Trump DOJ Says There is No Epstein Client List, Blackmail of Individuals
Much of Trump's MAGA base is frustrated and thinks it is a coverup
GetSmart Preview: Roasting hot dogs on volcanic rock
Newsbites
Chart of the week: Bars vs. grocery stores. The red dots in the map indicate where there are more bars than grocery stores in that location (measured as the number of search results in the Google Maps directory). Gold dots indicate there are more grocery stores than bars.
Sean “Diddy” Combs was acquitted by a federal jury this week of the most serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, although he was found guilty of arranging transportation for prostitution. Combs will be sentenced on October 3 and could face anywhere from 5-20 years in prison. Had he been convicted of racketeering or sex trafficking, Combs would likely have faced a life sentence. The defense team convinced the jury that Combs was a violent abuser with a “swinger” lifestyle but that he was not running a criminal enterprise.
TSA has ended the shoe-removal security protocol at airports across the U.S. this week. The policy was implemented in 2004 after the 9/11 attacks and the attempted shoe-bomber, Richard Reid, in 2001. Department of Homeland Security Director Kristi Noem said, “It’s important that we find ways to keep people safe, but also streamline and make the process more enjoyable for every single person.” Noem said that with advanced technology, removing shoes is no longer necessary and that the process has halted needed efficiency before the U.S.-hosted World Cup in 2026 and the 2028 Olympic Games.
President Trump reignited the discussion around tariffs this week. Shortly after the tariffs were announced on “Liberation Day” in early April, Trump had announced a 90-day pause to give time for negotiating trade deals. So far, only the UK and Vietnam have reached at least some sort of trade agreement with the U.S. As the 90-day window expired this week, Trump extended the deadline to early August but said aggressive tariffs will come unless deals are reached. For example, Trump said tariffs for many Canadian imports would increase to 35% (from 25%) and a new 50% tariff on imports from Brazil would go into effect.
More: Amid the tariff turmoil over the past few months, the stock market has continued to reach new all-time highs. A slogan that has gained popularity on Wall Street is the “TACO” trade, which stands for “Trump Always Chickens Out” and is a bet that despite his rhetoric, Trump will continue to extend deadlines or reach trade deals instead of maintaining high tariffs.
Elon Musk is creating a new political party, called the “America Party”, in an attempt to provide an alternative to the Republican / Democrat dichotomy in the U.S. Musk hinted the initial strategy could involve targeting a handful of Senate and House seats in the 2026 midterm elections to try and form a minority coalition in Congress. The former advisor to President Trump has been focused on the growing federal debt levels in the U.S. and was adamantly opposed to the spending bill which was signed into law on July 4. Dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” the legislation is projected to further increase the federal debt by trillions of dollars.
President Trump will use his presidential power to send U.S. weapons to Ukraine, a major shift in his policy stance. According to Axios, the U.S. will technically send the weapons to NATO, who will then distribute them to Ukraine. Trump has long been against arming the Ukrainians with U.S. weapons, but he has become frustrated with Vladimir Putin and the stall of peace talks in recent weeks. In his cabinet meeting, he said, “We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth…he’s very nice all of the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
Epstein files debate: Former Epstein lawyer Alan Dershowitz said on Thursday that he “knows for a fact documents are being suppressed to protect individuals…I know who’s suppressing them, but I’m bound by confidentiality from a judge and cases, and I can’t disclose what I know. Hand to God, I know the names of people whose files are being suppressed in order to protect them.” He later added that celebrities, politicians, and powerful people are on the list and demanded that everything be released (video).
Trump DOJ Says There is No Epstein Client List, Blackmail of Individuals
Some context
One of the promises President Trump ran on in 2024 was to bring transparency and accountability to the government. In February 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi and the DOJ office said they were committed to “lifting the veil on the disgusting actions of Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators.” On the campaign trail, Trump signaled several times he would release the files as well.
What happened this week?
The DOJ and FBI released an unsigned, undated two-page memo that their investigation and review of the Epstein files is complete.
Here are some of the important parts of the memo:
“The FBI conducted digital searches of its databases, hard drives, and network drives as well as physical searches of squad areas, locked cabinets, desks, closets, and other areas where responsive material may have been stored. These searches uncovered a significant amount of material, including more than 300 gigabytes of data and physical evidence.”
“The files relating to Epstein include a large volume of images of Epstein, images and videos of victims who are either minors or appear to be minors, and over ten thousand downloaded videos and images of illegal child sex abuse material and other pornography. Teams of agents, analysts, attorneys, and privacy and civil liberties experts combed through the digital and documentary evidence with the aim of providing as much information as possible to the public while simultaneously protecting victims.”
