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New York Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Inside Jeffrey Epstein's cozy relationship with Steve Bannon — and what's really on his 15 hrs of tapes interviewing him
By 2017 Jeffrey Epstein was a social pariah. Even his right-hand woman, Ghislaine Maxwell, attempted to reinvent herself as a charity boss and was careful to no longer be pictured with the convicted sex offender. But as an avalanche of reports uncovered more lurid details of Epstein's world of questionable financial dealings and proclivities for sex with underage girls, he had one regular visitor at his huge townhouse at East 71st street — Steve Bannon. Conspiracy theorist and media provocateur Bannon felt he could help the disgraced money man improve his image, sources say, despite how laughable that may have seemed. 7 Jeffrey Epstein backed the 'Me Too' movement in a clip from interview footage taken by Steve Bannon in 2019 and obtained by The Post. It certainly didn't hurt that Epstein could add him to his payroll — Bannon had recently fallen foul of President Trump by criticizing his family in a book and abruptly left his position as chief strategist at the White House. This resulted in his deep-pocketed benefactors cutting him off. Bannon ultimately collected some 15 hours of footage of Epstein, to prepare him to go on '60 Minutes' or another prime-time television show to save his reputation in 2018. 'He told me he has like 15 or 16 hours of videotape of Jeff,' said Epstein's brother Mark in an interview with NBC earlier this month, adding he had met with Bannon after Epstein's death and asked to see the tapes. 'He was trying to help Jeff rehabilitate his reputation.' 7 Steve Bannon recorded more than 15 hours of interviews with Jeffrey Epstein in 2019 for a documentary that was never released. Bloomberg via Getty Images Previous reports have confirmed the tapes were of Epstein preparing to bolster his reputation, but in the clamor to release government files on Epstein — who was found hanging in his Manhattan prison cell in August 2019 as he awaited trial over sex trafficking charges — many are wondering why Bannon has not been compelled to release the tapes. In a bid to hype up what he has, earlier this year Bannon was hawking the tapes as a documentary, saying he had hoped to get Netflix involved and call the show 'The Monster'. '[Epstein's] a product of the elite,' he said on the Jimmy Dore show in February. 'Everything that's been put out about him is not exactly the truth. I hours of interviews that I think will be pretty shocking, about how this guy came from nowhere to go to the absolute highest levels of global elite and who he knew and who he financed. 'He was one of the leading underwriters of scientific experiments in the world, a lot of that is dealing with a thing called Transhumanism.' 7 Jeffrey Epstein in a clip from Bannon's documentary footage. 7 The interviews that Steve Bannon recorded with Jeffrey Epstein took place at the billionaire pedophile's mansion on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Christopher Sadowski 7 MAGA loyalists are demanding that government files related to Jeffrey Epstein be released by the Trump administration. Epstein partied with numerous bold-face names, including the President Trump in the 1990s and early aughts. Getty Images Bannon did not return The Post's request for comment Friday. Only one clip of the footage has ever been released, which was obtained by The Post. In the video Epstein somewhat unbelievably claimed to be a 'firm believer and supporter' of Time's Up, the anti-sexual harassment organization that emerged during the #MeToo movement. 'I made my living from old thinking. But the future is for the way women think,' says Epstein in the clip. Bannon – apparently playing the role of a hard-nosed interviewer – counters from off-screen that Epstein's claim was just 'a sop' to excuse 'all of the depravity you've done against young women.' 'No, I've been — I've always believed that women will be, in fact, be able to take over,' Epstein responds in the clip, adding 'I'm a firm believer and supporter of 'Time's Up.'' Bannon, a film producer, former investment banker at Goldman Sachs and executive one-time chairman at media company Breitbart, had more in common with Epstein, a former math teacher who also had a brief stint on Wall Street, than most. 7 Another rarely-seen close-up of Epstein from the footage Bannon collected. Victory Films/The Monsters 7 Bannon speaking in New York in 2024 shortly after he was released from prison following his sentence for contempt of Congress. Robert Miller Although the first reports of their association only date back to 2017, it is possible they knew each other much longer. 'The War Room' host Bannon's activities with Epstein have been questioned by other political strategists. 'Why would Bannon meet with Jeffrey Epstein both at his New York home and in Paris after Epstein was convicted on sex crimes in Florida?' said Roger Stone in an X post earlier this month. 'Why would he coach Epstein for his 60 minutes appearance?' Darren Indyke, Epstein's longtime personal attorney and an executor of his estate, did not return a request for comment Friday.
