Monday, December 18th, 2023

Today’s Headlines: In a stunning revelation, CNN and the New York Times reported the mysterious disappearance of a 10-inch binder holding almost 3,000 pages of highly classified intelligence material during the final days of the Trump administration. This binder, with unredacted intelligence related to the "Crossfire Hurricane" FBI investigation into Russian election interference and connections to the Kremlin, has become a subject of concern, with former Trump staffer Cassidy Hutchinson testifying that she believed Mark Meadows took it home on the last day of the administration. Contrary to Meadows' denial, Trump himself suggested in an April 2021 interview that Meadows possessed the material. Meanwhile, the Israeli military admitted to mistakenly killing three hostages in Gaza during combat operations, with The New York Times reporting that Israeli ground forces damaged or destroyed at least six cemeteries in the same northern Gaza neighborhood. In the legal realm, a Georgia jury ordered Rudy Giuliani to pay $148 million for defamation, an amount he vows to appeal, and the infamous Alex Jones, facing a $1.5 billion lawsuit, has proposed a $55 million settlement for the Sandy Hook families in bankruptcy court. Adding a bizarre twist to the political scene, a Senate staffer was terminated for recording explicit content in the Senate hearing room, injecting scandal into the usually staid corridors of Congress. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: CNN: The mystery of the missing binder: How a collection of raw Russian intelligence disappeared under Trump  CBS News: Hostages were carrying white flag on a stick when Israeli troops mistakenly shot them dead in Gaza, IDF says  NY Times: Satellite Imagery and Video Shows Some Gazan Cemeteries Razed by Israeli Forces AP News: $148 million damages verdict adds to Rudy Giuliani's financial woes as he awaits his criminal trial | AP News AP News: Alex Jones offers to pay Newtown families at least $55 million over school shooting hoax conspiracy Politico: Playbook: Senate staffer out after sex tape scandal Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage alongside Amanda Duberman and Bridget Schwartz Edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices