The Justice Department under Donald Trump has formally closed its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. In a memo posted quietly to its website, the department declared there would be no new charges, and reaffirmed its conclusion that Epstein died by suicide. It’s a familiar ending — one that satisfied almost no one — but it also lit the fuse on a slow-burning political problem within Trump’s cabinet.

At the center of it is Pam Bondi, Trump’s Attorney General, whose handling of the situation has been anything but decisive. Her tone during a recent cabinet meeting was defensive and evasive, and her history with this issue isn’t helping. Bondi has previously courted controversy by summoning social media influencers, handing them binders on Epstein, and pushing them in front of cameras. That kind of theater backfires when questions grow more serious. And as I said on the podcast — she’s getting fired. It’s not official yet, but the countdown has begun.

Bondi’s standing is further weakened by reports of internal rifts. According to journalist Tara Palmeri, there’s tension between Bondi and figures like Dan Bongino and Kash Patel — names with significant sway over Trump’s perception of media battles and political threats. Add to that the fact that Bondi keeps attracting headlines Trump doesn’t want, and you have a recipe for dismissal. Trump, perhaps more than any modern political figure, watches the television coverage as a barometer of competence. And right now, Bondi’s airtime is working against her.

None of this, of course, brings clarity to the Epstein case itself. As someone who followed the story when it was still a South Florida curiosity, long before it became national scandal, I’ll tell you this — there are more questions than answers, and most of them will remain unanswered. There’s been speculation Epstein was connected to intelligence services, that his travels and access were part of something larger. Maybe. I don’t know. But if there is some shadowy list of powerful clients, no administration — not Trump’s first, not Biden’s, and apparently not Trump’s second — has been willing to expose it.

What’s more likely is something simpler, and grimmer. Epstein had money. He had access. And he knew how to exploit both to surround himself with women — some underage, many vulnerable — through a recruitment structure that has been thoroughly documented. I don’t buy the cleaner narrative that he was a glorified pimp operating on behalf of presidents and princes. It’s more disturbing than that: he didn’t need to offer favors. He created an ecosystem where abuse flourished because no one had the will or incentive to stop it.

So where does Trump fit in? Despite the conspiracies, there’s never been strong evidence that Trump was entangled in Epstein’s criminal world. Did they know each other? Absolutely. They were two rich men in West Palm Beach — their social paths inevitably crossed. But the idea that Trump needed Epstein for access to women doesn’t add up. Trump, at the height of his fame, ran beauty pageants and a hit TV show. The Pipeline of Pliable Women was already installed. If anything, Trump’s problem with Epstein isn’t guilt — it’s optics. Being in the same orbit, in hindsight, was bad enough.

And that’s the heart of the issue now. Trump doesn’t want this story back in the headlines. He doesn’t want cabinet officials stumbling on camera, reviving suspicions, or dragging his name back into the Epstein muck. The DOJ statement was supposed to close the book. Pam Bondi — with her missteps and misreads — may have accidentally ripped it back open. If Trump’s watching the coverage, he’s likely already decided: she’s more trouble than she’s worth.

Chapters

00:00:00 - Intro

00:03:52 - Epstein Case Closed

00:16:06 - Update

00:16:47 - Elon’s America Party

00:21:36 - AI Marco

00:24:25 - Tariff Deal Deadline

00:26:13 - Interview with Juliegrace Brufke

00:56:36 - Wrap-up

Zohran Mamdani just reshaped New York politics — and maybe the national conversation too. I was on the fence going into the NYC mayoral primary. Mamdani’s campaign had energy, ideas, and a clear message, while Andrew Cuomo’s felt like a dusty rerun nobody asked for. But I still assumed Cuomo’s name, connections, and donor base would carry him through. I shouldn’t have. Mamdani didn’t just win — he torched the field in the first round. Cuomo saw the writing on the wall and didn’t even wait for ranked-choice voting to play out. He conceded outright.

Now Mamdani isn’t just a local story — he’s a national one. Republicans have already started holding him up as the new face of the Democratic Party, especially in swing districts. He’s a self-described socialist who just beat one of the most recognizable Democratic names in the country. That’s political catnip for the right. Trump himself mentioned Mamdani on Truth Social. Conservative influencers are hammering him daily. Whether Mamdani likes it or not, he’s been drafted into a larger culture war — and every policy, every quote, every tweet is going to be scrutinized at the national level from here on out.

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And it’s not just Republicans reacting. Democrats are watching closely too, especially younger progressives who now see a viable path forward in big-ticket races. Mamdani ran a campaign that wasn’t afraid of bold ideas — rent freezes, public banking, and fare-free transit — but he didn’t couch it in academic jargon. He went neighborhood to neighborhood, meeting people where they were, and speaking plainly. That’s going to be studied. That’s going to be copied. And in a party that often struggles to translate left-wing policy into real-world messaging, Mamdani may have just written the playbook.

The irony is that Mamdani’s win might breathe new life into Eric Adams — the guy the establishment tried to sideline. After the FBI raid and months of bad headlines, Adams looked like political toast. The party scrambled to swap in Cuomo as the “safe” option. But now that Cuomo’s been humiliated, the same centrists who cast Adams aside are lining up to support him in the general. That’s politics — ruthless and fast-moving. Expect a soft-focus profile in the New York Times Magazine before the fall: “Still Here: Why Eric Adams Never Gave Up on New York.”

What makes this even more fascinating is that Mamdani’s campaign actually had real working-class appeal. He didn’t just preach to the progressive base. He campaigned across the entire city, even in neighborhoods where he was bound to lose. He framed his message in economic terms that resonated across ideological lines. That’s not something many on the left do well. If Mamdani can sustain that balance — if he can speak to both the base and the broader public — he may become more than a lightning rod. He could become a blueprint. But first, he’s got to win the general. And now that Adams is back in the game, the gloves are coming off.

Chapters

00:00:00 - Intro

00:02:21 - Zohran Mamdani

00:10:13 - Interview with David Litt

00:34:49 - Update

00:35:32 - Big Beautiful Bill Push

00:39:47 - Elise Stefanik Gov. Race

00:41:42 - Planned Parenthood Supreme Court Ruling

00:45:06 - Interview with David Litt, con't.

01:10:12 - Wrap-up