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EPSTEIN FILES: ALL Major Trump Accusations
17:39
Breaking Points • Feb 2, 2026

EPSTEIN FILES: ALL Major Trump Accusations

Here’s How Many Times Trump Is Mentioned in New Epstein Files
New Republic • Feb 2, 2026

Here’s How Many Times Trump Is Mentioned in New Epstein Files

Donald Trump was mentioned more than 38,000 times in the latest batch of Epstein files, according to a New York Times review of the Justice Department’s Friday public release of some three million pages from the sprawling investigation into child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.The references include documents pertaining to Trump, his wife Melania, and their residence in Florida, Mar-a-Lago.The president’s name appears in an FBI tip sheet several times in abuse allegations, including one in which an unknown source accuses Trump of forcing one of Epstein’s victims, presumed to be 13 or 14 years old, to perform oral sex on him, “approximately 35 years ago” in New Jersey.Other mentions are bizarre, such as a censored image that is very clearly of the president, sparking concerns about how far the DOJ actually went to conceal Trump’s connection to Epstein. The photograph came up in an exchange between Epstein and Trump’s first term chief strategist, Steve Bannon, though the widely circulated image was not incriminating in and of itself.Meanwhile, the agency neglected to redact nude images of young women in the files, some of whom may have been teenagers at the time.All in all, Trump was flagged in more than 5,300 files in the document cache, according to the Times.Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told CNN’s State of the Union Sunday that the DOJ reviewed the files last summer but did not find credible evidence against the president warranting further investigation.“There’s a lot of correspondence, there’s a lot of emails, there’s a lot of photographs—there’s a lot of horrible photographs that appear to be taken by Mr. Epstein or people around him, but that doesn’t allow us necessarily to prosecute somebody,” Blanche said, noting that the public now has the opportunity to “see if we got it wrong.” The Trump administration revealed on Friday that it would only release half of the Epstein files, blatantly violating the recently passed law that required the documents’ full release some six weeks ago and sparking concerns about a governmental cover-up.

Kennedy Family Slams Trump Over Plans to Shut Down Kennedy Center
New Republic • Feb 2, 2026

Kennedy Family Slams Trump Over Plans to Shut Down Kennedy Center

Donald Trump’s botched takeover of the Kennedy Center is drawing criticism from America’s most prominent political family. After a board of Trump loyalists voted to add Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center in December, the president announced on Sunday that the prestigious theater will shut down for two years for “Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding.”The building will close on July 4 “in honor of the 250th Anniversary of our Country,” Trump wrote.That means that while the Kennedy Center served as America’s cultural center for over 50 years, the Trump–Kennedy Center will last a grand total of seven months before closing. Many have speculated that the planned temporary closure is an attempt by Trump to save face after his decision to rename the building led to a sharp decline in ticket sales and multiple artists canceling shows.After Trump’s announcement, Joe Kennedy III, a great-nephew of John F. Kennedy, wrote on social media: “While this trespass on the People’s will is painful, President Kennedy would remind us that it is not buildings that define the greatness of a nation. It is the actions of its people and its leaders. So, do not be distracted from what this Administration is actually trying to erase: our connection, our community, and our commitment to the rights of all.”Maria Shriver, the daughter of JFK’s sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, mocked Trump in her own post, writing: “I’ve determined that due to this change in schedule, it’s best for me to close this center down and rebuild a new center that will bear my name, which will surely get everybody to stop talking about the fact that everybody’s canceling… right?”JFK’s grandson Jack Schlossberg similarly ripped into Trump. “Trump can take the Kennedy Center for himself,” Schlossberg wrote. “He can change the name, shut the doors, and demolish the building. He can try to kill JFK. But JFK is kept alive by us now rising up to remove Donald Trump, bring him to justice, and restore the freedoms generations fought for.”Unsurprisingly, one Kennedy has taken a different stance: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s secretary of health and human services. RFK Jr. said he had “bigger fish to fry” when asked about Trump renaming the building in December. He has not commented on the president’s announcement that the building will be shut down for two years.

Trump’s DOJ Somehow Forgets to Redact Nude Photos in Epstein Files
New Republic • Feb 2, 2026

Trump’s DOJ Somehow Forgets to Redact Nude Photos in Epstein Files

In its latest release of files relating to Jeffrey Epstein, the Department of Justice included several unredacted nude photos of young women, some of whom may have been underage when the photos were taken.The government is required by law to redact sensitive information and images in the Epstein files before releasing them, especially regarding anything that could identify victims. When The New York Times reviewed the latest files, however, they found 40 nude photographs of at least seven different people, with their faces visible.The women in the photos could have been minors, as the Times could not confirm their identities or ages. Some appeared to have been taken at Epstein’s private island, Little Saint James in the U.S. Virgin Islands, while others simply showed bedrooms and other private spaces. The publication initially notified the DOJ on Saturday of the images, flagging more of them on Sunday.The images flagged by the Times have since been removed or redacted. A DOJ spokesperson said that the department was “working around the clock to address any victim concerns, additional redactions of personally identifiable information, as well as any files that require further redactions under the act, to include images of a sexual nature.”“Once proper redactions have been made, any responsive documents will repopulate online,” the spokesperson said.The Trump administration remembered to redact a picture of Donald Trump that appeared in a text message conversation between Epstein and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. But somehow, it neglected a particularly sensitive set of photos and directly violated the law that mandated the release of the Epstein files, half of which still have yet to be made public.One of Epstein’s abuse victims, Annie Farmer, called the news of the unredacted images “extremely disturbing.”“It’s hard to imagine a more egregious way of not protecting victims than having full nude images of them available for the world to download,” Farmer told the Times on Sunday.

“She’s Not OK”: Bombshell Report Details Nancy Mace’s Downward Spiral
New Republic • Feb 2, 2026

“She’s Not OK”: Bombshell Report Details Nancy Mace’s Downward Spiral

South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace used to make her staffers go on late-night booze runs, clean her house, and boost her on forums discussing the “hottest women in Congress”—and that was all before things got really bad.In a sweeping profile published Monday in New York magazine, multiple former staffers detailed Mace’s yearlong nosedive from being a MAGA darling to being the mad captain of her own failing gubernatorial bid.Almost a year ago on the House floor, Mace declared she was going “scorched earth” on her ex-fiancé Patrick Bryant, accusing him of assaulting her; filming her without her consent; and engaging in a conspiracy to drug, rape, and film other women. (In a shocking turn of events, Mace showcased what she described as her “naked silhouette” during the hearing.)“She’s not okay,” one former staffer told New York magazine. “There’s nothing here I can point to and say, ‘Oh, this is normal.’”“Looking at the floor speech and what went on there, it’s very clear that that was the breaking point to me,” the former staffer added. “Because you’ve now gone from standing up for people—whether rightfully, wrongfully, performative or not—you were on this mission, and now this is about you. The whole frame shifted, and she centered herself in it all. That’s when it became apparent to me that this is broken.”A second staffer concluded that Mace had “deteriorated, and it sucks.”Since that House speech, Mace launched a campaign to run for governor, mounted a humiliating temper tantrum at the airport, blew up her only chance at getting a crucial endorsement from Donald Trump by pushing to release the Epstein files, lost her campaign manager, and became the subject of a House Ethics Committee inquiry. A December poll found that support for Mace’s gubernatorial bid had taken a major hit, and she was floating somewhere around fourth place among other primary candidates. As bad as things have gotten for Mace, things were never great for the people who work for her, and New York magazine was able to dig up plenty of new details. Former staffers said Mace treated them like maids after she arrived in Congress in January 2021, ordering them to clean the multiple properties she was renting out on Airbnb, including her Washington townhouse. Ahead of election night in 2022, Mace instructed her staffers to spiff up her $3.9 million home in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, for a watch party, a former staffer with direct knowledge told New York magazine.Mace also started dispatching staffers on late-night runs for alcohol to keep parties going at her home. “Look, when I worked for her, our poor scheduler was getting calls at two o’clock in the morning to come bring her bottles of tequila,” one former staffer told New York magazine. Members of Congress are explicitly barred from instructing their staffers to run personal errands, and they are not permitted to purchase alcohol for their boss’s personal consumption.One staffer alleged Mace’s excessive drinking and marijuana use became an issue. They recalled an incident in 2022 when Mace wanted to fire an aide for “doxxing” her because the aide told reporters she was out of the country, even though Mace had already announced her trip to a group of supporters just days before. “She would definitely do it excessively,” the staffer said of the congresswoman’s drinking and marijuana usage. “And again, not to say that most members don’t or most staff don’t, but it got to the point where it was an issue.”In response to questions, Cameron Morabito, Mace’s director of operations, hit back at suggestions of wrongdoing. “These allegations are so ridiculous they don’t even merit a response,” Morabito said. “I hope she sues you for every dime you got paid to write this defamatory bullshit.”Mace also allegedly instructed a staffer to boost her standing on Reddit forums discussing the “hottest women in Congress.” She was “very adamant” about getting the staffer to upvote any posts about Mace and her attractiveness, one former staffer told New York magazine.“We were scared of her,” one of the former aides told New York magazine. “She would make staffers cry. She would threaten to fire them, take their money away, not give them raises, not to give them days off, religious days.” “The closer you get to her, the harder she messes up your brain,” said another former staffer. “It’s a classic story of ‘never meet your heroes.’”One person close to Mace compared the congresswoman to how Bill Maher once described Trump: that she was not a crazy person but played one on TV. “We’ve moved past that now,” the person said. “Something’s broken. The motherboard’s fried. We’re short-circuiting somewhere.”

Top U.S. & World Headlines — February 2, 2026
15:34
Democracy Now Video • Feb 2, 2026

Top U.S. & World Headlines — February 2, 2026

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