RFK Jr.’s Anti-Vax Nonsense Has Helped Spread Measles to Mexico

The measles situation in the United States is so bad that the disease is spreading south of the border.

Answering a question from a reporter Wednesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum revealed that the sudden resurgence of measles in Mexico had originated from the U.S.

“It came mainly from the United States, that’s why it shows up in Chihuahua,” Sheinbaum said. “And in Chihuahua there are communities that don’t get vaccinated at all for any vaccine.

“So it specifically began there, where contagion is highest—among people who have not been vaccinated,” she continued.

Measles was declared eradicated from the U.S. in 2000 thanks to its corresponding vaccine. But 2025 challenged the viral extermination with a whopping 2,144 confirmed cases across 45 jurisdictions—the highest count since 1991.

And 2026 is already on course to beat that figure. In just the last month and a half, officials have confirmed more than 800 measles cases in 23 states, according to data from the Center for Outbreak Response Innovation. So far, the outbreak in South Carolina has proven the worst, with at least 605 confirmed cases in the state. Texas, which suffered the bulk of the viral load last year, already has two confirmed cases.

The rising digits could put the U.S. at risk of losing its elimination status, reported U.S. News and World Report.

“A significant percentage of the population is vaccinated against measles,” Sheinbaum said in a statement following the press conference.

She then recommended—on the advice of her secretary of health—that young children, from 6 months to 12 years of age, receive appropriate doses of the measles vaccine for their age group.

“In Jalisco, Colima, Chiapas, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Tabasco, and Mexico City, people aged 13 to 49 who have not been vaccinated should attend,” Sheinbaum added.

Sheinbaum’s report contradicts what Donald Trump has been preaching to his supporters since he was on the campaign trail. In 2024, while Trump accused South American countries of sending all of its “criminals” and “terrorists” into the U.S., Trump also suggested that the Latinos entering the country were bringing with them “very contagious disease.” Yet, according to the Mexican leader, the exact opposite is true.

Measles does not have a cure. The highly contagious disease can spur a blotchy rash, pink eye, a high fever, white spots inside the mouth, full body aches, pneumonia, and severe dehydration, and can result in hospitalization or even death.

Fortunately, however, it is highly preventable thanks to a vaccine that was developed by a couple of American scientists in 1963. In 1971, researchers created yet another vaccine capable of preventing measles as well as two other contagious illnesses—mumps and rubella—thanks to miraculous developments in modern medicine. The joint shot was named the MMR vaccine, an acronym for “measles, mumps, and rubella.”

America’s diminishing herd immunity is due to a growing movement of anti-vax parents—currently championed at the federal level by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—who refuse to provide their children with the same public health advantages that they received in their youth, mostly in fear of thoroughly debunked conspiracy theories that, at one point, linked autism to the jab.

The researcher who sparked the myth that vaccines cause autism did so with a fraudulent paper. As a result, he lost his medical license and eventually rescinded his opinion. Since then, dozens of studies, including one that surveyed more than 660,000 children over the course of 11 years, have proven there’s no correlation between autism and vaccines.

During the deadly measles outbreak in Texas last year, Kennedy advised that state residents take extra vitamins rather than receive the vaccine, and justified a local religious community’s decision not to receive the vaccine by claiming that the measles vaccine contains “aborted fetus debris” as well as “DNA particles.” Fact check: It does not.

Even Kennedy’s own officials have denied his health conspiracies, potentially at cost to their employment.

But the 71-year-old has a lot to gain from pushing disinformation about the jab: the more doubt and division Kennedy sows, the more money he’ll make. Ahead of his appointment, Kennedy disclosed that he made roughly $10 million in 2024 from speaking fees and dividends from his anti-vaccine lawsuits. He’s also made cash from merchandising handled by his nonprofit, Children’s Health Defense, which bungled anti-vax messaging in Samoa so badly that it started a 2019 outbreak that resulted in the deaths of at least 83 people, the majority of whom were children under the age of 5.

As a reminder: Since their invention, vaccines have proven to be one of the greatest accomplishments of modern medicine. The medical shots are so effective at preventing illness that they have effectively eradicated some of the worst diseases from our collective culture, from rabies to polio and smallpox—a fact that has possibly fooled some into believing that the viruses and their complications aren’t a significant threat to the average, health-conscious individual.

Gallup will no longer track presidential approval rating after nearly nine decades of doing so, stating that the move “reflects an evolution in how Gallup focuses its public research and thought leadership,” according to The Hill.

“This change is part of a broader, ongoing effort to align all of Gallup’s public work with its mission,” a spokesperson for Gallup said. “We look forward to continuing to offer independent research that adheres to the highest standards of social science.... This is a strategic shift solely based on Gallup’s research goals and priorities.”

This decision comes as President Trump has recently experienced some of the lowest approval ratings for a president in decades. While Trump has made no public threat to Gallup, he has threatened other pollsters multiple times in the recent past. In December 2024, he sued the Des Moines Register, its parent company Gannett, and pollster Anne Seltzer for her poll findings that Kamala Harris would win Iowa (she didn’t). And in January, he verbally attacked The New York Times after a poll that found independent voters have turned against Trump.

The president’s current approval rating sits at a meager 38 percent.

Attorney General Pam Bondi stomped and raged her way through her hearing before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday, but her refusal to answer one particularly heated line of questioning inspired Bondi to accuse a Jewish lawmaker of antisemitism in an apparent attempt to undermine the mounting pressure.

Representative Becca Balint pressed Bondi on the seemingly unquestioned tenure of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who was caught lying about his connections to Jeffrey Epstein in the Justice Department’s latest document dump. Lutnick had previously claimed he cut off contact with the child sex trafficker in 2005, but emails released by the DOJ revealed that Lutnick continued messaging Epstein for years afterward, including at least one instance in which he brought his wife and children to Epstein’s island.

Nonetheless, Lutnick has remained in his position.

“By 2008, we knew that Epstein was a convicted sexual abuser,” pressed Balint. “And we now know that Lutnick went to Epstein’s island in 2012.

“How was that not a deal breaker for the president, and why aren’t you asking questions of the commerce secretary about what he saw on the island, which he lied about not ever going to?” Balint asked.

But Bondi refused to answer, claiming that Lutnick had done an appropriate job addressing the lie himself.

Balint then inquired if the DOJ had questioned other Trump officials who were revealed to be connected to Epstein in the unredacted version of the files, including U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg. But Bondi was apparently stumped by the question.

“I’m stunned you want to continue talking about Epstein,” Bondi eventually sputtered.

“What is clear is we have evidence that three senior officials within the Trump administration have ties to Jeffrey Epstein and I can conclude from what you are saying that you have not talked to them,” Balint said as Bondi yelled over her.

“Americans would be shocked to learn that you are not interested in talking with these officials,” Balint continued, raising her voice as she listed officials across the world who have lost their jobs or titles after they were exposed to be affiliated with Epstein. “That would be a good start.”

But as the Vermont Democrat continued speaking, Bondi got louder.

“Please stop talking,” Balint spat at Bondi’s attempts to deflect.

“The American people have a right to know the answers to this. These are senior officials in the Trump administration. This is not a game, Secretary,” Balint shouted.

“I’m attorney general,” Bondi sneered.

“My apologies, I couldn’t tell,” Balint said.

Balint then implored Bondi to finally meet with the survivors, which the DOJ has not yet done. But as Balint’s time expired, Bondi asked for 20 seconds to respond.

“I was curious if you, Congresswoman, asked Bill Clinton that. Didn’t see one tweet … when Joe Biden was in office about Bill Clinton. Didn’t ask Merrick Garland, not one thing.

“I want the record to reflect that—you know, with this antisemitic culture right now, she voted against a resolution condemning antisemitism,” Bondi said, seemingly referring to Balint’s 2023 “no” vote on the Antisemitism Awareness Act—which actually could be used to censor political criticism of Israel on college campuses.

But Balint would know best about antisemitism—considering that her family was among the victims of the Holocaust.

“Woah woah, do you want to go there, attorney general? Do you want to go there?” Balint yelled. “Are you serious? Talking about antisemitism to a woman who lost her grandfather in the Holocaust? Really? Really?”

Balint then turned off her microphone and walked away from the bench.

Attorney General Pam Bondi got called out Wednesday for using a cheat sheet of personal attacks against Democratic lawmakers in order to dodge tough questions and—ironically—offered a pathetic comeback.

During a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Florida Representative Jared Moskowitz tore into the Department of Justice for repeatedly lying about Donald Trump’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

For example, FBI Director Kash Patel had previously claimed Trump’s name appeared in the Epstein file fewer than 100 times, Moskowitz said.

“We now know that’s not true. Trump’s name appears more times in the Epstein files than God’s name appears in the book about God,” Moskowitz said, holding up a Bible. “OK, by the way, this is the Trump Bible—move over, King James.

“Trump’s name also appears more times in the Epstein file than Harry Potter’s name appears in the seven books about Harry Potter,” he added.

Democratic lawmakers who reviewed the unredacted files this week have claimed that Trump’s name appeared “more than a million times.”

It seems that Moskowitz couldn’t be bothered to actually ask Bondi any substantive questions—and rightly so. The attorney general had repeatedly demonstrated she wasn’t interested in providing any answers. Instead, she continually referred to her own burn book on Democrats, firing back accusations that were unrelated to the hearing.

At the end of his speaking time, Moskowitz actually challenged Bondi to take her best shot at him.

“So, because I’m curious, and I’d like to see, flip to the ‘Jared Moskowitz’ section of the binder. I’m interested to see what staff provided on the ‘oppo’ on me,” Moskowitz said. “And because we’re in the Olympics, I’m gonna give it a grade.”

He held up a blank score card as another lawmaker laughed into the microphone.

“So, first of all, nothing is funny about mocking the Bible and holding up a Trump Bible—that’s what you did,” Bondi replied. “You made a joke, and I find offense to that, that’s all I have to say to you. Shame.”

“I want it from the burn book. Which is the best one? What you got?” Moskowitz pressed. The committee chairman quickly moved on.

Bondi gave a truly humiliating performance before the panel Wednesday, losing her cool at questions about Epstein and even seemingly lying under oath to defend Trump.

The FAA briefly closed the airspace over El Paso, Texas, after the military used a high-powered laser to shoot down what appeared to be a drone but was actually just a party balloon. 

CBS reports that the Pentagon wanted to use the technology to practice shooting down drones near Fort Bliss, which is next to El Paso International Airport. Despite meetings scheduled to discuss safety issues, DOD officials wanted to test the laser quickly, claiming that legal requirements over the protection of facilities from unmanned aircraft had been satisfied.

The anti-drone laser was launched earlier this week near America’s southern border to target what was thought to be foreign drones. Instead, a party balloon was shot down.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford then decided to close El Paso’s airspace Tuesday night without telling the White House, the DOD, or the Department of Homeland Security, according to unnamed sources. Bedford reportedly told officials that the airspace would be closed until the Pentagon resolved its issues with the FAA. 

Initially, the restriction on planes flying below 18,000 was set for 10 days, something that hasn’t been in place since the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Any aircraft that violated the restriction could have been shot down. 

Wednesday morning’s airspace closure caused a brief panic among government agencies, as even emergency medical evacuations were halted. When the discussion reached the White House, the FAA lifted the restriction within minutes. 

“The FAA and [Department of War] acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion. The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region. The restrictions have been lifted and normal flights are resuming,” Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said in a statement. 

The DOD failed to communicate with the FAA in this instance, which has happened before during Trump’s second term. Just over a year ago, a military helicopter collided with a passenger plane near Ronald Reagan National Airport and killed 67 people. This time, a brief airspace closure and a downed party balloon seem to be the only repercussions (that we know about). Hopefully, this is an isolated incident and not evidence of a more serious issue.  

Donald Trump is considering blowing up the USMCA free trade agreement between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

Bloomberg reports that the president is asking staff why he shouldn’t withdraw from the agreement, which he signed during his first term as president, according to unnamed sources.

Interestingly, the U.S. trade representative, Jamieson Greer, told Fox Business on Tuesday that renewing the 2019 agreement was not in the country’s best interests, and that the Trump administration wanted to negotiate separately with Canada and Mexico.

“Generally speaking, these negotiations are going to proceed bilaterally and separately. The Mexicans are being quite pragmatic right now; we’ve had a lot of discussions with them. With the Canadians, it’s more challenging,” Greer said. 

Mexican Prime Minister Claudia Sheinbaum dismissed the idea of the U.S. withdrawing from the USMCA when asked about it during a press conference Wednesday.

“We don’t believe it, and it has never been said in the calls, because it is very important to them,” Sheinbaum said. 

Trump’s tariff uncertainty in 2025 has already made the USMCA shaky and undermined the deal in Mexico and Canada, and his antagonization of Canada by calling it the “fifty-first state” hasn’t helped either. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has embarked on an economic policy independent of the U.S., beginning talks with China, but he said Tuesday that he had a “positive” conversation with Trump that touched on the USMCA. He didn’t offer any details, though.  

Under the terms of the agreement, there has to be a mandatory review before it can be extended on July 1. Trump wants more concessions from Canada and Mexico for that to happen. If the U.S. decides to pull out of the deal, it would have to give six months’ notice. The decision would also put $2 trillion in goods and services in jeopardy.

American businesses wouldn’t take the news well, as much of the U.S. depends on trade with Canada and Mexico. But Trump has paid little attention to what actually hurts the economy, causing havoc in the markets with his whimsical tariffs and tanking job growth. It seems that he doesn’t care that messing up a deal he made seven years ago could have even worse consequences.

Attorney General Pam Bondi was unable to maintain her composure as GOP Representative and Epstein Files Transparency Act co-sponsor Thomas Massie pressed her over the Justice Department’s mistakes and complicity in obscuring the Epstein files.

“Behind me I have three documents … that are emblematic of the massive failure of the DOJ to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act,” Massie said at the House Oversight Committee hearing on Wednesday.

Massie walked Bondi through DOJ documents that identified Epstein’s victims, and redacted the co-conspirator status of Epstein confidant Les Wexner and other men in a 2019 FBI document.

“The title of this [file] is ‘child sex trafficking.’ ‘Co-conspirators,’ fully redacted. And by the way, Les Wexner is in this,” Massie said, revealing Wexner’s picture under the redaction. “Your deputy attorney general said, ‘Ooh, well he appears hundreds of times in the files.’ But he doesn’t appear in this file until I forced you to release it, where he’s listed as a ‘co-conspirator’—not to tax evasion, but to child sex trafficking.”

Massie then moved on to the FBI documents in which some survivors gave witness statements and identified their alleged abusers. The DOJ completely redacted the names, leaving the page entirely black.

“Are you able to track who in your organization made this massive failure, and released the victims’ names? Are you able to track who it was that obscured Les Wexner’s name as a co-conspirator in an FBI document?” Massie asked.

“I believe Wexner’s name was listed more than 4,000 times,” Bondi replied.

“Yeah, I already told you that. This is where he’s listed as a co-conspirator—”

“Can I finish my answer? Come on!” Bondi said. “We corrected that within 40 minutes. You’re acting like everybody’s trying to cover up Wexner’s name—”

“Reclaiming my time—”

“I’m gonna answer this question, this isn’t how this works,” Bondi claimed. “He’s a political joke and I need to give my answer on that! Within 40 minutes, Wexner’s name was added back—”

“Within 40 minutes of me catching you red-handed!” Massie replied.

“Red-handed?” Bondi said, laughing. “There was one redaction out of over—”

“Where he’s listed as a co-conspirator!”

“This guy has Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Bondi said. “You’re a failed politician.”

Massie then played a clip of FBI Director Kash Patel telling Congress there was “no credible information” that anyone besides Ghislaine Maxwell helped Jeffery Epstein traffic women and girls.

“Is that your position as well?” asked Massie.

“My position is: Any victim who comes forward, of course we would love to hear from them. 1-800-CALL-FBI.” Then she did what she’d been doing the entire hearing: deflect.

“Did you ask [former Attorney General] Merrick Garland that the last four years? Did you talk about Epstein the last—”

“Reclaming my time,” said Massie.

“You don’t get to reclaim time!” Bondi shouted.

“I’m glad you’re asking about Merrick Garland, because this is bigger than Watergate. This goes over four administrations. You don’t have to go back to Biden. Let’s go back to Obama, let’s go back to George Bush,” Massie said. “This cover-up spans decades, and you are responsible for this portion of it!”

Bondi tried to interrupt and filibuster, but to no avail—although Massie’s time ended shortly after.

Of course, Bondi never answered the question regarding her position on “no credible evidence” of co-conspirators. She didn’t answer any of Massie’s questions at all. Instead, she called the Republican representative a hypocrite because he voted against some AI porn bill—something no one was even talking about.

For the entirety of this exchange, Bondi pushed a claim about Wexner that is facetious at best. Of course we know that Wexner was in the files thousands of times. But the first document (dated 2019) that listed Wexner as a sex trafficking co-conspirator was redacted by the Bondi DOJ in the file release—weeks after Patel said under oath that there was no evidence of any other co-conspirators.

Instead of doing anything remotely appropriate for the Office of the Attorney General, Bondi was confrontational, temperamental, and absolutely useless. She didn’t offer any straight answers as to why Wexner’s co-conspirator status was redacted, or why Patel said what he said. It’s obvious that was her plan the whole time.

Attorney General Pam Bondi once again relied on a cheat sheet of personal attacks against Democratic lawmakers in order to dodge questions during a House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday.

As Democratic lawmakers posed tough questions about Donald Trump’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein, two women perched in the audience behind Bondi referred to a massive white binder and then passed notes forward instructing her which page of her own “burn book on Democrats” to turn to, Migrant Insider’s Pablo Manriquez reported on X.

Bondi’s pathetic reliance on her burn book was perhaps most clear during her humiliating interaction with California Representative Ted Lieu—and may have caused her to lie under oath.

Lieu asked Bondi point-blank if Trump had ever attended one of Epstein’s parties with underage girls. There was a long pause as the two women hurriedly skimmed through their binders.

“This is so ridiculous,” Bondi finally stammered. “And they are trying to deflect from all the great things Donald Trump has done. There is NO EVIDENCE that Donald Trump has committed a crime; everyone knows that!”

“I believe you just lied under oath,” Lieu replied, pointing out that there was “ample evidence” to suggest Trump had committed a crime in the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice. Ironically, that’s precisely the kind of mistake Bondi could’ve avoided had she actually been referring to real notes and not a collection of prewritten comebacks that could get her a good “gotcha moment.”

“Don’t you EVER accuse me of a crime,” Bondi threatened.

Lieu referred to a tip to the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center, which contained allegations that Trump and Epstein had both sexually assaulted a woman, who was later killed. “You need to interview this witness immediately,” Lieu said.

“You have not held a single man accountable. Shame on you; if you had any decency you would resign right after this hearing concludes,” he added angrily.

“May I respond?” Bondi asked Chairman Jim Jordan, flipping through the large white binder in front of her. Lieu pointed out that he hadn’t actually asked a question. Not to worry, Bondi wasn’t actually planning to provide any answers.

“He doesn’t want to talk about the horrific crime in California,” she cried. “He does not want to talk about crime in his state!”

Jordan quickly moved on.

Bondi continued her embarrassing display as she levied personal attacks against other Democratic lawmakers. When Representative Zoe Lofgren pressed Bondi on the FBI’s redaction of Trump’s name in the Epstein files and the agency’s failure to collaborate with local law enforcement on investigations into the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, Bondi flew off the handle.

“I find it interesting that she keeps going after President Trump, the greatest president in American history. And if they could maintain their composure, this isn’t a circus, this is a hearing,” Bondi said, appearing much more upset than Lofgren. She then complained that Lofgren hadn’t said how much money she took from LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, and never posted criticism of Joe Biden on social media.

“There was no question asked,” Lofgren said.

When Representative Jamie Raskin asked whether she’d be willing to make a joint-task force to investigate crimes, Bondi pouted with her arms crossed before ranting about a completely separate “sextortion” case in Raskin’s district.

Representative Ted Lieu accused Attorney General Pam Bondi of lying under oath Wednesday, catching the Trump official in a bind after she claimed no evidence existed of young girls at parties attended by the president.

The California lawmaker highlighted that, under Bondi’s direction per a July 2025 memo, the Justice Department had “not uncovered evidence” that warranted investigations against “uncharged third parties.”

He then referred to recently released images of ex-Prince Andrew, depicting the disgraced British royal on all fours, towering over one of Epstein’s victims.

“These two photos staring you in the face are evidence of a crime and are more than enough evidence to predicate an investigation against former Prince Andrew,” Lieu said. “So I ask you, Attorney General Pam Bondi, why did you shut down this investigation last July and why have you not prosecuted former Prince Andrew?”

Bondi skirted the question, opting instead to bring up her Biden-era predecessor, former Attorney General Merrick Garland, who Lieu agreed had “dropped the ball” in investigating the Epstein files. As Bondi shouted into the microphone, Lieu changed the topic to Donald Trump, playing a clip of Trump and child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein together at a party.

“Like former Prince Andrew, Donald Trump attended various parties with Jeffrey Epstein,” Lieu said. “I want to know were there any underage girls at that party or any party with Jeffrey Epstein?”

But Bondi was speechless, shaking her head.

Eventually, she spoke: “This is so ridiculous. And that they are trying to deflect from all the great things Donald Trump has done.”

“There is no evidence that Donald Trump has committed a crime, everyone knows that,” Bondi insisted, raising her voice about how Trump has led the most “transparent” administration to date.

Lieu’s next move put Bondi in check.

“I’m going to put up another document from a witness who called the FBI’s National Threat Operation Center, because I believe you just lied under oath,” Lieu said.

“Don’t you ever accuse me of a crime,” Bondi snapped.

“It’s all on video tape. You said there’s no evidence of a crime, I’m showing you a witness statement who called in to the FBI,” Lieu said, citing the testimony of a limo driver who allegedly overheard Trump in 1995 telling someone named “Jeffrey” on his cell phone about “abusing some girl.”

That same driver told the FBI that he knew a woman who claimed to be abused by Epstein, though she “later had her head blown off” in an instance that investigating police said could not have been suicide.

“No one at the Department of Justice interviewed this witness. You need to interview this witness immediately,” Lieu said.

In reaction, Bondi turned to the massive white binder in front of her, picked up a page, and accused Lieu of focusing on the Epstein files in order to deflect from crime in his district.

Attorney General Pam Bondi crashed out during a hearing with the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday, and began ranting about how great the stock market is doing in order to try and deflect questions over whether she was investigating any of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s potential co-conspirators.

Democratic Representative Jerry Nadler referenced “concrete evidence of disgusting criminality revealed in the Epstein files” and asked Bondi point-blank, “How many of Epstein’s co-conspirators have you indicted? How many perpetrators are you even investigating?”

Bondi tried to avoid the question, after which Nadler asked again how many of Epstein’s co-conspirators Bondi had indicted. This angered Bondi, who started shouting over Nadler, saying, “I am going to answer the question the way I want to answer the question!”

Representative Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, then tried to head off Bondi’s attempts to drown out Nadler. Nadler pointed out that the number was zero, which Bondi didn’t acknowledge. Then, Bondi brought up the performance of the Dow Jones and Nasdaq indexes.

“The DOW is over 50,000 dollars. I don’t know why you’re laughing,” Bondi said angrily, as some members of the committee clearly saw through her attempt to distract. “You’re a great stock trader, as I hear, Raskin.

“The S&P at almost 7,000, and the Nasdaq smashing records. Americans’ 401(k)s and retirement savings are booming. That’s what we should be talking about. We should be talking about making Americans safe,” Bondi said, but then she was heckled. “What does the Dow have to do with anything, that’s what they just asked? Are you kidding?”

It’s quite clear that Bondi wasn’t prepared to answer questions about what the Justice Department is doing in response to the Epstein files that it released late last month. Her attempt to invoke the stock market, of all things, was laughable not just to Democrats but anyone watching the hearing. Bondi is out of her depth as attorney general, and that the Trump administration has no answer to how it’s handling anything related to Jeffrey Epstein.