jeffrey epstein at that time. we don't know. >> we don't know. >> but he does -- he's not recusing himself because of that. >> well, the thing that's so weird to me is not in isolation that he hired him without, you know, the requisite experience, it's that, you know, sexual predation of this type, it's not something that starts when you're 35 or 45, right? if, you know, that's consistent and holds here and obviously the prosecution yesterday made an eloquent presentation sort of explaining some of this. he probably had some of these ba behaviors that folks were aware of at the time. the fact you're hiring someone who has no experience and this predation towards teenage girls and is trafficking girls, according to the paperwork filed yesterday. that's what bothers me. it's not hiring an inexperienced person. maybe he had great relationships. people get jobs all the time. it's the fact that he's a predator and you're placing him with potential victims and nobody's stepping in to say, wait, hold up, this person, we

jeffrey epstein at that time. we don't know. >> we don't know. >> but he does -- he's not recusing himself because of that. >> well, the thing that's so weird to me is not in isolation that he hired him without, you know, the requisite experience, it's that, you know, sexual predation of this type, it's not something that starts when you're 35 or 45, right? if, you know, that's consistent and holds here and obviously the prosecution yesterday made an eloquent presentation sort of explaining some of this. he probably had some of these behaviors that folks were aware of at the time. the fact you're hiring someone who has no experience and this predation towards teenage girls and is trafficking girls, according to the paperwork filed yesterday. that's what bothers me. it's not hiring an inexperienced person. maybe he had great relationships. people get jobs all the time. it's the fact that he's a predator and you're placing him with potential victims and nobody's stepping in to say, wait, hold up, this person, we nee

it includes people like jeffrey epstein. people are asking the question because he is wielding authority and power and bill clinton isn't. >> let's take the case down the road. let's assume you got to a point of a conviction with jeffrey epstein. he doesn't have fear of incrimination. can you take him before a grand jury to get under oath testimony from him? if he doesn't have fifth amendment rights to protect? >> he could, but he could say there are other rights he still had. the issue really is that after someone is convicted and received a significant sentence, they don't have a lot of incentive to play ball. they may be obligated to tell the truth, but if he is facing decades in prison at 66 years old, it's a drop in the bucket. >> what would the worries be in donald trump's mind tonight? >> i think he's going to be worried about what compromising information jeffrey epstein has about trump and the relationship. the other big mystery about jeffrey epstein is not just the video goods he had on different people. no one rea

it includes people like jeffrey epstein. people are asking the question because he is wielding authority and power and bill clinton isn't. >> let's take the case down the road. let's assume you got to a point of a conviction with jeffrey epstein. he doesn't have fear of incriminati incrimination. can you take him before a grand jury to get under oath testimony from him? if he doesn't have fifth amendment rights to protect? >> par couhe could, but he coul there are other rights he still had. the issue really is that after someone is convicted and received a significant snls, th they don't have a lot of incentive to play ball. they may be obligated to tell the truth, but if he is facing decades in prison at 66 years old, it's a drop in the bucket. >> what would the worries be in donald trump's mind tonight? >> i think he's going to be worried about what compromising information jeffrey epstein has about trump and the relationship. the other big mystery about jeffrey epstein is not just the video goods he had on different peopl

epstein at the time she said she was raped by jeffrey epstein. columnist at "the washington post" and msnbc contributor. the president of the center for american progress. ruth, let me begin with you and i open it to your reaction in any way you want. >> thanks. i have watched this interview and read the transcript of this interview so many times today. each time it becomes even more heart breaking and even more powerful. i'm struck by a few things. the degree to which this was part of a plan. a well orchestrate and a plan that unfolded over not weeks, but months. that led up to what she now understands is rape. i'm so interested that she took the step today to try to get the information about other perpetrators about the identity of the recruiter. jeffrey epstein, if he did what she says he did and did what he has been accused of by the southern district of new york, is a terrible, despicable actor and he didn't act alone. other people need to be brought to justice. i'm also struck equally by that sense of shame. that sense of self loathing and

that's a jeffrey epstein special. what's happening within the trump administration is that we have an alarmingly large number of men who either have been accused credibly or rape, accused of sexual assault, accused of domestic violence, who have found their way into the white house, into the administration where they find protection by the president who has been accused by some 17 women of his own just three weeks ago, we had a credible accusation of rape against our president. i think at this point, we can see the pattern. we understand that these men are not engaged in helping women. they don't care when it's young girls. we saw the republican party stand by roy moore in alabama after it came out he booabused y young girls. i think that told women what we needed to know whether republicans are going to take this seriously. >> acosta isn't accused of this, he's accused of handling the case badly. >> jeffrey epstein basically operated in open sight for a very long time because of men like acosta who were able to help