“This systematic review revealed no incriminating “client list.” There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties. Consistent with prior disclosures, this review confirmed that Epstein harmed over one thousand victims. Each suffered unique trauma.”
“FBI investigators concluded that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on August 10, 2019. This conclusion is consistent with previous findings, including the August 19, 2019 autopsy findings of the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the November 2019 position of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York in connection with the investigation of federal correctional officers responsible for guarding Epstein, and the June 2023 conclusions of DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General.
The report linked to the jail footage (video) of the night Epstein died. There is one minute missing from the video. AG Bondi provided a confusing response as to why the one minute clip is not part of the security footage. She said the Bureau of Prisons uses an old video system and every night there is the same minute missing from the jail footage (video of her answer).
The handling of the Epstein files has caused major divisions within Trump’s MAGA base, who suspect a coverup. Responding to reporters on Tuesday, Trump interjected during a question directed at Pam Bondi and said,
“Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?...I can’t believe you’re asking a question on Epstein at a time like this where we're having some of the greatest success and also tragedy, with what happened in Texas. It just seems like a desecration.”
Famous American Lawyer claims the list is being suppressed
Former Epstein lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, said on Thursday that he “knows for a fact documents are being suppressed to protect individuals…I know who’s suppressing them, but I’m bound by confidentiality from a judge and cases, and I can’t disclose what I know. Hand to God, I know the names of people whose files are being suppressed in order to protect them.” He later added that celebrities, politicians and powerful people are on the list and demanded that everything be released (video).
The DOJ / FBI memo also stands at odds with what Attorney General Pam Bondi said last month in an interview on Fox News, in which she said Epstein’s client list was “sitting on my desk right now to review, that’s been a directive by President Trump” (video).
Dive deeper: Journalist Nick Bryant, who first released “Epstein’s little black book” on the internet years ago, wrote a piece a few weeks ago, titled, “Are Pam Bondi and Kash Patel Reneging on the Epstein Files?”
Flash Floods in Texas Leave More Than 120 Dead, Hundreds More Missing
What’s going on?
More than 120 people, including 36 children, have died from flash floods that hit Central Texas on the 4th of July. Over 170 people remain missing, with hope dwindling as rescue teams shift to the recovery phase of their mission after seven days of searching.
The center of the floods was Kerr County, located about 100 miles northwest of San Antonio. The Guadalupe River runs through the area, which is called “flash flood alley” as its hilly and sandy terrain make it prone to flooding.
In the early morning hours of July 4 (between 4-5AM), water levels of the Guadalupe River rose nearly 20 feet within 45 minutes, a historic rise due to torrential rainfall that dropped some 20 inches. In some areas, the flood waters rose so quickly that residents had little to no time to reach safety. Some awoke in the middle of the night to water rushing through doors and windows.
Time lapse footage of the Llano River rising rapidly.
The massive amount of rain was fueled in part by the additional moisture in the atmosphere from Tropical Storm Barry, which had hit Mexico and caused flooding there at the end of June. Central Texas was also in drought conditions, decreasing the ability for the land to absorb the rainfall.
Satellite images of the aftermath from the Weather Channel.
At the request of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, President Trump has signed an federal emergency declaration for the area, which will allow FEMA to provide support and for affected residents to apply for grants and financial assistance.
Camp Mystic
Camp Mystic, one of many summer camps located on the Guadalupe River, was devastated by the floods. A Christian summer camp for girls was being held over the 4th of July weekend, with hundreds of attendees. More than 25 campers, including girls as young as 8 and 9-years-old, died in the floods, along with some camp counselors.
Over 200 of the girls were saved by a Coast Guard swimmer named Officer Scott Ruskan. It was his first ever mission. He told news outlets when he arrived at the camp the girls were "all scared, terrified, cold, having probably the worst day of their lives." He continued. "I really just relied on the training we get…Coast Guard rescue swimmers get some of the highest-level training in the world.”
Prayer vigil
The affected communities are mourning the loss of life. On Wednesday, July 9, a large prayer vigil was held in Antler Stadium in Kerrville, Texas (photos).
GetSmart: 🌋Roasting Hot Dogs on Volcanic Rock
While studying volcanic rock in Iceland, some savvy scientists used the crust of the volcano as a grill to cook hot dogs. And people say science is “difficult” (video).
Founding Members
David Richards (St. Croix Catholic School)
Lisa Stokman (Holy Spirit Academy)
Price (MN Doctors For People)
Gabriel Flynn
Publishers’ Representative
gabeflynn@yahoo.com
Michael Olenchuk
Full Stack Developer, Military Contractor
michaelolenchuk@gmail.com
A huge thank you to our Founding Members! To become one, shoot us a note at john@thenewsmemo.com
Copyright © 2024 The News Memo, All rights reserved.