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New Files Show Epstein Was ‘Too Useful’ for Banks to Drop — Trump Was ‘Too Politically Dangerous’ to Keep

The newest Epstein disclosures include deposition testimony that illustrates, in unusually concrete detail, how major financial institutions assessed risk, value, and accountability.

The transcript does not add new allegations about Epstein. Instead, it explains why he remained bankable long after his 2008 conviction and why his relationship with major banks survived despite generating almost no traditional revenue.

That institutional logic is the same logic that later drove JPMorgan to end its ties with Trump Media, and the contrast between the two cases shows how selectively these standards are applied.

In the deposition, Paul Morris—a private banker who handled Epstein’s accounts at JPMorgan Chase and later Deutsche Bank—described Epstein’s financial profile with unusual precision.

Epstein’s trading was minimal. His accounts produced limited fees.

He was not a high-activity client and did not utilize the investment tools that banks rely on to generate consistent revenue. By every conventional benchmark, he was a low-value account.

And yet, the relationship continued.

The deposition shows why. Epstein was not retained for his financial performance but for his institutional usefulness.

Morris acknowledged that Epstein facilitated introductions to ultra-wealthy individuals that the bank viewed as essential prospects. One example was Leon Black, whom Morris identified as a “priority prospect” because of Black’s significant net worth and influence in the investment sector.

Epstein introduced the bank to real-estate investor Andrew Farkas and discussed a potential connection involving biotech investor Boris Nikolic, who had ties to Bill Gates.

These introductions were specific, documented, and initiated by Epstein, not the bank.

This is the key element that many public accounts overlook. Epstein was not being managed as a traditional client. He functioned as a relationship broker inside a system where introductions to power carry more internal value than account-level returns.

Banks routinely emphasize compliance structures, but the testimony shows how those structures contract when the client provides access that cannot be replicated elsewhere.

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Everytown’s Defense of ‘Vampire Rule’ Renders the Second Amendment Meaningless

In less than a month from now, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Wolford v. Lopez, the challenge to Hawaii’s default ban on concealed carry on all private property (also known as the “vampire rule”, thanks to FPC’s Rob Romano) unless property owners specifically allow it. Amicus briefs in support of both the plaintiffs and defendants have now been filed with the Court, and over the next couple of days we’ll be taking a closer look at some of the arguments raised in defense of the gun control law… starting with the amicus brief filed by Everytown for Gun Safety. 

What makes this brief noteworthy is the audacity of the gun control group’s arguments, which fly in the face of the Court’s decisions in Heller, McDonald, and Bruen and would essentially turn the Second Amendment into a dead letter if adopted by the justices. 

The first argument raised by Everytown is that laws that are specifically designed to frustrate Second Amendment rights are presumptively constitutional, and that an “improper purpose” for a gun control statute is not reason enough for the courts to strike it down. 

This Court’s decisions in Bruen and Rahimi set forth the operative analytical framework for Second Amendment challenges. When a contemporary law regulates conduct that falls within the Amendment’s text, this framework points courts to historical evidence to determine whether the law is consistent with tradition. The United States and petitioners now ask the Court to distort that methodology by arguing for per se invalidation of any regulations that “restrict[] firearms simply to frustrate the exercise of Second Amendment rights”—a description they incorrectly ascribe to Hawai‘i’s statutory scheme. And they incorrectly claim that their freefloating improper-purpose test is grounded in the textual and historical understanding of the Second Amendment. Because neither precedent, text, nor history supports that novel test, the Court should reject it.

Now, it’s true that the Supreme Court has said that courts need to look to the text of the Second Amendment as well as the national tradition of gun ownership to determine if a modern gun control law is 2A-compliant, but there’s a good reason why the justices have never explicitly said that laws meant to chill the exercise of our right to keep and bear arms are unconstitutional: it’s self-evident. 

Rights exist for a reason, and any laws that are put in place with an eye towards curtailing that right are, by their very nature, constitutionally unsound. And despite Everytown’s claim to the contrary, Hawaii’s “vampire rule” is absolutely meant to stop people from exercising their right to bear arms. If it’s illegal to carry a gun in the vast majority of publicly accessible places, even with a concealed carry permit, then most people aren’t going to bother getting one… and those that do will be unable to carry except in a very limited number of locations. 

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Here’s What the Useless ‘Mainstream Media’ Was Focused on While a Citizen Journalist Uncovered More Massive Somali Fraud in Minnesota

If you read the Gateway Pundit, by now you are familiar with the story of more massive Somali fraud in Minnesota related to daycare centers, which was exposed by citizen journalist Nick Shirley.

