Thursday, October 8th, 2026 - Voting Machine Seizure Plans, Trump Advisers Aid Putin's Allies, Paxton Trashes Trump

Today's Headlines: Pardoned election denier Tina Peters met with Trump at the White House to discuss how Howard Lutnick could legally seize voting machines before the midterms, it remains a mystery why she was even pardoned by democratic governor, Jared polis. Trump also told reporters he "could have done very bad things" to Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama but chose not to out of respect for the presidency. Ken Paxton was caught on tape complaining that Trump's Iran war and the midterm convention are dragging down his numbers and that his campaign is being run from DC, right before Trump held a rally for him in Texas, which is a remarkable amount of loyalty to someone who just talked trash about you on tape. In international news, two of Trump's close midterm advisers — currently running his massive ad campaign — were just in the Balkans helping a pro-Putin government secure power in Bosnia's Republika Srpska, because apparently managing one election at a time isn't enough. Meanwhile, the Russian oligarch who paid for Don Jr.'s wedding celebration held a press conference to say Don Jr. paid him back, comparing it to inviting someone to your country house. A naked 8-foot golden statue of Trump titled "The Orange Plague" was unveiled at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, depicting him sitting on a frail man's shoulders holding a golf club, the world, and scales — inspired by The Emperor's New Clothes. France is dealing with its largest student protests in decades, with hundreds of thousands of students, hundreds of school closures, and 6,000 arrests, all stemming from a teachers' strike over lack of resources. And finally, the Cornell fraternity scandal is spreading, with the University of Arizona suspending all Greek life after sexual assault, hazing, and drug reports flooded in across nearly half its frat chapters. Resources/Articles mentioned: Colorado Newsline: Tina Peters met with Trump to discuss election plans, former Trump administration attorney says The Hill: Trump: I could have done ‘bad things’ to Hillary Clinton, Biden, Obama Yahoo: Donald Trump vows “big surprises” with Project 2025 author before midterms Axios: Exclusive: Paxton privately blames woes on Iran war, gas prices NYT: Amid Midterm Crunch, Trump Advisers Took Time to Help Russia-Aligned Government The Independent: Putin pal responds to Trump’s claim that Don Jr paid him back for wedding USA Today: Nude gold statue of Trump 'Orange Plague' unveiled CNN: Unprecedented student protests are rocking France. Here’s why they’re angry NYT: University of Arizona Suspends Fraternity Activities, Citing Misconduct Reports 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