: There Are 47,635 Epstein Files Offline for Review, DOJ Says Axios: Republicans help Dems subpoena Pam Bondi in Epstein probe WSJ: House Asks Bill Gates, Leon Black and Goldman Lawyer to Testify on Epstein AP News: The IRS broke the law by disclosing confidential information to ICE 42,695 times, judge says NBC News: Trump administration live updates: Kristi Noem faces House grilling over DHS killings; Texas Senate GOP primary heads to runoff ProPublica: Trump Administration Moves to Allow Intelligence Agencies Easier Access to Law Enforcement Files NYT: Democrats Question Credentials of Armed Squad Created by Trump Ally WSJ: Son of Khamenei Is Top Contender for Supreme Leader WSJ: Iran War Live Updates: Trump ‘Actively Considering’ U.S. Role in Iran After Conflict Ends Axios: Senate rejects bid to restrain Trump's war in Iran Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: ⁠⁠⁠betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Today is Thursday, March 5th, and you're listening to The Morning Announcements presented by Bech's Media.
0:06.1	I'm your host, Sammy Sage, and The Morning Announcements is your daily five-minute breakdown of the headlines
0:10.6	that isn't a megaphone for the loudest voices, but a magnifying glass for the most important news.
0:16.3	This episode of The Morning Announcements is brought to you by Bilt. It's 2026, and if you're still paying rent without Bilt, it's time for a change.
0:23.9	Bilt is the loyalty program for renters that rewards you monthly, with points and exclusive benefits in your neighborhood.
0:29.3	So every rent payment earns you points that can be used towards flights, hotels, lip rides, Amazon.com purchases, and so much more.
0:36.7	Stay tuned to the end of the episode to learn more.
0:39.1	Join the loyalty program for renters at joinbilt.com slash morning. That's j-o-in-b-l-t.com
0:46.2	slash morning. And make sure to use our URL so they know we sent you.
0:52.9	Let's start with some more election results from Tuesday.
0:56.1	Texas State Representative James Tolariko won the Democratic primary for Texas Senate
1:00.4	with approximately 53% of the vote to Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett's 46%.
1:05.4	Tolariko will now run in November for what is currently John Corman's seat in the U.S. Senate,
1:11.8	and he'll face either Cornyn himself or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, depending which one wins the runoff on May 26th,
1:18.6	since neither got 50% in Tuesday's primary. There are some other notable results out of Texas,
1:24.4	specifically a big upset with Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw getting primaried
1:29.0	from the right by another Texas state representative Steve Toth, who criticized Crenshaw for
1:34.0	not being conservative enough. So Crenshaw no longer has his seat. In addition to that, four
1:39.1	other current members of Congress who were primaried have been forced into their own runoff races
1:43.3	on May 26th as well.
1:45.3	One of these is a result of Texas' redistricting. Two current Democratic congressmen, Al Green
1:50.5	and Christian Menifee, who are currently colleagues, will face each other in a runoff for what is now
	...

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