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Is the Epstein Fallout Spiraling Out of Control? Plus. . .
It’s Monday, February 16. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Marco Rubio’s wake-up call to Europe. The shifting debate over youth gender medicine. Why you may no longer be the smartest type of thing on earth. And much more.
But first: Is the Epstein story spiraling out of control?
All the Epstein files have been released. That was what Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy Todd Blanche said in a letter to Congress on Saturday. The list of names caught up in the Epstein story is long. Some have suffered embarrassment; others have faced far more serious consequences. And while many are getting their long overdue just deserts, is that true of everyone embroiled in the saga?
No, says Joe Nocera, who, in his essay for The Free Press today, argues that the Epstein fallout is spiraling out of control.
Consider the case of Casey Wasserman. On Friday, the Hollywood mega-agent and chair of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee put his agency up for sale. Why? Because his clients had been fleeing in recent days after he became part of the Epstein story. But there’s no evidence to suggest Wasserman had anything to do with Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell after their criminal conduct came to light. The story, Joe argues, is “a big, fat nothingburger.” And it is far from the only example of “guilt by association” in the Epstein saga.
Has the righteous hunt for justice for Epstein and his enablers descended into something else? Read Joe on how “distinctions between the truly culpable and those who are merely bystanders are being lost in the lust to point fingers.”
—The Editors
MORE FROM THE FREE PRESSTHE NEWSFBI and SWAT units perform operations in a neighborhood approximately two miles from Nancy Guthrie’s residence on February 13, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona. (Brandon Bell via Getty Images)The investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie has entered its third week with no arrests, as the FBI awaits DNA results from gloves that “appear to match those worn by a masked person outside her front door in Tucson the night she vanished.” Investigators are treating the case as a kidnapping, asking nearby residents for surveillance footage while analyzing blood and other DNA evidence linked to the scene.
A $5.8 billion Ford-backed battery plant in Kentucky has been idled just months after opening, leaving 1,600 workers unemployed, with the company citing slowing EV demand amid Trump’s elimination of EV tax credits. Governor Andy Beshear blamed the president, saying, “Those are 1,600 Kentuckians that lost their jobs solely because of Donald Trump pushing that big, ugly bill.”
Iran says energy, mining, and aircraft deals are being discussed as part of renewed nuclear negotiations with the U.S., signaling flexibility on its nuclear program while insisting that any agreement must deliver “economic benefits for both sides.” Talks are set to continue in Geneva amid rising military tensions, with Washington favoring diplomacy but preparing for military escalation if negotiations fail.
Former president Barack Obama said on a podcast with YouTuber Brian Tyler Cowen that aliens are “real, but I haven’t seen them.” While he did not clarify what he meant, he dismissed long-running conspiracy theories in a subsequent statement, saying there’s no hidden alien facility, “unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States.”
Between one and three inches of snow are expected to hit the New York City area Sunday evening through Monday morning, as the eastern U.S. has seen one of the most frigid seasons in recent memory. On the other coast, two powerful Pacific storms are expected to slam California starting Sunday night, bringing days of heavy snowfall, strong winds, flooding risks, and up to eight feet of snow in the mountains.
The United States currently ranks third in the Olympic standings with 17 total medals—5 gold, 8 silver, and 4 bronze—as the Winter Games enters its second and final week. Norway leads the medal table with 26 medals, followed by Italy with 22.
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By Bari WeissIt’s Monday, February 16. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Marco Rubio’s wake-up call to Europe. The shifting debate over youth gender medicine. Why you may no longer be the smartest type of thing on earth. And much more.
But first: Is the Epstein story spiraling out of control?
All the Epstein files have been released. That was what Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy Todd Blanche said in a letter to Congress on Saturday. The list of names caught up in the Epstein story is long. Some have suffered embarrassment; others have faced far more serious consequences. And while many are getting their long overdue just deserts, is that true of everyone embroiled in the saga?
No, says Joe Nocera, who, in his essay for The Free Press today, argues that the Epstein fallout is spiraling out of control.
Consider the case of Casey Wasserman. On Friday, the Hollywood mega-agent and chair of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee put his agency up for sale. Why? Because his clients had been fleeing in recent days after he became part of the Epstein story. But there’s no evidence to suggest Wasserman had anything to do with Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell after their criminal conduct came to light. The story, Joe argues, is “a big, fat nothingburger.” And it is far from the only example of “guilt by association” in the Epstein saga.
Has the righteous hunt for justice for Epstein and his enablers descended into something else? Read Joe on how “distinctions between the truly culpable and those who are merely bystanders are being lost in the lust to point fingers.”
—The Editors
MORE FROM THE FREE PRESSTHE NEWSFBI and SWAT units perform operations in a neighborhood approximately two miles from Nancy Guthrie’s residence on February 13, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona. (Brandon Bell via Getty Images)The investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie has entered its third week with no arrests, as the FBI awaits DNA results from gloves that “appear to match those worn by a masked person outside her front door in Tucson the night she vanished.” Investigators are treating the case as a kidnapping, asking nearby residents for surveillance footage while analyzing blood and other DNA evidence linked to the scene.
A $5.8 billion Ford-backed battery plant in Kentucky has been idled just months after opening, leaving 1,600 workers unemployed, with the company citing slowing EV demand amid Trump’s elimination of EV tax credits. Governor Andy Beshear blamed the president, saying, “Those are 1,600 Kentuckians that lost their jobs solely because of Donald Trump pushing that big, ugly bill.”
Iran says energy, mining, and aircraft deals are being discussed as part of renewed nuclear negotiations with the U.S., signaling flexibility on its nuclear program while insisting that any agreement must deliver “economic benefits for both sides.” Talks are set to continue in Geneva amid rising military tensions, with Washington favoring diplomacy but preparing for military escalation if negotiations fail.
Former president Barack Obama said on a podcast with YouTuber Brian Tyler Cowen that aliens are “real, but I haven’t seen them.” While he did not clarify what he meant, he dismissed long-running conspiracy theories in a subsequent statement, saying there’s no hidden alien facility, “unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States.”
Between one and three inches of snow are expected to hit the New York City area Sunday evening through Monday morning, as the eastern U.S. has seen one of the most frigid seasons in recent memory. On the other coast, two powerful Pacific storms are expected to slam California starting Sunday night, bringing days of heavy snowfall, strong winds, flooding risks, and up to eight feet of snow in the mountains.
The United States currently ranks third in the Olympic standings with 17 total medals—5 gold, 8 silver, and 4 bronze—as the Winter Games enters its second and final week. Norway leads the medal table with 26 medals, followed by Italy with 22.