At the time of this writing, the tweet with the video that Shirley published on December 26th has been viewed 56 million times.

Shirley’s work here was good, old-fashioned, shoe leather reporting. He really deserves all of the praise he is getting for this.

What about the so-called mainstream media? This is the job they used to do. What have they been up to for the last few days? Well, in addition to completely ignoring this story, they have been focused on a bunch of other completely pointless stories.

By the way, when we say they’re ignoring the Minnesota story, that is not an exaggeration. None of the outlets below have tweeted a single thing about what Nick Shirley uncovered, despite the enormity of the story.

Over at the Washington Post, they did a story about Trump putting too much Christ into Christmas.

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Shocking EBT Fraud Schemes Exposed in Ohio’s Somali Community

An independent journalist in Ohio has uncovered elaborate fraud schemes allegedly involving Somali immigrants exploiting the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system.

The investigation, detailed in a video that has gone viral on social media, highlights how some individuals are using welfare benefits to subsidize their businesses while evading taxes.

The video, posted on X by @WallStreetApes, shows the journalist touring Columbus neighborhoods and explaining the mechanics of the scheme.

He describes how Somali-owned restaurants are often attached to grocery stores, allowing owners to use EBT cards to purchase bulk ingredients for their eateries.

“Every single Somali restaurant has a grocery store right next door or within eye shot of the restaurant,” the journalist states. “They can just order everything they need to their grocery store that’s right next or attached to the restaurant that they also own and never have to fill a single cart.”

According to the investigator, these grocery stores are likely to report significant losses annually, which are used as tax write-offs, while the restaurants operate on cash, funneling the government-funded goods into profitable ventures.

The journalist also points out the role of polygamous marriages in the community, noting that multiple wives can claim benefits as single mothers, further maximizing welfare payouts.

“If you have two or three wives that don’t claim, these women can go work at Wal-Mart full time for $15 an hour and still qualify for food stamps as long as they have a couple kids,” he explains.

The journalist references Minnesota, where 88% of the Somali community is reportedly on social services, suggesting the fraud in Columbus could be equally pervasive.

This follow-up investigation builds on an earlier report by Columbus resident Nakia Deon, who first brought attention to similar scams in a video shared on X.

Deon described Somali men owning businesses like markets, with their wives using EBT cards exclusively at those stores, leading to massive fraud through hidden polygamous marriages and money laundering.

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Sending army to protect Sydney’s Jewish community not ruled out by NSW premier

Deploying the army to Jewish areas to protect the community has not been ruled out by the NSW premier as he contemplates security changes following the Bondi Beach terrorist attack. 

At a press conference on Sunday, Chris Minns also warned that Sydneysiders could expect to see more police officers carrying long-armed guns before and beyond New Year’s Eve.

Mr Minns said that “nothing was off the table” in response to a question about the deployment of troops, confirming that discussions about it were ongoing.

“We’re going to look very closely at security programs and measures in the future. We have to do things completely differently,” he said.

“The situation as it currently stands, it can’t continue … there’s a big challenge ahead of us to rebuild Jewish life in Sydney. So I’m not going to take anything off the table.

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Cleveland Clinic Flu Shots Study Shows Vaccine INCREASED Risk of Getting the Flu

For decades, Americans have been lectured, pressured, and in many cases coerced into getting annual flu shots under the promise that “the science is settled” and that vaccination is an unquestionable public good.

But a growing body of research is blowing that narrative apart, and the latest data are nothing short of explosive.

A new study from the prestigious Cleveland Clinic has found that the 2024-2025 flu shot not only failed to protect people but also increased their risk of contracting the flu.

The study, published as a preprint on medRxiv and led by Dr. Nabin K. Shrestha and colleagues from the Departments of Infectious Diseases, Infection Prevention, and Quantitative Health Sciences, tracked 53,402 Cleveland Clinic employees across Ohio during the 2024–2025 respiratory viral season, which began on October 1, 2024.

By the end of the 25-week observation period (ending March 26, 2025), 82.1% of the cohort (43,857 individuals) had been vaccinated, primarily with the trivalent inactivated vaccine.

A total of 1,079 employees (2.02%) tested positive for influenza, with 98.8% being influenza A cases.

