Show Notes
Pam Bondi is out as attorney general — and her 14-month tenure makes her the shortest timer as the nation's top lawyer since Watergate. To put it all into context, NPR’s Justice Correspondent Carrie Johnson joins Elise and Jena to discuss what’s next for the so-called “Justice” Department when it comes to the Epstein-related investigations under acting AG Todd Blanche. They discuss Bondi’s biggest missteps with the Epstein files, what’s next for DOJ, and what avenues might exist for the growing chorus of Americans who don’t want the misdeeds of the billionaire class to be shoved under the rug.
Mentioned in this Episode
NPR's Carrie Johnson
NPR: Trump Removes Bondi as Attorney General
Time: Bondi Won't Appear Before House Oversight
Fox News: Todd Blanche on the Epstein Files
DOJ: Dr. Larry Nassar's abuse investigation
Time: EPA Head Lee Zeldin as potential AG
NYMag: Judge Jeanine Pirro as potential AG
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More from The Epstein Files Book Club
Betches founder and Morning Announcements host Sami Sage returns as America barrels toward midterm elections and the potential for wider oversight investigations should Democrats retake the House. She shares why she thinks Americans need to be more angry about how corrupt American leadership is right now, what a Democratic House should actually do for oversight and accountability over the administration, and how the delusions of American society can help explain this moment.
Why do institutions continue to excuse and protect male violence? Elise and Jena sit down with gender and politics writer Andrea Gonzalez-Ramirez, of New York Magazine’s The Cut, to discuss institutional power and why systems continue failing to hold sexual aggressors and abusers accountable. She explains the reason why it feels like #metoo never happened, and the research-backed steps to make societies safer for everyone.
In the wake of the uproar over Cornell University’s response to allegations of gang rape by fraternity members on its campus, feminist philosopher and Cornell professor Dr. Kate Manne returns to discuss what it’s like on the Ivy League university's campus now, whether the #metoo movement made any progress, and why she believes abolishing fraternities is a responsible, legitimate way to address to the campus rape epidemic.
In light of the latest Jane Doe to bravely step forward with accusations of heinous rape and violence, this time against seven undergraduate fraternity members at Cornell University, we are bringing back an episode with Cornell professor and feminist philosopher Kate Manne, who painstakingly reviewed the interviews of Jane Doe 4, the woman who, says that at 13, was trafficked to Donald Trump by Jeffrey Epstein. A system that excuses sexual assault allows sexual predators into positions atop businesses, society, and governments. The Epstein network is the clearest example of the rape culture in which we live.
In the final part of our two-parter with independent journalist and attorney Katie Phang, who brought a historic lawsuit against the DOJ to release of all Epstein files , Phang explains why the original Epstein Files Transparency Act needs to be bolstered with the new bill — EFTA 2 — and the oversight and accountability that can come with a new Congress in January, if voters swing the balance of power back to the Democrats.