Epstein, yeah, I know, it’s relentless, BUT for the victims it’s essential we see justice, even if it results in a lot of very powerful people brought down, which could ultimately result in a chaotic collapse, not just in the US, but abroad too. That risk is also why we may never see the full story come to light; however, it feels like we are inching closer this week doesn’t it? Heather Cox Richardson thinks so too.
Is this the moment that will end Trump? It’s hard to say when it feels like nothing is ever bad enough for his supporters, but perhaps we’re finally there? We watch, wait and see if this is the bomb that will explode, I guess.
If you want to get a view of what’s happening in the media on this news story, here’s a few pieces to give you a sense.
- Donald Trump ‘blowing Bubba’ message in Epstein emails under scrutiny – Newsweek
- What If the Trump-Epstein Relationship Was Even Worse Than We Thought?
- Jeffrey Epstein advised Steve Bannon during 2018 pro-Trump media campaign | Steve Bannon | The Guardian
- Jeffrey Epstein Claimed Intimate Knowledge of Donald Trump’s Views in Texts With Bill Gates Adviser | WIRED
- We created a searchable database with all 20,000 files from Epstein’s Estate
- Jeffrey Epstein Was a Warlord. We Have to Talk About It. | The Nation
There is one thing that could stop it all coming out. This little nugget Trump says he’s asking Justice Department to investigate Epstein’s ties to slew of high-profile figures | CNN Politics. Here’s the problem. If it’s under investigation, the information cannot be released.
BBC scandal
Another HUGE story this week was the BBC scandal, which we discussed on The Shit Show yesterday. This is a much bigger story than editing clips together, and I really encourage everyone to dig deeper on this. We have been in an information war for decades, and making sure the BBC survives is in all of our interests. The rightward growth of media and influencers far outweighs the left, and it doesn’t look like that momentum is stopping. Balanced media is critical – Interactive Political Orientation Map of the World – Media Bias/Fact Check.
Some information to get stuck into
- The Prescott memo flunks the impartiality test | The Observer
- An inside job? Robbie Gibb’s campaign to rewire the BBC | The Observer
- The truth about impartiality at the BBC – by Lewis Goodall – “The tendency to move right is always stronger than left, because there is terror of the right in a way the BBC does not possess of liberalism or the left. Do we seriously believe anyone inside New Broadcasting House fears the Green Party? Or Labour?”
- The BBC is the biggest prize in the information war – and the right may be about to destroy it – “The BBC, for all its flaws and mistakes and questionable hiring decisions, can never be that, which is why the rightwing populists seek to destroy it. It is the biggest prize in the information war.”
- Would Trump’s $1bn lawsuit against the BBC hold up in court? | Donald Trump News | Al Jazeera
- Crisis Engulfs the BBC: Is thi…–The Rest Is Politics – Apple Podcasts
- BBC Chair Shuts Down Attacks On Board Amid Robbie Gibb Anger
- BBC board member with Tory links ‘led charge’ in systemic bias claims, say insiders | BBC | The Guardian
- The BBC is in a mess—but it’s …–Media Confidential – Apple Podcasts
- ‘BBC Bias’ Memo Was Authored by Lobbyist Tied to Pro-Trump Tech Giants – Byline Times
- The BBC is in a fight for its survival
- Fight fake news and climate deniers, Brazil’s Lula tells UN talks
- The Observer view: political interference at the BBC | The Observer
- ‘America Must Save Britain’ – Byline Times Digital / Print Edition
- The first step towards saving our precious BBC: remove Robbie Gibb from the board | Ed Davey | The Guardian
- Andrew Neil: The BBC’s days are numbered unless it changes
- BBC chair Samir Shah apologises for Panorama Trump edit
- BBC director general Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness resign over Trump documentary edit
- The BBC is facing a coordinated, politically motivated attack. With these resignations, it has given in | Jane Martinson | The Guardian
- BBC leaders resign amid scandal over Trump speech edit | CNN
The planetary crisis
When it comes to the BIGGEST crisis we face – which of course, you wouldn’t know with these other stories consuming our media – I encourage you to check out these news stories.
First up, Asia – ‘Climate whiplash’: Asia’s worst extreme weather events of 2025 | News | Eco-Business | Asia Pacific.
Here’s a summary if you can’t make the time to read it:
- Deluge in Hoi An, Vietnam – waist-deep waters swallowed the historic streets of Hoi An, turning the UNESCO-listed town into a watery maze.
- A few months ago, Super typhoon Ragasa brings storm surges to Hong Kong – Ragasa’s rapid intensification was a textbook case of how warming oceans are supercharging tropical cyclones.
- Cloudburst catastrophe in South Asia – across India and Pakistan, sudden torrents known as cloudbursts, or rain bombs, unleashed catastrophic floods and landslides that buried entire villages.
- Plastic rain in Jakarta, Indonesia – 15 microplastic particles per square metre per day falling from the sky – a sign of just how pervasive plastic pollution has become.
