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Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alex Jones Breaks Down in Tears Over Trump's Final Epstein Report
Even Donald Trump's most sycophantic followers are turning on him over his administration's handling of the Epstein files. Against the expertise of individuals who had worked on the case for decades, Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested in January that the pedophilic sex trafficker had maintained a 'client list,' supercharging ideas and theories about which high-powered individuals could have been involved in Jeffrey Epstein's crimes. But the administration's language changed abruptly on Monday, when the Department of Justice posted a memo confirming that no such 'incriminating client list' existed, undercutting Bondi's language. Far-right influencers who had absorbed themselves into the details of the case refused to believe that Bondi had misstepped—instead, they interpreted the sudden reversal as an administration cover-up. 'So I'm going to go throw up, actually,' said Alex Jones, the Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist. 'Because I have integrity, and I just really need the Trump administration to succeed and to save this country, and they were doing so much good, and then for them to do something like this, it tears my guts out.' But Jones wasn't the only ex-Trump ally to lose his marbles over the update. Laura Loomer, who was not one of the lucky far-right influencers to receive an Epstein files 'binder' from the White House earlier this year, called on Trump to throw his attorney general out of the government. 'President Trump should fire Blondi for lying to his base and creating a liability for his administration,' Loomer wrote on X, referring to Bondi as an 'embarrassment.' 'I hope Trump realizes what an Fing LIAR Pam Blondi is,' Loomer continued in another post. 'She's useless. Covering for pedophiles and never arresting criminals.' And Trump's biggest 2024 campaign donor was similarly appalled by the DOJ memo. 'What's the time? Oh look, it's no-one-has-been-arrested-o'clock again,' Elon Musk posted. The whole situation has thrown Trump's position with his conspiracy-minded supporters into a bit of a pickle. The 79-year-old billionaire has achieved messiah-like status within the QAnon conspiracy circle for years thanks to the group's principal belief that, despite his being named and photographed as an associate of Epstein's and being a reputed fraudster, and despite being found liable by a jury for sexually abusing Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll, Trump will rid the world of Satan-worshipping, liberal-minded pedophiles who run the government and media.
Cosmopolitan
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
'My sister was killed by my ‘nurse' mum's twisted conspiracy theories: nobody else should go through this'
It's hard to explain what being a twin is like. You don't see yourself as a singular person; you come as a pair. It feels like you have — or should have — a buddy to go through every life experience with. My twin, Paloma, died last July at the age of 23. From a cancer that doctors initially said she had a high chance of beating with chemotherapy. But Paloma didn't get the recommended treatment – because, in my view, she was blindsided by our mum's dangerous anti-medicine conspiracy theories. That's also the case for countless others targeted by influencers pushing medical misinformation on social media. It's why I decided to speak firstly to BBC Panorama and BBC's Marianna in Conspiracyland podcast about what happened to my sister. Growing up, Alex Jones — an American conspiracy theorist who claimed the Sandy Hook school shooting was staged — was the soundtrack to Paloma and I being dropped off at school. The interest in conspiracy theories started with my dad, Faramarz; he's Iranian and, because of his upbringing, has a distrust of the US government due to negative foreign intervention. My mum soon joined in. Quickly, the idea that 9/11 and the Boston bombings were an 'inside job' became accepted in our family and casually discussed over the dinner table. As children, you naturally absorb your parents' beliefs: suncream was suddenly 'toxic' and it's embarrassing to admit, but at one point my older brother Sebastian and I were convinced the royal family were shape-shifting lizards. Paloma was different. When Sebastian and I were watching conspiracy theory videos on YouTube and nodding along to what our parents told us, she didn't engage quite so much. Paloma was more interested in sewing her own clothes, playing board games and reading Spanish literature — or making me laugh. People didn't expect her to have such a goofy sense of humour, because of how she looked, but she loved making up funny rap songs using Shakespearean language or playing weird little characters. But I found our parents' conspiracy theories were impossible to tap out of completely. The house was an extremely difficult environment to grow up in. Ultimately, Paloma just wanted her mother's care, like anyone. She was a pacifier. If we ate something that we were told as kids was toxic, we'd get in trouble; Paloma would never argue back in the same way Sebastian or I would. Things intensified when Paloma and I were around 11 years old: our mum was diagnosed with breast cancer. This was 2012, and her mistrust of medicine had fully taken hold. She was a qualified nurse but hadn't worked in the field for over a decade, instead opening an aesthetics business. At first, she went along with the doctor's advice and had surgery. This is what cured her. But instead of follow-up chemotherapy or radiotherapy, from what I remember mum opted for a regime of juices, mistletoe injections and enemas, a much-disputed regime known as Gerson therapy*. She then started crediting this with her recovery rather than the operations. Mum began giving us 'healing' juices, without telling us what was really in them, and describing herself as an 'authentic' health warrior who had seen the 'truth'. She soon began posting her ideas online and building a Facebook following, including posting about her own breast cancer. As my mum's conspiracy theory beliefs continued to ramp up and spiral out of control, my brother and I started to break away from her. As teenagers we tried to stay out of the family home as much as possible, and after spending more time around other people, Sebastian and I began to realise that perhaps the conspiracy theories that mum obsessed over weren't actually exposing 'dark hidden truths' after all. Mum then began styling herself as 'Kate Shemirani, the Natural Nurse in a toxic world' online (although her real name is Kay) and charged her 'health and truth-seeking' followers over £100 for a personal consultation. She sells 'healing' apricot kernels and appears on far-right podcasts, with the likes of Tommy Robinson, and billing herself as a Christian. Leaning into that religious aspect and language, mum labelled herself as a 'true seer' with the power to highlight the 'medical industry's corruption'. I think she enjoyed feeling important, like someone who could translate what's 'really going on' in the world to the 'sheeple'. It worked — and her following grew. Ignoring the science The pandemic saw my mum's online notoriety soar: she claimed the virus was a political tool to gain access to — and change — people's DNA through vaccines, and took part in a London rally which led to a Met Police investigation and to her being struck off the Nursing and Midwifery Council in 2021. Around that time, mum's accounts were banned from social media and she entered what I call 'the wilderness years', where she was receiving less attention online. We had all moved out of home by then, Paloma was at Cambridge, studying Spanish and Portuguese, and our contact with our mum was sporadic and hectic. I could tell it impacted Paloma, who did want to be able to have the consistent loving relationship that Kay always withheld from her. After graduating, Paloma moved back into the family home with her. She was nervous, as, over the years their relationship had grown strained. Paloma told me how mum started demanding she pay rent, once even moving all of Paloma's stuff into storage after she spent a weekend away. Paloma then moved into a flat with a housemate and began living independently. But not long after, she began to experience chest pains. A mass was identified. After testing and a biopsy, doctors called Paloma a few days before Christmas in 2023, asking her to fly home from a trip to Sweden she was on with her boyfriend at the time. She then phoned me crying from the hospital, saying doctors believed she had non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a form of cancer that can be aggressive. I was told the medical team had given Paloma an 80% chance of being cured with chemotherapy. I also found out that when Paloma called our mum to tell her the updates, desperately wanting support, mum's mistrust of medicine was unleashed once more. Only this time, she wasn't making decisions about her own body. Mum messaged Paloma's boyfriend at the time saying: Tell Paloma not to verbally consent to chemo or any treatment. She must not sign. In my opinion, she saw that Paloma was engaging with doctors and wanted to stop that. Initially, I believe mum showed Paloma the affection she'd always wanted — but also began to quickly press upon her the idea that chemotherapy was akin to 'pumping mustard gas' into her body, when she was in a moment of extreme vulnerability. Mum, I suspect, would have promised Paloma that an 'all-natural cure' would keep her fertility and hair intact too, tapping into understandable fears and using herself as a misleading example. She then gradually began to isolate Paloma from her social circle. I last saw my twin sister on Christmas Day 2023, after trying to convince her to stop being treated by my mum. Instead of traditional chemotherapy, Paloma was relying on fruit juices and infrared saunas to heal her. Ideas that mum had long broadcast to the world: she had been allowed properly back online when Twitter became X and reinstated her account. Before too long, mum was soon using my sister's illness as a narrative to lure followers in. Paloma died a few months later, in July last year. Paloma passed away after having a heart attack and spent several days on life support before the machine was switched off. The heart attack was caused by the growing tumour, which could have potentially been treated if she had followed her doctor's advice. I only found this out through lawyers; it's my view that my mum actively hid Paloma's death from me. We were in the middle of a legal case that I had launched, because I wanted an assessment of the appropriate medical treatment for my sister. In one X post, to her 81,000 followers, Kay — who I no longer call mum, as she doesn't fulfil the role of a mother in any way in my eyes — claims Paloma was 'gaslit' by doctors and experimented on by medics. She accuses the NHS of running a medical experiment on her which went wrong as her real cause of death, suggesting they wanted to steal her organs. Kay even sent a text to one of Paloma's friends after she passed away, saying, 'This way [without chemotherapy], Paloma is intact and beautiful with all of her organs as she wanted. Her body is now perfect and healed, because she is with our Lord and Creator, and that is my faith. Ultimately, she returned to it all on her own.' Kay has since issued a press statement with my dad, saying any allegations against the two of them are 'state-sponsored propaganda designed to silence the truth of what happened to our daughter and reframe a preventable death as parental misconduct — despite overwhelming legal, medical and forensic documentation to the contrary.' She continues to deny that Paloma ever even had cancer. An inquest is due to start soon. When Kay and my dad, Faramarz, were contacted by Cosmopolitan, both said that Paloma's death is a sensitive family matter, denied any wrongdoing, and stated they would pursue legal action if false statements were published. However, neither provided any evidence to the allegations that they actively contributed to Paloma's death and promote conspiracy theories. Kay stated, 'I strongly reject every claim made against me, many of which are factually incorrect, deeply misleading, and legally actionable.' Faramarz sought to highlight that 'Paloma's case is the subject of an ongoing police investigation and a forthcoming coroner inquest.' For the past year, I haven't been able to grieve properly. My life has been dominated by police, coroners, and lawyers. While some have been kind, others have not always treated me like someone whose sister, who had her whole life ahead of her, has just died. Paloma's death has also opened my eyes to bigger power structures at play in the world, and now it feels like my duty as a brother to speak out on her behalf. Conspiracy theorists, like my mother, scare people into thinking there's hidden evil in the world and present themselves as being the only ones honest and brave enough to bring it to light. They take grains of truth — such as the pharmaceutical industry not being perfect and doctors not always getting it right — and real concerns, and twist them into something dangerous. In my sister's case, into something life-threatening. This current anti-medicine and toxic wellness movement — which is only growing — is a beast with many heads that feeds on fear. Political threads run through it; one strand links to the far right and the conservative stream, which is quite Americanised, and sees 'tradwives' espousing the benefits of drinking raw milk, not vaccinating their children and going back to the 1950s to adopt a 'purer' way of living. Even though people took thalidomide back then, which caused birth defects. The other strand is more liberal, praising Goop, astrology, 'trusting your intuition', and 'dialling into your true self', sometimes at the expense of legitimate science. Both branches often have a (seemingly healthy) thin, white blonde woman as the poster child. Someone who might appear aspirational, who meets traditional beauty standards, and who presents themselves as being in control. Wellness conspiracy theorists recognise real issues, like contraceptive pills having side effects, and hijack them in different ways, encouraging the rejection of modern medicine as a way of 'reclaiming bodily autonomy' or 'clean living'. They dress up dangerous ideas as 'female empowerment' and even though prior to her diagnosis I wasn't aware of Paloma actively buying into any of this, I can imagine these narratives would have been rattling around her subconsciousness. When trying Gerson therapy, Paloma did post about it on her Instagram account, sharing photos of berry porridge labelled as 'food that cures' and infrared sauna blankets to 'detox through sweat', and it was hard for friends to call it out as concerning. Since sharing Paloma's story, I've also received dozens of messages from people saying they've lost their sister, mother or friend to anti-medicine propaganda. A few people have mentioned dads and brothers, but it does mostly seem to be women. It has highlighted, to me, the subtle differences between men and women; if a woman talks about being ill or worries about her health, there's this element of 'oh, the silly girl is a hypochondriac!' whereas if a man said the same thing, he'd be taken more seriously. I imagine that could also make 'alternative' health approaches feel a lot more appealing to women. This mistrust of medicine – and obsession with 'clean girl living'** — is like a dormant virus: it has the potential to grow from a passing interest to a real obsession, then when someone has a health event it can cause them to start questioning if trusting doctors is really the right thing to do. I don't want anyone else to experience a loss like mine because of that. I remember visiting Paloma at university a couple of years back, and she kept asking me to play Monopoly Deal but I brushed her off, saying I was too busy. I'd give the world to play a game with her now. To see her have the future she dreamed of and deserved. But that will never happen. Because, in my view, she lost her life because of Kay's conspiracy theories. Listen to the Marianna in Conspiracyland 2 podcast on BBC Sounds and on Mondays at 9am on BBC Radio 4. BBC Panorama: Cancer Conspiracy Theories: Why Did Our Sister Die? is available on BBC iPlayer now. Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC's Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women's Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
USA Today
08-07-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
MAGA turns on Pam Bondi, Trump administration over Epstein files
WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump's top law enforcement officials are on the receiving end of MAGA criticism − including some calls for their resignations − over a recent review of materials related to Jeffrey Epstein that don't match their prior public comments about the disgraced financier. A recent memo by the FBI and Justice Department concluded that Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while in custody for sex trafficking charges. It also said their "exhaustive review" found no evidence of an Epstein "client list." Trump's supporters have pushed for his administration to release details about Epstein's associates, and many are expressing displeasure at this latest development. "I remember when a bimbo Barbie was installed as AG and then all of these child sex crimes were wiped under the rug," conservative activist and social media influencer Laura Loomer wrote on X July 8, referring to Attorney General Pam Bondi. Loomer, a staunch Trump ally, also added a direct appeal to Vice President JD Vance, asking him to "please encourage President Trump to fire Pam Blondi. She is a disgrace." In a February interview with Fox News, Bondi was asked about a "client list" and seemed to confirm its existence by saying, "It's sitting on my desk right now to review." The attorney general walked those statements back during a July 8 Cabinet meeting, clarifying that she had been referring to the entirety of the Epstein case materials. While campaigning in 2024, Trump suggested he would have "no problem" releasing more details on the Epstein investigation. Bondi said in a February statement the Department of Justice was following through and "lifting the veil on the disgusting actions of Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators." Other Trump appointees, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, were once leading voices questioning the official record of Epstein's death. Now members of the administration, Patel and Bongino have seemingly reversed course and rejected conspiracy theories that he had died by murder rather than suicide. Trump, in the July 8 Cabinet meeting, also blasted a reporter for posing a question about Epstein, saying: "Are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable." "I mean, I can't believe you're asking a question on Epstein," the president added. But some of the president's most fervent allies are coming out against his administration over the issue of Epstein. "I just really need the Trump administration to succeed and to save this country, and they're doing so much good. And then for them to do something like this tears my guts out," radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones said in a video posted to X July 7. Jones was ordered by courts in 2022 to pay more than $1 billion in damages to the families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre, after promoting false claims that the deadly shooting was a hoax.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alex Jones Breaks Down in Tears After DOJ, FBI Release Epstein Memo Finding No Evidence of a ‘Client List': It ‘Tears My Guts Out'
Many in the MAGA movement are in a state of anger and disbelief over the Justice Department and FBI's memo disclosing that there was no evidence of a Jeffrey Epstein 'client list' that incriminated powerful people amid his perpetration of child sexual abuse. Among those was right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who posted a video showing his raw reaction to the memo. The memo released Monday by the DOJ and FBI (available at this link) says that an 'exhaustive review' of Epstein documents found 'no credible evidence' that Epstein 'blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.' Axios broke news of the memo on Sunday. More from Variety Elon Musk Claims Donald Trump 'Is in the Epstein Files': 'That Is the Real Reason They Haven't Been Made Public' Virginia Giuffre, Epstein Accuser and Non-Profit Founder, Dies at 41 Judge Blocks Onion's Acquisition of Infowars Assets, Saying 'I Don't Think It's Enough Money' Jones shared his reaction in a video Monday posted on X, in which he teared up discussing the Epstein case. He alleged in the caption, 'The DOJ is running cover for the CIA and Mossad. NO ONE IS BUYING THIS!! Next the DOJ will say 'Actually, Jeffrey Epstein never even existed.' This is over the top sickening.' 'It's beyond insane,' Jones said. 'You couldn't try to hurt yourself worse. You couldn't try to discredit the FBI worse than what they've done.' Jones criticized U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi, who had told Fox News in a Feb. 21 interview that an alleged list of Epstein's sex-trafficking clients was 'sitting on my desk right now.' 'All those videos are saying, 'Yeah, she's seen the videos, it's all coming out.' And then now it doesn't exist? I mean, what?' Jones said in the video. Jones also speculated that FBI Director Kash Patel and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino are 'being tortured' and said, 'I think you see them losing their souls on live TV.' 'So this is the swamp winning,' Jones said. 