Epstein Files Release, Health Care Subsidies, Surviving The Holiday Season
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What documents were released about Jeffrey Epstein?
A vast trove of documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein is released by the Justice Department.
Some of the files weren't new. Others were heavily redacted. And significantly, many documents were not released.
I'm Scott Simon.
And I'm Ayesha Roscoe. And this is Up First from NPR News.
Among the previously unseen files are photos of former President Bill Clinton.
But President Trump was rarely mentioned. We'll have analysis.
And millions of Americans face price hikes on health care premiums after Congress failed to strike a deal.
Plus, it can be a busy time of year with all of those holiday parties. Scott, you got a whole bunch of invites?
No, nobody invites us anywhere.
If only we had time to even get out. We'll have tips on how to negotiate the holiday season, which should be full of joy, but can turn really stressful.
So please stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your weekend.
There's a lot going on right now. Mounting economic inequality, threats to democracy, environmental disaster, the sour stench of chaos in the air. I'm Brooke Gladstone, host of WNYC's On the Media. Want to understand the reasons and the meanings of the narratives that led us here and maybe how to head them off at the pass? That's On the Media's specialty. Take a listen wherever you get your podcasts.
The Justice Department has released files relating to the life, death, and criminal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. Well, at least some of them.
A law signed by President Trump last month that directed the DOJ to turn over the documents by Friday. NPR's Stephen Fowler has been reviewing the files. Stephen, thanks for being with us.
Good morning.
What exactly was released?
Well, on the surface, it sure looked like a lot.
What are the implications of Congress not reaching a health care deal?
Justice.gov slash Epstein went live around 4 p.m., and there was a queue you had to wait in before accessing the page. The Epstein library contained well over 100,000 pages of Court records, Freedom of Information Act files, memoranda from the Justice Department, and videos from outside Epstein's federal prison cell where he died by suicide in 2019. And documents that the Epstein Files Transparency Act signed into law last month compelled the Justice Department to hand over.
How will health care premium hikes affect Americans?
Feels like there's more to the story.
Well, yeah, it's not all the files. And in the grand scheme of what was released, there aren't that many things that are actually new, Scott. Notably, there aren't many mentions of the president in this latest release. He was a longtime friend of Epstein before they had a falling out and has appeared in previously released files. Eighty percent of it comes from public court records for more than 50 cases against Epstein, his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell and others. There's about 4,000 files and about 8,500 pages that fall under this new transparency act. Most of those are photos of Epstein's estate and his travels with people like former President Bill Clinton, among others. And there's this previously undisclosed FBI report from 1996, 30 years ago, that accused Epstein of child pornography crimes and allegedly threatened to burn the accuser's house down if she told anyone about it.
Even then, there are hundreds of pages, just straight up redacted black boxes, all over things like grand jury information that do leave a lot of questions.
The law directed the Justice Department to release all of their files by yesterday. That apparently didn't happen. What did department officials say?
The DOJ says its review of the files found more than 1,200 victims and families and wrote in a separate court filing Friday that redactions include people who may not actually be victims as they err on the side of what they say might be viewed as an over-redaction, taking out more than may be required by law out of an abundance of caution. This could also explain why there will be more than one release of documents. On Friday night, there were more files that were uploaded.
What's been the reaction from members of Congress?
Not all of them are happy. Remember, this was a near-unanimous law that was passed through Congress.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What documents were released about Jeffrey Epstein?
0:02–2:06
2
What are the implications of Congress not reaching a health care deal?
2:06–2:35
3
How will health care premium hikes affect Americans?
2:35–4:54
4
What tips can help manage holiday stress?
4:54–5:51
5
What causes holiday anxiety and how can it be managed?
5:51–6:17
6
How can one balance holiday indulgence with healthy habits?
6:17–15:49
Speakers
7 identifiedMore from Up First from NPR
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