- Wildfire outbreaks in South Korea – from late March to May, South Korea faced its deadliest wildfires in decades.
- Snowless Kashmir, India – in the Himalayas, snow failed to fall earlier this year.
- Longer, harsher winters in Japan – after Japan’s hottest summer on record, the country’s autumn seemed to vanish overnight.
- Heatwaves scorch Central and South Asia – Central Asia experienced a record-breaking March heatwave, with temperatures soaring 15°C above normal across Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. In India, April brought consecutive days above 46°C in Rajasthan and Gujarat. Asia is now warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, with severe implications for food and water security.
- Deadly landslides in Indonesia – from the mines of Papua to the villages of Java, landslides and floods repeatedly struck Indonesia this year.
- Toxic smog in Delhi, India – the morning after Deepavali this year, India’s capital awoke to a familiar nightmare. Delhi’s air quality index surged 488 µg/m³ of PM2.5 – more than 56 times the World Health Organization’s safe limit.
A number that will only grow – Climate disasters displaced 250 million people in past 10 years, UN report finds | Climate crisis | The Guardian
The great David Suzuki thinks we’re too late – Is it too late to solve climate change? Sidenote by AsapSCIENCE – Apple Podcasts.
There goes the AMOC – Greenland losing 30m tonnes of ice an hour, study reveals, 20% more than previously thought – The Irish Times.
Floods coming for California – Millions under flood watches, evacuation orders in place as Southern California burn scar areas brace for storm – ABC News.
And the displaced Palestinians suffer flooding too, just heart breaking – Heavy rainfall floods the camps of displaced Palestinians in Gaza | CNN.
While the Middle East prays for rain – Saudi Arabia and Several Arab Countries Offer Istisqa Prayers Amid Severe Drought – HRNW News Agency.
And our fresh water supplies are drying up – Global Water Supplies Threatened by Overmining of Aquifers: New Study — ProPublica. There is already talk of abandoning Tehran because it’s dams and wells have run dry. Tehran is a city of 8.7 million people, so where do they go?
A final piece I really want to highlight is this, discussing the environmental cost of datacentres – The Ecological Cost of AI Is Much Higher Than You Think – Truthdig.
We are slowly getting the fact that AI costs an extraordinary amount when it comes to energy and water, but it’s even worse than you think. Here’s the highlights:
Water consumption: in Taiwan, TSMC’s new Fab 25 plant will use 100,000 metric tons of water daily (7% of Taichung’s municipal demand). During Taiwan’s droughts, rice farmers were forced to stop planting for three years while semiconductor fabs kept running.
Energy demand: Fab 25 requires one gigawatt of power (enough for 750,000 households). OpenAI’s goal would need as much electricity as India’s 1.5 billion people.
Carbon emissions: most electricity to power datacentres comes from coal/gas. “Worse, many of the gases used in semiconductor factories have far greater climate consequences, or climate forcing, than carbon dioxide. For example, sulfur hexaflouride, which can escape factories and settle in the atmosphere, has a heating effect 23,500 times that of CO2.” Nvidia’s emissions jumped 87% in 2024 alone.
Toxic waste: Plants generate 70,000 tons of wastewater daily containing PFAS “forever chemicals” that don’t break down. The industry uses carcinogenic and neurotoxic substances. In Korea, “SHARPS has documented numerous cases of leukaemia, brain tumours and pancreatic cancer among workers at Samsung’s plants.”
Mining impacts: AI requires 400% more critical mineral extraction by 2040, targeting remote regions and Indigenous territories. Equally, just for this piece of the story, “the carbon footprint is astronomical” AND “much of that mining will take place in remote regions and areas with especially fragile ecosystems, many of which are also carbon sinks.”
Lots more to get stuck into, so click through to the world news page and you can get a sense of what’s happening around the world this last week, with a focus on the polycrisis – all the ugly parts of it.
Visual storytelling
Of course I didn’t use ChatGPT to write this…
Chortle
Anti-woke 😊😊😊
Bubba Trump
Right?!
My content and my friends
It was terrific having Natalie Turner on the show this week, talking about courage – something we all need today. Natalie will soon be releasing her new book The Red Silk Dress, and it’s absolutely brilliant. I highly recommend it and will let you know when it comes out. She also did a TEDx talk this year about purpose, and you can find it here. Well worth a watch.
What is ecotheology and why is it important? This is a question I asked Dale Lature, someone who has dug into this topic more than anyone I know. Have a listen. The US perspective is fascinating.
Dig into the news
As always, there’s plenty more to read, listen to or watch, so do click through to the reads at the image below, and a reminder, this platform has articles going back weeks, so have a scan and read/watch/listen to whatever jumps out at you.
Let me know what caught your attention? Or share with me what has your attention now? There’s a lot going on, which means none of us can cover everything. Besides, it’s always great to get feedback so I know I’m delivering something of value.
Cheers
Andrea
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