Clinton Defends Epstein Ties; Trump Admin Bans Anthropic Contracts
[00:00] Evelyn Hartwell: From Neural Newscast, I'm Evelyn Hartwell.
[00:03] Frederick Moore: And I am Frederick Moore.
[00:05] Evelyn Hartwell: Today is February 27, 2026.
[00:09] Evelyn Hartwell: Former President Bill Clinton is appearing before a congressional committee to discuss his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
[00:17] Evelyn Hartwell: We are also examining the Trump administration's decision to ban the artificial intelligence firm Anthropic from all federal contracts.
[00:27] Announcer: Additionally, we look at errors in a White House social media campaign regarding immigrant deportations.
[00:35] Announcer: This morning's developments highlight a period of intense scrutiny for both past and current federal leadership.
[00:42] Evelyn Hartwell: We start on Capitol Hill, where Bill Clinton is testifying today about his association with the late Jeffrey Epstein.
[00:50] Evelyn Hartwell: This Republican-led inquiry follows the recent release of new Department of Justice documents and photographs.
[00:58] Announcer: Those files include images of Clinton with Ghislaine Maxwell and records of his travel on Epstein's private jet.
[01:07] Announcer: Maxwell described herself in recent depositions as the primary link between the two men.
[01:13] Evelyn Hartwell: Clinton maintains that his association with Epstein was strictly for philanthropic purposes.
[01:20] Evelyn Hartwell: He stated today, Frederick, that he had no idea of the crimes Epstein was committing during their interactions.
[01:28] Announcer: Emails between Maxwell and Clinton's top aide, Doug Band, show a close working relationship.
[01:34] Announcer: Band reportedly referred to Maxwell as a social matchmaker while coordinating flights and foundation meetings.
[01:42] Evelyn Hartwell: Flight logs confirm that Clinton flew on Epstein's jet at least 24 times between 2002 and 2003.
[01:51] Evelyn Hartwell: These trips covered foundation projects in Africa, Europe, and Asia.
[01:57] Announcer: The former president told the committee he never visited Epstein's private island.
[02:01] Announcer: He insists he cut all ties with the financier years before Epstein's initial 2006 indictment.
[02:09] Evelyn Hartwell: Conclusively, while the files do not implicate Clinton in any criminal wrongdoing,
[02:15] Evelyn Hartwell: the testimony remains a high-profile moment.
[02:18] Evelyn Hartwell: Lawmakers are pressing for more details on the vetting processes for Foundation donors.
[02:25] Announcer: Next, we turn to a major shift in federal technology policy involving the Pentagon.
[02:31] Announcer: The Trump administration is cutting the AI company Anthropic from all government contracts.
[02:37] Evelyn Hartwell: This move removes the San Francisco-based firm from the Pentagon's official supply chain.
[02:43] Evelyn Hartwell: It marks a significant change in how the administration handles partnerships with major artificial intelligence developers.
[02:52] Frederick Moore: Anthropic has been a key player in the AI industry with its Claude models.
[02:56] Frederick Moore: The administration has not yet provided a detailed public reason for the sudden exclusion, Evelyn.
[03:02] Evelyn Hartwell: In other news, the federal government is facing backlash over its social media messaging.
[03:08] Evelyn Hartwell: The White House account on X recently posted about an immigrant named Atchandi.
[03:13] Frederick Moore: The post labeled Chandi as one of the worst criminals, but used a photo of a different person.
[03:19] Frederick Moore: It also claimed he had multiple felony convictions when he actually has only one.
[03:24] Evelyn Hartwell: Chandy is a former refugee from Laos who has lived in the United States since childhood.
[03:30] Evelyn Hartwell: His legal team noted that he has not missed a check-in with authorities in years.
[03:35] Frederick Moore: This incident has raised questions about the accuracy of the administration's public deportation narratives.
[03:42] Frederick Moore: Critics argue that misidentifying individuals undermines the credibility of federal law enforcement agencies.
[03:48] Evelyn Hartwell: I'm Evelyn Hartwell.
[03:50] Frederick Moore: And I'm Frederick Moore.
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