Latest / The Ben Ferguson Podcast / Draining the Swamp: Trump's Federal Layoffs, Epstein Files & Transparent Cabinet

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Draining the Swamp: Trump's Federal Layoffs, Epstein Files & Transparent Cabinet · The Ben Ferguson Podcast

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Can you guarantee that Medicare, Medicaid, social Security will not
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: be touched.
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: I've said it so many times. You shouldn't be asking
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: me that question. Now we all got to look for fraud.
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: I'm sure you're okay with that. Like people that shouldn't
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: be on we have a lot of people. You see
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: that immediately when you see people that are two hundred
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: years old that are being sent checks for Social Security.
• 0:20
  Speaker 3: You're listening to the forty seven Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
• 0:23
  Speaker 4: Good Thursday morning, Ben Ferguson with you. It's nice to
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  Speaker 4: have you here on the forty seven Morning Update. And
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  Speaker 4: here are the big stories we're talking about. First up,
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  Speaker 4: it was one of the most transparent meetings we've ever
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  Speaker 4: seen a cabinet meeting. Donald Trump sag to the world,
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  Speaker 4: here's our agenda, this is what we're doing. And Elon
• 0:41
  Speaker 4: Musk coming into that cabinet meeting explaining exactly what DOGE
• 0:45
  Speaker 4: is doing to cut massive government waste, fraud and abuse.
• 0:49
  Speaker 4: I'll have the incredible details for you in just a second.
• 0:51
  Speaker 4: We also found out Donald Trump and his administration have
• 0:55
  Speaker 4: now sent out a directive for a large scale federal
• 0:59
  Speaker 4: layoff admitting now that the US government is employing way
• 1:03
  Speaker 4: too many people and it's time for every department to
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  Speaker 4: start making cuts immediately. How much money is this gonna
• 1:11
  Speaker 4: save you. I'll have that as well in just a second.
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  Speaker 4: And finally, Donald Trump, paying off on a campaign promise
• 1:17
  Speaker 4: that if he was elected, we would have transparency on
• 1:20
  Speaker 4: things like the Epstein files. Well, Pam Bondi, the Attorney General,
• 1:24
  Speaker 4: is saying today you may be able to read that
• 1:27
  Speaker 4: client list. It's the forty seven Morning Update and it
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  Speaker 4: starts write.
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  Speaker 3: Story number one.
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  Speaker 4: President Donald Trump convened his first Cabinet meeting of his
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  Speaker 4: second term in the White House, and the meeting was
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  Speaker 4: notable for the attendance of Elon Musk, the head of
• 1:42
  Speaker 4: the Department of Government Efficiency. You know it is DOGE,
• 1:45
  Speaker 4: who has been instrumental in advising the administration on reducing
• 1:48
  Speaker 4: government waste and enhancing operational efficiency. Now must Presidence underscores
• 1:53
  Speaker 4: the administration's commitment to leveraging private sector expertise to streamline
• 1:59
  Speaker 4: the bloated GUP government. During the meeting, President Trump also
• 2:02
  Speaker 4: announces plans to impose a twenty five percent tariff on
• 2:06
  Speaker 4: imports from the European Union aiming to address trade imbalances
• 2:10
  Speaker 4: and protect American industries. That decision reflects the administration's focus
• 2:15
  Speaker 4: on fostering fair trade practices and supporting domestic economic growth
• 2:19
  Speaker 4: for American workers here at home. The cabinet also discussed
• 2:23
  Speaker 4: ongoing efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict between
• 2:26
  Speaker 4: Ukraine and Russia, and President Trump express optimism about hosting
• 2:29
  Speaker 4: President Zelenski at the White House to finalize a critical
• 2:33
  Speaker 4: minerals deal, which could bolster economic ties and also help
• 2:37
  Speaker 4: America get back some of the money that we've been
• 2:39
  Speaker 4: sending to Ukraine. Overall, the meeting highlight of the administration's
• 2:43
  Speaker 4: proactive approach to economic policy as well as international diplomacy,
• 2:48
  Speaker 4: and the biggest part of the meeting clearly dealt with
• 2:50
  Speaker 4: government efficiency, setting a positive tone for the initiative's planned
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  Speaker 4: in the new term. I want you to hear what
• 2:57
  Speaker 4: the President and Elon Musk had to say. This may
• 3:00
  Speaker 4: have been the most important part of the meeting.
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  Speaker 2: Elan, if you could get up and explain where you are,
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  Speaker 2: how you're doing, and how much we're cutting and it's
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  Speaker 2: an honor to have you been a tremendously successful guy,
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  Speaker 2: is really working so hard, and he's got businesses to run,
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: and in many ways they say how do you do this?
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: And you know it's sacrificing a lot and take getting
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: a lot of praise. I'll tell you I'd like to
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  Speaker 2: have Elon Musk please say a few words.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you. Mist President, Well, I should just put myself
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  Speaker 1: a couple of tech support here because this is actually
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  Speaker 1: as crazy as it sounds.
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  Speaker 5: That that is.
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  Speaker 1: Almost a literal description of the work that those team
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: is doing. Is helping picks the government computer systems. Many
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: of the systems are extremely old, they don't communicate their
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: among the mistakes, and the systems software doesn't work, so
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: we are actually text support. It's ironic, but it's true.
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  Speaker 1: The illverall goalk here with the dog team is to
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  Speaker 1: help address the anlmost episode, we simply cannot sustain the
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: country two trillion dollar death sees. The interest rates, just
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  Speaker 1: the interest on the natural debt now exceeds the Defense
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  Speaker 1: Department spending. We spend a lot on the Defense department,
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  Speaker 1: but we're spending like an over trillion dollars on interest.
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  Speaker 1: If this continues, the country will go become de facto bankrupt.
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  Speaker 1: It's not an optional thing. It is a central thing.
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  Speaker 1: That's that's the reason I don't care and taking a
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  Speaker 1: lot of platt and getting a lot of death threats
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: by the way, and I'd like to stuck them up,
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  Speaker 1: you know. But if we don't do this, America will
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  Speaker 1: go bankrupt. That's why it has to be done. I'm
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  Speaker 1: confidence at this point. Knock on wood, you know, block
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  Speaker 1: on my wooden head. It's got to a lot of wood.
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  Speaker 1: Have bet that we can actually find trillion dollars in savings.
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  Speaker 1: That would be a roughly fifteen spent of the seven
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  Speaker 1: trillion dollar budget. And obviously that can only be done
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  Speaker 1: with the support of everyone in this room. And I'd
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  Speaker 1: like to thank everyone for this support. Thank you very much.
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  Speaker 1: This this can only be done with your support. So
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  Speaker 1: this is really dogs are support function for the present
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  Speaker 1: and all the the the agency's and departments to help
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  Speaker 1: achieve those savings. To effect, we find fifteen percent in
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  Speaker 1: reduction and fraud and waste, and we bring the receipts
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  Speaker 1: so people are like, what is this real? Just go
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  Speaker 1: to dose dug up. We line item by line on
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: we specify each item so and I should say we'll
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  Speaker 1: also we will make mistakes we won't be COVID, but
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  Speaker 1: when we make a mistake, we'll fix it very quickly.
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  Speaker 1: So for example, with USAID, one of the things we
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  Speaker 1: could accidentally canceled, very briefly is if devolant prevention. I
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: think we will want to devolove prevention. If we're to
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  Speaker 1: achieve a trillion dollar depisite reduction, and financially you're twenty
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  Speaker 1: twenty six, it requires saving four billion dollars per day
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  Speaker 1: every day from now through the end of September. But
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  Speaker 1: we can do it, and we will.
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  Speaker 4: It is very clear from this cabinet meeting that the
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  Speaker 4: reason why Donald Trump had Elon Musk they are to
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  Speaker 4: address the cabinet is this is the mandate from the President,
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  Speaker 4: and it's a mandate from the voters. And he is
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  Speaker 4: telling everyone his cabinet, you better get out your pencils
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  Speaker 4: and start identifying waste, fraud, and abuse, because we are
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  Speaker 4: going to give the American people a better functioning government
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  Speaker 4: that costs a lot less in what they're having to
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  Speaker 4: pay in right now now. Story number two, Federal agencies
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  Speaker 4: are now being mandated to develop plans to eliminate employee positions.
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  Speaker 4: According to a memo distributed by Donald Trump's administration that
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  Speaker 4: now sets in motion what could become a sweeping realignment
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  Speaker 4: of our American government. The memo expands the Republican President's
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  Speaker 4: effort to downsize the federal workforce, which he described as
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  Speaker 4: a bloated and impediment to his agenda. Thousands of probationary
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  Speaker 4: employees have already been fired, and now his administration is
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  Speaker 4: turning its attention to career officials with civil service protection.
