Trump’s Surprise Pivot on the Epstein Files, and Why Crypto A.T.M.s Are a Hub for Scams

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Headlines

Host: Tracy Mumford, The New York Times
Episode: Trump’s Surprise Pivot on the Epstein Files, and Why Crypto ATMs Are a Hub for Scams
Date: November 17, 2025

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Overview

This episode focuses on two top stories: President Trump's unexpected U-turn regarding the release of Epstein investigation files, and the proliferation of cryptocurrency ATMs as hotspots for scams. The podcast also touches briefly on recent immigration enforcement operations, shifts in travel regulations, and the box office crisis in Hollywood.

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1. Trump’s Reversal on the Epstein Files

Main Discussion: President Trump, after months of opposition, reversed his stance and now supports releasing the Justice Department's Epstein investigation files. The shift comes as internal GOP support for disclosure swells.

Key Points & Insights:

• Sudden Shift: Trump, who previously advised against Republican support for the bipartisan House measure, publicly encouraged them to vote for releasing the files, stating, “because we have nothing to hide” [00:37-01:25].
• Growing GOP Support:
  • Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY), a longtime Trump critic and leader of the disclosure effort, expressed confidence that “there could be 100 or more” Republicans backing the measure, aiming for a veto-proof majority [01:25-01:31].
• Massie’s Rationale:
  • Massie clarified: “I’ve never said that these files will implicate Donald Trump. I really don’t think that they will. I think he’s trying to protect a bunch of rich and powerful friends, billionaires, donors to his campaign. That’s my operating theory on why he’s trying so hard to keep these files closed.” [01:43-01:59]
• Context and Pressure:
  • Growing scrutiny since the Justice Department closed the Epstein case without expected “bombshell” revelations.
  • Release of thousands of Epstein emails last week, including claims Trump “spent hours at [Epstein’s] house with one of his victims and that he ‘knew about the girls.’” [01:59-02:36].
• Trump's Justification:
  • On social media, Trump claimed the issue is a “Democrat hoax perpetrated by radical left lunatics in order to deflect from the great success of the Republican Party.” [02:36-02:50].
• Uncertainty Remains:
  • Despite his reversal, it’s unclear if or when the Justice Department (which “Trump tightly controls”) will release the files.

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2. Immigration Crackdown in Charlotte

Main Discussion: The Trump administration continues its high-profile immigration enforcement, with a new focus on Charlotte, NC.

Key Points & Insights:

• Recent Raids:
  • Border Patrol agents conducted major operations in Charlotte, causing widespread closures of El Salvadoran restaurants and other businesses. Over 80 were arrested, some with no criminal records [02:50-04:06].
  • Victims included people involved in church events and even a US citizen.
• Criticism from Officials:
  • A local official (not named in the summary) stated:
    “Let me say this clearly. This is not about public safety. It is not about finding criminals. It is about fear. It is about quotas. And it’s about control.” [04:06-04:18]
• Resource Diversion:
  • The Times reported that the crackdown has redirected thousands of federal agents from other law enforcement areas, reducing time spent on child exploitation, human smuggling, and terrorism investigations [04:18-05:32].

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3. Other Trump Administration Updates

Air Travel Changes:

• Airport Flight Restrictions Lifted: Flight curbs imposed during the government shutdown (due to air traffic controller shortages) have now ended [05:32-06:12].
• End to Biden-Era Passenger Compensation Rule:
  • The Department of Transportation scrapped a rule requiring airlines to compensate delayed passengers, after industry pushback. The administration argues this will let airlines “compete on the services and compensation that they provide.” [06:12-06:54].

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4. Cryptocurrency ATMs & Scams

Main Discussion: The surge in crypto ATM locations has made them a primary target for scammers.

Key Points & Insights:

• Proliferation:
  • Over 28,000 crypto ATMs in the US, intended to make crypto accessible [06:55-07:15].
• Scam Example:
  • Story of a Wisconsin real estate agent who lost nearly $100,000 after making 19 deposits to a scammer she met on a dating app [07:15-07:41].
• Enforcement & Regulation:
  • The FBI reported nearly 11,000 complaints—and $240 million in losses—attributed to crypto ATM scams last year. Losses in the first half of this year have already matched that [07:41-08:05].
  • Some states, like California, are capping transactions at $1,000 per person/day. Companies claim scams are rare but are taking some steps (e.g., age-based phone alerts) to protect users—“They stopped more than 80% of those customers from going through with a transaction.” [08:20-08:47].

Notable Quote:

• “This is not about the charts. And finally, this is about Bruce Springsteen.”
  (Context unclear; could be a non sequitur or example of attempts to divert the topic) [09:17-09:26].

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5. Hollywood’s Box Office Crisis

Main Discussion: Despite massive marketing investments and A-list casts, Hollywood films are dramatically underperforming.

