Intro

The Trump administration suddenly wants you to stop asking questions about Jeffrey Epstein. Case closed. Nothing to see here. That client list we promised to release? It doesn’t exist.

In this episode, Matt and Brian discuss:

* What is the Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy theory, and why has it persisted so long?

* Why are Epstein’s old, wide-ranging associations distinct from all the other rich guys who hobnob with politicians and powerbrokers?

* How should Democrats react to Trump administration efforts to sweep this under the rug, after dangling it so conspicuously.

Then, behind the paywall, Zohran Mamdani and the shortcomings of institutional diversity efforts: the perspective of two white, Jewish, latinos who’ve grappled with a few box-checking exercises themselves. What’s wrong with the assumption that Mamdani must have been trying to game the affirmative-action system? Zooming out, are institutions that request demographic data (universities, employers) doing so for the right reasons? Is there a better way to recruit, or to take account of applicants who’ve had a rough go in a country with plenty of racial discrimination, than asking them to approximate their ethnic identities?

All that, plus the full Politix archive are available to paid subscribers—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.

Further reading:

* From Brian’s archives: Call MAGA’s Jeffrey Epstein bluff.

* Matt: Yes DOGE failed, and it matters.

* Nothing fishy about this!