Tuesday, July 8th, 2025 - Trump’s tariff letters; LA MacArthur Park stunt; TikTok revamp; Epstein memo; RFK Jr Lawsuit & more

President Trump publicly released tariff letters to around a dozen countries—including Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia—warning they’ll face import taxes of at least 25% starting August 1 unless they finalize new trade deals. Meanwhile, a California National Guard deployment to an empty park in LA drew backlash as a political stunt, while Customs and Border Protection issued a call for advanced surveillance tech to analyze seized digital devices. Cybersecurity experts raised alarms over Scattered Spider, a hacker group targeting U.S. infrastructure using phishing and impersonation tactics. The DOJ and FBI released a memo denying any Epstein “client list” or foul play in his prison death—despite past contradictions—including new (but suspect) footage. Physician groups are suing HHS Secretary RFK Jr. over new federal COVID vaccine recommendations, and the Trump administration says a U.S.-friendly version of TikTok is on track to launch September 5 as part of a deal to avoid a full ban. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: NYT: Here Are Trump’s New Tariff Threats AP News: Troops and federal agents briefly descend on LA's MacArthur Park in largely immigrant neighborhood Wired: CBP Wants New Tech to Search for Hidden Data on Seized Phones Wired: A Group of Young Cybercriminals Poses the ‘Most Imminent Threat’ of Cyberattacks Right Now Axios: Exclusive: DOJ, FBI conclude Epstein had no "client list," died by suicide Axios: Docs sue RFK Jr. over COVID vax policy changes The Verge: TikTok’s ‘ban’ problem could end soon with a new app and a sale Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices