Thursday, May 7th, 2026 - Epstein's Suicide Note, Kash Patel's Personalized Bourbon, Trump’s $1B Ballroom

Morning Announcements

Betches

News, Daily News, Politics, News Commentary

4.7 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 7 May 2026

⏱️ 9 minutes

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Summary

Today's Headlines: A federal judge unsealed what the DOJ claims is Jeffrey Epstein's suicide note yesterday — found tucked inside a graphic novel by his former cellmate. On related Epstein news, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testified behind closed doors at the House Oversight Committee about his relationship with Epstein, his former next-door neighbor whom he claimed to find "disgusting," and yet somehow visited Epstein's island for lunch with his family and several nannies after Epstein's 2008 conviction — his explanation being that he only meant he wouldn't have a "1 on 1" relationship with Epstein, which is genuinely one of the worst answers ever offered to a congressional committee. Elsewhere in this administration, The Atlantic has more reporting on FBI Director Kash Patel, revealing he flies on government planes stocked with personalized Woodford Reserve bourbon engraved with his name and the FBI shield, which he hands out as gifts — one of which ended up on an online auction site. Speaking of taxpayer resources being used creatively, Republicans in Congress are reportedly proposing to give Trump a billion taxpayer dollars for his White House ballroom-slash-bunker, and debris from Trump's East Wing demolition that was dumped at a National Park Service golf course has tested positive for lead, chromium, and other toxic metals. In Trump vs The Pope news, Trump accused Pope Leo of supporting Iran getting a nuclear weapon, the Pope responded that he isn't afraid and will keep advocating for peace, and Rubio flew to Rome to meet with him anyway. Back home, the FBI raided the office of Virginia Democratic state senator Louise Lucas, who led the redistricting effort that netted Democrats four new congressional seats, though the investigation's subject remains undisclosed. In tech news, Anthropic and SpaceX announced a partnership giving Anthropic access to SpaceX computing power for Claude Pro and Max, and Kevin O'Leary's Manhattan-sized Utah data center got approved despite furious local protests he dismissed as fake and possibly AI-generated. And finally, RFK Jr. withdrew an FDA rule that would have banned minors from indoor tanning beds — which the WHO classifies as a Group 1 carcinogen on par with cigarettes and asbestos — because apparently that was next on the list. Resources/Articles mentioned: NYT: Jeffrey Epstein’s Purported Suicide Note Is Released by Federal Judge NBC News: Howard Lutnick evasive during Epstein testimony, House Democrats say The Atlanic: Kash Patel’s Personalized Bourbon Stash NBC News: Republicans propose $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to secure Trump ballroom WaPo: White House East Wing debris dumped at nearby golf course has toxic metals, report says NYT: Rubio to Visit Rome After Trump’s Feud With the Pope and Meloni Politico: FBI raids office of Dem state lawmaker in Virginia who led redistricting efforts NBC News: Anthropic and SpaceX announce major partnership as AI arms races continues Gizmodo: Kevin O'Leary's Massive Data Center Project in Utah Gets the Greenlight, Locals Are Furious LA Times: RFK Jr. clears path for minors' use of tanning beds, much to the dismay of dermatologists 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	Jeffrey Epstein left a suicide note, and it's now public, unlike Howard Lutnik's testimony in Congress
0:05.2	yesterday, which was behind closed doors, though we have some reporting on what happened.
0:09.3	We also have reporting on how the FBI director brings a stash of personalized bourbon with him
0:13.7	everywhere he goes, which he hands out his gifts.
0:16.4	Republicans in Congress want to pass a bill to give Trump a billion dollars of our tax money
0:21.0	to build his fucking ballroom. And don't get me started on the debris from said ballroom
0:25.3	construction, which is toxifying the local air. Marco Rubio is visiting the Pope while his
0:30.5	boss is feuding with the Pope, and then we have some stupid news about AI and R.K. Jr. Let's get
0:36.4	into it.
0:42.2	Today is Thursday, May 7th, and you're listening to Morning Announcements presented by Betches Media. I'm your host, Sammy Sage, and Morning Announcements is your fully sourced
0:46.7	daily 10-minute breakdown of the headlines that isn't a megaphone for the loudest voices,
0:51.1	but a magnifying glass for the most important news.
0:59.4	One quick thing before the headlines, make sure to follow Betches News and me at Sammy on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and substack because we are bringing morning announcements to video,
1:04.1	and you can help us keep the show growing by following, commenting, and most importantly,
1:08.3	sharing the show with your friends. And of course, we love your comments on Spotify and all your amazing reviews and feedback. We will see when the Spotify replies.
1:17.7	The Jeffrey Epstein story will not die, even if he did, question mark. Yesterday, a federal judge
1:24.3	unsealed a document that the DOJ alleges is Epstein's suicide note,
1:28.6	which was found by his former cellmate tucked into a graphic novel after his body was removed
1:33.3	from their cell. The note reads,
1:35.6	They investigated me for months, found nothing. It's a treat to be able to choose one's time
1:40.2	to say goodbye. What should want me to do? Bust out crying? No fun. Not worth it.
1:46.5	It honestly reads as a mix between a 2018 Trump tweet and a Kyle Cook tantrum.
	...

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