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  Speaker 4: Agencies are directed to submit by March the thirteenth. This
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  Speaker 4: goes back to what the President said, and Elon Musk said,
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  Speaker 4: we have to act fast. We're not waiting around to
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  Speaker 4: get this done. And their plan from these agencies for
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  Speaker 4: what they're going to do to have a reduction in
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  Speaker 4: their workforce, which would not only lay off employees, but
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  Speaker 4: also eliminate the positions all together so they wouldn't be
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  Speaker 4: filled back later. Now the results, they say it could
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  Speaker 4: be extensive changes in how our government functions. Many believe
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  Speaker 4: it's long overdue. Quote the federal government is costly, inefficient,
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  Speaker 4: and deeply in debt is with the memo from Russell Vallant,
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  Speaker 4: director of the White House Office of Management and Budget,
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  Speaker 4: and Charles Ezel, the acting director of Office of Personnel Management,
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  Speaker 4: which functions as a human resources agency, said in their letter,
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  Speaker 4: they said, quote, at the same time, it is not
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  Speaker 4: producing results for the American public. Now, Trump foreshadowed this
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  Speaker 4: goal in an executive order that he signed with Elon Musk.
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  Speaker 4: And what Donald Trump said is I am telling the
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  Speaker 4: government it is time to be overhauled. This is something
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  Speaker 4: that many of these cabinet secretaries knew when they were
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  Speaker 4: picked by Donald Trump. Now, the order said, agency leaders
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  Speaker 4: quote shall promptly undertake preparations to initiate large scale reductions
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  Speaker 4: in force. Some departments have already begun the process. We've
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  Speaker 4: been told today as well in the cabinet meeting. The
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  Speaker 4: General Services Administration, for example, which handles federal real estate,
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  Speaker 4: told employees on Monday that a reduction force was underway
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  Speaker 4: and they would do everything in their quote power to
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  Speaker 4: make our department and your department fair and dignified. Now
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  Speaker 4: the memo also comes as Donald Trump prepared to bring
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  Speaker 4: everyone together, saying here's our plan for the second term.
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  Speaker 4: Elon Musk is going to be there. We already heard
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  Speaker 4: from him earlier, and we are going to make sure
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  Speaker 4: you understand that this is the initiative of the White
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  Speaker 4: House and the American voter. The White House Press Secretary
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  Speaker 4: Caroline Levitt told reporters that all of the cabinet secretaries
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  Speaker 4: take the advice and direction of dogs, saying, quote, they'll
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  Speaker 4: be providing updates on their efforts to DOGE, and they'll
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  Speaker 4: also be providing updates on what they're doing at their
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  Speaker 4: agencies in terms of policies and implementing the promises that
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  Speaker 4: the President made on the campaign trail to the American people.
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  Speaker 4: So let's just recap what just happened with this cabinet meeting.
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  Speaker 4: When it comes to you as a taxpayer, there's really
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  Speaker 4: two parts of this plan and agenda from Donald Trump.
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  Speaker 4: One it is to find the waste, fraud abuse and
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  Speaker 4: get rid of it, and that's certainly a part of
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  Speaker 4: what DOGE is doing. But the administration directing large scale
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  Speaker 4: federal layoffs is a completely different way to cut spending.
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  Speaker 4: And he's saying, the government is not serving the people.
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  Speaker 4: The government is overspending. We have way too many employees
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  Speaker 4: who aren't doing a good job. Some of them apparently
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  Speaker 4: are dead, some of them don't show up for work,
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  Speaker 4: and some of them don't even check their emails. So
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  Speaker 4: this is now a new way of reforming our government
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  Speaker 4: to work for the American people and be more efficient.
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  Speaker 4: And every American should be thrilled by this.
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  Speaker 3: And lastly, story number three.
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  Speaker 4: All right, let's move to some breaking news now. The
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  Speaker 4: Attorney General Pambondi has a now ounce that the Department
• 10:01
  Speaker 4: of Justice plans to release documents related to Jeffrey Epstein today.
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  Speaker 4: The documents are expected to include flight logs and names
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  Speaker 4: of individuals associated with Jeffrey Epstein. Body emphasized the importance
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  Speaker 4: of protecting the identities of more than two hundred and
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  Speaker 4: fifty victims, which has contributed to the delay in releasing
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  Speaker 4: the information. She described the contents of what are in
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  Speaker 4: these files as something that is sickening. Take a listen
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  Speaker 4: from Fox News.
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  Speaker 6: Said last week that you have the Epstein files on
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  Speaker 6: your desk, is when can we see them? And what's
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  Speaker 6: taking so long to release them?