Asahi Shimbun
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Asahi Shimbun
Nakatani, a rising star in the golden age of Japanese boxing, is determined to knock out Inoue
SAGAMIHARA, Kanagawa Prefecture--One is known as 'The Monster,' the other 'Big Bang.' The bout between champion boxers Naoya Inoue (30-0-0, 27 KOs) and Junto Nakatani (31-0-0, 24 KOs) is already being billed as Japan's 'fight of the century.' And the date hasn't even been set. Sports pundits are hailing what's happening these days as the golden age of Japanese boxing. And this is a nation that has produced its share of Hall of Famers. For a period last year, all four division bantamweight champions were Japanese. The Ring magazine's latest Top Ten pound-for-pound ranking has three Japanese fighters, including Inoue and Nakatani. Both Nakatani and Inoue have at least one fight before their dream match. But no one is expecting either of them to lose. 'That's the way boxing works. Inoue has a story, and I have a story. When these stories clash, people are moved and gain courage. That's where it is fun,' Nakatani said in an interview with The Associated Press at M.T Boxing Gym southwest of Tokyo. 'For me, boxing is what you show in the ring all that you worked for and built every day. It's a place where you express the life you have lived,' he said. Nakatani smiles often, exuding a kindness that strikes a contrast to his almost scientific brutality in the ring. If you ever get angry, you will lose, he said. One must keep control, as boxing is a contest of minds and strategies, doing exactly what your opponent does not want you to do. Earlier this year, Inoue, the first Japanese fighter to be No. 1 in the pound-for-pound rankings, which evaluates boxers taking their weight and size into account, defended his super bantamweight title against Ramon Cardenas at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Inoue gave his fans a fright by getting knocked down in the second round but came back to soundly stop the fight in the eighth. It was Inoue's second fight in Las Vegas, with his debut coming four years ago in a seventh-round knockout of Australian Jason Moloney. Inoue, one of only three male boxers in the four-belt era to unify at two weight classes, is scheduled for a September showdown in Tokyo against Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan. Nakatani's next opponent isn't decided yet. But speculation is rife it might be Cardenas, allowing fans to analyze how Nakatani fares compared to Inoue. The buzz is spreading to a fan base previously not associated with boxing in Japan, like women and children. These are fighters who draw long lines for their T-shirts and other merchandising, inspire manga, or Japanese comics, and pop up on hair product ads. Boxing fever was hot with the packed crowd of 10,000 at the Ariake Coliseum for the WBC and IBF bantamweight unification title match between Nakatani and Ryosuke Nishida last month. People are still talking about the fight, in which Nakatani came on fierce from the first round. Nishida's eye became swollen, his shoulder was dislocated, and the fight was stopped after the sixth round. Nakatani said he won't be taking the same strategy against Inoue. The strategy was carefully planned with his Mexican American trainer Rudy Hernandez especially for Nishida. 'He is an athlete who has everything. He has outstanding boxing skills and so he is hard to beat. But even then, there are possibilities,' Nakatani said of Inoue, vowing to beat him by knockout. Inoue, who was at ringside to witness Nakatani's win, said afterward in a tweet: 'Welcome to the super bantamweight battle front. Can't help but get excited when there's a Japanese this good.' Both Nakatani and Inoue started out learning karate as children. Nakatani's father sent him to karate school when he was in third grade because he was always playing video games. He later switched to boxing, where he fared better because of the weight classes. He stopped playing games. Nakatani's walkout music is a defiant rendition by aging rocker Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi, vowing to give up a smug existence and instead be brave and selfless like the World War II kamikaze pilots. Nakatani said he chose that song to express gratitude to past generations, who sacrificed so much to give his generation peace. It happens to be one of his dad's favorite songs. Nakatani is taking it a step at a time. But he is already thinking about the legacy he will leave behind. 'When the time comes for me to retire, I want to end my career as the kind of boxer whom everybody loves,' he said.