epstein at the time she said she was ra raped by jeffrey epstein. columnist at "the washington post" and msnbc contributor. the president of the center for american progress. ruth, let me begin with you and i open it to your reaction in any way you want. >> thanks. i have watched this interview and read the transcript of this interview so many times today. each time it becomes even more heart breaking and even more powerful. i'm struck by a few things. the degree to which this was part of a plan. a well orchestrate and a plan that unfolded over not weeks, but months. that led up to what she now understands is rape. i'm so interested that she took the step today to try to get the information about other perpetrators about the identity of the recruiter. jeffrey epstein, if he did what she says he did and did what he has been accused of by the southern district of new york, is a terrible, despicable actor and he didn't act alone. other people need to be brought to justice. i'm also struck equally by that sense of shame. that sense of self loathing and

of the school which hired jeffrey epstein in the 1970s. no connection necessarily but just the tentacles of this case, in this administration and past administrations seem to be everywhere. >> yeah, i mean, i think, you know, the tie to the law firm, the fact that a big law firm, a big litigation firm would cause a recusal is not something that should raise eyebrows, there's no question that this was a guy who was incredibly wealthy, who had connections to power, who used those connections, who's certainly going to use them in the course of his defense as well, who's hired a very prominent defense lawyer now, and winegarten who has defended prominent clinton administration folks, so you know, i mean, again, this is a guy who traveled in very powerful circles. it's not surprising the tentacles would reach this far. >> about the bill clinton stuff, sources in the current white house say -- have shared why this is all so uncomfortable. here's what the "washington post" reports, officials at the white house are nervous that democrats will enco

jeffrey epstein stayed free. jeffrey epstein could not be held accountable for his alleged crimes toward courtney wild and those dozens of other women like her with that non-prosecution agreement still on the books in florida. in florida. over the weekend, federal prosecutors in new york city busted down the door of jeffrey epstein's manhattan mansion and arrested him at the airport after he landed in his private jet fresh off a vacation in france. this morning, jeffrey epstein was arraigned in federal court on federal sex trafficking charges in the state of new york. in this new indictment, prosecutors allege that between the years of 2002 and 2005, epstein abused dozens of underage girls at his homes in manhattan and in palm beach. the allegations are practically a mirror image of the allegations written up against epstein more than a decade ago in florida, the ones that were shelved by alex acosta. they cover the same period, the same crimes -- kinds of lurid sex crimes against children, but they are new charg

those are the kids who people like jeffrey epstein target. this he know they're desperate and sometimes a 13-year-old who is desperate for even $10 for something to eat, they are going to listen to one of these recruiters that epstein was using who says, oh, this is a glamorous thing, this guy is very wealthy, you are going to love it. all you have to do is give him a little massage and you are going to make a lot of money. it sounds great to a desperate child. as the indictment suggests, it's not quite that simple, they end up moving very quickly from giving epstein massages to sexual abuse and in a sense they get trapped. they get trapped in the lifestyle. so i think one of the most important things we heard today was this urging of victims to come forward. we are talking about dozens and dozens. that's the language that we heard. dozens and dozens of victims in new york and dozens and dozens of victims in florida. potentially, you know, 100 different victims are still out there. this indictment alleges only three different victims. we know

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meet jeffrey epstein. that's next. i can't tell you who i am or what i witnessed, but i can tell you liberty mutual customized my car insurance so i only pay for what i need. oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no... only pay for what you need. liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ >>> one of the alleged victim who is came forward after he was arrest side jennifer araoz who went public with accusations yesterday in an interview with savannah guthrie. >> did jeffrey epstein rape you? >> yeah, he raped me. forcefully raped me and knew exactly what he was doing. i don't think cared. what hurrs even more so is that if i wasn't afraid to come forward sooner, then maybe he wouldn't have done it to other girls. i feel really guilty. to this day i feel really guilty. >> joining us is kimberly learner, an attorney representing jennifer araoz who accused jeffrey epstein of rafg her at 15 years old. asking the why j to allow him to go home for house arrest. >> that are would be absurd. he is a flight risk. he has more means

epstein -- used by jeffrey epstein several times. yesterday his lawyers said the passport was never used and its purpose was to try to convince potential terrorists that jeffrey epstein is not jewish. it contains his residence to be saudi arabia. prosecutors said the passport contains numerous stamps that reflect use of the passport to enter france, spain, the united kingdom and saudi arabia in the 80s. in "vanity fair," the epstein case could create problems for more people outside the courtroom than just donald trump. they represent some of the women ho accused jeffrey epstein of abusing them said nobody around epstein a lot is going to have an easy time now. it's all going to come out. another person involved with litigation said it's going to be staggering, the amount of names. after a break, joyce vance will join us with what she expects to see in court tomorrow. to see in court tomorrow. i had always heard stories about my great grandfather, but family can only tell you so much... about your history. i found some incredible rec

epstein -- used by jeffrey epstein several times. yesterday his lawyers said the passport was never used and its purpose was to try to convince potential terrorists that jeffrey epstein is not jewish. it contains his residence to be saudi arabia. prosecutors said the passport contains numerous stamps that reflect use of the passport to enter france, spain, the united kingdom and saudi arabia in the 80s. in "vanity fair," the epstein case could create problems for more people outside the courtroom than just donald trump. they represent some of the women ho accused jeffrey epstein of abusing them said nobody around epstein a lot is going to have an easy time now. it's all going to come out. another person involved with litigation said it's going to be staggering, the amount of names. after a break, joyce vance will join us with what she expects to see in court tomorrow. in court . ♪ limu emu & doug what do all these people have in common, limu? [ paper rustling ] exactly, nothing. they're completely different people, that's why they

he could see jeffrey epstein. he told me that jeffrey epstein's face did not move. he stayed fixed on the judge. i could see him as you say from behind, bolt upright, shaven in the blue prison uniform. he was putting on the show of his life. he put it on, i have to say, today. this is a very big decision coming down on thursday. >> barbara mcquaid, this judge seems disinclined to give people bail, but when he finds we found one fake passport in one home and the judge knows he has a home in the virgin islands and another in paris and another in florida, how many fake passports does he have in safes in the other houses that someone in the epstein operation can get to him? >> this seems like a strong case for detention. normally there is a presumption in favor of release unless there are no conditions that assure the person will come back for trial or assure the safety of the community. in this case there is a rare list of just a few statutes that has the presumption going the other way. the judge is to presume detention when and if they are charged with very serious c

>> jeffrey epstein. power, i think the whole reason he got away for so long is the extraordinary network that he could bring down with him. that is why he has remained untouchable for so long. his friendships are big part of the story. amy: well, we will certainly continue to follow this. vicky ward investigative , journalist who profiled jeffrey epstein for vanity fair in 2003 in a piece headlined "the talented mr. epstein." shockingome back, the case in alabama were prosecutors have dropped manslaughter charges against a pregnant woman whose pregnancy ended after she were shot in the stomach a coworker, then sheer self was charged with manslaughter. stay with us. ♪ [music break] amy: "bim bom" by joao gilberto. the legendary brazilian composer and performer and father of bossa nova died saturday at the age of 88. this is democracy now!, i'm amy goodman. we turn now to alabama, where under immense public pressure prosecutors have dropped manslaughter charges against a pregnant womoman whose pregnanay

jeffrey epstein also has connections to bill clinton. a clinton spokesman said the former president took a total of four trips on epstein's private jet in 2002 and 2003 including stops in connection with the clinton foundation. clinton knows nothing about epstein's terrible crimes. >>> a plan to let you see drug prices was nixed. it ruled the agency overstepped its authority. the judge says the responsibility of driving down drug prices lies with congress. putting prices in ads was the center piece of the white house effort to bring down drug prices but experts say it could be misleading because most people with insurance pay far less. >>> joe biden says he opposes the medicare for all plan being promoted by many of his democratic rivals. the former vice president was a top polling democrat who does not support a single payer health insurance. that kind of system could not could exist with the affordable care act. >> i think they think they have the right answer but, look, starting over would be, i think, a sin. if you are satisfied with

of jeffrey epstein. and she was able to track that down through dogged reporting, following breadcrumbs and eventually getting four to talk on the record to us. and, you know, who knows what has transpired in the ten years where basically after this sweetheart deal took place and now. >> the m.o. that's described in the four on the record conversations that happened, julie brown and folks can look at that at "miami herald," fit squarely with the pattern that is established here. what does it say to you that doj is now doing -- taking another run at this? >> well, what's happened here is doj and all the attention that this case has gotten in the past few years, and credit definitely goes to the press, credit goes to the victims, credit goes to the victims' lawyers for keeping this alive. i think when judge mara came down with that decision in february and said the miami u.s. attorney's office violated the law and did not give the victims the sufficient notice that they are required by law to give them abo

