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Transcript

We Are What We Eat

I talked to Michael Grunwald about his new book on food and climate change. Plus an update on the Epstein saga.
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My good friend Michael Grunwald has written an excellent new book on the link between what we eat and saving the earth from climate change called “We Are Eating The Earth.” Mike is one of the best political and policy writers that I know (I’m not just saying this because we’re friends!). His last book on Obama’s stimulus package was one of the policy books of the Obama era, and this latest one is also fantastic.

So, I invited him to spend some time discussing the book, the challenge of food security, its link to climate change, and what each of us can do to save the earth. It was a great discussion, and I hope you enjoy it!

And when you finish listening, please be sure to pick up the book.

In Other News …

The Epstein saga continues

It was Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday, and Ghislaine Maxwell was preparing a special gift to mark the occasion. She turned to Epstein’s family and friends. One of them was Donald Trump.

Maxwell collected letters from Trump and dozens of Epstein’s other associates for a 2003 birthday album, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

… The letter bearing Trump’s name, which was reviewed by the Journal, is bawdy—like others in the album. It contains several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker. A pair of small arcs denotes the woman’s breasts, and the future president’s signature is a squiggly “Donald” below her waist, mimicking pubic hair.

It isn’t clear how the letter with Trump’s signature was prepared. Inside the outline of the naked woman was a typewritten note styled as an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein, written in the third person.

“Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything,” the note began.

Donald: Yes, there is, but I won’t tell you what it is.

Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I also know what it is.

Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.

Jeffrey: Yes, we do, come to think of it.

Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?

Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you.

Donald: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.

I stand by my earlier position that there’s probably more smoke than fire when it comes to this Epstein story … but, having said that, this is one creepy-ass poem.

Moreover, Trump and those around him have handled this story in the most inept way imaginable. Indeed, the president told the Wall Street Journal, “I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women. It’s not my language. It’s not my words.” Yet, we’ve since seen pictures of doodles that Trump made, which were sold at charity auctions. Moreover, he’s baiting the Journal into releasing the letter, which would only serve to magnify the pain for the White House.

The bottom line here is that those around Trump over-promised on the Epstein files and didn’t deliver. There were no Epstein files or Epstein client list, and he almost certainly killed himself in jail. But for the conspiracy-minded, government denials only feed their conspiratorial views. What makes matters worse is that Trump had a relationship with Epstein, which up to this point has gone largely unexplored by the media. Put all that together and, if you have a conspiratorial mind, it looks like AG Pam Bondi and the FBI are covering up the Epstein case to protect Trump. I’m not saying that’s what’s going on, because I continue to believe there are no Epstein files, but that’s what it looks like.

The fact is, Trump looks guilty of something; he looks like he has something to hide; and it looks like his administration is hiding information. This doesn’t mean Trump is guilty of anything, but in politics, perception is more than half the battle. It certainly doesn’t help that Trump is suggesting anyone who cares about the Epstein story is an idiot, because MAGA-world does care about it.

I’m hesitant to see this story as a game changer or even to conclude that Trump, like Epstein, sexually assaulted underage girls. But like I said above, that’s one creepy-ass poem … and at this point, anything is possible. As long as there are questions about Trump and Epstein — and the Trump administration is not releasing the Epstein files (which likely don’t even exist) — I suspect this story is not going away. But will it destroy Trump’s presidency? I seriously doubt it. Like most Trump scandals, I expect this one will be soon forgotten and replaced by some new outrage.

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