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"Billionaire Boys Club": What the Latest Epstein Files Reveal About Elite Impunity
Democracy Now Feb 2, 2026

"Billionaire Boys Club": What the Latest Epstein Files Reveal About Elite Impunity

The Justice Department on Friday released an additional 3 million pages of documents related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Trump administration says it was the final release of Epstein files, even though some 2 million more documents remain unreleased. The latest batch reveals new details about Epstein’s connections to the rich and powerful, including Hollywood figures, tech billionaires, public officials and more. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said it is unlikely anyone else would be prosecuted. Attorney Arick Fudali, who represents 11 Epstein survivors, says the release of the files has been a “perfect storm” of “incompetency and an active cover-up” by the Trump administration. “It’s so mind-boggling, because they’re withholding documents that they shouldn’t be withholding … but, on the other hand, they’re showing documents that they shouldn’t be showing because they contain unredacted names of survivors,” says Fudali. Investigative journalist Vicky Ward, who has covered the Epstein case for many years, says despite the flawed release of the files, they continue to shine light on a world of elite impunity and excess. “We just see over and over again in these documents, this was just one big billionaires boys club that treated women like objects,” says Ward. [Transcript contains an Editor’s Note for additional context.]

"Leave Our City Now": Minneapolis Residents March as Part of National Strike Against ICE
Democracy Now Feb 2, 2026

"Leave Our City Now": Minneapolis Residents March as Part of National Strike Against ICE

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in hundreds of demonstrations across the United States this weekend as protests continue against the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant crackdown. Democracy Now! was in the streets of Minneapolis on Friday speaking with protesters who marched in subzero temperatures.

"Journalism Is Not a Crime": Georgia Fort & Don Lemon Arrested for Covering St. Paul Church Protest
Democracy Now Feb 2, 2026

"Journalism Is Not a Crime": Georgia Fort & Don Lemon Arrested for Covering St. Paul Church Protest

As protests continue in Minnesota over the federal government’s immigration crackdown, former CNN anchor Don Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort now face federal charges stemming from their reporting on a January 18 demonstration at a St. Paul church, where a senior ICE official works as a pastor. The two journalists were released Friday without bail following initial court hearings and could face fines or prison time if convicted. Their charges stem from the FACE Act, a 1994 law intended to protect access to abortion clinics which also prohibits interference with religious worship. Seven activists who took part in the demonstration also face charges. “We’re having a constitutional crisis,” Fort tells Democracy Now! “What we’re seeing here in Minnesota is the people are continuing to stand. They are continuing to demand that our Constitution be upheld. I believe that journalism is not a crime.”

Something Unexpected Is Happening With Norway’s Polar Bears
Mother Jones Feb 2, 2026

Something Unexpected Is Happening With Norway’s Polar Bears

This story was originally published by Vox and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Polar bears became the poster child for the peril of climate change for obvious reasons: They hunt seals from the ice, and as fossil fuels warm the planet, the ice where these bears live is melting. For more than three decades, scientists have been […]