Using a time-dependent analysis (treating vaccination as a variable that changes over time), the researchers calculated a vaccine effectiveness of -26.9% (95% CI: -51.0% to -6.6%). This means vaccinated individuals had a 27% higher hazard ratio (HR 1.27) for contracting influenza compared to unvaccinated ones, after adjusting for factors like age, sex, job type (e.g., clinical nursing), and work location.

The study addressed potential biases by examining testing rates. Vaccinated employees were more likely to get tested, but the proportion of positive tests was similar between groups, suggesting the higher infection rate wasn’t due to testing differences but actual increased susceptibility.

A Simon-Makuch plot showed that early in the season, infection rates were similar, but they rose more rapidly among the vaccinated over time.

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Washington Democrats Sponsor Bill to Slash Penalties for Pedophiles Snared in Online Sting Operations

Four Democratic Washington State Senators are pushing legislation to reduce penalties for individuals busted during sting operations for attempting to sexually abuse children.

The bill, Senate Bill 5312, sponsored by Sens. Lisa Wellman, Noel Frame, T’wina Nobles, and Claire Wilson, aims to shorten sex offender registration and post-release supervision for first-time offenders involved in stings where law enforcement poses as fictitious minors.

The proposal comes on the heels of a November vote by the Washington State Sentencing Guidelines Commission, which recommended lighter sentences for such offenders.

The commission’s decision mirrors SB 5312, advocating for alternatives to incarceration for crimes with “no identifiable victim,” citing lower recidivism rates among those convicted in stings compared to offenders who target real children.

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Watchdog group demands answers after ‘unbelievable security lapse’ by Trump’s Secret Service team

The Secret Service continues to endanger the president’s life with lax security, and the government is sitting on information that might expose recent failures which allowed President Trump to get shouted down by Code Pink protesters during a recent outing to a Washington DC restaurant, advocates fear.

“I’m just really concerned about the president’s safety,” Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch told The Post.

“He was almost killed twice supposedly under the protection of the Secret Service and then they walked him into a potentially dangerous ambush,” he said of the September incident at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab.

The watchdog group has been trying for three months to get information on how the protesters got advance notice about Trump’s closely-held movements — at an event intended to demonstrate that the city was thriving under new federal security protection.

“These people were allowed to get within arm’s length of the sitting president with knives and who knows what else in the restaurant available to them,” Fitton said.

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75 US Deportees To End Up On Tiny Island In Cash Deal With Local Rulers

In the Trump administration’s latest display of creativity when it comes to unloading unwanted immigrants, the United States has made a deal with the rulers of the tiny Pacific island nation of Palau, which will take 75 rejected migrants off Uncle Sam’s hands in exchange for $100,000 per head. The deportees in question will be a diverse group, but they’ll likely share one thing in common — none of them are from Palau, or ever heard of it.  

Palau will serve as a small relief valve for situations where a migrant’s home country refuses to take them back. “Palau and the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding allowing up to 75 third country nationals, who have never been charged with a crime, to live and work in Palau, helping address local labor shortages in needed occupations,” said Palauan President Surangel Whipps in a statement. 

Located in the Pacific region of Micronesia, Palau comprises some 350 tiny coral and volcanic islands, with a population of only 18,000. It was administered by the US government from World War II to 1994, when it became independent. However, it has maintained close relations with America via an arrangement called “free association,” which lets Palauans work, live or study in the United States — but we’re guessing that privilege won’t be extended to the 75 deportees. Palau also uses the US dollar as its currency, and its mail is delivered by the USPS.

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Fresh fears Texas serial killer could be on the loose as three more bodies pulled from bayous

Fears of a Texas serial killer resurfaced in Houston after three more bodies were recovered from the city’s bayous this week.

The latest discoveries bring the number of bodies found in the waterways in 2025 to at least 34, according to KTRK, just one less than last year’s total.

Authorities have repeatedly denied that the high figure is the work of a mystery murderer, as terrified locals have demanded answers.

On Monday, a body was found in the Buffalo Bayou near the 100 block of Crawford Street, per Houston Public Media.

The deceased was recovered after someone spotted a body in the water and called 911, bringing a response from the Houston Police Department’s dive team.

That same day, another body was found near the Brays Bayou at the intersection of Texas Spur 5 and Old Spanish Trail.

The person was found on Christmas Eve in the Buffalo Bayou around 3500 Memorial Parkway, Houston police said on X.

Since 2017, at least 198 dead bodies have been found in Houston’s bayous, per Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office records obtained by KPRC 2.

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