Key Points & Insights:

• Recent Major Flops:
  • Every major studio release, including star vehicles like The Hunt and Christie, has flopped. The Hunt grossed only $3.3M after a $70M budget [09:26-10:13].
• Industry Worries:
  • Multiple factors blamed: rising ticket prices, consumer preference for streaming, perhaps underwhelming films.
  • “It has seriously begun to look like the bottom is falling out now,” quotes Variety’s chief film critic [10:13-10:34].
• Outlook:
  • Remaining hope hinges on a few holiday releases, such as Marty Supreme starring Timothée Chalamet.

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Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• Rep. Thomas Massie on Trump's Motives:
  “I think he’s trying to protect a bunch of rich and powerful friends, billionaires, donors to his campaign. That’s my operating theory on why he’s trying so hard to keep these files closed.” [01:43]
• Local Official on ICE Operations: “This is not about public safety. It is not about finding criminals. It is about fear. It is about quotas. And it’s about control.” [04:06]
• Variety’s Chief Film Critic on Hollywood’s Crisis:
  “It has seriously begun to look like the bottom is falling out now.” [10:13]

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Conclusion

This episode offers a rapid-fire overview of the day’s most consequential news, with special attention to Trump’s dramatic reversal on Epstein document transparency and the alarming rise of financial scams via crypto ATMs. The reporting is underscored by concerns that priorities in federal enforcement may be shifting—with collateral effects—and by a deepening crisis in Hollywood’s box office relevance. The tone is brisk, factual, and urgent, aiming to inform general audiences with up-to-the-minute reporting and succinct analysis.

Transcript

[A]

This podcast is supported by USA for unhcr. A dire new report from the UN Refugee agency. As the numbers of people fleeing war escalate, funding shortages have left them without the basics to survive. The impact is devastating. Families who've lost everything now struggle in overcrowded camps without food, water or safe shelter. Your gift can rush clean water, hygiene kits and shelter materials within 72 hours of an emergency. Donate at unrefugees.org Headlines.

[B]

From the New York Times it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Monday, November 17th. Here's what we're covering. Late last night, in a sudden reversal, President Trump said he's now backing efforts to release the Epstein files. For months, they the White House had been urging Republicans not to support a bipartisan measure in the House that would compel the Justice Department to release documents from its investigation into the convicted sex offender. Now Trump says Republicans should vote to release the files, quote, because we have nothing to hide. His dramatic shift comes as the president faced the possibility that dozens of GOP lawmakers were preparing to break ranks with him and support the measure in a vote this week.

[C]

I think we could have a deluge of Republicans. There could be 100 or more. I'm hoping to get a veto proof.

[B]

Majority on Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky. The longtime Trump critic who's been leading the effort to push for the files release, said earlier on Sunday he was confident he had the votes.

[C]

I've never said that these files will implicate Donald Trump. I really don't think that they will. I think he's trying to protect a bunch of rich and powerful friends, billionaires, donors to his campaign. That's my operating theory on why he's trying so hard to keep these files closed.

[B]

Trump's connections to Epstein, who he was friendly with up until the early 2000s, have been under growing scrutiny since his attorney general announced the spring that the case would be closed without any of the bombshell revelations many Trump supporters felt they'd been promised. That scrutiny only ratcheted up last week when lawmakers released thousands of Epstein's emails. The messages included statements from Epstein that Trump, quote, spent hours at his house with one of his victims and that he, quote, knew about the girls. Now, in his post on social media announcing his reversal, Trump wrote, it's time to move on from this Democrat hoax perpetrated by radical left lunatics in order to deflect from the great success of the Republican Party. For the moment, it's unclear if or when the Justice Department which Trump tightly controls, will will move to release any of the files. Over the weekend, Border Patrol agents fanned out across Charlotte, North Carolina, making the city the latest focus of President Trump's highly visible crackdown on immigrants. As word of the operation spread, El Salvadoran restaurants were closed, street vendors who usually sell mangoes stayed home, and residents shared videos of masked Border Patrol agents arriving at small business and home depots across the city. They arrested more than 80 people, according to lawyers and immigrant advocacy groups. They targeted a man who was participating in a church cleanup day and another man who was putting up Christmas decorations. An agent was also filmed smashing the window of a truck, handcuffing the driver and detaining him for 20 minutes before he was let go. It turned out he was a US Citizen born in Honduras. A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security said agents were targeting violent criminals in Charlotte, though it's unclear how many of those who were arrested had criminal records in similar operations in Chicago and la. Just a few of the hundreds of people arrested had serious criminal records.

[D]

Let me say this clearly. This is not about public safety. It is not about finding criminals. It is about fear. It is about quotas. It is about and it's about control.

