Opening Arguments - Um… Epstein might not have killed himself…

OA1233 - We are not conspiracy theorist type people. But... yeah man I don't know. But also, so much more in these files to talk about. If you know anything about the federal government’s 2007 plea deal with Jeffrey Epstein you know that it was bad. But newly-released documents from the Epstein files show that it was actually much worse than that! Thanks to a newly-released legal memo, a draft indictment, and internal emails between prosecutors we now have a much better understanding of the disagreements within US Attorney for the District of Southern Florida Alex Acosta’s office as they finalized the terms of a much-too-friendly agreement between the US government and a billionaire pedophile which a federal appeals court would later call “a national disgrace.” Matt has the receipts for this special emergency episode.

You can also watch this episode on YouTube!

  1. Steve Bannon’s Interview with Jeffrey Epstein (directly downloaded from the DOJ)

  2. Investigation into the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida’s Resolution of Its 2006–2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation (Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility, 2020)

  3. Incident Report (Palm Beach Police Department, 2006) 

  4. Epstein indictment draft (United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida, 2007)

  5. Appendix in The People of the State of New York v. Jeffrey E. Epstein (2013)

  6. Opinion - Alex Acosta acted with professionalism and integrity in handling the Jeffrey Epstein case (Miami Herald, 2/16/2019) 

Check out the OA Linktree for all the places to go and things to do!

WSJ Tech News Briefing - The AI Assistants Are Talking To Each Other

Things have been getting weird on the internet. WSJ reporter Angel Au-Yeung explains what’s behind Moltbook—the viral social network where AI assistants are talking to each other—and how it got started. Plus, WSJ reporter Isabelle Bousquette shares how AI is helping Olympic snowboarder Maddie Mastro improve her jump trick. Belle Lin hosts.


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Global News Podcast - Why Venezuela moves towards freeing political prisoners

In Venezuela, families of political prisoners have been rallying outside the Supreme Court in Caracas, chanting for the release of their loved ones. Lawmakers in the country have approved the first step of an amnesty bill introduced by the interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, in a move towards freeing hundreds of opposition politicians, journalists and human rights activists detained under previous governments.

Also: scandal in Norway as police launch corruption investigation into the former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland's ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Scientists in China find a potential alternative to conventional cervical cancer tests. We find out how South Africa's fight against HIV has been affected by the sweeping cuts to the United States foreign aid programme. Finland becomes the latest country to adopt a priority traffic system, allowing lights to turn green for emergency vehicles. How a previously unknown Michelangelo drawing became an auction sensation. And - why ski jumpers are being accused of a very unusual form of cheating in the run-up to the Winter Olympics.

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

Photo credit: Ronald Pena

It Could Happen Here - Executive Disorder: ICE Body Cams, Fulton Election Raid, Portland Protest

The gang discuss the FBI raid of the Fulton County Election office, ICE protests in Portland, DHS bodycams, and an unsealed memo on the arrest of Rümeysa Öztürk. Plus, updates on Minneapolis and Syria.

Sources:

https://oversight.house.gov/release/chairman-comer-announces-the-clintons-caved-will-appear-for-depositions/

https://sortor.us/release/lemon.pdf

https://d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/econTabReport_DDIQ8jz.pdf

https://www.wtnh.com/news/politics/ap-judge-rules-us-justice-department-filed-a-lawsuit-over-georgia-voter-data-in-the-wrong-city/#:~:text=Judge%20rules%20US%20Justice%20Department%20filed%20a,government%20had%20sued%20in%20the%20wrong%20city.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/documents/e815ed47-fce4-4797-8dc7-bcbc9efa968d.pdf

https://x.com/DNIGabbard/status/2018504435769520156?s=20

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/02/georgia-fulton-county-fbi-election-raid

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.282460/gov.uscourts.mad.282460.315.0_1.pdf 

https://www.state.gov/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-and-guyanese-president-irfaan-ali-at-a-joint-press-availability 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/09/rumeysa-ozturk-tufts-student-resume-teaching-visa 

https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/23/politics/court-documents-student-israel-op-ed

https://www.patreon.com/posts/whats-next-for-146454395?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link 

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.283214/gov.uscourts.dcd.283214.124.0_1.pdf 

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.283200/gov.uscourts.dcd.283200.52.0.pdf 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FnY2z7eb5efGlHrb2AYBtfqMVDJSUfIu/view 

https://www.startribune.com/another-wave-of-departures-in-minnesotas-us-attorneys-office/601575569 

https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2024-03/24_0307_priv_pia-ice-066a-pia-update.pdf 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/bovino-frustrated-directive-conduct-targeted-operations-chicago-rcna257069 

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/05/31/2022-11810/advancing-effective-accountable-policing-and-criminal-justice-practices-to-enhance-public-trust-and 

https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/05/25/fact-sheet-president-biden-to-sign-historic-executive-order-to-advance-effective-accountable-policing-and-strengthen-public-safety/ 

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/05/31/2022-11810/advancing-effective-accountable-policing-and-criminal-justice-practices-to-enhance-public-trust-and

https://www.propublica.org/article/alex-pretti-shooting-cbp-agents-identified-jesus-ochoa-raymundo-gutierrez 

https://sdf-press.com/archives/47816 

https://x.com/vvanwilgenburg/status/2017320999629254878?s=20 

https://x.com/vvanwilgenburg/status/2019098549640917124?s=20 

https://t.co/aMIp9uMx04 

https://wladimirvanwilgenburg.substack.com/p/kurdish-regions-will-be-organized 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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PBS News Hour - World - News Wrap: Trump rejects extension of expired U.S.-Russia nuclear arms treaty

In our news wrap Thursday, Trump rejected an offer from Russia to temporarily extend caps on strategic nuclear weapons, Ukraine and Russia wrapped a second day of talks in Abu Dhabi, the Trump administration is stripping job protections from thousands of federal workers, Nigeria is launching a new military operation against Islamic militants, and Vance cheered on U.S. Olympic athletes in Milan. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Consider This from NPR - Will new limits on gender-related surgeries change anything?

The Trump administration is celebrating an American Society of Plastic Surgeons recommendation to delay gender-related surgeries, which are rare. So how much is changing?


The American Society of Plastic Surgeons declared this week that it recommends surgeons delay gender-related surgeries until a patient is at least 19 years old.

The Trump administration called the move "another victory for biological truth in the Trump administration,” and said the group "has set the scientific and medical standard for all provider groups to follow.”

The administration is describing the new recommendations as a “watershed moment”, but gender-affirming surgeries in minors are rare. So how much will this change?

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Alejandra Marquez Janse, with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera Castro.

It was edited by Diane Webber, Courtney Dorning and Patrick Jarenwattananon.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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PBS News Hour - Health - What to know about South Carolina’s big measles outbreak and who is most at risk

South Carolina is experiencing one of the biggest measles outbreaks the U.S. has seen in decades. In that state, there are 876 confirmed cases of the highly contagious virus, which is preventable with a vaccine. While the current surge may be slowing, doctors warn there are still serious risks for vulnerable populations. William Brangham speaks with epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina for more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

PBS News Hour - World - Sudanese army finds overwhelming suffering after breaking RSF siege of embattled city

A U.N.-backed global hunger watchdog warned Thursday that famine is spreading to more parts of Darfur in western Sudan. The U.N. says the war between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has driven 14 million people from their homes and killed an estimated 40,000. Nick Schifrin and producer Zeba Warsi spoke to civilians trapped in the epicenter of the nearly 3-year-old civil war. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy