The Other Epstein List

July 15, 2025

There are no “clients” on it ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

July 15, 2025

Greetings, Meteor readers,

I finally took some time to listen to Justin Bieber’s new album, “Swag,” and here’s my takeaway: It’s JB’s “The Tortured Poets Department.” I will not be elaborating any further. Thank you for your time.

In today’s newsletter, we’re thinking about the Epstein list…the other list. Plus, a huge blow to the Board of Education, and some bisexual erasure.

Unerasable,

Shannon Melero

WHAT’S GOING ON

Don’t forget about them: For the last few weeks, the hot argument on the block is what to do about the so-called Epstein files, which, depending on who you ask, may or may not include a “celebrity client list.” Politicians have been waiting breathlessly for the Justice Department to release the files, but it all came to naught when U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi released a report filled with almost no new information and definitely no client list. Some are already calling for her to be fired, while others point the finger at FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, for not doing enough to release the findings.

Meantime, one demand is uniting the Republicans and the Democrats: They all want to see the client list. But here’s the list that we’re paying attention to:

For too long, the story of Jeffrey Epstein has centered on the network of powerful men said to have benefited from his alleged crimes—which include abusing and trafficking young girls for sex acts with the help of his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. Men like Prince Andrew, Alan Dershowitz, Kevin Spacey, and, of course, Donald Trump himself are all suspected “clients” of Epstein’s services (and all have denied participating in any criminal activity). One civil lawsuit filed in 2014 alleged that Epstein brokered sex with “American politicians, powerful business executives,” and other world leaders. Some of the named men have seen minimal repercussions—Prince Andrew was stripped of his royal duties, although he continued to conduct business in the private sector—while others have made it out scot-free. For her part, Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence after a jury found her guilty of five counts of sex trafficking of a minor and conspiracy.

But largely missing from the discourse around the Epstein files is what politicians actually plan to do with the information in them, besides shame their political enemies. Are they thinking about how to help the victims, some as young as 11 years old at the time, who were allegedly exploited, sexually assaulted, and held captive by Epstein and his associates? There have been financial settlements over the years: In 2021, the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Fund finished paying out $121 million to more than 135 people, and some of Epstein’s victims settled with JPMorgan Chase Bank for $290 million after suing the institution for facilitating abuse. But financial restitution is not full justice, and for some women, like the late Virginia Giuffre, there may never be a full, honest accounting of just how much damage was done.

So while the client list is important to politicians as a prop in political theater, for the women who were abused, it may very well be meaningful in a different way: as a tool that makes it harder for doubters to say This never happened to you. That may not be the thing on the mind of most lawmakers right now; for too many, the victims are an afterthought.

But to us, right now, they are the only thought.

AND:

Remember the days of yore when Project 2025 was just a conservative wishlist that one president couldn’t possibly complete in four years? Well, in the words of Scheana Marie, it’s all happening. Yesterday afternoon, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration could continue dismantling the Department of Education via mass firings while the legal challenges to his force reduction plan play out in the lower courts. And the administration moved fast: DOE employees reportedly received termination emails two hours after SCOTUS published its decision. In a dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote, “When the Executive publicly announces its intent to break the law, and then executes on that promise, it is the Judiciary’s duty to check that lawlessness, not expedite it.”
Something positive in the world: India has hit a huge milestone in its efforts to transition to clean energy, moving 50% of its electricity capacity to non-fossil fuel sources like wind and solar. Even better, the country has hit this goal five years ahead of the schedule laid out in the Paris Agreement. Meanwhile, in the United States…
On Sunday, hackers took over Elmo’s X account and posted a series of racist slurs and political commentary. Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, called the comments “disgusting” and assured Elmo’s 600,000+ followers that the account had been secured. There is a special place in Dante’s Inferno for anyone who would besmirch the good name of Elmo.

This weekend is WNBA All-Star weekend, and if you’re not locked in, what are you even doing? Friday night will be the much-anticipated 3-Point Contest featuring Sonia Citron, Alisha Gray, Kelsey Plum, and the 3-point gawdesses Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu. Clark will also be on the court Saturday night for the All-Star game, where Team Clark will face off against Team Collier. Ball is life!
Colorado’s poet laureate, Andrea Gibson, has died at the age of 49. Known for their social commentary and exploration of gender identity, they were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021 and had been publicly grappling with illness ever since. “Dying is the opposite of leaving,” they wrote in a 2023 poem titled “Love Letter From The Afterlife.” “When I left my body, I did not go away. That portal of light was not a portal to elsewhere, but a portal to here. I am more here than I ever was before.” Their wife, Meg Falley, wrote that one of the last things Gibson said was, “I fucking loved my life.”

GIBSON AND FALLEY AT THE SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL EARLIER THIS YEAR. (VIA GETTY IMAGES)

This news item is for the bisexuals only; the rest of you can please keep scrolling…Okay, now that we’re alone! It turns out that according to the official Stonewall Monument website, bisexuals no longer exist and have been relegated to mythical creature status, like unicorns and transgender people. That’s the bad news. But the good news is that if you don’t exist, you never have to hear “just pick one” ever again! Silver lining!
Fans of Love Island USA: Our time in Fiji has drawn to a close, and this mamacita is already having withdrawals. We offer up a reluctant congratulations to this year’s winner, and if you’ve never been to the island and are wondering what all the hubbub has been about, here’s a great explainer from a non-reality TV watcher who got sucked in. And if you are a long-time Lover, here’s a breakdown on why new viewers were giving major ick.