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  Speaker 5: I do, Jesse, there are well over This will make
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  Speaker 5: you sick. Two hundred victims two hundred, so we have
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  Speaker 5: well over two hundred and fifty actually, so we have
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  Speaker 5: to make sure that their identity is protected and their
• 10:55
  Speaker 5: personal information. But other than that, I think tomorrow, you know,
• 10:59
  Speaker 5: the personal information of victims. Other than that, I think tomorrow,
• 11:02
  Speaker 5: Jesse breaking news. Right now, you're going to see some
• 11:05
  Speaker 5: Epstein information being released by my office.
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  Speaker 6: Well, kid, are we going to see who was on
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  Speaker 6: the flights? Are we going to see any evidence from
• 11:14
  Speaker 6: what he recorded? Because he had all of his homes
• 11:17
  Speaker 6: wired with recording devices.
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  Speaker 5: What you're going to see, hopefully tomorrow is a lot
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  Speaker 5: of flight logs, a lot of names at a lot
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  Speaker 5: of information. But it's pretty sick what that man did.
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  Speaker 6: Okay, well along with his co defendant. Absolutely, and he
• 11:34
  Speaker 6: had help, that's frue.
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  Speaker 4: He sure did. He had help, that's for sure. Now.
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  Speaker 4: This announcement follows bipartisan pressure from wlallmakers for increased transparency
• 11:44
  Speaker 4: regarding Epstein's connections. Senator Marsha Blackburn, for example, Republican from Tennessee,
• 11:50
  Speaker 4: and Representative Anna Paulina Luna, Republican from Florida, have been
• 11:54
  Speaker 4: vocal in urging the release of the Epstein's clients list
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  Speaker 4: and related records. The forecoming release aim to provide insight
• 12:01
  Speaker 4: into Epstein's network and associations. Now, Epstein, if you remember,
• 12:06
  Speaker 4: he was a financier with ties to numerous high profile individuals.
• 12:11
  Speaker 4: He was arrested in twenty nineteen on federal sex trafficking charges,
• 12:16
  Speaker 4: but died of quote suicide before his trial. His associate,
• 12:21
  Speaker 4: woman by the last name Maxwell, was also convicted in
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  Speaker 4: twenty twenty one for her role in recruiting underage girls
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  Speaker 4: for Epstein, and she is currently serving a twenty year
• 12:31
  Speaker 4: prison sentence. Now, the release of these documents has anticipated
• 12:35
  Speaker 4: shed further light on the extent of Epstein's activities and associations.
• 12:40
  Speaker 4: What we also are expecting is there is going to
• 12:42
  Speaker 4: be quite a few high profile individuals from the political
• 12:46
  Speaker 4: world that had very close relationships with Jeffrey Epstein. Now,
• 12:50
  Speaker 4: to be clear, if there are Republicans on this list,
• 12:54
  Speaker 4: I want to know exactly what they were doing with
• 12:57
  Speaker 4: Jeffrey Epstein. If there are Democrats this list, I want
• 13:01
  Speaker 4: to know exactly what they were doing with Jeffrey Epstein.
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  Speaker 4: In fact, I really don't care if you're a Republican
• 13:06
  Speaker 4: or a Democrat. I care about transparency and the fact
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  Speaker 4: that there is an Epstein's client list, and yet no
• 13:13
  Speaker 4: one except for Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell have been arrested
• 13:17
  Speaker 4: for all of these heinous crimes and the hundreds of
• 13:21
  Speaker 4: victims and underage girls they trafficked tells you just how
• 13:25
  Speaker 4: big this cover up actually was. I also want to
• 13:28
  Speaker 4: know why the government didn't act sooner. They had lots
• 13:32
  Speaker 4: of information about Jeffrey Epstein and what he was doing.
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  Speaker 4: So who were they protecting in our government or who
• 13:38
  Speaker 4: called off the government from actually doing the job of
• 13:41
  Speaker 4: investigating the heinous crimes against underage girls. This should be
• 13:46
  Speaker 4: what we all should be wanting for transparency, and that's
• 13:50
  Speaker 4: exactly why President Donald Trump and Pam Bondy are saying
• 13:54
  Speaker 4: it's time for you and everyone else to see the list.
• 13:57
  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to the forty seven Morning Update
• 14:00
  Speaker 3: with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever
• 14:04
  Speaker 3: you're listening to this podcast right now and for more
• 14:07
  Speaker 3: in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson podcast
• 14:12
  Speaker 3: and we will see you back here tomorrow