Friday, October 17th, 2025 - Trump-Zelensky meeting; Bolton indicted; Trump to redirect IRS; Harvard’s year of loss; Madagascar enters Gen Z revolution chat

Today’s Headlines: Donald Trump’s Nobel campaign tour continues: he’s meeting Zelensky at the White House today, fresh off a “productive” call with Putin and plans to see him soon in Budapest. Meanwhile, former national security adviser John Bolton was indicted on 18 counts for allegedly keeping and sharing over a thousand pages of classified info with relatives — which were later hacked by Iran-linked actors. The Wall Street Journal says Trump’s next target is the IRS, with plans to redirect its muscle toward investigating left-leaning groups and major Democratic donors. Shutdown side effects keep piling up — the New York Times found $28 billion in federal project funding frozen in blue districts versus just $739 million in red ones.In other news, Harvard reported a $113 million operating loss, its first in years, after federal funding fell and costs rose (though donor gifts hit a record $629 million and its endowment swelled to $57 billion). Trump also wined and dined corporate giants like Palantir, Meta, and Google to raise $250 million for his new White House ballroom, while Illinois Governor JB Pritzker casually declared $1.4 million in blackjack winnings. And in Madagascar, Gen Z protesters ousted their president, who fled to Dubai, leaving a military colonel promising elections “within two years.” Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: WSJ: Trump Says He Will Meet With Putin in Budapest to Discuss End to Ukraine War AP News: Donald Trump's former adviser John Bolton indicted WSJ: Trump Team Plans IRS Overhaul to Enable Pursuit of Left-Leaning Groups NYT: Trump Halts Billions in Grants for Democratic Districts During Shutdown Axios: Harvard posts biggest operating loss in 14 years as Trump cuts bite WSJ: Trump Hosts Corporate Ballroom Donors at Glitzy White House Dinner WSJ: Billionaire Gov. JB Pritzker Recounts $1.4 Million Las Vegas Blackjack Win Economist: Gen Z revolution or military coup in Madagascar? Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices