The Jim Acosta Show: “Chicago Teens Ben and Sam Who Track ICE plus Epstein Survivor Attorney Arick Fudali”

Release Date: December 11, 2025
Host: Jim Acosta
Guests: Arick Fudali (Attorney for Epstein survivors), Dan Ming (journalist), Audrey Lumen and her sons, Ben and Sam (Chicago activists)

Episode Overview

This episode of The Jim Acosta Show features two major stories that spotlight advocacy, accountability, and the fight against fear and secrecy:

• First, Jim interviews attorney Arick Fudali about the looming deadline for the Trump administration to release the full Jeffrey Epstein files, the survivors’ quest for truth, and the ongoing struggle for justice and transparency.
• Second, Jim speaks to Chicago mother Audrey Lumen and her teenage sons, Ben and Sam, who have become citizen journalists, documenting and tracking ICE actions in their neighborhood, with reporting support from journalist Dan Ming. Their grassroots resistance against unjust deportations offers a unique youth and family perspective.
• The show also covers political commentary on Trump’s White House, ongoing immigration raids, public trust, and the responsibility of the press.

1. The Epstein Files: Justice, Transparency and Fears of a Cover-Up

Guest: Arick Fudali, Attorney for Epstein Survivors

Background

• A deadline is approaching for the Trump administration to release the Epstein files, per a new law passed by Congress.
• Democratic Senators Schiff and Durbin have requested an expedited, independent review of the DOJ and FBI’s handling of the files (00:43).

Key Insights and Discussion Points

• Distrust in the Process

  • Fudali welcomes the independent review, citing long-standing mistrust of how administrations have handled Epstein.
    • “He got special treatment his entire life and he continues to get special treatment beyond the grave.” – Arick Fudali (01:09)
  • Trump has a history of resisting disclosure, pivoting only as external pressures increased (01:20).

• Concerns Over File Redactions & Possible Tampering

  • Fudali and his clients fear files will be scrubbed or overly redacted, particularly concerning Trump’s own involvement (02:59).
  • Special deals and suspicious treatment of Ghislaine Maxwell add to survivor distrust.
    • “Ghislaine Maxwell ... is in a minimum security resort style prison … That's a convicted child sex trafficker who was sort of magically transferred ... as soon as she gave a very helpful description ... to Donald Trump's Department of Justice.” – Arick Fudali (03:15)

• Survivor Experiences

  • Survivors have experienced repeated setbacks, betrayals by law enforcement, and a consistent lack of closure. (05:07)
    • “It’s been like three steps forward, you know, a hundred steps back for these survivors for so long.” – Arick Fudali (05:32)
  • Personal Story: Rosa, an Eastern European trafficked in 2009, would’ve been spared if Epstein had been held accountable sooner.

• Trump’s Motives and the Potential Impact of the Files

  • Fudali suspects there’s a substantive reason for Trump’s resistance, although he does not personally know of allegations against Trump in the files (06:33).
    • “There’s no question that Donald Trump was involved ... with Jeffrey Epstein. I mean that is public ... But obviously there’s a reason [for hiding the files] or else he wouldn’t have done it.” (07:07)

• On Public Accountability

  • Acosta and Fudali agree that those who associated with Epstein after 2008 deserve public scrutiny (09:03).
    • “If you are a high profile person who continued to associate closely with Jeffrey Epstein after 2008, I think questions should be raised about what you were doing with him and why.” – Arick Fudali (09:44)

• Recent Legal Developments

  • Judges in Manhattan have recently ordered the release of more grand jury and investigation materials regarding Epstein and Maxwell (11:39).
  • Fudali hopes for true transparency, though he remains skeptical.

Notable Quote

“They’d love this story to end. They’d love real exposure, they’d love real accountability. And I think most of all, at this point, they’d love real closure because they just haven’t been able to get that.” — Arick Fudali (06:03)

If Trump Pardons Ghislaine Maxwell ...

• Fudali calls it “the most appalling act Donald Trump has ever done ... there would be no other explanation other than he is pro sex trafficking.” (13:15)
• Such a pardon would be catastrophic and re-victimizing for survivors.

2. ICE Raids in Chicago: Citizen Journalism and Family Activism

Guests: Audrey, Ben, and Sam Lumen; Dan Ming (journalist)

Introduction (16:39)

• Jim spotlights the new trend of citizen journaling and community resistance in response to mass ICE raids, especially in Chicago.

How It Began

• The Lumen family got involved after a friend alerted them about a van of workers taken in their hometown (17:35).
  • “As we’re seeing the data roll in ... DHS is not being trut(hful). They are claiming that they're taking criminals off our streets and they're not.” – Audrey Lumen

The Family's Effort

• Audrey, her teenage sons, and a network of Chicagoans track, film, and document ICE activity—often spending hours per day on patrol (18:36, 18:51).

  • Ben: “Over Black Friday, bought a hard drive ... because I was running out of space to store all of the footage.” (18:49)

• Personal Risks and Emotions

  • The sons describe the experience as terrifying but affirming, building community among those resisting the raids:
    • "It's definitely been terrifying... but also just getting to know the community and the people that are impacted ... everybody is there because they care about their neighbor." – Ben Lumen (19:30)
  • ICE agents have confronted and threatened the teens, even boxing in their car and seizing their phones (25:42).
    • “Your future definitely flashes in front of your eyes when there’s three cars surrounding your vehicle…” — Ben (25:20)

Footage in Action (21:37–22:40)

• The show plays clips of Ben and Sam tracking ICE, coordinating with other patrollers, and discussing tactics.
  • "You show up with cameras, and they're gone ... We're constantly getting the location of their vehicles. So they have to spend their day kinda dodging us..." — Ben (22:11)

Community and Philosophy

• Audrey emphasizes fighting back nonviolently and upholding constitutional rights, even for non-citizens (24:00; 27:01).

  • “We are citizens of the United States. This is America. This is democracy. We are actively living out what should be democratic freedom.” — Audrey Lumen (27:13)

• Dan Ming highlights Chicago’s unique civic culture—people caring for each other and pushing back against injustice (20:59).

The Trauma of Living Under Daily Threat

• Dan describes how the raids traumatize communities, causing fear, anxiety, and racial profiling, citing interviews with affected residents (28:41).

• Audrey: “What am I going to tell my grandkids ... when all this was happening? Like, I don’t want to have to be silent and say we didn’t do anything. We just watched.” (30:10)

Life as a Teen During Trump’s Raids

• The brothers reflect on coming of age in an era of government overreach:
  • “I can't make it a week without noticing them attacking people, and that's insane.” — Ben or Sam Lumen (31:20)
• Masked, under-cover ICE activity and normalization of such tactics trouble both reporters and citizen activists (31:37).

Hopes for Change

• Audrey hopes documenting and sharing their story will wake up Americans to resist and get involved (32:23).
• “If this ended tomorrow, I would be one happy mama.” — Audrey (33:02)

Notable Quote

“We want things to be done the legal way. So, we’re there.” — Ben Lumen (24:51)

3. Political Commentary: Trump’s Health, Credibility, and Public Trust

(Sections spanning 34:00–37:00)

• Jim riffs on the bizarre explanations offered by the Trump White House for the former President’s visible bruising and cognitive questions.

• He ridicules Press Secretary Caroline Levitt’s explanation that Trump’s bruises come from “excessive handshaking,” calling it unconvincing and a sign of a cover-up (36:23–37:04).

  • “We’re not buying the bruises on the hands coming from the handshaking. We’re not buying that bullshit lie. Caroline, you know, this is like the biggest inauguration crowd size in American history.” – Jim Acosta (37:04)

• Acosta insists the press must hold Trump accountable for transparency and standards, just as any president, and highlights the media’s reluctance due to intimidation.

Notable Moment

"If Joe Biden were showing up to Cabinet meetings ... with giant bruises on his hands and falling asleep ... the media would have gone on a non stop crusade covering it every minute ... and we just don't do that with Donald Trump because he's scared the shit out of the news media." – Jim Acosta (37:36)

4. Earth to Donald Segment: Affordability Crisis & Political Signals

• Jim covers Ron DeSantis’s rare public critique of the “unsustainable” affordability crisis, showing cracks in Republican unity and sharpening the issue’s centrality to voters.

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

| Time | Speaker | Quote | |----------|-------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:09 | Arick Fudali | “He got special treatment his entire life and he continues to get special treatment beyond the grave.” | | 05:32 | Arick Fudali | “It's been like three steps forward, you know, a hundred steps back for these survivors for so long.” | | 13:20 | Arick Fudali | “For Trump to do that [pardon Maxwell], there would be no other explanation other than he is pro sex trafficking.” | | 19:30 | Ben Lumen | “It's definitely been terrifying ... but ... everybody is there because they care about their neighbor.” | | 22:11 | Ben Lumen | “You show up with cameras, and they're gone ... we're constantly getting the location of their vehicles.” | | 24:51 | Ben Lumen | “We want things to be done the legal way. So, we’re there.” | | 27:13 | Audrey Lumen | “We are citizens of the United States. This is America. This is democracy. We are actively living out what should be democratic freedom.” | | 30:10 | Audrey Lumen | “What am I going to tell my grandkids ... when all this was happening? ... we didn't do anything. We just watched.” | | 37:04 | Jim Acosta | “We’re not buying the bruises on the hands coming from the handshaking. We’re not buying that bullshit lie.” | | 37:36 | Jim Acosta | “If Joe Biden were showing up ... with giant bruises on his hands ... the media would have gone on a non stop crusade ...” |

Conclusion

This powerful episode explores hidden truths and public action:

• Epstein survivors and their attorneys continue to demand accountability and transparency, wary of ongoing government obstruction.
• Citizen activism in Chicago embodies grassroots resistance, with young people leading the way in defending community rights against federal overreach.
• The episode’s tone is urgent, passionate, and at times defiant, warning against complacency and urging listeners to take action, seek truth, and hold leaders to account.

For more, visit: jimacosta.substack.com