Friday, February 27th, 2026 - Clinton testimony leak; Iran talks resume; Vance freezes MN Medicaid; Netflix withdraws bid

Today’s Headlines: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified before the House Oversight Committee in the first of two days of Epstein-related depositions involving the Clintons. The closed-door hearing was briefly paused after Rep. Lauren Boebert leaked a photo of Clinton testifying to right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson, who posted it online. Clinton later told reporters she “did not know Jeffrey Epstein” and criticized the committee for not calling individuals more prominently named in Epstein files. She also said lawmakers repeatedly questioned her about UFOs and “Pizzagate.” Meanwhile, U.S.–Iran nuclear talks resumed in Geneva, with officials describing discussions as “positive,” even as concerns linger about potential military escalation. In New York, Columbia University student Elmina Aghayeva was detained by ICE agents inside her campus housing after agents reportedly misrepresented themselves to gain entry. She was later released following intervention by NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who was meeting with Donald Trump at the White House regarding housing investment proposals. Vice President JD Vance announced a pause on $259 million in Medicaid funding allocated to Minnesota, signaling potential broader funding freezes. In Kansas, the Republican-controlled legislature overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto to enact a law invalidating updated gender markers on driver’s licenses and birth certificates for transgender residents. In media and tech, Netflix withdrew its bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing the way for Paramount’s higher offer. AI company Anthropic announced it is dropping its 2023 voluntary safety pledge amid competitive pressure. More than 1,800 companies have filed lawsuits seeking refunds for Trump-era tariffs ruled illegal, totaling roughly $130 billion. Finally, Trump also invoked the Defense Production Act to boost domestic production of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, despite ongoing litigation linking the herbicide to cancer, and a new military readiness report additionally calls for major Pentagon reforms in cybersecurity, procurement, and tech modernization. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: NYT: Hillary Clinton Denies Knowing Epstein or His Crimes in a Tense Deposition Axios: U.S.-Iran nuclear talks were "positive," senior U.S. official says NBC News: Columbia president says student was detained by DHS agents who claimed they were looking for missing child PBS: Mamdani pitches Trump on housing investments by mocking up newspaper with his name in the headline Axios: Trump admin cites fraud in freezing Minnesota Medicaid funds CJ Online: Kansas invalidates IDs and birth certificates of transgender people The Hollywood Reporter: Netflix Backs Out of Warner Bros. Bidding, Paramount Set to Win Time: Anthropic Drops Flagship Safety Pledge WSJ: The $130 Billion Race for Companies to Get Their Tariff Money Back NYT: Trump Order Aims to Boost Weedkiller Targeted in Health Lawsuits Axios: Exclusive: U.S. must overhaul military readiness and tech metrics, report urges 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