not a fan of jeffrey epstein's. you watched people yesterday saying that i threw him out of a club. i didn't want anything to do with him. that was many, many years ago. it shows you one thing, that i have good taste, okay. other people, they went all over with him. they went to his island. they went all over the place. he was very well known in palm beach. but jeffrey epstein was not somebody that i respected. i threw him out. in fact, i think the great james patterson, who's a member of mar-a-lago, made a statement yesterday that many years ago i threw him out. i'm not a fan of jeffrey epstein. >> the pedophile, the prosecutor, and the president. that is where we start today with some of our favorite reporters and friends. former u.s. attorney joyce vance. white house reporter for "the washington post," ashley parker. with us at the table former assistant director for counterintelligence at the fbi, frank figliuzzi. karine jean-pierre is back, senior adviser to moveon.org and executive editor for bloomberg opinion

acosta is under intense scrutiny for a deal he gave sex offender and multi-millionaire jeffrey epstein back in 2008. here is what the president said while in the oval office just moments ago. >> i met secretary acosta, this is the first time i know when i made the deal to bring him on into the administration. i can tell you that for two and a half years he's been just an excellent secretary of labor. he's done a fantastic job. now, part of it is our economy is so good, our unemployment numbers are at record lows, you know, so many good things are happening, but the fact is he's been a very good secretary of labor. what happened 12 or 15 years ago with respect to when he was a u.s. attorney, i think in miami -- is it miami? >> yes. >> you know, if you go back and look at everybody else's decisions, whether it's a u.s. attorney or an assistant u.s. attorney or a judge, you go back 12, 15 years ago or 20 years ago and look at their past decisions, i would think you would probably find that they wish they maybe did it a different way. i do hear that there were a lot of people involved in t

charges against jeffrey epstein. the charges allllege that e epsn sexuxually abused d young girlsy enticing them to engage in sex acts for money. amy: billionaire hedge fund manager jeffrey epstein has been charged in a manhattan federal court with sex trafficking and conspiracy. after the billionaire received a lenient plea deal from alexander acosta, who is now the nation's labor secretary. calls are mounting for acosta across this resignation. plus, we go to brazil to speak w who stillreenwald, under investigation himself and facing death threats for exposing a a massive political scandal involving brazil's justice minister, the f former judge who jailed luiziznacio lula da silva, paving the way for jair bolsonaro's election. commander ofthe the prosecutorial team and walking into court as though he were sitting judging lula's case and others as a neutral arbiter. everything may be a merely denied to the public they were doing, in fact they were doing for yearss as these documents show. amy: we look at the ongogoi

charges against jeffrey epstein. the charges allllege that e epsn sexuxually abused d young girlsy enticing them to engage in sex acts for money. amy: billionaire hedge fund manager jeffrey epstein has been charged in a manhattan federal court with sex trafficking and conspiracy. after the billionaire received a lenient plea deal from alexander acosta, who is now the nation's labor secretary. calls are mounting for acosta across this resignation. plus, we go to brazil to speak w who stillreenwald, under investigation himself and facing death threats for exposing a a massive political scandal involving brazil's justice minister, the f former judge who jailed luiz inacio lula da silva, paving the way for jair bolsonaro's election. commander ofthe the prosecutorial team and walking into court as though he were sitting judging lula's case and others as a neutral arbiter. everything may be a merely denied to the public they were doing, in fact they were doing for yearss as these documents show. amy: we look at the ongogoi

donald trump and jeffrey epstein. over the past few weeks, pictures emerged of donald trump and jeffrey epstein hanging out at mar-a-lago. here's them in 1997. here's them in the year 2000. in this later photo, donald trump is alongside melania, who was his girlfriend at the time and would become his wife and a british socialize who stands accused of having recruited the underage girls who were groomed to have sex with epstein. she denied wrongdoing. then the profile from jeffrey epstein in 2002 in which donald trump talks about what great pals they are and how great jeffrey epstein is as a buddy. i have known jeff for 15 years. terrific guy. a lot of fun to be with. he likes beautiful women as much as i do and many are on the younger side. no doubt about it, jeffrey enjoys his social life. golf magazine recounted the time that epstein showed up late for a ride on his plane. a rolodex of his contacts shows no fewer than 15 ways to get in contact with donald trump. 15 different numbers for trump and people who worked f