Japan Today
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Japan Today
Nakatani, a rising star in the golden age of Japanese boxing, is determined to knock out Inoue
boxing By YURI KAGEYAMA One is known as 'The Monster,' the other 'Big Bang.' The bout between champion boxers Naoya Inoue (30-0-0, 27 KOs) and Junto Nakatani (31-0-0, 24 KOs) is already being billed as Japan's 'fight of the century.' And the date hasn't even been set. Sports pundits are hailing what's happening these days as the golden age of Japanese boxing. And this is a nation that has produced its share of Hall of Famers. For a period last year, all four division bantamweight champions were Japanese. The Ring magazine's latest Top Ten pound-for-pound ranking has three Japanese fighters, including Inoue and Nakatani. Both Nakatani and Inoue have at least one fight before their dream match. But no one is expecting either of them to lose. 'That's the way boxing works. Inoue has a story, and I have a story. When these stories clash, people are moved and gain courage. That's where it is fun,' Nakatani said in an interview with The Associated Press at M.T Boxing Gym southwest of Tokyo. 'For me, boxing is what you show in the ring all that you worked for and built every day. It's a place where you express the life you have lived,' he said. Nakatani smiles often, exuding a kindness that strikes a contrast to his almost scientific brutality in the ring. If you ever get angry, you will lose, he said. One must keep control, as boxing is a contest of minds and strategies, doing exactly what your opponent does not want you to do. Earlier this year, Inoue, the first Japanese fighter to be No. 1 in the pound-for-pound rankings, which evaluates boxers taking their weight and size into account, defended his super bantamweight title against Ramon Cardenas at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Inoue gave his fans a fright by getting knocked down in the second round but came back to soundly stop the fight in the eighth. It was Inoue's second fight in Las Vegas, with his debut coming four years ago in a seventh-round knockout of Australian Jason Moloney. Inoue, one of only three male boxers in the four-belt era to unify at two weight classes, is scheduled for a September showdown in Tokyo against Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan. Nakatani's next opponent isn't decided yet. But speculation is rife it might be Cardenas, allowing fans to analyze how Nakatani fares compared to Inoue. The buzz is spreading to a fan base previously not associated with boxing in Japan, like women and children. These are fighters who draw long lines for their T-shirts and other merchandising, inspire manga, or Japanese comics, and pop up on hair product ads. Boxing fever was hot with the packed crowd of 10,000 at the Ariake Coliseum for the WBC and IBF bantamweight unification title match between Nakatani and Ryosuke Nishida last month. People are still talking about the fight, in which Nakatani came on fierce from the first round. Nishida's eye became swollen, his shoulder was dislocated, and the fight was stopped after the sixth round. Nakatani said he won't be taking the same strategy against Inoue. The strategy was carefully planned with his Mexican American trainer Rudy Hernandez especially for Nishida. 'He is an athlete who has everything. He has outstanding boxing skills and so he is hard to beat. But even then, there are possibilities,' Nakatani said of Inoue, vowing to beat him by knockout. Inoue, who was at ringside to witness Nakatani's win, said afterward in a tweet: 'Welcome to the super bantamweight battle front. Can't help but get excited when there's a Japanese this good.' Both Nakatani and Inoue started out learning karate as children. Nakatani's father sent him to karate school when he was in third grade because he was always playing video games. He later switched to boxing, where he fared better because of the weight classes. He stopped playing games. Nakatani's walkout music is a defiant rendition by aging rocker Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi, vowing to give up a smug existence and instead be brave and selfless like the World War II kamikaze pilots. Nakatani said he chose that song to express gratitude to past generations, who sacrificed so much to give his generation peace. It happens to be one of his dad's favorite songs. Nakatani is taking it a step at a time. But he is already thinking about the legacy he will leave behind. 'When the time comes for me to retire, I want to end my career as the kind of boxer whom everybody loves,' he said. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
