Monday, October 19th, 2026 - Half a Scaramucci: Zacharia Gone, No Kings Silenced, Putin Wants Trump and Xi in Beijing

Today's Headlines: Katie Zacharia lasted five days as White House press secretary (less than half a Scaramucci), and she went out with a farewell photo in the Oval Office where she blurred a map on Trump’s desk that eagle-eyed viewers say shows East Potomac golf course renovation plans, which are currently being fought over in court after a judge scolded DOJ attorneys for chopping down trees they weren’t allowed to. Speaking of things going wrong, Saturday also brought hundreds of No Kings protests and, conveniently, a Meta suspension of the main No Kings account mid-protest, blamed on an “automated action” for high-frequency posting despite the account barely posting, while TikTok permanently banned the account for Alex Gibney’s Musk movie for “political content” before reinstating it Sunday and calling it an error. Meanwhile, Elon’s still everywhere: between the movie ad fights, the scam-ish flying Hot Wheels demo, and hundreds of millions poured into the election, Starlink restrictions are reportedly keeping Ukraine from using its drone interceptors against Russian strikes (not deliberate, he says), even as Ukraine makes gains by hitting Russian data centers. On that front, Putin floated a Beijing summit with Trump and Xi next month to settle Ukraine’s fate. Over in Europe, things are literally on fire: more than half a million people marched in France over living costs and school conditions, with nearly 1,000 police injured, almost 2,400 detained, a 19th-century city hall torched, and around 1,500 reports of looted or damaged stores, while five days of protests in Albania over corruption and the economy (Kushner’s island deal included) ended with the Supreme Court set ablaze in Tirana and police firing rubber bullets, water cannons, and tear gas at crowds demanding PM Edi Rama’s resignation. And finally, Trump endorsed Netanyahu for reelection ahead of Israel’s October 27 vote. Resources/Articles mentioned: Yahoo: Katie Zacharia pushed for the Fox interviews that preceded her ouster as press secretary, texts reportedly show NPR: No Kings draws crowds with focus on early voting The Guardian: Outrage after Meta suspends No Kings Instagram account during protests | US midterm elections 2026 The Hollywood Reporter: TikTok “Permanently Suspends” the ‘Musk’ Film Ad Account Before Reinstating It, Raising Suppression Fears (Exclusive) CBS News: Ukraine still unable to intercept Russian drones due to Starlink restrictions, Zelenskyy says Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian drones reportedly strike Yandex data center, warehouses in overnight attack on Russia WSJ: Putin Floats a Summit With Trump and Xi to Discuss Ukraine Deal NYT: France in Shock After Protests Turn Into Riots, Damaging Buildings and Shops Albania Daily News: Fire Reported at Albania’s High Court as Protest Escalates in Tirana AP News: Trump endorses embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection 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