Good morning, everyone. There’s a lot of urgent news to cover today. First, Donald Trump posted a blatantly racist image depicting Michelle and Barack Obama as apes, just as Michelle Obama’s documentary is surging while Melania Trump’s film struggles. The timing is not a coincidence.
At the same time, the fallout from the Epstein files is accelerating. More than a dozen powerful figures have already been forced out of their jobs or are now facing intense pressure as new documents expose the depth of their ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Before we get into the headlines, I need to say two things.
One: Trump is doing everything he can to pull attention away from the Epstein files. Posting racist content is a deliberate attempt to hijack the news cycle. He would rather be labeled racist than have people talking about Epstein. But we don’t have to choose—we can and should do both.
Two: While some media outlets already seem eager to move on from Epstein, I am not. I’m reviewing every document and pushing for real accountability for survivors, even as the pressure to stop grows.
Here’s the news:
- This morning, Donald Trump posted a racist video on Truth Social portraying Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, continuing a pattern of amplifying demeaning racist content while simultaneously promoting false claims that the 2020 election was stolen and escalating rhetoric that critics warn is tied to voter suppression ahead of future elections. I am going to show you the video below because it is news, although I encourage you not to share or amplify the video. It is no coincidience that Trump decided to do this during Black History Month.
- Meanwhile, Michelle Obama’s 2020 Netflix documentary Becoming saw a dramatic 13,000% surge in viewership—jumping to about 47.5 million minutes watched in a single weekend—just as Melania Trump’s heavily funded theatrical documentary debuted to poor critical reception, highlighting a sharp cultural contrast between organic audience enthusiasm for Obama’s personal, community-focused storytelling and the lukewarm response to Melania’s film despite its large budget, aggressive marketing, and political backing.
- This is the White House statement following the video release:
- As we review the Epstein files, the fall out continues to grow. Here is a list of powerful people who have either lost their job or are facing the possibility of losing their jobs:Brad Karp — Chairman of elite law firm Paul Weiss; resigned after emails showed social and professional interactions with Epstein.Peter Attia — Longevity doctor and author; resigned as chief science officer of David Protein amid extensive email exchanges with Epstein and mounting media fallout.David A. Ross — Prominent art curator; resigned as department chair at the School of Visual Arts after emails revealed sympathetic and inappropriate exchanges with Epstein.Peter Mandelson — British politician and former UK ambassador to the U.S.; resigned amid revelations of extensive post-conviction contact with Epstein.Joanna Rubinstein — Swedish United Nations official; resigned following newly revealed Epstein communications.Miroslav Lajčák — Slovak national security adviser; resigned after links to Epstein surfaced.Thorbjørn Jagland — Former Norwegian prime minister and Nobel Committee chair; under investigation for aggravated corruption tied to Epstein-related dealings.Leon Black — Apollo Global Management CEO and chairman; previously stepped down after disclosures he paid Epstein over $150 million.Prince Andrew — British royal; stripped of military titles and royal patronages following Epstein revelations.Larry Summers — Former U.S. Treasury secretary and Harvard president; resigned from OpenAI’s board and stepped back from Harvard duties after Epstein-related scrutiny.Casey Wasserman — Head of the Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee; facing calls to resign over emails with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
- Brad Karp — Chairman of elite law firm Paul Weiss; resigned after emails showed social and professional interactions with Epstein.
- Peter Attia — Longevity doctor and author; resigned as chief science officer of David Protein amid extensive email exchanges with Epstein and mounting media fallout.
- David A. Ross — Prominent art curator; resigned as department chair at the School of Visual Arts after emails revealed sympathetic and inappropriate exchanges with Epstein.
- Peter Mandelson — British politician and former UK ambassador to the U.S.; resigned amid revelations of extensive post-conviction contact with Epstein.
- Joanna Rubinstein — Swedish United Nations official; resigned following newly revealed Epstein communications.
- Miroslav Lajčák — Slovak national security adviser; resigned after links to Epstein surfaced.
- Thorbjørn Jagland — Former Norwegian prime minister and Nobel Committee chair; under investigation for aggravated corruption tied to Epstein-related dealings.
- Leon Black — Apollo Global Management CEO and chairman; previously stepped down after disclosures he paid Epstein over $150 million.
- Prince Andrew — British royal; stripped of military titles and royal patronages following Epstein revelations.
- Larry Summers — Former U.S. Treasury secretary and Harvard president; resigned from OpenAI’s board and stepped back from Harvard duties after Epstein-related scrutiny.
- Casey Wasserman — Head of the Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee; facing calls to resign over emails with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
- Newly released Justice Department emails show Jeffrey Epstein helped arrange a 2015 White House tour for Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn, offering deeper insight into Epstein’s close relationships with high-profile figures despite his status as a registered sex offender.
- The CEO of lobbying firm Global Counsel, Benjamin Wegg-Prosser, resigned after Jeffrey Epstein’s released email files showed he and co-founder Peter Mandelson had meetings and exchanges with Epstein years after Epstein’s sex-offender conviction, and the firm moved to fully distance itself from Mandelson to protect its reputation.
- Newly released Justice Department emails show Andrew (Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor) vouched for Jeffrey Epstein during a 2010 UK state visit to the UAE with Queen Elizabeth II, attempting to introduce Epstein to senior Emirati leaders and advising him on how to present himself, while also discussing ways to work around investment restrictions during Andrew’s role as a UK trade envoy—revelations that deepen scrutiny of Andrew’s continued ties to Epstein after his conviction.
- Congress is deadlocked over funding the Department of Homeland Security, with Democrats demanding legally binding limits on ICE and Border Patrol practices and Republicans calling those demands unrealistic, raising the risk of a DHS shutdown as the funding deadline approaches.
- ICE agents are increasingly using smartphone-based facial recognition and photography during street operations to identify targets and bystanders, a practice critics say expands government surveillance, risks civil liberties violations, and intimidates citizens despite DHS insisting the technology is lawful and necessary for enforcement.
- Liam Ramos, a 5-year-old boy detained with his father by immigration authorities is now suffering nightmares and emotional trauma after their arrest and two-week detention, with the family and advocates saying the incident highlights the lasting psychological harm immigration enforcement can have on young children.
- Canada and France opened new consulates in Greenland to signal support for Denmark and Greenland’s sovereignty, strengthen Arctic cooperation, and counter tensions sparked by U.S. efforts to assert greater control over the strategically important, resource-rich territory.
- House Democrats erupted after reports that President Trump privately proposed renaming Dulles Airport and New York’s Penn Station after himself in exchange for releasing $16 billion in frozen Gateway Project funds, denouncing the idea as political extortion, a vanity play that holds critical infrastructure hostage, and vowing to block it in court and Congress while Republicans close to Trump praised the move as deserved recognition.
- Hundreds of protesters—mostly students and activists—flooded the streets of Milan ahead of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony to oppose the presence of ICE agents, chanting anti-ICE slogans and criticizing U.S. officials, with demonstrations highlighting global anger over ICE tactics and sparking heightened security and planned follow-up protests during the Games.
- Newly released emails contradict Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s sworn testimony that his 2019 trip to Samoa had “nothing to do with vaccines,” showing U.S. embassy and UN officials understood the visit was driven by vaccine-safety concerns and that it helped legitimize anti-vaccine activists ahead of a measles outbreak that killed 83 people, raising fresh accusations that Kennedy misled Congress while now reshaping U.S. vaccine policy as health secretary.
- The United States cut off official contact with Poland’s parliamentary speaker after he criticized Donald Trump and opposed nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize, triggering a diplomatic dispute that underscores Poland’s delicate balancing act between maintaining strong U.S. ties and navigating internal political divisions.
- CNN has confirmed that at least six children from a Minnesota school district, including a 10-year-old detained on her way to school and held in Texas for nearly a month, were swept up in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, sparking outrage from families and educators who say aggressive ICE operations are traumatizing students, disrupting schools, and detaining children who were complying with the asylum process.
- A federal judge ordered ICE to stop making warrantless arrests in Oregon unless there is a clear risk a person will flee, ruling that agents’ “arrest first, justify later” tactics violated due process and describing some enforcement actions as violent and unconstitutional.
- Iran and the United States began high-stakes, indirect nuclear talks in Oman—mediated by Omani officials—as tensions rise amid a U.S. naval buildup and Trump’s threat of military action, with Iran insisting negotiations stay narrowly focused on its nuclear program while seeking sanctions relief and security guarantees to avert a broader regional confrontation.
See you soon.
— Aaron
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