This week, Rick's Elephant in the Room is the foul odor of the Epstein files -- and now Todd Blanche meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell in Florida. Blanche, who was Trump's personal attorney throughout cases brought from 2020 through 2024 is now serving as the Deputy Attorney General under the Trump Administration. Backed up by numerous photos and previously released court documents that can be found online, Maxwell, a convicted child sex trafficker who is currently serving a 20-year sentence in Tallahassee for her role in a scheme to sexually exploit and abuse multiple minor girls with Jeffrey Epstein over the course of a decade. She has been friends with Trump for years. Maxwell's defense attorney, David Markus, happens to be friends with Todd Blanche (imagine that). Just google "For The Defense with David Oscar Markus" and you should see a podcast published on June 2, 2024. Now, today when Blanche met with Maxwell, what do you think that conversation was? Do you think their conversation was recorded or unbiased and substantiated notes were taken? Do you think Blanche threatened Maxwell -- take the deal or else we will send you to an international prison, or be careful you don't *slip* in the shower? Listen, even without the possibility of undocumented threats, Maxwell has nothing to lose and everything to gain from a transactional deal with Blanche, and therefore Trump. Whatever they want her to say, is there ANYTHING that makes you think she wouldn't say it? It's not like she's someone to stand on morals and principles...as a child sex trafficker. There's a zero percent chance that she would push back and hold to the truth of the matter, as the truth doesn't serve her own interests either. They are offering Maxwell a bribe to lie about Trump. Maxwell is the last loose end -- and nothing she says can be trusted (if it ever could be). Blanche technically doesn't represent Trump in this matter, his role is to serve the AMERICAN PEOPLE and their interests. But we all know who Blanche *thinks* he works for. The corruption in the DOJ reeks, and it makes Watergate look like a ladies' afternoon tea party that forgot to file permit paperwork in a small town. Thank you to the whistleblowers -- be careful, but keep it up. Members of MAGA are finally waking up and the Epstein files are the lynchpin to their long-anticipated epiphany about Trump. Today, the QAnon Shaman reversed course and refuted that Trump was *his* president in a post on X. Benny Johnson, Theo Von, and Candace Owens are all finally scent of Trump's rank odor. The Epstein files are Trump's achilles heel -- and if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's a f*cking duck. 

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Follow Rick Wilson at @TheRickWilson on X and @therickwilson.bsky.social on Bluesky, and subscribe to his Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. 

Join the fight with the Lincoln Project at www.lincolnproject.us and follow LP on X at @ProjectLincoln. If you'd like to help us continue our critical work, visit https://action.lincolnproject.us/helplp to make a difference.

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Calling all AI prompstitutes/askholes, crypto whales, and everyone who grew up nerding out on Science Fiction...this episode is for you! Special guest Adam Becker, an astrophysicist, author, tech journalist, and scientific philosopher, joins Rick to dissect Silicon Valley's beating heart: techno-futurism and the Silicon Valley bros. Inspired by all of the weird stories he's heard at parties in the Bay, Adam decided he wasn't wearing enough hats already and wrote two books on the subject matter: What is Real?, about the unfinished quest for the meaning of quantum physics, and MORE EVERYTHING FOREVER: AI Overlords, Space Empires, and Silicon Valley’s Crusade to Control the Fate of Humanity. You all know Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Sam Bankman-Fried (not to mention the BIG power players like Google), but have you heard of JD Vance's friend and soft-cult leader Curtis Yarvin, or Netscape creator Marc Andreessen, or co-founder of PayPal and Palantir Technologies (the surveillance state technology used in China) Peter Thiel? The PayPal Mafia spawned a LOT of bizarre shit, including the launch of Elon Musk and Peter Thiel's careers AND a lifelong rivalry. That’s only the beginning. Cover your keyboards, folks, Rick and Adam are brewing some piping hot Silicon Valley tea, so pull up a chair and the guys will spill it with you.

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Walk, nay, RUN to purchase smartypants Adam's latest book, More Everything Forever, which speaks to this moment. Also, please check out some of his work — @FreelanceAstro on Instagram, and his website is https://freelanceastrophysicist.com.

Follow Rick Wilson at @TheRickWilson on X and @therickwilson.bsky.social on Bluesky, and subscribe to his Substack at therickwilson.substack.com.

Join the fight with the Lincoln Project at www.lincolnproject.us and follow LP on X at @ProjectLincoln. If you'd like to help us continue our critical work, visit https://action.lincolnproject.us/helplp to make a difference.

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This week, Rick's Elephant in the Room is -- is Trump dying? From his bruised hands to his swollen cankles, Donald Trump is taking on water like a pregnant woman with pre-eclampsia. As of yesterday, Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (or as we joked internally, "venus deficiency" or "a lack of love from the ladies" -- which totally tracks). According to a quick Google search, Trump's veins are having a problem circulating the blood back to his heart (probably because it's ten sizes too small). It's highly possible that, with this condition, Trump has grotesque leg sores -- almost like he's rotting from the inside out. The treatment? Losing weight, getting wound care for his rotting leg meat, and wearing compression stockings. The epic karma of a man who's harassed women his entire life, forced to sport a full set of compression hose at the height of the most prominent public-facing role, is not lost on us. Enjoy your Spanx, Donnie. Surely, Melania will still find you sexy?

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Follow Rick Wilson at @TheRickWilson on X and @therickwilson.bsky.social on Bluesky, and subscribe to his Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. 

Join the fight with the Lincoln Project at www.lincolnproject.us and follow LP on X at @ProjectLincoln. If you'd like to help us continue our critical work, visit https://action.lincolnproject.us/helplp to make a difference.

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Economist Justin Wolfers sits down with Rick to discuss the absolutely bananas state of the American economy. Running his campaign on the economy, now Trump -- the ultimate flip-flopper -- has left Americans and American businesses holding the bag. The wishy-washy nature of the tariffs isn't good for anyone...and he knows it. How much are those eggs now?

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You can follow Justin Wolfers @JustinWolfers on X and @justinwolfers.bsky.social‬ on Bluesky.

Follow Rick Wilson at @TheRickWilson on X and @therickwilson.bsky.social on Bluesky, and subscribe to his Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. 

Join the fight with the Lincoln Project at www.lincolnproject.us and follow LP on X at @ProjectLincoln. If you'd like to help us continue our critical work, visit https://action.lincolnproject.us/helplp to make a difference.

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This week, Rick's Elephant in the Room highlights the incredibly contradictory statements made by Pam Bondi, Dan Bongino, and Kash Patel as they backtrack on their previous comments about the Epstein files, now claiming "there's nothing to see here, folks." (Shocker.) This has caused a major MAGA meltdown -- cut to Alex Jones crying in a self-filmed iPhone video, Steve Bannon calling for a special prosecutor to investigate, and Elon Musk claiming that Bannon is also in the Epstein files. But here's a fun little fact...Donald Trump has more photos with Jeffrey Epstein than anyone else, even more than Ghislaine Maxwell. In February of this past year, Axios released documents from the 2021 US vs. Ghislaine Maxwell case -- those materials remain public to this day. We've included a link below so you can view the public materials while they remain available...who knows what the Trump administration will do with them? Only a guilty person would work so hard to keep their secret safe. Link to the Epstein materials from Axios: https://www.axios.com/2025/02/28/jeffrey-epstein-documents-release-names-flights

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Follow Rick Wilson at @TheRickWilson on X and @therickwilson.bsky.social on Bluesky, and subscribe to his Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. 

Join the fight with the Lincoln Project at www.lincolnproject.us and follow LP on X at @ProjectLincoln. If you'd like to help us continue our critical work, visit https://action.lincolnproject.us/helplp to make a difference.

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We have a very special, breaking story and episode premiere for you all. Rick sits down with investigative reporters and co-authors -- Josh Dawsey of The Wall Street Journal, Tyler Pager of The New York Times, and Isaac Arnsdorf of The Washington Post -- for a behind-the-scenes, no-holds-barred 360° look at all angles of our last presidential race in 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America. With unlimited access, award-winning reporters Dawsey, Pager, and Arnsdorf tell the comprehensive, dramatic story of the 2024 presidential election, drawing on the reporters’ extraordinary networks within both parties, over 350 interviews with sources, years of covering the candidates, and an exclusive interview with Trump. The result is the gripping account of how Trump clawed his way back from political oblivion to defeat the Democrats, why opposition to both Biden and Trump collapsed, and how Harris — tasked with running the shortest presidential campaign in modern U.S. history — couldn’t outrun Biden’s shadow. In 2024, the arcs of these three candidates and their campaigns coalesce to tell the definitive account of a historic election, one that resulted in a second Trump term far more emboldened and revenge-fueled than his first. The reporting of these investigative reporters, who were always inside the room, details and sheds new light on all of the stories you thought you knew. 

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On X, Josh Dawsey is at @jdawsey1, Tyler Pager is at @tylerpager, and Isaac Arnsdorf is at @iarnsdorf. Now more than ever, please support investigative journalists who continue to serve facts to the public.  

The Lincoln Project's website is www.lincolnproject.us, and on X, you can follow at @ProjectLincoln. If you'd like to fuel LP's ongoing resistance, please visit https://action.lincolnproject.us/helplp to make a difference.

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 As we approach the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America (July 4th, 2026), we are bringing you a very special episode commemorating this Fourth of July. In this special episode, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson joins Rick Wilson (who is also a history buff) to re-examine the history of the Revolutionary War and how the grit of great Americans ultimately secured our country's freedom. Americans left their farms, their families, and their lives to join the Continental Army in pursuit of this vision -- a free, fair, and just America. Standing up to the extraordinary front of the British and their fleet of weaponry and strategic military minds, the Americans faced incomprehensible odds with bravery, resilience, and strategic creativity. What was Washington really like? How did he lead? Was he this mythical, legendary figure we've all grown familiar with? Or did he grow and evolve throughout the war -- and did that growth shape the outcome of the war? We are all generally familiar with this story, but you haven't heard this version of it before. Rick Atkinson's two new books, The British Are Coming and The Fate of the Day, are out now -- and for all of you history nerds...this is a must-read. 

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Rick Atkinson does not have a social media presence on X or Bluesky, but he does have a website at https://rickatkinson.com/, where you can view all of his books and learn more about him. 

You can follow Rick Wilson at @TheRickWilson on X and @TheRickWilson.bsky.social on Bluesky, and you can subscribe to his Substack at therickwilson.substack.com for live chats with special guests and Rick's writing. 

You can join the Lincoln Project fight at www.lincolnproject.us and follow us on X at @ProjectLincoln. If you'd like to help us continue this critical work, visit https://action.lincolnproject.us/helplp to make a difference.

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Democracy Docket founder and legal legend Marc Elias joins Rick to unpack everything that’s currently going on with the law and the Trump administration. Shedding light on various cases and what’s really going on, Marc Elias shares his breadth of knowledge on the legal lay of the land when it comes to Trump, the Supreme Court, the DOJ, and States’ rights.

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Follow Marc Elias ‪@marcelias.bsky.social‬ on Bluesky, and check out Democracy Docket at democracydocket.com.

Follow Rick Wilson at @TheRickWilson on X and @therickwilson.bsky.social on Bluesky, and subscribe to his Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. 

Join the fight with the Lincoln Project at www.lincolnproject.us and follow LP on X at @ProjectLincoln. If you'd like to help us continue our critical work, visit https://action.lincolnproject.us/helplp to make a difference.

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This week, Rick's Elephant In The Room focuses on Trump, General Ratliff, and Pete Hegseth selling the American people a bill of goods about the US's attacks on Iran last weekend. It's a general rule of thumb in politics -- if you're having to defend your position, you're losing. So, when Trump blindly and prematurely tweeted and spoke to the media about his "total obliteration" of the nuclear sites in Iran long before our armed forces had made it home and damage was assessed, he left himself open to be fact-checked and held accountable for his administration's actions. And the three "blame sponges" -- Hegseth, Vance, and Rubio -- looked on in terror as Trump made statements about his "military prowess" that would be hard to retract -- if he misspoke, one of them would surely be forced to take the fall. Furious at the reporting from various news outlets this week, shedding light on the lack of "total obliteration" in Iran and backing up those reports with aerial photos (from before and after the strikes and in the days leading up to them) Trump pushed Hegseth to the podium on Thursday morning for a press briefing where he scolded media outlets for reporting the facts about this unfolding story. The egg is on Trump's face. The reporting that came out this week highlighted the contrast between Trump's claim of "total obliteration" and photos of the three sites before and after the attacks that were taken from aerial surveillance. The worst part of the US's blunder? Highlighted in a few articles from this week, Iran's enriched uranium could fit into the size of a minivan. And, in the days leading up to the attacks, several trucks were seen coming and going from the sites. Clearly, Hegseth should stop focusing on the free press and get back to work...

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Follow Rick Wilson at @TheRickWilson on X and @therickwilson.bsky.social on Bluesky, and subscribe to his Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. 

Join the fight with the Lincoln Project at www.lincolnproject.us and follow LP on X at @ProjectLincoln. If you'd like to help us continue our critical work, visit https://action.lincolnproject.us/helplp to make a difference.

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In the episode, Rick sits down for an exclusive with Israeli experts and co-authors of Target Tehran: How Israel Is Using Sabotage, Cyberwarfare, Assassination – and Secret Diplomacy – to Stop a Nuclear Iran and Create a New Middle East Yonah Jeremy Bob & Ilan Evyatar. These Israeli experts break down how their book which was published two years ago predicted recent events (and surprise it was on Bibi’s desk during his planning) and how everything has followed their forecast. They also share the why and wherewithal, and shed light on where they think this conflict is headed. This is an exclusive podcast with those who know and haven’t spoken out before — please take a listen. 

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Follow Yonah Jeremy Bob on X @jeremybob1 & find Ilan Evyatar at jpost.com/author/ilan-evyatar.

Join the fight with the Lincoln Project at www.lincolnproject.us and follow LP on X at @ProjectLincoln. If you'd like to help us continue our critical work, visit https://action.lincolnproject.us/helplp to make a difference.

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