Wednesday, February 26th, 2025 - House passes budget; Musk’s crackdown; Mass DOGE resignations; Rubio’s visa ban; US-Ukraine minerals deal

Today’s Headlines: The House passed Trump’s budget, cutting trillions from Medicaid and food stamps while slashing taxes for the wealthy. Meanwhile, Elon Musk is doubling down on tracking federal workers’ productivity, even as agencies tell employees they don’t have to comply. Adding to the turmoil, 21 DOGE staffers resigned in protest, and the White House finally named an administrator—who, ironically, is on vacation in Mexico. In other legal battles, Pennsylvania won a lawsuit unfreezing $2.1 billion in blocked federal funds while Marco Rubio ordered visa bans for transgender athletes, escalating restrictions on international travel. And lastly, Trump says Zelensky will sign a U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal on Friday, while Russia is offering the U.S. a stake in minerals from occupied Ukrainian land. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: Axios: House Republicans press ahead with budget vote amid revolt Forbes: Elon Musk’s Federal Worker Emails: Agency Leaders Can Decide If Employees Must Reply, White House Says NBC News: 21 U.S. DOGE Service staffers resign over a refusal to 'jeopardize Americans' sensitive data,' letter says Ap News: Who is Amy Gleason, the person named DOGE's acting leader by the White House? Inquirer: All of Pa.’s federal funding is now unfrozen by the Trump administration, Gov. Josh Shapiro says The Guardian: US threatens permanent visa bans on trans athletes based on sex markers | Trump administration  Axios: Trump says Zelensky to visit White House Friday to sign minerals deal  NBC News: Russia offered U.S. a deal for minerals in Ukrainian territory it seized 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