A Contentious Media Merger, and the F.B.I.'s Epstein Scramble
Produced by Will Jarvis and Ian Stewart
Edited by Ian StewartJessica Metzger and Tracy Mumford
Featuring Alan Rappeport
F.C.C. Approves Skydance's $8 Billion Merger With Paramount, by Benjamin Mullin
Trump Spars With Powell Over Fed's Costly Renovations in Rare Visit, by Colby Smith
How a Frantic Scouring of the Epstein Files Consumed the Justice Dept., by Adam Goldman and Alan Feuer
Gazans Are Dying of Starvation, by Rawan Sheikh Ahmad, Isabel Kershner and Abu Bakr Bashir
France Will Recognize Palestinian Statehood, Macron Says, by Roger Cohen
Israel and the U.S. Pull Back From Talks With Hamas, by David E. Sanger and Johnatan Reiss
Hulk Hogan, Shirt-Shredding Superstar of Pro Wrestling, Dies at 71, by Victor Mather
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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump's ‘coverup' in the face of Epstein scoops is making his MAGA problems so much worse
The firestorm continued on the MAGA right this week as the political focus on the Epstein files just would not dissipate and Donald Trump dug himself deeper into a hole. With his administration scrambling to explain why it isn't releasing files from an investigation that its own members and supporters have said for years should be made public, the president spent the past two weeks reigniting old conflicts with foes ranging from Rosie O'Donnell to Barack Obama. On Wednesday, those efforts escalated to the point where the U.S. director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, declared from behind the White House briefing room podium that former President Obama had attempted a 'coup' on American soil. But Trump and his closest advisers are coming to quickly realize that they and the mainstream media both greatly underestimated the staying power of the Epstein issue. The Trump Department of Justice, led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, declared in a joint statement with the FBI that Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy, convicted pedophile who died in federal detention in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, did so by suicide. To support the conclusion, the agencies released video footage of an area outside of Epstein's cell spanning the time he was locked in for the evening on the night of his death. In the same statement, the agencies declared that no list of Epstein's co-conspirators was found within the DOJ's investigation files. That announcement was made in early July. Every week since then has been marked with new efforts by the Trump administration to calm its critics on the right, and each has largely been unsuccessful in doing so. Bondi's own contributions have been less than helpful for the president. She declared the Epstein file was 'on her desk' in an interview earlier this year when asked specifically about the list of Epstein's clients, and presented MAGA influencers with 'Phase 1' of the investigation in special binders bearing a federal seal at the White House. Phase 2 never materialized, and combined with a minute of footage missing from the videos released by the DOJ her consistent overpromising led to a rift between the attorney general and two top appointees at the FBI: Deputy Director Dan Bongino and Director Kash Patel. All of it has proven progressively more damaging to the president's efforts to get ahead of the story, which only exists because Trump himself promised his base that he would release all the information the government has on Epstein when he ran for president. Gabbard's campaign against former President Barack Obama and members of his administration has — so far — been the most successful of those efforts to distract. Gabbard's conclusion that the national intelligence office she now leads altered intel assessments at then-President Obama's direction to gin up fears about Russian interference in the 2016 election in order to benefit Trump shifted the attention of a number of MAGAworld's wayward voices, like Gen. Mike Flynn, Glenn Beck and Alex Jones. Many others remain fixated on Epstein, however, especially after a pair of Wall Street Journal scoops over the past week. The first detailed a birthday message supposedly penned by Trump and bearing his signature, which alluded to a 'secret' the two men shared. Trump fiercely denied the authenticity of the message and signature, and filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the WSJ and its owner Rupert Murdoch alleging libel. A second one, published Wednesday, reported that Bondi had informed Trump that he was mentioned in the Epstein investigation files that her team reviewed during a meeting in May. Trump's team also described that second story as 'fake'. With the exception of Trump's most committed loyalists, the truth understood across the political spectrum is the same: this issue threatens to derail Trump's second presidency. Progressives and centrist Democrats, as well as the president's own lingering rivals in the GOP, recognize that fact with barely-contained glee. Trump's supporters, meanwhile, couch every statement about the issue with effusive praise regarding how great and wonderful his second presidency has been — and how quickly that could end. One prominent supporter told his audience this week that he'd made that exact point to Vice President J.D. Vance in person. In an episode that posted Saturday, MAGA-aligned podcaster and comedian Tim Dillon hinted to viewers that he'd dined with the vice president and told him the administration was 'done' if the entirety of the Epstein files were not released — and Bondi fired. Dillon later confirmed it was Vance he dined with during a conversation with Alex Jones. 