Today’s Headlines: US military officials are increasingly concerned about the alliance between Russia and North Korea, which involves Russia providing nuclear submarine and ballistic missile technology to North Korea, and North Korea supplying Russia with munitions for the war in Ukraine. This collaboration could potentially influence the upcoming US presidential election and has shifted the dynamics of international sanctions against North Korea. An Israeli airstrike in Rafah killed at least 45 people, including civilians and senior Hamas commanders, prompting international condemnation and a statement from Prime Minister Netanyahu, who called it a "tragic mistake" and promised an investigation while affirming continued operations against Hamas. Severe storms and tornadoes across Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas resulted in at least 20 deaths and significant damage, highlighting an unusual increase in tornado activity over the past two months. The NCAA reached a settlement allowing college athletes to be paid by their schools starting in the 2025-2026 academic year, following an antitrust lawsuit that awarded nearly $2.8 billion in damages to current and former athletes. Finally, Donald Trump is back in Manhattan court for the final week of his trial on 34 counts of falsifying business records, with closing arguments underway and the jury expected to deliberate soon. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: NBC News: Are Russia and North Korea planning an ‘October surprise’ that aids Trump? Politico: Netanyahu calls Rafah strike ‘tragic mistake’ amid global outcry AP News: At least 22 dead in Memorial Day weekend storms that devastated several US states WA Post: In major change, college athletes set to be paid directly by schools AP News: Closing arguments, jury instructions and maybe a verdict? Major week looms in Trump hush money trial 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