We are witnessing major developments right now. Under oath, Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has admitted that he visited and had lunch on Jeffrey Epstein’s private island—a direct contradiction of his prior public claims that he was so disgusted by Epstein he would never even be in the same room with him again.
This admission did not happen by accident. It only happened because the Epstein files were released and because we identified Lutnick’s name in them. Transparency forced the truth into the open.
At the same time, we are learning the identities of Epstein co-conspirators in real time as the DOJ continues to unredact key documents. What was hidden for years is now coming into view—and the picture is getting darker by the day.
Over the past several days, I have been compiling primary documents and delivering them directly to members of Congress so they can see what was redacted and what still remains hidden. I will continue that work today. I am also meeting with members of Congress and survivors today and tomorrow—so stay tuned.
Many of you have asked about my personal safety. I am taking precautions and I am safe. Yes, I am being attacked for this reporting. No, I will not stop. This is too important.
Here’s the news:
After previously claiming that he was disgusted by Jeffrey Epstein, Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick admitted to having lunch on Jeffrey Epstein’s island. Senator Chris Van Hollen pressed Lutnick on whether he visited Jeffrey Epstein’s private island, and Lutnick acknowledged a brief lunch there during a family trip, saying his wife, children, and others were present and they left together after about an hour.
The DOJ is now unredacting documents that Congressman Thomas Massie called them out on after reviewing the unredacted version. This document below is a list of individuals, all of which was previously redacted:
Congressman Thomas Massie has confirmed that Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem was discussing the torture video mentioned in this email.
The FBI labeled several individuals as co-conspirators. Only Maxwell and Epstein were indicted. This document was unredacted after Thomas Massie publicly called out Todd Blanche. It clearly identifies several co-conspirators of Epstein’s including Les Wexner and Lesley Groff, who were never indicted. The full file can be found here.
Despite naming Wexner as a possible co-conspirator in 2019, the FBI did not indict him. FBI Director Kash Patel later claimed, last year, under oath, that there was insufficient evidence to charge third-parties.
New Epstein file discusses the 2003 birthday book with the alleged birthday book note sent by President Trump (a note he denies writing). This email, which is redacted, explicitly notes requests for the birthday book from Trump.
Congressman Khanna argues the Epstein revelations are toppling British elites and institutions, and challenges the U.S. for failing to confront its own powerful figures—pointing to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick implicated in the files.
Rep. Luna says the files show Ghislaine Maxwell engaged in trafficking and rape, arguing she deserves no special treatment and condemning her as a monster.
Boebert says the Epstein files clearly implicate people and firmly opposes clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell, calling for a longer sentence and harsher imprisonment.
Following the release of DOJ Epstein-related emails showing past suggestive correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell, Casey Wasserman is facing a cascading crisis: prominent artists are publicly cutting ties and demanding his removal, agents are exploring spinning off the music division without his name, rival agencies are circling clients, and growing political pressure is calling for his resignation as head of the LA28 Olympic committee—while Wasserman apologizes, denies wrongdoing, and relies on a fortified board and deep institutional influence to weather escalating reputational and organizational fallout.
Donald Trump launched a late-night Truth Social posting spree starting around 2:30 a.m., flooding the platform with grievance-filled messages and nostalgic throwbacks before briefly stopping and then resuming hours later, prompting fresh scrutiny of his erratic online behavior.
A group of Buddhist monks completed a 2,300-mile “Walk for Peace” from Texas to Washington, drawing large, diverse crowds of Americans who found comfort, community, and a rare sense of calm amid political turmoil, economic stress, and emotional exhaustion, inspired by the monks’ quiet message of slowing down and cultivating inner peace.
Politico has confirmed that Trump has granted former “Stop the Steal” lawyer Kurt Olsen—now a temporary White House employee—unusual access to highly classified U.S. intelligence as he leads a probe into debunked claims of fraud in the 2020 election, raising alarm among intelligence officials and Democrats who warn the effort risks politicizing sensitive spy material and misusing government power to revive long-disproven conspiracy theories.
As public opinion turns against Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown, Democrats are hardening their stance on Department of Homeland Security funding, refusing another short-term spending bill unless ICE and DHS agree to reforms—raising the risk of a partial shutdown as both parties brace for blame while negotiating under a fast-approaching deadline.
An investigation by The 74 and The Guardian found that local police nationwide are using school district license-plate reader cameras from Flock Safety to aid Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Department of Homeland Security in immigration enforcement during the Trump crackdown—raising major concerns about mass surveillance, student privacy, and the repurposing of school safety technology for deportation efforts.
An immigration court halted the Trump administration’s effort to deport Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts Ph.D. student and pro-Palestinian activist, ruling the government failed to justify her removal—marking a setback for the administration’s use of immigration law to target foreign students over political speech critical of Israel.
The Justice Department says Venezuelan men previously sent by the Trump administration to El Salvador’s CECOT prison under the Alien Enemies Act can be returned to U.S. custody if a court orders it, after a judge ruled their deportation violated due process and amid ongoing legal battles over whether they must be given hearings in the United States.
French President Emmanuel Macron warned Europe to expect further U.S. hostility and said the recent “Greenland moment” should be a wake-up call for the EU to accelerate long-stalled reforms, strengthen its competitiveness, and assert greater strategic independence rather than accommodating pressure from Washington, Reuters has confirmed.
Vice President JD Vance made a historic first visit by a sitting U.S. vice president to Armenia, offering economic, technology, and nuclear energy cooperation as the Trump administration pushes a U.S.-brokered peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan, before continuing on to Azerbaijan.
According to The Associated Press, the United Nations is awaiting clarity on how much of the nearly $4 billion in unpaid dues the U.S. will pay, as Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warns of a looming financial crisis and U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz says the Trump administration plans a significant down payment in the coming weeks.
See you soon.
— Aaron
