Good morning, everyone. Today’s update is coming later than usual because I spent much of the past 24 hours carefully reviewing a large volume of Epstein files and wanted to be sure you received a thorough and accurate briefing. There is a lot to cover. More powerful figures are being named, key claims are being contradicted by the documents, and this is unfolding alongside massive protests breaking out across America this weekend against Trump and ICE.
I am still working through many of the records and will be sharing additional updates throughout the day and into the weekend. To everyone who has subscribed to support my work and keep me caffeinated, thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you would like to subscribe to support my work or gift a subscription, you can do so today. Let’s keep this work moving forward and keep it strong.
Here’s the news:
Epstein review:
- Epstein survivors have been left “devastated” after the Justice Department released files publicly identifying some victims—sometimes visibly despite redactions or via photos—prompting fierce criticism from women’s rights lawyer Gloria Allred, who called the handling by the Department of Justice an “absolute mess” and a new low.
- This is from an FBI email with the subect "Re: Epstein - Cellmate Interview." Here are the summaries provided by the FBI agent.
- A never-filed draft federal indictment alleged that from 2001–2005, Jeffrey Epstein and three unnamed co-conspirators trafficked at least 19 girls—some as young as 14—for paid sexual abuse, included a threat to silence a victim, but prosecutors instead struck a 2007 non-prosecution deal; a 2020 DOJ review criticized poor judgment without finding misconduct. Read the full indictment here. Here is a screenshot showing the three co-conspirators redacted:
- Newly released emails show Jeffrey Epstein and Larry Summers privately gossiping about Donald Trump during his first term—questioning his intelligence, mental fitness, and alleged Russia ties—underscoring that Summers continued corresponding with Epstein for years after his conviction, a relationship he later said he was “deeply ashamed” of. Read more here.
- Newly released Justice Department emails show Elon Musk expressed interest in visiting Jeffrey Epstein’s Caribbean island multiple times between 2012–2013—despite later public claims he refused invitations—though the records do not show he ever went or allege wrongdoing by Musk.
- More emails concerning Elon Musk and Woody Allen:
- Newly released Justice Department emails show Jeffrey Epstein privately drafted notes alleging that Bill Gates engaged in extramarital sex and other misconduct—claims Gates’s representatives flatly deny as false and defamatory, saying the messages reflect Epstein’s resentment after failed financial dealings rather than any wrongdoing by Gates.
- Newly released Department of Justice Epstein files include photographs appearing to show Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in a compromising pose with an unidentified woman and emails suggesting Jeffrey Epstein invited him to dine with a 26-year-old Russian woman in 2010.
- Emails from August 2010 show Jeffrey Epstein arranging to introduce a 26-year-old Russian woman to an account signed “HRH Duke of York KG,” widely understood to be Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, shortly after Epstein completed his sentence.
- Newly released Justice Department files include a 2009 email in which Sarah Ferguson thanked Jeffrey Epstein for “being the brother I have always wished for,” renewing scrutiny of their relationship and prompting renewed requests for comment after charities previously cut ties over her past remarks about Epstein.
Other news:
- A brief partial U.S. government shutdown began after the Senate passed a funding deal brokered between Donald Trump and Senate Democrats, but the House—led by Mike Johnson—won’t vote until Monday; most agencies are temporarily closed, while DHS funding was punted for two weeks amid Democratic demands for immigration enforcement reforms.
- More than 300 nationwide “ICE Out of Everywhere” protests are planned across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., organized by grassroots group 50501 in response to recent deaths involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with demonstrators demanding accountability, defunding of DHS, and an end to what they describe as the militarization of immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
- Federal immigration officials are reportedly planning an enforcement operation in Ohio that could target Haitian immigrants in Springfield as early as next week, as Temporary Protected Status for Haiti expires—heightening fear in a community previously singled out by Donald Trump and JD Vance, while local advocates prepare legal and support services for possible detentions.
- Critics are savaging the Amazon-backed documentary “Melania”, calling it propaganda and poorly made amid immigration raids, questioning Amazon’s $75 million investment—of which Melania Trump reportedly received over $28 million—and raising concerns about political favor-currying and director Brett Ratner’s controversial return, despite a weak box office outlook.
- French lawmakers are demanding answers after a U.S. subsidiary of Capgemini signed a multimillion-dollar contract to provide “skip tracing” services for Immigration and Customs Enforcement—helping locate and deport migrants—sparking outrage over potential human rights violations and prompting scrutiny from French ministers including Catherine Vautrin and calls to suspend the deal.
- Chicago-based Metropolitan Capital Bank & Trust became the first U.S. bank failure of 2026 after being shut down by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which sold most assets to First Independence Bank in a resolution expected to cost the FDIC’s insurance fund about $19.7 million, aligning with Chair Travis Hill’s push for rapid wind-downs.
- The U.S. warned Iran against conducting live-fire naval drills near American forces in the Strait of Hormuz, as Donald Trump weighs possible military action amid escalating tensions over Iran’s protest crackdown and nuclear concerns, while regional and international actors push for de-escalation and renewed diplomacy.
- A Customs and Border Protection employee, Alfredo Mancillas Jr., was charged with drunken driving in Minnesota after state troopers allegedly found him unconscious and “covered in vomit” in a parked car, an arrest now under review by the Department of Homeland Security amid heightened scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement during the Trump administration’s crackdown.
- Israeli airstrikes on Gaza killed at least 30 Palestinians—including children and police officers—despite a “ceasefire,” with attacks hitting a police station, apartments, and displacement camps just before a planned border crossing reopening, underscoring ongoing violence.
- The Guardian has confirmed that U.S. authorities are reportedly probing claims from a new lawsuit that Meta can read supposedly end-to-end encrypted WhatsApp messages—allegations Meta calls “categorically false,” arguing they stem from litigation tactics linked to NSO Group, while security experts say secretly accessing encrypted chats would be effectively impossible and likely already exposed.
See you soon.
— Aaron
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