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| | | WHAT WE'RE WATCHING | | 🗃️ DOJ released final batch of Epstein files with big names. The Justice Department posted more than three million pages of emails, pictures, and videos tied to its Epstein investigations, involving many celebrities, including Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Zohran Mamdani's mother, Mira Nair. Emails also revealed that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick spent time on one of Epstein's islands in 2012. | 🎬 Daily Wire's Jeremy Boreing calls out the "Grift Industrial Complex." In a new Triggernometry interview, The Daily Wire co-founder discussed the conservative media civil war and said hiring Candace Owens was "probably the biggest mistake of my professional life." Boreing distinguished between pure grifters seeking engagement and figures like Tucker Carlson who are pursuing "an actual political project" to transform American politics. | 🏛️ GOP raises antitrust concerns over Netflix-Warner deal. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) warned that Netflix's proposed $72 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. and HBO Max "appears likely to raise serious antitrust issues" in the streaming market. Lee also flagged concerns about a potential "killer non-acquisition," where the merger review process itself could weaken a competitor. | 🚫 LinkedIn removed a pro-ICE post as "hateful speech." The State Freedom Caucus Network revealed that the social media platform LinkedIn flagged and removed the advocacy group's post supporting Trump's immigration crackdown, only to later call the removal "an error." The post had called for states to collaborate with ICE and Border Patrol to remove illegal aliens. | | The latest Epstein file dump is the largest to date, and it is already revealing just how extensive his network truly was, and confirming what was already suspected: that anyone and everyone beyond a certain level of wealth and recognition knew Jeffrey Epstein, though his exact motives remain a topic of debate and speculation. — Brandon |
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| | | BIAS SPOTTER | How left and right outlets frame the final Epstein files release | _LEFT_ | President Trump's resistance: CNN reported that Trump "initially resisted the effort" and "fought hard to stop Congress from passing the law and personally lobbied individual GOP members at the White House," only dropping his opposition when outmaneuvered by bipartisan support. CNN | Global political fallout: The Associated Press reported that the Justice Department's release of more than three million Epstein-related records has already triggered consequences abroad, including the resignation of a senior Slovak official and renewed pressure in Britain for Prince Andrew to cooperate with US investigators. Associated Press | _RIGHT_ | False claims against Trump: The Daily Wire noted that the Justice Department warned the production "may include fake or falsely submitted images, documents, or videos," and that the release contains "untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump" that were submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020 election. The Daily Wire | Lutnick timeline discrepancies: The Washington Examiner reported that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick "once claimed he cut ties with Epstein in 2005, but the email messages show he kept in touch with the financier several years later," including a December 2012 trip planned to Epstein's private island. The Washington Examiner |
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| | | QUICK AND IMPORTANT | The documentary "Melania" about First Lady Melania Trump is projected to gross over $8 million at the box office in its opening weekend, more than analysts expected. Bari Weiss will announce a slate of new contributors for CBS News, as part of her effort to change the network's editorial direction. The California Post launched on Monday, bringing the New York Post's right-leaning news to Los Angeles. NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani is being urged to eliminate Newsmax from taxi screens. The most clicked link in our last newsletter was Spain's legalization of half a million illegal migrants.
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| | | THE MAIN STORY | Big Tech pushes back on Trump | | _WHAT'S HAPPENING_ | Several major tech leaders have begun publicly or privately pushing back against the Trump administration following ICE operations in Minneapolis that left two dead. | After weeks of near-total silence and visible efforts to stay aligned with President Trump, a small but notable group of executives has signaled concern over the scale and tactics of federal immigration enforcement. The shift marks a break from Big Tech's early second-term strategy of cozying up to President Trump through donations and flattery to avoid tariffs and regulation from his administration. | | _THE FACTS_ | OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wrote in an internal Slack message that "what's happening with ICE is going too far," while still calling Trump "a very strong leader." Anthropic president Daniela Amodei posted on LinkedIn that she was "horrified and sad," adding that "freedom of speech, civil liberties, the rule of law, and human decency are cornerstones of American democracy." Apple CEO Tim Cook attended a White House VIP screening of the Melania Trump documentary on January 24, the same day Pretti was killed; he later sent an internal memo calling for "de-escalation" and claiming he spoke to Trump about the issue. Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella have said nothing publicly about the Minneapolis killings as of this writing. X CEO Elon Musk, on the other hand, posted that Renee Good had "almost killed" the ICE agent before he shot her. CEOs of roughly 60 Minnesota-based companies, including 3M and Target, released a joint letter calling for federal and local officials to de-escalate. Tech leaders are credited with persuading the Trump administration to cancel plans to move ICE agents into San Francisco last October.
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| _OUR TAKE _ | Early in Trump's second term, tech executives believed their loyalty to the president would buy them protection. They made copious donations, including to Trump's inauguration fund and the new White House ballroom, and are contributing to major new AI infrastructure projects. | Outside Washington, Big Tech depends on highly ideological left-leaning workforces in major cities, and when their employees demand statements on contentious issues, the leaders' silence risks walkouts, resignations, and leaks. Trump has already extracted much of what he wanted from Big Tech, so although Silicon Valley executives may have to placate their employees by pushing back against the president from time to time, Trump likely knows he still will have allies when he needs them. |
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| | | Do you think Trump should maintain good relations with Big Tech? | |
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| | | INSIDER RADAR | Elon Musk called the release of Epstein files "a distraction," claiming his emails with Jeffrey Epstein asking about the "wildest party on your island" could be "misinterpreted." Megyn Kelly said she doesn't feel sorry for Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent in Minnesota, saying, "I kept my ass inside and out of their operations." Ben Shapiro said nothing has actually changed in terms of ICE operations in Minneapolis, and that President Trump has simply "shifted around some faces." Candace Owens was baffled that ice on her trees wasn't melting at 30 degrees Fahrenheit, apparently unaware that the freezing point is 32 degrees.
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| TODAY'S DEBATE | 📊 Should Congress and the Trump administration spend more time on Epstein-related investigations?Want your comment to be featured? Be sure to include your name. | |
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| POLL RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY | Who is Xi's military purge better for? | 🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ 🇺🇸 The US (209)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🇨🇳 China (288)
🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ 👎 Neither (180)
🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ 🤔 Unsure (244) | 🇺🇸 The US: "Xi has purged his last best supporter, leaving himself personally responsible for controlling a military that was not pleased with this purge." — Jim 🇨🇳 China: "The CCP wouldn't allow it to happen without this being their gain." — Les 🤔 Unsure: "Could just be false news by the Communist Party to project their supreme power to control the military." — Than | | | | 921 votes |
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| POP QUIZ | Daily Wire co-founder Jeremy Boreing said hiring this person was the biggest mistake of his career: | |
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| Thanks for joining us today. We scoured 100s of sources to bring you stories and insights you won't find in the mainstream media—Ariel David and Brandon Goldman. |
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