'If you don't disclose everything you're done,' Dillon said he told Vance. 'I mean, nobody will support you guys. You are fully and completely part of this coverup if everything doesn't come out. I think it paralyzes their presidency.' During that conversation with Jones days later, Dillon was already poking holes in the explanation Vance gave him in private. 'I had dinner last week with the vice president, he told me ... they do not have videos of any powerful person in a compromising position [with underaged girls],' Dillon told Jones. 'That's the party line that they're going with. If that's the case, why would Pam Bondi call it evidence? Why would she say it's evidence? She's not an idiot. She's the attorney general. Why would she say that she has files on her desk if none of these implicated anybody?' Dillon asked. 'It just feels like they're covering something [up]. For sure.' 'I feel like, they're telling a story. And the story doesn't make sense,' he added. This week, the fallout in Washington was in plain view. Congress departed early for the August recess, with Mike Johnson sending members home early to avoid embarrassing votes and the spectacle of Republicans joining with Democrats on a petition to release the Epstein files. But there's much more coming, and it no longer has an end in sight. Members of the House Oversight committee want Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend who is serving a 20-year sentence for grooming young women and girls for the sex trafficker, to testify. Thomas Massie, the Republican thorn in Trump's side co-leading the discharge petition, predicted to reporters that his effort would only grow in popularity over the next month as members faced their constituents back home. Then there's the 2026 midterms. If Democrats take back the House next year, a very possible prospect, the final two years of Donald Trump's presidency could well be tied up with congressional investigations centered on the Epstein issue. Subpoenas for Cabinet officials and other Trump officials could be on the agenda as a potentially Democrat-controlled House, with the aid of rebel Republicans, launch probe after probe, even potentially a special committee, to hammer at the issue. The survival of Trump's second-term agenda and, more significantly, his ability to hold his political power base intact could be on the line if the president cannot get on the same page as his base on this issue, and quickly. He needs to stop trying to distract and actually give his MAGA base an Epstein-related meal to chew on.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump blasts Democrats over what he calls the ‘Epstein SCAM' and ‘CON JOB'
A furious President Donald Trump has once again blasted 'Radical Left Democrats' over the ongoing fallout of the so-called 'Epstein files,' describing it as a 'SCAM' and a 'CON JOB.' In a late-night post on Truth Social Thursday, the president fumed over what he claims is an attempt to 'distract and obfuscate' from his administration's first 'GREAT six months of service to America ... the results of which many are saying is the BEST six months in Presidential history.' '[The Democrats] have gone absolutely CRAZY, and are playing another Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax but, this time, under the guise of what we will call the Jeffrey Epstein SCAM,' Trump bellowed online. 'As things are revealed and, I hope will take place quickly, you will see that it is yet another Democrat CON JOB. Hopefully, the Grand Jury Files will put an end to this HOAX. Everyone should see what is there, but people who are innocent should not be hurt. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!' The president has become increasingly frustrated in recent weeks at the persistence of the controversy, which is largely fueled by his own MAGA support base. Supporters have demanded total transparency on a so-called 'client list' belonging to the late sex offender, which is alleged to contain the details of his associates. Conspiracy theorists have long demanded its release, but now the Trump administration says there is no evidence any such list exists, despite Attorney General Pam Bondi having said in February the evidence was on her desk for review. A number of MAGA acolytes were furious after the DOJ released a two-page memo claiming the alleged list did not exist and that Epstein had indeed died by suicide while awaiting trial for sex-trafficking in Manhattan. Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had been told in May by Bondi that his name appeared in the Epstein Files 'multiple times'. The president denied such claims to reporters earlier this month. While Trump has not been accused of any formal wrongdoing or charged with any crime, his proximity to Epstein, someone he once called a friend, has heightened conspiracy theories that the government is withholding documents that could reveal embarrassing information about high-profile individuals. Thursday's post echoed a previous one made earlier this month, in which the president labelled the Epstein files controversy as a "hoax" and "bulls***," as well as criticizing members of his own party who called for more transparency. "[T]hese Scams and Hoaxes are all the Democrats are good at - It's all they have - They are no good at governing, no good at policy, and no good at picking winning candidates," he wrote. "Also, unlike Republicans, they stick together like glue. Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this 'bullshit,' hook, line, and sinker." The president's most recent outburst comes after Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Epstein's former girlfriend and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell in Florida earlier Friday. The former British socialite's lawyer, David Oscar Markus, did not take questions following the meeting, but said Maxwell 'never declined to answer' and did not invoke any privilege during the meeting. Prior to the meeting he said the team was looking forward to a 'productive day.' Blanche said he's expecting to further question Maxwell on Friday.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Let them destroy each other': Democrats planning Epstein-focused town halls in GOP districts
Democrats are once again planning a blitz of town hall meetings in Republican-led communities, though this time they are armed with a new and polarizing topic: Jeffrey Epstein. The issue of the so-called 'Epstein files' — including the details of high-profile people associated with the disgraced financier and sex offender — continues to divide the GOP, with some calling for further transparency and others, including the president himself, urging people to move on. 'Let them destroy each other. If we have to throw a log on the fire, we'll do it,' one House Democratic aide told The Hill. Further fuel for such fires followed a report from The Wall Street Journal that revealed the alleged existence of a 'bawdy' 50th birthday card from Trump to Epstein. The president has denied the validity of the letter and has filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against right-wing media mogul Rupert Murdoch,WSJ's parent company Dow Jones and the two journalists whose bylines appear on the story. During the town halls, Democrats will reportedly attempt to marry the Epstein fallout with their previous attack lines, including broken promises by Trump and the GOP to lower costs for working families. Tax cuts and an apparent refusal to share information of those allegedly associated with Epstein demonstrate the GOP's protections for the super wealthy, Democratic officials argue. 'Everything that House Republicans have done, everything this administration has done since Donald Trump took office, is in defense of the elites,' Democratic whip Katherine Clark told The Hill. The outlet points to scheduled visits to Republican towns by Democrats in coming weeks. On July 31, Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan is scheduled to speak in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin — the hometown of his GOP counterpart Derrick Van Orden. Florida Democrat Maxwell Frost has also planned a series of meetings, including a July 26 town hall in Dayton, Ohio, with Senator Chris Murphy, and another event with Senator Elizabeth Warren in Nebraska at the end of August. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who launched a series of 'fighting oligarchy' rallies with Senator Bernie Sanders earlier this year, is also reportedly eyeing additional travel to Republican hotbeds while Congress is on its summer recess. The plans appear to already be rattling some Republicans. 'Democrats are still pretty determined to hijack our town halls and try to prevent us from having this conversation with our constituents, so I would encourage them to use other means,' National Republican Congressional Committee chair Richard Hudson toldThe Hill. Meanwhile, the Epstein saga shows no signs of slowing down after the financier's ex-girlfriend, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche twice last week. During the in-depth interviews Maxwell answered questions about '100 different people,' her lawyer said. According to The New York Times, Maxwell has made it clear that in exchange for information she wants a reduction of her 20-year sentence or a pardon. When asked by reporters about a potential pardon for her, Trump replied: 'I'm allowed to do it, but it's something I haven't thought about.'
