Wednesday, April 23nd, 2025 - State Dept cuts; Pentagon fitness test; RFK autism registry; ICE halts cancer research & more

Morning Announcements

Betches

News Commentary, Daily News, News, Politics

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 23 April 2025

⏱️ 7 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today’s Headlines: The State Department is getting a major overhaul, with Secretary Marco Rubio slashing overseas posts and U.S.-based staff by 15%, calling the agency bloated and politically biased. Meanwhile, the Pentagon will soon require women in combat roles to meet the same physical standards as men under a new "sex-neutral" fitness test. Over at HHS, Secretary RFK Jr. is compiling a national autism registry using private medical records, aiming to prove the condition’s cause by September. At Harvard, groundbreaking cancer research has stalled because ICE is detaining the scientist who wrote the analysis software—she’s now fighting deportation to Russia. Student loan borrowers in default could see their wages garnished starting in May, ending a pandemic-era pause. And Tesla reported a 71% drop in profits, partly due to Elon Musk’s political baggage—but its carbon credit sales are booming. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: NY Times: Marco Rubio Shares Plans for Overhaul of State Department NY Times: Female Soldiers Will Have to Pass ‘Sex-Neutral’ Physical Test, U.S. Army Says The New Republic: RFK Jr. Set to Launch Disease Registry Tracking Autistic People NBC News: New images could change cancer diagnostics, but ICE detained the Harvard scientist who analyzes them AP News: Student loans in default to be referred to debt collection, Education Department says WSJ: Tesla Profit Sinks, Hurt by Backlash Over Elon Musk’s Political Role Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage alongside Bridget Schwartz and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, U-Up listeners.
0:02.0	It's been a while since we've met in person, and we were thinking maybe it's time we set up another date.
0:08.2	We're so excited that we're going to be hosting a very special U-Up live event in New York City on April 30th at the Palladium Times Square.
0:17.8	Expect the games you love, spicy dating reveals, and even a live dating app
0:22.5	Maygover. But this time with you in the audience. Rally your friends, bring your craziest dating
0:28.6	stories, and join Jared and I live for a night of laughs that you won't want to miss.
0:33.8	Tickets are on sale now, so visit betches.co slash you up live to get yours before they're gone.
0:41.4	Today is Wednesday, April 23rd, and you're listening to the morning announcements presented by
0:46.1	Betches Media. I'm your host, Sammy Sage, and the morning announcements is your daily five-minute
0:50.9	breakdown at the headlines that isn't a megaphone for the loudest voices, but a magnifying glass for the most important news. This episode of the morning
0:58.9	announcements is brought to you by Bilt. Summers around the corner and I'm already planning
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1:08.1	If you're like me, here's a life hack. Pay rent with Bilt to earn flexible, transferable points and unlock exclusive benefits along the way. Stay tuned to
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1:20.3	neighborhood benefits by going to joinbilt.com slash morning. That's J-O-I-N-B-L-T-com
1:27.0	slash morning. Where's J-O-I-N-B-L-T-com slash morning.
1:30.8	Where do we even start today? Perhaps with the announcement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio
1:36.5	that the State Department is going to be completely restructured, claiming that the agency is, quote,
1:41.7	beholden to a radical political ideology, as well as bloated and bureaucratic.
1:46.7	I thought that's what we have Elon for.
1:49.2	The cuts will involve changes to embassies and consulates overseas, including total closures of diplomatic missions,
1:55.6	and the number of U.S.-based employees will be cut by 15%.
	...

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