donald trump and jeffrey epstein. over the past few weeks, pictures emerged of donald trump and jeffrey epstein hanging out at mar a lago. here's them in 1997. here's them in the year 2000. in this later photo, donald trump is alongside melania who was his girlfriend at the time and would become his wife and a british socialize who stands accused of having recruited the underage girls who were groomed to have sex with epstein. she denied wrong-doing. then the profile from jeffrey epstein in 2002 in which donald trump talks about what great pals they are and how great jeffrey epstein is as a buddy. i have known jeff for 15 years. terrific guy. a lot of fun to be with. he likes beautiful women as much as i do and many are on the younger side. no doubt about it; jeffrey enjoys his social life. golf magazine recounted the time that epstein showed up late for a ride on his plane. a rolodex of his contacts shows no fewer than 15 ways to get in contact with donald trump. 15 different numbers for trump and people who worked f

epstein. >> i wasn't a big fan of jeffrey epstein, that i can tell you and now if you look at the remnants hurt this man >> tonight new scrutiny of all

spot the underage girls were initially recruited to provide jeffrey epstein with massages, and often did so new to, or partially nude. the is massages became increasingly sexual in nature.>> the indictment said sexually he sexually exported minors as young as 14 in his homes in york and florida. from at least 2002 to 2005 he recruited dozens of girls to engage in sex acts and gave them hundreds of dollars off cash. over the weekend federal agents arrested the hedge fund manager after he returned from paris and rated his mansion in new york. jeffrey epstein is associated with powerful people including former president bill clinton and donald trump when he was a private citizen. back in 2002, mr. trump told new york magazine, i have known jeff for 15 years. a terrific guy, and that he likes beautiful women as much as i do. and many of them are on the younger side. this is the second time federal prosecutors have gone after jeffrey epstein, back in 2008, there was outrage after federal prosecutors stop a plea deal without consulting his victims. >> they deserve their day in court. we ar

>> it was a long time really. >> did jeffrey epstein rape you? >> yeah, no, he raped me. forcefully raped me. knew exactly what he was doing. and i don't think cared. what hurts even more so is if i wasn't afraid to come forward sooner, then maybe he wouldn't have done it to other girls. i feel really guilty. to this day i feel really guilty. >> tragically, the disturbing story shared by that brave young woman is just one of dozens. "the miami herald" reported this back in november. quote, the herald identified 80 women who say they were molested or otherwise sexually abused by epstein between 2001 and '06. about 60 of them were located. now they're scattered around the country and abroad. eight of them agreed to be interviewed on or off the record. four were willing to speak on video. the women are now mothers, wives, nurses, bartenders, realtors, hairdressers and teachers. one a hollywood actress. several have grappled with trauma, depression and addiction. some have served time in prison. a few did not survive. one young woman was found dead last year in a rundown mote

lorid sexual allegations against investment banker jeffrey epstein. new york prosecutors looking for more. >> if you believe you are a victim of this man jeffrey epstein or you have evidence or information leading to the conflict alleged in the indictment unsealed today we want to hear from you. >> reporter: the allegations over four years, epstein lured underage women and some as young as 14 years old to massage him and -- and engage in sexual acts in his florida and new york homes. epstein has pleaded not guilty to the charges. epstein arrested saturday on his private jet upon returning from paris. shortly after investigators forced their way into his manhattan mansion. in addition to finding hundreds, possibly thousands of photos of nude and partially nude young women, some of them locked in a safe, investigators found, quote, compact disks are hand written labels including the following ysh young name but name and miscellaneous nudes one and girl picks nude. >> the alleged behavior shocked the conscious. >> reporter: epstein already a registered s

attorney a decade ago when he cut a secret plea deal for multi-millionaire jeffrey epstein who faced sex charges and now with epstein facing new charges for allegedly running a sex trafficking network and abusing underage girls, joe biden is the latest to demand that acosta resign. president trump says acosta is doing a great and fantastic job. but said the matter must be looked at closely. i'll speak with democratic candidate amy klobuchar and congressman john garamendi and our correspondents will have full coverage. let's begin with our chief white house correspondent jim acosta. a member of the trump cabinet is under fire for his controversial actions in a previous job. what is the latest? >> reporter: he certainly is, wolf. president trump is stepping up to defend his labor secretary who is is facing calls to resign over his handling of the jeffrey epstein case. president said secretary alex acosta is doing a fantastic job. mr. trump also tried to distance himself from epstein in the oval office earlier today after once describing him alz a terrific guy. >> thank you very much --

jeffrey epstein has connections to bill clinton. the clinton spokesperson said president clinton took a total of four trips on his private jet in 2002 and 2003 including stops for the clinton foundation. mr. clinton has not spoken to mr. epstein in well over a decade and he knows nothing about epstein's, quote, terrible crimes. >>> a plan to let you see drug prices on tv ads nixed by a federal judge was set to take effect today. they vacated the health and human services measure. the judge says the responsibility of tracking down drug prices lies with congress putting the prices in ads was the center piece of a white house effort to bring down drug prices. experts say it could be misleading since most people with insurance pay far less. >>> joe biden says he opposes the medicare for all plan being promoted by many of the democratic rivals. the former democratic vice president is the only one of the four top polling dems who does not support some form of it. it could not co exist. >> i think they think they have the right answer. sta

i'm not a fan of jeffrey epstein. >> all right, so, alex acosta is gone as a result of epstein. we also know that bill clinton was a close associate of jeffrey epstein, who on his private jet a number of times. and then in 2011 the manhattan district attorney's office, cy vance, democrat come in 2011 asked for jeffrey epstein's sex offender status to be reduced to the lowest possible. so there's still a lot of questions, harris, to be asked and answered about jeffrey epstein and his connections to rich, powerful people and people in the legal world. >> harris: i saw you kind of go back and forth there. it does get confusing. convicted predator, accused trafficker, all of it bad. >> well, he's accused again of being a sexual predator. >> harris: john roberts, thank you very much. i want to bring in marc lotter, former special assistant to president trump. he is currently the strategic communications director for the president's reelection campaign. marc, always good to see you. >> thank you, harris. >> harris: the president said at one point that he told alex acosta today, "the m

but, jeffrey epstein was not somebody that i respected. i threw him out. >> so, craig, acosta will lose his position at the end of next week. he said he'd stay on for another seven days. they have a develop that they are saying is going to be the acting director. that makes three acting direct towards. and the president ges on oes on talk about the economy, ohio, wisconsin. a wide-ranging discussion. take shots at paul ryan, weighing in on iran, trying to defend nancy pelosi. i'm sure you have a busy hour trying to sort it all out. >> it was odd, hans, to hear -- peter pointed this out pit don't know if he did it on the air. it was odd to hear him go after some of the aforementioned, but he never said anything disparaging about jeffrey epstein. >> yeah. i mean, i don't know -- i think the white house's strategy on this is to basically pretend that donald trump didn't have a relationship and if he did it was so long ago and then he severed that relationship and moved on. it is slightly -- given how quickly the president is to criticize memb

which gave multi-millionaire jeffrey epstein a light sentence for sex crimes involving underage girls. acosta said his office stepped in when state prosecutors were ready to let epstein walk. epstein faces new federal charges for allegedly running a sex trafficking ring and abusing minors. sources say president trump told acosta to step forward amid a drum beat of calls for his resignation. and house democrats are scrambling to get ready for the testimony of robert mueller. they're trying to make the most of limited time but some are already cautioning against expecting too much from the hearings. the testimony is seen as a make or break moment for democrats pushing for an impeachment inquiry. i'll speak with senator james langford of the senate homeland security committee. and our correspondents and analysts will have full coverage of the day's top stories. but let's begin with the breaking news. our chief white house constituent jim acosta standing by. the president's embattled labor secretary is defending his actions as a u.s. attorney a decade ago. >> reporter: in an update, so fa

that president could speak about jeffrey epstein. an hour ago, he pleaded not guilty in federal court to running a massive underage sex trafficking ring. federal prosecutors in new york accusing jeffrey epstein of abusing dozens of girls, some as young

. >> why are you talking about alex acosta and not jeffrey epstein. jeffrey epstein is the one raping young girls. >> so why are people talking about alex acosta as opposed to jeffrey epstein as kellyanne conway asks. >> well, i think as you mentioned, thanks to the "miami-herald" and the work of many, he's going to jail. but alex acosta is in the cabinet of the president of the united states and from great reporting, he is somebody who covered up the disgusting work of a pedophile and a sex trafficker by helping him get the sweetheart deal. that shouldn't be mg we find acceptable. not confusing or surprising that kellyanne conway is defending it giving trump is defending it but that shouldn't be the bar that we accept and we're talking about him because he's somebody that is running the labor department in the united states. >> and one of the things, one of the points that critics are making is that a judge in florida found that acosta, we made this point earlier, acosta violated the law by not letting the victims, the survivors know about the plea a

without the work of art prosecutors, jeffrey epstein would have gotten away with just the state charge. his >> reporter: the white house is defending labor secretary alex acosta, over his handling the plea deal for billionaire financier jeffrey epstein, when acosta was a u.s. attorney in miami. select the defense attorneys in the case exit try to get alex a reload because they thought he was an aggressive prosecutor. >> reporter: epstein was given a 13 month sentence allowed him to leave jail and go to work six days a week. acosta also made an agreement with epstein's attorneys to keep the plea deal a secret from the victims in the case. something a florida judge ruled that the this year was illegal.>> i reached out to mr. acosta numerous time saying, just sit down with us and explain why. >> reporter: many lawmakers are asking the same question, and they want a justice disbarred justice department probe launched examining the jeffrey epstein plea deal to be made public. epstein's attorney in the agreement defended the plea deal thing the federal government did not have enough evidence

i mean, jeffrey epstein sold himself to the wealthy. he deliberately cultivated this image of someone a bit of an eccentr eccentric. he sold himself as someone with a fantastic financial resume, which was not in fact the truth. you know, if you actually looked in the markets, you would find no footprint of him. he wasn't trained as a lawyer. so he had -- he wasn't qualified to run people's trusts and estates, which is what he claimed to be doing. >> you know, jill, this is the kind of character that seems made for the bad values of "vanity fair," a magazine that seems to deal with the very rich and awful. unfortunately, vicky, they talk about people that are really bad people, but they had a lot of money therefore worthy of our attention. what do you think is going on in white house? i heard the approximately rather warily say -- he never takes a good look at anything. he said we're going give a really good look at this guy. it sounds to me like he is zaentzing himself. >> very much. >> so acosta let him off basically. >> first of all,

with jeffrey epstein, a guy with a lot of influence. a guy with a lot of money, a guy with a lot of bipartisan connections. judy? >> whether you are buying your way into college or buying your way out of jail, the notion that there are two sets of laws in this country and punishments, one for the ordinary people and one for the rich and well-connected, is something that really does resonate in politics. and i think about the fact the president was so cautious and said we are looking into it, that we didn't know epstein, tes a great deal but i want comfortably must be with whatever happened during that sentencing. suppression of witness testimony what appears to be sweetheart deal is very troubling on its surface. that's why i don't think you see a lot of republicans rallying around mr. acosta. >> harris: as you watch the president, he chose his words carefully, particularly toward the end. your thoughts? >> i think everybody that has been in politics for a long time, everybody who has been in new york society for a long time, might be l

so who is jeffrey epstein? he made a lot of money in the '70s and '80s working in finance, that paid his entrance fee into exclusive social services and political ones. donald trump back in 2002 called epstein a terrific guy. and records show former president bill clinton flew on one of epstein's planes more than once.

but he distanced himself from jeffrey epstein. in the reality, he's been -- he said i was never a fan. in fact he was a fan. he was a fan of him in the early 2000s or so. >> he was a terrific guy. >> he was quoted as saying he was a terrific guy. so i'm not sure if they have spoken in the last 15 years. the president says they haven't. i think most notable from that was him not mentioning a word about these young, young girls. >> the part about him just saying that he's been an excellent secretary of labor is also interesting. it's a far less important kind of undercurrent to the acosta story line but we've been reporting about some agitation elsewhere in the administration over alex acosta and his handling of various issues as labor secretary. mick mulvaney is not a fan. he's been clashing with the domestic policy council over kind of the pace of rolling out deregulatory efforts. obviously not as serious as what's going on right now, but that's another story line to watch as well. >> if acosta stays in the news over the next 72 h

embattled labor secretary alex acosta defending handling of the sex crimes case involving jeffrey epstein. was the defense enough to keep his job? did it add up? plus the fed chief pushing back against the president, vowing to stay on the job, despite the attacks of the president. peter nafr ho assist to the president outfront. please kamala harris the latest contender to embrace alexandria ocasio-cortes. is it enough to win the rising star's support and does it help or hurt kamala's efforts? let's go outfront. >>> and good evening, i'm erin burnett, outfront tonight, itching for a fight. nas president trump's attitude tonight, according to a senior administration official. and it's all about the growing calls for trump's embattled hand picked labor secretary to resign for not prosecuting jeffrey epstein. epstein is accused of raping younger girls. the president sending alex acosta before cameras for an hour to defend himself. and acosta performed a audience everyone. he was unapologyist fiercely defending his role in securing the sweetheart deal in 2008 for epstein. >> a state grand jury

where was jeffrey epstein in 1994. he was leasing a building from the state department which means he would have commit today crime on federal property. >> okay. this is just so weerdz. tim o'brien, thank you very much. thomas, thank you very much. mya is going to stick with us. when we come back w famous author james patterson, i spoke to him this week and he had some interesting things to say about this same story. you won't want to miss that. t this same story. you won't want to miss that. [alarm beeping] {tires screeching} {truck honking} (avo) life doesn't give you many second chances. but a subaru can. (dad) you guys ok? you alright? wow. (avo) eyesight with pre-collision braking. standard on the subaru ascent. presenting the three-row subaru ascent. love is now bigger than ever. whooo! want to take your next vacation to new heights? tripadvisor now lets you book over a hundred thousand tours, attractions, and experiences in destinations around the world! like new york! from bus tours, to breathtaking adventures,

i knew jeffrey epstein a bit when he first came to new york. he sort of plunged into the new york scene with a ton of money, of certain whereabouts. i'm not saying it was illegal but nobody understand where he came from and he showed up in the mansion and began to surround himself with rich and powerful friends. basically, the best friends money could buy with trips on his plane, with trips to the various islands and resorts and ranches and befriended a lot of people. when he began -- when he got in trouble, he surrounded himself with every expensive lawyer, the best lawyers he could find with the most money. and they ultimately -- how ever they did it, we don't know how, they managed to convince the federal prosecutors to agree to the nonprosecution agreement. i think what you have seen, there may be some corruption there. as mike just said the fact it's been referred to the division, how they did it, we don't know. when you bring in the most persuasive lawyers in america, you do sometimes get justice to tilt the wrong way to tilt in the favor

i have a lot more to talk to you about with the jeffrey epstein case. read elie's column at cnn.com/opinion and ask your own questions. >>> rolling out the red carpet. a new cnn original series "the movies" remere premieres tonig. we go live to brooke baldwin and take you to the fun, next. air wick's new technology releases fragrance upwards and outwards unlike febreze. so now you can fill every corner with fragrance. upgrade to air wick. hi. maria ramirez! mom! maria! maria ramirez... mcdonald's is committing 150 million dollars in tuition assistance, education, and career advising programs... prof: maria ramirez mom and dad: maria ramirez!!! to help more employees achieve their dreams. mom and dad: maria ramirez!!! this, is why we no longer have to worry about flushing too much toilet paper. rid-x contains billions of enzymes proven to break down even paper to keep your whole septic system healthy. rid-x, the number 1 septic brand. also from rid-x, try new rv odor control. here are evenonere reasons to join t-mobile. do you like stranger things? sure

now jeffrey epstein is in jail, accused of sexually abusing dozens of minor girls. this is what the president said last week. >> well, i knew him like people in palm beach knew him. he was fixture in palm beach. i had a falling out with him a long time ago. i don't think i've spoken to him for 15 years. i wasn't a fan. i was not -- yeah, a long time ago. i'd say maybe 15 years. i was not a fan of his. that i can tell you. >> trump tried to distance himself even more from epstein days later, pushing out his secretary of labor who gave epstein the infamous sweetheart deal when he was accuse to have had same crimes over a decade ago. epstein is expected to find out tomorrow whether he'll get bail, but prosecutors say he is a serious flight risk. today prosecutors told the judge epstein used a foreign passport with a fake name to enter several countries in the 1980s, what? including the uk, france, spain, and saudi arabia. they say the passport was found inside a safe, and then i quote again here, along with $70,000 in cash and loose diamonds, like you do. it's importan

-- they were no match for jeffrey epstein. he was too powerful. it's exactly what all jeffrey epstein's victims have been saying all this time -- >> what do you think changed this time? as we were talking about the indictment today, it is a litany of all the things that i've heard before. the only difference is who will stand behind >> the culture has changed and importantly the light that the miami harold shed on the victims stories that were incredibly poignant and credible. back in 2008, alan told accost a. he was going to make mincemeat of the women. in the miami harold showed they were credible and the stories were awful. and what happened is congress reacted. the republican from nebraska should get a big shout out for teaming up with the democrats for saying wait a minute how did this happen? they went back -- >> what was that in 2008? >> that's the point. >> who made the phone calls. it wasn't the trump administration. this was a long time ago. this was in clinton land. where did this happen? he was friends with clinton