The Headlines - George Santos to Be Sentenced, and the Real Cost of DOGE’s Cuts

Episode Date: April 25, 2025

Plus, the fight over pop hits that celebrate cartels. On Today’s Episode:George Santos, Expelled From House, Now Faces Sentencing, by Grace Ashford and Michael GoldWhat Elon Musk Didn’t Budget For: Firing Workers Costs Money, Too, by Elizabeth WilliamsonHegseth’s Personal Phone Use Created Vulnerabilities, Analysts Say, by Helene Cooper, Julian E. Barnes, Eric Schmitt and Christiaan TriebertCardinals Gather in Vatican to Fine Tune Preparations for Pope’s Funeral, by Emma BubolaOdes to Mexican Drug Lords Are Pop Hits, but the Law Is Turning Against Them, by James WagnerTune in every weekday morning. To get our full audio journalism and storytelling experience, download the New York Times Audio app — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter.Tell us what you think at: [e-mail]. 

From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Katherine Porter. Today's Friday, April 25th. Here's what we're covering. Today in New York, George Santos, the disgraced former congressman with a reputation for lying, will be sentenced. Santos pleaded guilty last year to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft after stealing campaign funds from donors. His actions first came under scrutiny after the Times revealed he'd fabricated almost his whole life story, lying about everything from his education to his work history and even claiming to be of Jewish descent. He's one of only six congressmen in the country's history to

have been expelled. His colleagues voted him out as damning accusations piled up, including that he used some of the stolen funds to buy himself Botox and designer clothes. Santos faces a minimum of two years in prison, though prosecutors are asking for just over seven years, saying that's necessary to protect the public from being defrauded by Santos again. Since being kicked out of office, Santos tried to capitalize on his infamous name, selling personalized videos on the website Cameo, working on a documentary about himself, and starting a podcast called Pants on Fire.

I honestly don't know how to not be myself. I have a larger than life personality and I Although Santos previously said he took full responsibility for his actions, calling them quote unethical and guilty, he has sounded less apologetic on his podcast. And then people say, oh, he doesn't atone. What does that even mean? Should I like, curl up in a ball and stay in that fetal position forever because that's what atoning is expected? As Elon Musk prepared to take a step back from his work slashing the federal budget,

he's been updating his estimate of how much money the Department of Government efficiency will save taxpayers. He started by claiming he'd save $2 trillion. Then it was $1 trillion. Most recently, Musk has said it will be about $150 billion, a fraction of his original goal. But what he hasn't discussed is that his effort will actually cost the federal government money. The Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit that studies the federal workforce, says the firings, rehirings, and lost productivity that came with Doge's chaotic and aggressive tactics will add up to more than $135 billion this fiscal year, almost as much money as Musk has said he saved. In the months and years to come, taxpayers will also bear the cost of defending Doge's cuts in court. At least 30 lawsuits have been filed

involving Musk's team. The Times has found new details about just how vulnerable Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's communications have been. Last month, Hegseth came under fire for sharing highly sensitive information about military strikes in the messaging app Signal, which was connected to his personal cell phone. While it's not unusual for government officials to keep their personal cell phones when they enter office, they are not supposed to use them for official business. And even as Hegseth

was messaging about the strikes, his phone number was easy to find online. It was linked to his profiles on Google Maps, Facebook, and sleeper.com, a fantasy sports site. Cybersecurity experts say that it's a clear opportunity for hackers. They say it's like publicly sharing your street address. Someone would still need the right tools to break into your house, but they would know exactly where to find you and start trying.

And when it comes to the Secretary of Defense, the experts say there's no way people aren't trying to get access to his phone. One former top intelligence official told the Times, Hegseth is likely one of the five most targeted people in the world for espionage. He said there's quote, a zero percent chance that someone hasn't tried to install spyware on his phone. At the Vatican tens of thousands of mourners have been filing through St. Peter's Basilica to pay their respects to the late Pope Francis before his funeral tomorrow. Dozens of heads of state and monarchs from around the world are expected

to attend the elaborate ceremony, including President Trump, Keir Starmer, and Vladimir Solinsky. Most of the funeral mass, which will begin at 4 a.m. Eastern, will be celebrated in Latin, as a centuries-old tradition unfolds with incense, hymns, and Gregorian chants. Once the Pope is buried, the cardinals of the Catholic Church will gather to elect a new Pope. In a process that so under wraps, the whole Vatican will be swept for recording devices, and even the cooks and secretaries on staff will have to take an oath of secrecy. The ritual is called a conclave. I would like you to withdraw your name from the next ballot.

Which an Oscar-winning movie broke down last year in detail, portraying a fictional version of the day's long vote. You should be careful, Thomas. Your own ambition has not gone unnoticed. This week, maybe no surprise, people have been rushing to watch the film. According to one tracking company, viewership jumped by 3,200% on streaming platforms. Papal experts say the film is actually fairly accurate, though one American cardinal who participated in the last conclave said that the Hollywood thriller is not the quote, spiritual

reality of what a conclave is. And finally... In Mexico there's this decades-long tradition of music called Narco Corridos, which is a spin on traditional Mexican ballads, but specifically about drug cartels, drug figures, and narco culture. James Wagner covers Mexico for The Times. They're talking about the glitz and glamour of it, from cars to women to the fast life of being a narco leader. In some of the songs that people are singing literally about violence, you know, killing people.

In Mexico, the songs are very popular, but what's happened in the last few months is politicians across the country have really started clamping down on this type of music, arguing that it incites violence in other people or supports the drug culture and drug trafficking. James says that as part of that crackdown, authorities have threatened fines or even jail time for any musician who performs songs that provoke violence or glorify criminal activity. And Mexico's president has also publicly come out against narco-corritos and announced a national song contest with rewards for palettes that don't celebrate the cartels. It's been almost a referendum on free speech in the country. What you can sing, what incites violence, and what is simply art. Some artists I've been talking to and people in the music industry have been torn by this.

Some agree that violence is a major problem in the country, have actually changed their lyrics, and are okay with some level of regulation. But some people that listen to this genre and have grown up listening to it their entire lives and still like it now, say that they're not the problem, that listening to a corrido doesn't make you a bad person. And those people feel that banning songs or regulating them

isn't going to be the solution to eradicating violence and drug trafficking and cartels in the country. Those are the headlines. Today on The Daily, how a case before the Supreme Court could expand the rights parents have over what their children learn in schools. That's next in the New York Times audio app, or you can listen wherever you get your podcasts. This show is made by Will Jarvis, Jessica Metzger, Tracy Mumford, and Jan Stewart. Original theme music by Dan Powell.

Special thanks to Isabella Anderson, Larissa Anderson, Jake Lucas, Zoe Murphy, Paula Schuman, and Chris Wood. I'm Katherine Porter. The headlines will be back on Monday with Tracy Mumford.