S9 Ep61: Epstein Spy Rumors, Arctic Power Plays, and Trump’s Ukraine Reversal | Espresso Martini

The MAGA movement cracks as Trump’s name surfaces in the Epstein
files and his administration fails to deliver the promised
disclosures. We unpack the backlash, the conspiracies, and the
lingering question of an intelligence connection to Jeffrey
Epstein’s crimes. Plus: a bizarre UK spy case involving Russia, a
USB stick, and a bicycle seat; the Arctic emerges as a flashpoint
for missile defense, climate competition, and great power
rivalry; and Trump’s reversal clears the way for new weapons to
reach Ukraine—just not from the US directly.

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Articles discussed in today’s episode

"Justice Department Told Trump in May That His Name Is Among Many
in the Epstein Files" by Sadie Gurman, Annie Linskey, Josh Dawsey
& Alex Leary | The Wall Street Journal:
https://www.wsj.com/politics/justice-department-told-trump-name-in-epstein-files-727a8038


"Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, and the Three Conspiracy-Theory
Theories" by Jon Allsop | The New Yorker:
https://www.newyorker.com/news/fault-lines/donald-trump-jeffrey-epstein-and-three-conspiracy-theory-theories


"Epstein, Maxwell, and the Intelligence Question We’re Not
Asking" by Frank Snepp | Frank Snepp 360 Substack:
https://snepp.substack.com/p/epstein-maxwell-and-the-intelligence


"The struggle for control of the Arctic is accelerating - and
riskier than ever" by Gordon Corera | BBC News:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-f92bc043-3893-4688-8937-fd9cad8b0d5b


"British man guilty of trying to spy for Russia" by Lewis Adams |
BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyn0ygwd7jo

"Ukraine Will Get US Weapons in a New Way. Here’s What We Know."
by Lara Jakes | The New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/world/europe/ukraine-weapons-us-nato.html


"Trump Sends Weapons to Ukraine: By the Numbers" by Mark F.
Cancian and Chris H. Park | Center for Strategic &
International Studies:
https://www.csis.org/analysis/trump-sends-weapons-ukraine-numbers


What else we’re reading this week

"Anti-Woke Dad Who Fled With Family to Russia Sent to War Zone"
by Josh Fiallo | The Daily Beast:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/texan-moved-fam-to-russia-to-flee-wokenow-hes-headed-to-ukraine-front-line/


"New U.S. assessment finds American strikes destroyed only one of
three Iranian nuclear sites" by Gordon Lubold, Courtney Kube,
Julie Tsirkin, Katherine Doyle, Dan De Luce & Carol E. Lee |
NBC News:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/new-us-assessment-finds-american-strikes-destroyed-only-one-three-iran-rcna218761


"It’s hunting season in orbit as Russia’s killer satellites
mystify skywatchers" by Stephen Clark | Ars Technica:
https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/07/its-hunting-season-in-orbit-as-russias-killer-satellites-mystify-skywatchers/


"'Sparring in space' – BBC gains rare access to US base tracking
global missile strikes" by Jonathan Beale | BBC News:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8k2nd7e9no

"Trump’s War on the ‘Deep State’ Comes for the Dogs" by Shane
Harris | The Atlantic:
https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/archive/2025/07/james-clapper-cia-dog-trump/683575/


"USAF Denies It Refueled Israel’s Fighters During War With Iran"
by Tyler Rogoway | The War Zone:
https://www.twz.com/air/u-s-denies-it-provided-aerial-tanker-support-for-israels-war-against-iran


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Secrets and Spies sits at the intersection of intelligence,
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