Morning Run: Deadly Trolley Crash, Epstein Victims’ Demands, HHS Employees Want RFK Gone, UnitedHealthcare Shooting Suspect’s Modeling Gig and Powerball to $1.7 Billion

00:00:01
Speaker 1: Morning Run with Amy and TJ and iHeartRadio Podcast. Good morning everyone, this is your Morning Run for Thursday, September fourth.

00:00:10
Speaker 2: I'm Amy Robot and I'm TJ.

00:00:11
Speaker 3: Holmes. Will get through our names quickly and let you know. Nobody won the Power of Ball last night, so you got another shot at it on Saturday. For now, what is threatening Robes to become the largest jackpot in US history? One point seven? Then we're at Now.

00:00:27
Speaker 1: That's a threat I can get used to billion. That's incredible to think it could even get to two billion.

00:00:33
Speaker 3: You could. We were right there. Yes, a lot of you will be talking about that, and you still are in it. We're all still in it. You got a shot. We'll get into that. But folks, we have so much. Well, this is a jam pack. When you got up and looked at the rundown this morning, you say, what the hell is going on?

00:00:47
Speaker 2: Yeah?

00:00:47
Speaker 1: You usually get up a little bit before me and start looking at the news. I came in and usually you've got like, you know, three or four or five maybe stories. I will up this morning open up my computer and there were like twelve stories already.

00:00:59
Speaker 2: I thought, Wow, it's a very busy news day.

00:01:02
Speaker 3: It's a very busy newsday. We're gonna get to all of it. Reminder, as always on that phone, that Apple podcast app on our show screen page top right corner a little button that says follow. Just click that you can get all of our updates. There will be a lot really actly the next several days. Yes, explain some of that, but we got the Morning Run to get to now.

00:01:20
Speaker 1: Yes, and RFK Junior's own people want him to resign. Epstein victims are putting together their own list. One state is getting rid of all I repeat all vaccine mandates, and then the United Healthcare shooter has a modeling gig.

00:01:36
Speaker 3: And also on the run, there's Morning sixteen Dead after a famed trolley car crashes and charges and chilling details of that ding Dong ditch death in.

00:01:47
Speaker 1: Houston, and Trump asked the Supreme Court to save his tariffs. Meanwhile, another judge tells Trump to give Harvard their money back.

00:01:55
Speaker 3: And some I guess upbeat. Some exciting news for movie fans and certainly any DC comic fans from the DC universe. Superman just was a blockbuster. It's on the way again. He's drying his tights because he is going to be back in him very soon. We have an official not just an official title of the next one. We have an official date, not year.

00:02:16
Speaker 2: We specifically know they are prepared. They I don't know if they prepared.

00:02:20
Speaker 1: Before the success of the movie, but certainly they probably were anticipating the success of it because they're ready to go.

00:02:25
Speaker 2: Yeah for part two?

00:02:26
Speaker 1: Yes, all right, but we begin this run on this Friday Eve with the administration saying, ah.

00:02:33
Speaker 2: This is exhausting.

00:02:34
Speaker 1: There is no Epstein list. His victims say they are about to put together their own list.

00:02:42
Speaker 2: At a press conference.

00:02:43
Speaker 1: Yesterday right outside the Capitol, several Epstein victims urged Congress and President Trump to release all the files?

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Speaker 2: Do we even know what that means?

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Speaker 3: Any are we talking about? Because no matter what gets released, it seems somebody comes back and unless there is a list in there of powerful people, they say, wow, that's not everything. So all is what they're saying now and pushing for release all the files. Well. This precedent was organized by two lawmakers who have sponsored legislation to force the release of all or more files in the investigation of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. One of the survivors suggested they will create their own list, saying they would quote, confidentially compile names we all know were regularly in the Epstein world, adding that it will be done by survivors for survivors, and no one else is involved, and then ropes. She walked off with this, stay tuned for more.

00:03:38
Speaker 2: Details, almost like she was a broadcast network.

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Speaker 3: Pease.

00:03:42
Speaker 2: All right.

00:03:42
Speaker 1: Just this week, another thirty three thousand pages of records were publicly released after our House committee subpoenaed them. But lawmakers say just about all of that information was already a matter of public record. Meanwhile, a bipartisan duo of lawmakers is pushing for a vote on a bill that would force the release of all.

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Speaker 2: Files related to the Epstein investigation.

00:04:02
Speaker 3: Yeah, they're trying to force it because the Democratic excuse me, Republican leaders are trying to do Trump's bidding. He wants this to go away, but they are going through tactics to now force a vote on this. So this is being pushed, and yesterday was a big day in that push. Well, we'll continue on the run.

00:04:20
Speaker 1: Now.

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Speaker 3: Next leg takes us to Portugal, where at least sixteen people have died and twenty others were injured after their street car derailed and crashed on a busy street in the heart of Lisbon. This is a popular tourist attraction. One of three cars. They go up and down a steep hill takes riders up to see panoramic views of the city.

00:04:38
Speaker 1: Now. According to authorities, the crash happened around six pm last night when a cable came loose right as the car was heading down this massive incline. According to witness reports, I mean these are chilling to read. Just as the cable car was coming on its descent, a cable snapped and the car then careemed out of control, with passengers screaming inside as it crashed into a building and flipped over on its side. In addition to the people who were inside the car at the time, several pedestrians were also struck in this crash.

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Speaker 3: And when you see this video, it's hard to even make out what the crash is of the thing is so mangled. Police and firefighters arrived to the scene quickly began pulling people out of that wreckage. As of this recording, at least five of the injured were still listed in critical condition. We don't have information on the victims yet. But even though locals rarely use the street car, it's pretty much a tourist thing. Officials say. There are several people with Portuguese last names among the victims. But like you say, I robe some pedestrians. Where are you just trying to straighten it outugh?

00:05:39
Speaker 1: I mean, three point five million people take these cable cars every year. It's a huge tourist attraction. It began in eighteen eighty five. But get this, this is just an idea of how steep this hill is. It climbs up nine hundred feet in three minutes, so it comes down nine hundred feet in three minutes. That's a huge drop. It's so sad and so devastating. But we'll get more information on those victims in the coming days. But next up on the run, we will head back to the States, where some folks really just don't like their boss at the HHS, A lot of them. In fact, they've sent a letter demanding that Robert F. Kennedy Junior resign as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

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Speaker 3: And yeah, we're not just talking about a few folks over there, a thousand current and former employees of HHS signed and sent a letter addressed to Kennedy and Congress laying out their arguments for why they think Kennedy is putting the country's health at risk. They in particular cite misinformation that he puts out allegedly and vaccine policy.

00:06:37
Speaker 1: Here's what the letter stage states, HHS policies are placing the health of all Americans at risk, regardless of their politics. We sworn oath to support and defend the United States Constitution and to serve the American people. Our oath requires us to speak out when the Constitution is violated and the American people are put at risk. Thus, we warn the President, Congress, and the public that Secretary Kennedy's actions are compromising the health of this nation, and we demand Secretary Kennedy's resignation. The HHS response to this, the agency is broken and they might need some time to make some more personnel changes because they haven't had enough already.

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Speaker 3: Because they put them on notice. You know, the only problem he is we just haven't gotten all the bad apples out is how I interpreted that. By the way, rfk JUNR is scheduled to be on Capitol Hill this morning. That is going to be explosive. It was already scheduled, so it wasn't in relation to anything here.

00:07:34
Speaker 1: But he is going to get grilled, I would say, or the thousand remaining good apples, you know, I mean, you.

00:07:40
Speaker 2: Can call it.

00:07:40
Speaker 3: That's the way some people will put it. Yet, right, all right, continuing on the run here on this Thursday morning, and a move that will stay in the healthcare field here. This move is one that is almost universally being described by health experts as frightening. Florida said to become the first state to do away with vaccine mandate for school children. What vaccine mandates all of them? Mmr, polio, cull it, you name it. They're getting rid of all of it.

00:08:08
Speaker 1: The state surgeon general made the announcement yesterday that Florida is, as he puts it, getting rid of every last one of them. Now, if the what wasn't shocking enough, listen to the why?

00:08:20
Speaker 3: Yeah, the Florida Surgeon General his exact words and making this announcement saying, and I quote, every last vaccine is wrong and drips with a disdain of slavery. Now, that certainly raised a lot of eyebrows. In particular the two on my face. But he was drawing comparisons to black folks and exploitation that has experienced historically and aw as a matter of record, Tuskegee is one of the first things people will think about. But to suggest that doing something for the public good and to protect everyone is the same as forcing black folks to endure experiment patient is a stretch.

00:09:02
Speaker 2: To say that I was gonna go with offensive stretch to say the.

00:09:06
Speaker 3: Best offensive at worst that some will point out, but this Florida, a surgeon general, by the way, is a black man, just to point that out as well. Now, every state in the country has vaccine mandates for public school children, and some allow for exceptions for religious reasons. But everybody, every major organization, academy of pediatrics, you name it, concerned about what's going on here.

00:09:28
Speaker 1: This is scary stuff because it affects everyone. It doesn't just affect the people who are choosing not to get vaccinated.

00:09:33
Speaker 3: What was the thing we said down there, It was in Texas? What was the outbreak of me of measles? And part of it say, yeah, we don't have an issue normally in the country, but this is a population that doesn't have the right vaccination rates and it caused an outbreak. This is scary.

00:09:49
Speaker 1: It is scary, and when you're truly like even if you're a pregnant woman, you have an unvaccinated fetus inside of you, Like there were all sorts of issues at play here where you're not just talking about your rights as an individual duel or your child's rights. But it's for the common good, the greater good.

00:10:03
Speaker 3: But that's the argument, right, is that I don't have to be concerned about the greater good. I have to be concerned about me and my child. And who are you the government to tell me what I can put in my body or I should put in my child's body? Is the argument that a lot of people, a lot of parents, seem to be on.

00:10:17
Speaker 2: Board with all right.

00:10:18
Speaker 1: Next up on the run, a big, huge win for Harvard against President Trump. A federal judge says the administration unlawfully withheld two billion dollars in funding from the university and went as far as calling out their reasoning as total bs.

00:10:33
Speaker 3: THEA administration withheld the funding. A lot of people remember this public fight, but they withheld in April, claiming the Ivy League school had not done enough to protect students from anti semitism on campus. Harvard sued. The judge now has absolutely said they are in the right, and he argues this way, or he's talked about the White House argument this way. Writing a review of the administrative record makes it difficult to conclude any other anything other than defendants the administration used anti semitism as a smoke screen for a targeted, ideologically motivated assault on this country's premiere universities. He flat out called them out. This is from a federal judge, not just somebody online doing commentary.

00:11:19
Speaker 2: I got a lot of federal judges issuing some harsh language in referencing the Trump administration policies.

00:11:26
Speaker 1: Meanwhile, the Harvard president called the ruling validation. That's what the kids say too, I feel validated. The White House calls the ruling predictable, saying this activist Obama appointed judge was always going to rule in.

00:11:39
Speaker 2: Harvard's favor, regardless of the facts.

00:11:41
Speaker 1: So Trump has promised shockingly that he will appeal.

00:11:45
Speaker 3: This is not supposed to be partisan judges, right, But now, haven't you noticed ropes every single article that you read these days when there is a ruling having to do with anything coming out of Washington. They say, a democratic appointed judge, a Republican appointed judge, to make what point that shouldn't matter?

00:12:02
Speaker 2: Should it is not supposed to?

00:12:03
Speaker 3: Ah, they always pointed out, All right, continuing, now, let's stick with judges. The future of the US and world economy might be in the hands of judges, nine people in particular and black robes. Yes, President Trump has officially made an emergency request of the Supreme Court. Did this last night. He wants them to step in and overturn a lower court ruling that said his Liberation Day tariffs are illegal.

00:12:25
Speaker 1: And Appeals Court ruled Friday he did not have the authority to issue his Liberation Day tariffs, which are a centerpiece of his second term and his economic agenda. The President asked the court yesterday to hear arguments and rule on the matter soon. His tariffs set off an international trade war that finally seemed to be settling down as the US has reached trade deals with some countries, active negotiation students are still going on with others. This is a TBD situation.

00:12:49
Speaker 3: All right. Let's head to Massachusetts now for this next leg, where the first day of classes at UMass Lowell yesterday, students and faculty were sent scrambling. There were reports of a person with the gun on campus that put the college into lockdown for more than two hours and ultimately canceled classes for the day.

00:13:07
Speaker 1: But this wasn't the swatting situation we've been talking so much about lately, where someone calls in an active shooting hoax. That does not appear to be the case here. Around two thirty in the afternoon, an actual video circulated of a person with a gun near a residence hall, a very large gun by the way. After police obtained that video and authenticated it, students received a shelter in place text while law enforcement and swat teams flooded the campus in search of this suspect.

00:13:32
Speaker 3: Heah Lowell Police chiefsould reporters the video is real one hundred percent. A student called in that they saw the suspect walking behind a residence hall. Within minutes, someone else was taking a video of the suspect. Surveillance video and a nearby restaurant provided more images of the man, who police describes as a five foot five Asian male wearing a gray or white sweatshirt and black shorts, carrying a long weapon.

00:13:58
Speaker 1: More than two hours later, Lowell Police sent a message to students that they believe the suspect had left the area. They haven't explained how they know that, but they were very resolute about it. However, a large police presence remained on campus throughout the evening, and officers even stayed positioned overnight at residence halls for an extra measure of security. So this investigation continues into who this man is, where he is. But while all this is going on, classes are resuming today.

00:14:24
Speaker 3: We talked about this. He says he's going to be a crying wolf, crying wolf, crying wool. And here's a real one now after all those fake ones.

00:14:32
Speaker 1: And maybe the student who sent in the video actually prevented an attack.

00:14:36
Speaker 2: Good, don't know.

00:14:37
Speaker 3: All right, continuing on the run now, we have to head to Houston for this awful story of Judge is now set bonded a million dollars for the man accused of shooting and killing an eleven year old boy who was playing a childhood prank called Ding Dong Ditch. Forty two year old Gonzalo Leon Junior is accused of opening fire on eleven year old Julian Guzman after Guzman and his cousin were just ringing door and they had rung his doorbell several times that night.

00:15:03
Speaker 1: Yeah, according to police, Guzman was recording the prank on his cell phone when he rang Leon's doorbell for a third time, and that's when they say Leon was waiting for him, first firing a warning shot and then firing directly at the eleven year old as he ran away. And some chilling details came out in court, including the fact that Julian's death is all captured on his own cell phone video. We also heard what Julian's cousin told police that as he was screaming for help, he saw the shooter slowly walk back to the blue house, completely ignoring his calls for help.

00:15:36
Speaker 3: If Leon is able to make bond, the judge ordered that he stay confined to his house and will have to be monitored through an ankle monitor. Meant on, The prosecutor in the case spoke out saying that firearms and the use of firearms is not the answer. Whether you're on the freeway getting cut off, or you're in the neighborhood angry at a group of kids, you can't utilize a gun, period. This is not a gun debate. Fine, whatever side you on, but it's it's hard to imagine that if this man had not been armed, that this kid would have been under the same threat of his life.

00:16:11
Speaker 1: Yeah, he was twenty feet away from him and running when he was shot in the back. Might I add, all.

00:16:16
Speaker 3: Right, folks, we'll stay with us here on this Thursday Morning Run when we come back. Why is the United Healthcare shooter doing modeling gigs on a very, very popular website. Also, Lady Ganga had to cancel a concert because doctors told her she was putting her voice at permanent risk. And a hundred No, not a hundred. I was I about to say hundreds of millions. No, no, one point seven folks. This thing is up to one point seven billion dollars. It's serious. It's Saturday. Let the frenzy continue.

00:17:01
Speaker 1: Welcome back everyone to this Friday Eve edition of The Morning Run. And next up on the Run, the popular fast fashion company Shean Well. It is now investigating how accused United Healthcare murderer Luigi Mangioni showed up on its website appearing to model one of its products.

00:17:20
Speaker 3: Okay, they have since removed this photo, and I is shean not sh oh? Is it sheen sho? I don't know?

00:17:25
Speaker 2: You know, don't I've heard it said both ways?

00:17:27
Speaker 3: Ok, well she and you all know it sheen sheen. Somebody I should go ask a fifteen year old child. Probably they don't know. But they have since removed the photo. But it shows plain a day. There's no argument about this being his face, right ro oh.

00:17:42
Speaker 2: It's absolutely a picture of him.

00:17:44
Speaker 3: So they've removed this photo. It shows Mangioni modeling a short sleeve, buttoned down shirt with floral patterns, which had sold out in multiple sizes before the company took it down. The company released a statement after it said the image was provided to them by a third party vendor, saying we have stringent standards for all listings on our platform. We are conducting a thorough investigation, strengthening our monitoring processes, and we'll take appropriate action against the vendor in line with our policies.

00:18:12
Speaker 1: Now, Mangioni, as you all may remember, is facing the death penalty after authority say he shot and killed United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson right on a city sidewalk in front of a midtown Manhattan hotel back in December, he's pleaded not guilty to all federal and state charges. A larger concern here is that that Mangioni has become sort of a like an anti hero heart throbs. There are just reports of women who are sending him like letters and love and so did to have him up as a model and some smiling. It was really eery and creepy.

00:18:45
Speaker 3: All right. Next up on the run here, Lady Gaga I had to abruptly cancel her show in Miami last night because she said there was a risk of doing permanent damage to her voice. You know, I'm gonna pause now, everybody, You'll just going to stay with us through this process because my daughter's first day of school is today and she's calling me before she goes in. In the middle of the podcast, Sabine, tell me what's going on. Yes, yes, we are recording. Okay, Sabbe, have a good day at school, baby, love you girl. Bye. You know, folks, just that was real. We could have paused and started over maybe, but hey, it is the first day of school here for everybody in New York. Everybody's going back my daughter's seventh grade. It's been a while for you since you sent somebody to I know, first day of school here.

00:19:33
Speaker 1: I know it's bittersuit, but it's cute to see everybody out and some of the school uniforms.

00:19:38
Speaker 2: We saw some of it.

00:19:39
Speaker 1: We took a morning walk and already saw a bunch of busy parents getting ready for the routine that will now take place for the rest.

00:19:45
Speaker 2: Of the year.

00:19:45
Speaker 3: So we're busy here as well. I apologize, thank you all. I normally wouldn't have answered, but it's the first day of school, so let's continue on the run here now. In that little detour with Lady Guy Got, she abruptly canceled her show in Miami last night because she said that was a risk to doing permanent damage to her voice. She is currently on her Mayhem Ball tour and had already performed shows in Miami on Sunday and Monday night, But hours before her show last night, she released a statement profusely apologizing to her fans, but also explaining that she was following the advice of her people.

00:20:18
Speaker 2: Here's what she wrote.

00:20:19
Speaker 1: During rehearsal last night and my vocal warm up tonight, my voice was extremely strained and both my doctor and vocal coach have advised me not to go on because of the risk it poses. I want to be hardcore and just push through this for you, but I don't want to risk long term or permanent damage on my vocal cords. Though this was a hard and agonizing decision, I would be more afraid of the long term implications on my voice. I hope you can forgive me and accept my sincerest apologies.

00:20:44
Speaker 3: Well, you know she wanted to be out. Yeah, there, you know she did. She said they were. They're going to try to reschedule the show for the folks that missed it, but she is scheduled to play Madison Square Garden this weekend. This is serious, big show.

00:20:57
Speaker 1: Yeah, for her to have to cancel like that, you know, she's all about her fans. She always has been.

00:21:00
Speaker 3: I only remember Adele for some reason stands out that she had to take breaks, so she had some issues. Yeah, at what point man powers Roy?

00:21:08
Speaker 1: Yeah? And they both they have such powerful voices. They're known for their vocals. They can't really hold back. I mean that's part of the whole excitement of these concerts, is that you're getting this voice that you don't get to hear.

00:21:19
Speaker 2: So yeah, they're pushing it. And sometimes too much.

00:21:22
Speaker 3: And she sings live every night.

00:21:25
Speaker 2: It's amazing, all right.

00:21:26
Speaker 1: Next up on our run an exciting announcement yesterday, another Superman movie is already on the way, fresh off this summer's hit. Director James Dunn didn't just announce that another one is in the works. He announced the official title and he announced the release date. So Superman Man of Tomorrow will be released July ninth, in twenty twenty seven.

00:21:45
Speaker 3: Yeah, the same lead actor it's going to be returning as the Man of Steel. Got the same lukesa Lex Luthor coming back as well. But you'll remember a lot of you saw it. Superman, which launched a new era and new actor in the lead, make six hundred and twelve mins billion dollars at the box office this summer, so they are jumping on it. But I guess they have their schedules laid out like that. I can't plan anything two years from now. He's got the exact date.

00:22:11
Speaker 2: There are six hundred and twelve million reasons why you can.

00:22:13
Speaker 3: Okay, they figured it out.

00:22:14
Speaker 2: And speaking of.

00:22:15
Speaker 1: Numbers and money, yeah, how about this one one point seven billion dollars That is where our powerball jackpot currently stands because there was no winter last night in the one point four billion dollar drawing. So now we'll do this again on Saturday night. The drawing will balloon yes up to one point seven, so.

00:22:34
Speaker 3: That would make Saturday's Powerball drawing the third largest jackpot in US history. The current pot has been growing since May thirty first. And I know you're interested in knowing what the largest jackpot in history was. That was in two thousand and twenty two, two point four billion dollars.

00:22:52
Speaker 1: Yep, and number two on the list one point seven six billion dollars in twenty twenty three. Both of those prizes were claimed by winners in California. We checked our we got you got power ball tickets last night, as promised, We landed, you went out to walk Sabine, and you came back with five lottery tickets. We sadly, I really did you check any of the numbers to see if we even won like a million dollars, because there were eleven one million dollar winters last night. There were four two million dollar winters last night, but you just quickly said didn't need to. No one won from New York.

00:23:23
Speaker 3: There were a lot of winners last night fifty people walked away with seven figures last night, So congratulations do you all? But the cash payout on this would be seven hundred and seventy million dollars. If you take the cash seven hundred and seventy million, depending on what you live, twenty five percent of that is going to get cut out by the federal government when they give it to you. So you're going to get five hundred and seventy eight million dollars in a check to deposit.

00:23:46
Speaker 1: We're getting ten tickets this weekend, not just fileless.

00:23:50
Speaker 2: Double it all right.

00:23:50
Speaker 3: Folks, let's stay now. Oh yeah, we're gonna let you go now. Yeah, we got our quote of the day quote today something we always like for you to consider. Take it with you, which you got ropes.

00:23:58
Speaker 1: Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.

00:24:05
Speaker 2: That's pretty cool, yeah, but not always that.

00:24:10
Speaker 3: This is something I tried to get away from for a lot, This idea that like what's wrong? How many time you hear that? Just start today? Just start where we are today is the start you can do it? Now? Are you still worried about trying to correct something from before or make up for you have a new beginning.

00:24:26
Speaker 1: Today, we forget that, we start. I've we're all guilty of this. But you sit there and you're thinking and ruminating about your worst mistake or some guilt you feel about something you did, or feeling like you can't get out of the hole you already dug for yourself.

00:24:39
Speaker 2: Uh huh.

00:24:40
Speaker 1: No one can go back and make a brand new start. Just operate like that, so period stop thinking about it, and from now on, anyone can start from now on and make a brand new ending.

00:24:50
Speaker 2: That is so hopeful and so true. I love that this.

00:24:53
Speaker 1: Comes from a Pulitzer Prize winning author's name is Carl Bard.

00:24:57
Speaker 2: I just loved this quote today.

00:24:59
Speaker 1: Though. No no one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. So start making your ending, your fairy tale ending bear reality. Thanks for running with us, everyone.

00:25:14
Speaker 3: I'm TJ. Holmes again. Sorry about the interruption, but it was it was Sabine's fault. See y'all soon.