08-07-2025
- Sport
Nakatani, a rising star in the golden age of Japanese boxing, is determined to knock out Inoue
SAGAMIHARA, Japan -- One is known as 'The Monster,' the other 'Big Bang.' The bout between champion boxers Naoya Inoue (30-0-0, 27 KOs) and Junto Nakatani (31-0-0, 24 KOs) is already being billed as Japan's 'fight of the century.' And the date hasn't even been set. Sports pundits are hailing what's happening these days as the golden age of Japanese boxing. And this is a nation that has produced its share of Hall of Famers. For a period last year, all four division bantamweight champions were Japanese. The Ring magazine's latest Top Ten pound-for-pound ranking has three Japanese fighters, including Inoue and Nakatani. Both Nakatani and Inoue have at least one fight before their dream match. But no one is expecting either of them to lose. 'That's the way boxing works. Inoue has a story, and I have a story. When these stories clash, people are moved and gain courage. That's where it is fun,' Nakatani said in an interview with The Associated Press at M.T Boxing Gym southwest of Tokyo. 'For me, boxing is what you show in the ring all that you worked for and built every day. It's a place where you express the life you have lived,' he said. Nakatani smiles often, exuding a kindness that strikes a contrast to his almost scientific brutality in the ring. If you ever get angry, you will lose, he said. One must keep control, as boxing is a contest of minds and strategies, doing exactly what your opponent does not want you to do. Earlier this year, Inoue, the first Japanese fighter to be No. 1 in the pound-for-pound rankings, which evaluates boxers taking their weight and size into account, defended his super bantamweight title against Ramon Cardenas at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Inoue gave his fans a fright by getting knocked down in the second round but came back to soundly stop the fight in the eighth. It was Inoue's second fight in Las Vegas, with his debut coming four years ago in a seventh-round knockout of Australian Jason Moloney. Inoue, one of only three male boxers in the four-belt era to unify at two weight classes, is scheduled for a September showdown in Tokyo against Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan. Nakatani's next opponent isn't decided yet. But speculation is rife it might be Cardenas, allowing fans to analyze how Nakatani fares compared to Inoue. The buzz is spreading to a fan base previously not associated with boxing in Japan, like women and children. These are fighters who draw long lines for their T-shirts and other merchandising, inspire manga, or Japanese comics, and pop up on hair product ads. Boxing fever was hot with the packed crowd of 10,000 at the Ariake Coliseum for the WBC and IBF bantamweight unification title match between Nakatani and Ryosuke Nishida last month. People are still talking about the fight, in which Nakatani came on fierce from the first round. Nishida's eye became swollen, his shoulder was dislocated, and the fight was stopped after the sixth round. Nakatani said he won't be taking the same strategy against Inoue. The strategy was carefully planned with his Mexican American trainer Rudy Hernandez especially for Nishida. 'He is an athlete who has everything. He has outstanding boxing skills and so he is hard to beat. But even then, there are possibilities,' Nakatani said of Inoue, vowing to beat him by knockout. Inoue, who was at ringside to witness Nakatani's win, said afterward in a tweet: 'Welcome to the super bantamweight battle front. Can't help but get excited when there's a Japanese this good.' Both Nakatani and Inoue started out learning karate as children. Nakatani's father sent him to karate school when he was in third grade because he was always playing video games. He later switched to boxing, where he fared better because of the weight classes. He stopped playing games. Nakatani's walkout music is a defiant rendition by aging rocker Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi, vowing to give up a smug existence and instead be brave and selfless like the World War II kamikaze pilots. Nakatani said he chose that song to express gratitude to past generations, who sacrificed so much to give his generation peace. It happens to be one of his dad's favorite songs. Nakatani is taking it a step at a time. But he is already thinking about the legacy he will leave behind. 'When the time comes for me to retire, I want to end my career as the kind of boxer whom everybody loves,' he said. ___
Fox Sports
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Nakatani, a rising star in the golden age of Japanese boxing, is determined to knock out Inoue
Associated Press SAGAMIHARA, Japan (AP) — One is known as 'The Monster,' the other 'Big Bang.' The bout between champion boxers Naoya Inoue (30-0-0, 27 KOs) and Junto Nakatani (31-0-0, 24 KOs) is already being billed as Japan's 'fight of the century.' And the date hasn't even been set. Sports pundits are hailing what's happening these days as the golden age of Japanese boxing. And this is a nation that has produced its share of Hall of Famers. For a period last year, all four division bantamweight champions were Japanese. The Ring magazine's latest Top Ten pound-for-pound ranking has three Japanese fighters, including Inoue and Nakatani. Both Nakatani and Inoue have at least one fight before their dream match. But no one is expecting either of them to lose. 'That's the way boxing works. Inoue has a story, and I have a story. When these stories clash, people are moved and gain courage. That's where it is fun,' Nakatani said in an interview with The Associated Press at M.T Boxing Gym southwest of Tokyo. 'For me, boxing is what you show in the ring all that you worked for and built every day. It's a place where you express the life you have lived,' he said. Nakatani smiles often, exuding a kindness that strikes a contrast to his almost scientific brutality in the ring. If you ever get angry, you will lose, he said. One must keep control, as boxing is a contest of minds and strategies, doing exactly what your opponent does not want you to do. Earlier this year, Inoue, the first Japanese fighter to be No. 1 in the pound-for-pound rankings, which evaluates boxers taking their weight and size into account, defended his super bantamweight title against Ramon Cardenas at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Inoue gave his fans a fright by getting knocked down in the second round but came back to soundly stop the fight in the eighth. It was Inoue's second fight in Las Vegas, with his debut coming four years ago in a seventh-round knockout of Australian Jason Moloney. Inoue, one of only three male boxers in the four-belt era to unify at two weight classes, is scheduled for a September showdown in Tokyo against Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan. Nakatani's next opponent isn't decided yet. But speculation is rife it might be Cardenas, allowing fans to analyze how Nakatani fares compared to Inoue. The buzz is spreading to a fan base previously not associated with boxing in Japan, like women and children. These are fighters who draw long lines for their T-shirts and other merchandising, inspire manga, or Japanese comics, and pop up on hair product ads. Boxing fever was hot with the packed crowd of 10,000 at the Ariake Coliseum for the WBC and IBF bantamweight unification title match between Nakatani and Ryosuke Nishida last month. People are still talking about the fight, in which Nakatani came on fierce from the first round. Nishida's eye became swollen, his shoulder was dislocated, and the fight was stopped after the sixth round. Nakatani said he won't be taking the same strategy against Inoue. The strategy was carefully planned with his Mexican American trainer Rudy Hernandez especially for Nishida. 'He is an athlete who has everything. He has outstanding boxing skills and so he is hard to beat. But even then, there are possibilities,' Nakatani said of Inoue, vowing to beat him by knockout. Inoue, who was at ringside to witness Nakatani's win, said afterward in a tweet: 'Welcome to the super bantamweight battle front. Can't help but get excited when there's a Japanese this good.' Both Nakatani and Inoue started out learning karate as children. Nakatani's father sent him to karate school when he was in third grade because he was always playing video games. He later switched to boxing, where he fared better because of the weight classes. He stopped playing games. Nakatani's walkout music is a defiant rendition by aging rocker Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi, vowing to give up a smug existence and instead be brave and selfless like the World War II kamikaze pilots. Nakatani said he chose that song to express gratitude to past generations, who sacrificed so much to give his generation peace. It happens to be one of his dad's favorite songs. Nakatani is taking it a step at a time. But he is already thinking about the legacy he will leave behind. 'When the time comes for me to retire, I want to end my career as the kind of boxer whom everybody loves,' he said. ___ Yuri Kageyama is on Threads:
