Good morning everyone. I reviewed more of the Epstein files overnight, and while much of it confirms what has already been reported, one interview involving Epstein and Steve Bannon is deeply disturbing and deserves serious attention. Separately, this morning French prosecutors raided Twitter’s offices in Paris as they escalate an investigation into Elon Musk and his AI chatbot, Grok.
On a personal note, I want to be absolutely clear. Over the past few days I have had to repeatedly dispute false and defamatory claims that my name appears in the Epstein files. That is categorically untrue. These lies are now being amplified by bots and bad-faith accounts online. I am 26 years old and was a toddler during the period when Epstein committed his crimes. The allegations are not just wrong, they are reckless.
It is obvious that some people want me to stop this work. I will not. This reporting is demanding and at times exhausting, but the truth matters too much to walk away. If you are able, please consider subscribing to support this work and help sustain the focus and rigor it requires. Investigative reporting takes time, resources, and stamina. I cannot do it alone, and your support makes it possible.
Here’s the news:
There is mass outrage, from those on the right and on the left this morning, after Todd Blanche suggested that it was “not a crime” to party with Jeffrey Epstein in response to a question from Fox News host Laura Ingraham that was specifically focused on the crimes Epstein committed.
The release of more than 3 million Jeffrey Epstein investigation files has failed to ease outrage, with victims’ advocates and Democrats accusing the Justice Department under Donald Trump of missing deadlines, over-redacting records, and withholding up to millions more documents required by law, while Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche insists the disclosures fully comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Epstein survivor Anouska DeGeorgiou says the Trump Justice Department released her unredacted personal information that she was compelled to provide for the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, despite assurances that survivors would be protected. She has publicly condemned the Department of Justice and House Speaker Mike Johnson, saying the disclosure put her safety and privacy at risk.
My review of the Epstein files continues this morning. Here are several takeaways thus far that you should be aware of:
Jeffrey Epstein’s lawyers discussed possible cooperation with Manhattan federal prosecutors less than two weeks before his 2019 jailhouse death, though no concrete proposal was made. In his final interview with Steve Bannon, Epstein refers to himself as the devil:
The FBI logged multiple tips involving Donald Trump, but the Justice Department says the claims are unfounded and lack corroboration. The only issue with this is, however, is that the Justice Department did not fully investigate the tips sent to the FBI.
Elon Musk had more contact with Epstein than previously known, including friendly emails and tentative plans to visit Epstein’s island, though Musk says the trips never happened.
Howard Lutnick arranged a visit to Epstein’s island in 2012, despite later saying he cut ties with Epstein years earlier and denying wrongdoing.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor appeared to invite Epstein to Buckingham Palace after Epstein’s release from house arrest. There are images in the files showing Andrew on all fours over a young girl.
Richard Branson exchanged emails with Epstein, with Branson later saying the contact was limited, professional, and involved only adults. Despite Branson’s claims, the emails the two exchanged made clear Branson asked Epstein to bring his “herum” during one of their contacts.
Emails show exchanges between Casey Wasserman and Ghislaine Maxwell, which Wasserman now says he deeply regrets. Casey Wasserman is currently the Chief of the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
Steve Tisch, co-owner of the New York Giants, exchanged emails with Epstein involving adult women and later said he regrets the association and never visited Epstein’s island.
Financial records suggest payments linked to Peter Mandelson, who denies recollection of receiving the money and has since resigned from the Labour party.
A photo shows Brett Ratner with Epstein and two women, contradicting Ratner’s past claims that he did not know Epstein.
Peter Attia, a health and wellness interview, has lost his job as a CBS contributor and also now his role at David:
Newly released Epstein files reveal that Noam Chomsky maintained a far closer personal relationship with Jeffrey Epstein than previously acknowledged, including friendly and sometimes playful emails, discussions of vacations, financial advice, and alleged guidance in 2019 urging Epstein to ignore media scrutiny over sexual abuse allegations. The documents also show Epstein connecting Chomsky to figures such as Steve Bannon, undermining Chomsky’s earlier claims that his interactions with Epstein were largely limited to financial matters and adding new scrutiny to how prominent intellectuals engaged with Epstein even after his criminal conviction.
Newly released records show Jeffrey Epstein attended summer programs at the Interlochen Center of the Arts as a teen and later donated nearly $400,000 to the institution between 1990 and 2003, ties the center says it severed after his 2008 conviction. While Interlochen says it found no complaints or abuse on campus, testimony at Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial alleged Epstein and Maxwell met a girl at the camp in the early 1990s and later groomed and abused her off campus.
Newly released records show Jeffrey Epstein updated his will and trust just two days before his 2019 jailhouse death, outlining plans to distribute hundreds of millions of dollars and properties—including Little Saint James Island—to at least 44 beneficiaries, with major sums earmarked for his lawyer Darren Indyke, accountant Richard Kahn, former girlfriend Karyna Shuliak, and Ghislaine Maxwell. The documents show Epstein revised his estate plans dozens of times over the years, offering new insight into his inner circle, though more than $120 million ultimately went to compensate victims from an estate once valued near $600 million.
French prosecutors raided the Paris offices of Twitter as part of a sweeping cybercrime investigation into alleged unlawful data extraction, algorithmic content issues, and potential complicity in child sexual abuse material and sexual deepfakes linked to its AI chatbot Grok, with Elon Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino summoned for April hearings. The probe has drawn international attention as UK regulator Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office opened parallel inquiries into Grok-generated deepfakes.
Tulsi Gabbard said her presence near an FBI search of a Georgia elections hub was legal and within her authority as director of national intelligence, despite criticism that she is barred from domestic law enforcement. Tulsi Gabbard confirmed she arranged a brief call so Donald Trump could thank FBI agents and said she withheld briefings to Congress until intelligence assessments were complete, a move that has fueled scrutiny over her role in a domestic election-related investigation.
Don Lemon said he offered to turn himself in before being arrested by federal agents, but was instead detained in what he described as an effort to “embarrass” and intimidate him, recounting the episode on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Lemon faces federal civil rights charges tied to his coverage of protesters who disrupted a Minnesota church service.
Donald Trump is set to host Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the White House for talks on regional security and counternarcotics, signaling a tentative thaw after Trump recently threatened military action against Colombia and accused Petro of fueling U.S. cocaine flows. Trump claimed Petro’s tone softened following the U.S. operation targeting Nicolás Maduro, but the Colombian leader has continued to publicly criticize Trump, including condemning U.S. policy on Gaza and calling Maduro’s capture a kidnapping.
The Guardian has confirmed that court records have undermined the Department of Homeland Security’s claim that two Venezuelan immigrants shot by a Border Patrol agent in Portland were “vicious” gang members, with prosecutors later acknowledging there was no evidence tying the driver to the Tren de Aragua gang and FBI filings indicating the woman had been a victim—not a suspect—in an earlier incident.
House leaders are preparing a Tuesday vote to end a brief government shutdown after the Senate passed a more than $1 trillion funding package, with Speaker Mike Johnson expressing confidence it will pass despite a razor-thin GOP majority. President Donald Trump urged lawmakers to approve the bill without changes, while Democrats remain divided, as Hakeem Jeffries acknowledged differing views within his caucus. The measure would fund most of the government through Sept. 30 but only temporarily fund the Department of Homeland Security, setting up another high-stakes fight over immigration enforcement ahead of a Feb. 13 deadline.
The 2020 documentary Becoming, about former First Lady Michelle Obama, unexpectedly re-entered Netflix’s U.S. Top 10 after a coordinated social media push urged viewers to stream it as “counter-programming” to the theatrical release of Melania, driving Becoming up to No. 6 amid viral hashtags like #BecomingOverMelania. The resurgence highlights how online campaigns can influence streaming rankings, even as Melania opened strongly at the box office despite controversy over its unusually high production and marketing costs.
Savannah Guthrie asked the public to pray for her mother’s safe return after Nancy Guthrie, 84, was reported missing from her home outside Tucson, with authorities now treating the case as a possible abduction. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said investigators believe she may have been taken overnight, are reviewing home surveillance footage, and have offered a reward for tips as the FBI is made aware of the case.
I’m often asked where I go to do research for my reporting. One of the main research tools I use is called Ground News. Ground News shows me how stories are being covered from different political perspectives, and it highlights “blindspots” where only left-wing or right-wing media is covering a story. I worked out a deal with them: if you go to ground.news/AARONP, you can get 40% off Ground News’ top-tier Vantage plan, which gives you unlimited access to all the research tools I use. Ground News is subscriber-funded, so they don’t rely on ads that could introduce bias.
Donald Trump said his administration is seeking $1bn in damages from Harvard University, escalating a long-running dispute in which he accuses the school of failing to address antisemitism and civil rights violations, while attacking President Alan Garber for what he called poor leadership. The move follows earlier threats to cut federal funding and impose policy changes, which Harvard has challenged in court as an unlawful attempt to control academic decision-making, setting up another major legal and political clash between the White House and higher education institutions.
Good news:
Taryn Smith, a 25-year-old from landlocked Nebraska who taught herself to row, became the first woman to complete the World’s Toughest Row solo, rowing 3,000 miles from the Canary Islands to Antigua in just over 46 days after years of training, overcoming storms, exhaustion, and injury, and using the journey to raise money for Girls on the Run while proving that even the biggest, loneliest challenges are within reach.
Researchers have discovered 67,800-year-old stylized handprints in a limestone cave on Sulawesi, making them the oldest known rock art in the world and providing the earliest direct evidence that modern humans were deliberately crossing seas nearly 70,000 years ago. The finding cements Indonesia as a key center of early symbolic art and human migration, supporting the theory that humans reached Australia much earlier than once believed and prompting renewed calls to protect the region’s fragile prehistoric cave sites.
A Kentucky farming family brought a newborn calf inside their home to save her from freezing temperatures, warming her up on the couch where 3-year-old Gregory curled up beside the calf, later named Sally, in a moment that melted hearts online. The quick-thinking move by farmer and mom Macey Sorrell helped the calf survive the frigid night, and by morning she was healthy enough to return outside to her mother.
January 14 marked the longest stretch without a nuclear weapons test since the atomic age began—8 years, 4 months, and 29 days since North Korea’s last detonation in 2017—highlighting the strength of the global norm against testing, reinforced by the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and sustained even by countries that haven’t ratified it, according to analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
See you soon.
— Aaron