'The question is, is Trump's DOJ actually using this to control the deep state, or are they just so overwhelmed by it they are tapping out?' Jones, who shot the video in his car, at another point became tearful and said, 'I just got to the office, I'm going to go throw up, actually… I mean, I'm physically gonna puke, probably right now. My mouth is watering right now because I have integrity. I just really need the Trump administration to succeed, and to save this country, and they're doing so much good. And then for them to do something like this tears my guts out.' Jones added that 'the left, they're all complicit. They're openly promoting pedophilia. We know they're pure evil. And they'll think it's all funny, 'Oh, look, Alex is sad. MAGA's tearing [itself] apart.'' Jones and his company Infowars filed for bankruptcy after the families of victims in the Sandy Hook mass shooting in Connecticut won judgments in 2022 totaling nearly $1.5 billion against Jones in defamation lawsuits. Jones had repeatedly promoted baseless conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook massacre. Epstein, the disgraced multimillionaire financier and convicted sex offender, died in 2019 in what authorities said was a suicide while he was being held in a Manhattan jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The DOJ-FBI memo released Monday also reiterated findings that Epstein died by suicide: 'After a thorough investigation, FBI investigators concluded that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on August 10, 2019.' On Feb. 27, Bondi — who was appointed by Trump — declassified and publicly released the 'first phase' of files related to Epstein and 'his sexual exploitation of over 250 underage girls at his homes in New York and Florida, among other locations,' according to a Department of Justice announcement. Many of the documents had already been public. Elon Musk, amid an escalating feud with President Trump that exploded last month, claimed in a June 5 post on X (which he has since deleted) that Trump 'is in the Epstein files,' which he asserted 'is the real reason they haven't been made public.' The DOJ-FBI memo said the FBI 'conducted digital searches of its databases, hard drives, and network drives as well as physical searches of squad areas, locked cabinets, desks, closets, and other areas where responsive material may have been stored.' It continued, 'These searches uncovered a significant amount of material, including more than 300 gigabytes of data and physical evidence.' The files relating to Epstein 'include a large volume of images of Epstein, images and videos of victims who are either minors or appear to be minors, and over ten thousand downloaded videos and images of illegal child sex abuse material and other pornography,' the DOJ-FBI memo said. 'Consistent with prior disclosures, this review confirmed that Epstein harmed over one thousand victims.' 'Through this review, we found no basis to revisit the disclosure of those materials and will not permit the release of child pornography,' the DOJ-FBI memo said. 'One of our highest priorities is combatting child exploitation and bringing justice to victims. Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of those ends.' Best of Variety Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Tears My Guts Out!': Alex Jones Has Breakdown Over DOJ's 'Horses**t' Epstein Memo
Alex Jones on Monday broke down during a nearly 10-minute-long rant as he slammed President Donald Trump's Justice Department over a memo that found no evidence that Jeffrey Epstein was murdered or had a secret 'client list.' 'NO ONE IS BUYING THIS!! Next the DOJ will say 'Actually, Jeffrey Epstein never even existed.' This is over the top sickening,'' wrote the far-right conspiracy theorist in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Jones, who was ordered to pay over $1 billion for pushing false claims about the Sandy Hook shooting, is among those in MAGA world who have fueled a conspiracy theory that the disgraced financier didn't kill himself while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges and kept a list of associates he could blackmail. 'It's just absolute horseshit on its face, and it's a disaster, absolute disaster,' said Jones in a video filmed from a car. Jones went on to claim that it's 'very, very painful' and he had been physically ill since he woke up on Monday. He later accused the Trump administration of being part of a 'cover-up' and, after declaring that he was about to vomit, he began to fight back tears. 'I just really need the Trump administration to succeed and to save this country, and they're doing so much good. And then for them to do something like this tears my guts out,' said Jones with watery eyes. The DOJ's conclusion that Epstein didn't have a 'client list' contradicts comments from Attorney General Pam Bondi about such a list, one she claimed was sitting on her desk for review back in February, as well as remarks by Trump's top FBI officials that they've since backtracked from. In reality, documents related to Epstein and his death have contained names of people with whom he associated — but those associations were largely already publicly known. The release of the memo comes just weeks after former White House official Elon Musk — amid his public breakup with Trump — accused the president of being in the 'Epstein Files,' a post Musk has since deleted. Trump for years socialized with Epstein before the financier's downfall, and the president's name has appeared in unsealed documents related to the Epstein case. But Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein's crimes. The DOJ is running cover for the CIA and Mossad. NO ONE IS BUYING THIS!! Next the DOJ will say 'Actually, Jeffrey Epstein never even existed.' This is over the top sickening. — Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) July 7, 2025 Trump-Supporting Mom Detained By ICE Speaks Out In Emotional Interview Judge Blocks Trump's Planned Parenthood Cuts In 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Former Librarian Of Congress Fired By Trump Vows To Improve Public Information In New Job