[B]

The agent's presence in Charlotte has sparked protests and pushback from some local and state officials. North Carolina's governor, a Democrat, urged residents to use their phones to record, quote, any inappropriate behavior by the federal agents. Meanwhile, the Times has found that the administration's intense focus on its immigration crackdown has undermined a wide range of other law enforcement operations. Thousands of federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security have been diverted from their normal duties so they can carry out immigration arrests, according to internal documents and interviews with more than 65 federal officials. That has caused major criminal investigations to be moved to the back burner, for example, in the first part of this year, investigators spent 33% fewer hours on child exploitation cases compared to previous years. Efforts to fight human smuggling and sex trafficking have also slowed, and an investigation into how Iranian oil sales have financed terrorism has been significantly impacted. A Homeland Security spokeswoman denied that the focus on immigration has had any negative effect on other work, saying crimes like child exploitation, trafficking and terrorism, quote, all have a nexus to illegal immigration. You can read the full [e-mail] now. Two other quick updates on the Trump administration. As of 6:00am this morning, federal authorities are ending the flight restrictions that they put in place at 40 of the country's major airports during the government shutdown. The Secretary of Transportation had ordered the airports to reduce flights by 3 to 6% amid a shortage of air traffic controllers as they were forced to work without pay for over a month. Since the shutdown ended, those staffing issues have eased. And in another air travel development, the Department of Transportation is killing off a Biden era proposal that would have forced airlines to pay customers for major travel disruptions. The rule would have guaranteed up to $775 in cash, along with meals and lodging for people delayed three hours or more for non weather related reasons. It was a move that passenger rights advocates said would ensure a basic level of care for travelers and incentivize airlines to keep flights on time. But it faced pushback from the airline industry, and the administration says removing the proposal will allow airlines to, quote, compete on the services and compensation that they provide to passengers. Over the last decade or so, cryptocurrency ATMs have been popping up in coffee shops, convenience stores, gas stations, all the places that you're used to seeing regular ATMs. But instead of connecting you to your bank account, the kiosks let you convert cash into crypto. The intent, according to one of the companies that got into the game early, was to introduce more people to cryptocurrency, make it accessible, and there's now more than 28,000 of the ATMs around the country. But the Times has been looking at how the machines have become a hub for scams as people get duped into depositing cash into them. For example, the Times talked with a real estate agent in Wisconsin who made 19 deposits thinking they were going to a man that she met on a dating app. He turned out not to be real, and she lost almost $100,000. Once those kinds of transactions are made, the digital currency can be quickly moved beyond the reach of US Law enforcement, and getting anything back is rare. Last year, the FBI tallied nearly 11,000 complaints about the machines, totaling more than $240 million in losses. In roughly the first half of this year, people have lost another $240 million in fraud at the ATMs. Some states have been trying to regulate the machines. California, for instance, recently capped crypto ATM transactions at a thousand dollars per person per day. In response to questions from the Times, many of the companies that operate the ATMs say scams are only a small portion of their transactions. And some of them said they're trying to help fight fraud, too. One company put in a policy to call customers who are over 60 years old when they register to use the machine. They then alert them to possible scams. The result? They stopped more than 80% of those customers from going through with a transaction.

[D]

Here's what I want you to understand. This is not about the charts. And finally, this is about Bruce Springsteen.

[B]

It was supposed to be a blockbuster season for Hollywood. In the past three months, studios have poured cash into marketing for their latest slate of films, many of them with a list stars. It's the right thing to do, isn't it? To tell someone and, you know, given your history, what does that mean, my history? There was the MeToo themed after the Hunt starring Julia Roberts. I'm stuck between wanting to do something and not wanting to do anything at all. The Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Pattinson drama Die My Love. Good Luck, Good Luck, Knock out and Sydney Sweeney throwing punches in the boxing biopic Christie. Not to mention movies with Keanu Reeves, Dwayne Johnson, Russell Crowe. But not One of the 25 comedies or dramas released to North American theaters recently has become a hit. Many of them have completely flopped. After The Hunt cost $70 million to make. After a month in theaters in the US and Canada, it brought in just 3.3 million. There's been a lot of finger pointing about what's gone wrong. Is it the audience's fault for only wanting to see big budget franchises and superhero sequels? Is it the theater's fault for raising ticket prices? Is it the movies themselves, even though many were critically acclaimed? Or is it that everyone's just gotten too used to watching Netflix at home? There are a lot of questions, but no clear answers. Just kind of a growing sense of doom. The October box office was the lowest on record, not counting 2020, when theaters were closed. And the chief film critic for Variety said, quote, it has seriously begun to look like the bottom is falling out now. There are still a few big movies left to come out this year, including Marty Supreme, a drama starring Timothee Chalamet. But it's a lot of pressure to put on a movie about a ping pong player from the 1950s. Those are the headlines today on the Daily A look at President Trump's proposal to make buying a house more affordable, including his idea for 50 year mortgages. You can listen to that in the New York Times app or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.