💥 Axios PM: Epstein explosion

Plus: Search for Earhart's plane | Friday, July 11, 2025

View in browser   PRESENTED BY GOLDMAN SACHS   Axios PM By Mike Allen · Jul 11, 2025 Happy Friday afternoon. Today's newsletter, edited by Sam Baker, is 516 words, a 2-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for copy editing.     1 big thing: Epstein explosion   Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Rick Friedman and Emily Michot/Miami Herald via Getty Images   FBI deputy director Dan Bongino didn't show up to work today, leading some insiders to believe he had quit in protest over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Administration officials say he's still on the job, but the internal tension over the Epstein case is severe, Axios' Marc Caputo scoops. "He ain't coming back," a source close to Bongino said. 🔎 Zoom in: At the center of the argument is the surveillance video from outside Epstein's cell that the administration released — calling it proof no one had entered the room before he killed himself. Bongino — who pushed Epstein conspiracy theories as a MAGA-friendly podcast host before President Trump appointed him to help lead the FBI — had found the video, and touted it publicly and privately as proof that Epstein hadn't been murdered. Two sources familiar with Bongino's position say he was increasingly displeased with Attorney General Pam Bondi's handling of the Epstein case. He thought she publicly overpromised, and underdelivered, disclosures about an Epstein "client list" that apparently never existed. The two clashed Wednesday in front of other senior officials — a sign of just how much the administration has been rocked by its handling of the Epstein case. "Pam said her piece. Dan said his piece. It didn't end on friendly terms," said one person briefed on the heated discussion. Bongino left angry, the source said. Go deeper.     2. 📊 More Americans approve of immigration   Data: Gallup. (Percentages who said the effects are "mixed" or don't have an opinion aren't shown.) Chart: Axios Visuals Americans' attitudes toward immigration have softened in the past year, Axios' April Rubin writes from a new Gallup report. The share of Americans who said they want less immigration dropped to 30%, down from a high of 55% last year. A significant majority — 79% — of respondents said immigration is a "good thing" for the U.S. today. The share who said it's a "bad thing" dropped from 32% last year to 17% this year. Explore the data ... Share this story.     A MESSAGE FROM GOLDMAN SACHS A newsletter with the best insights from across Goldman Sachs     Research, analysis, and outlooks from every corner of Goldman Sachs. The Briefings newsletter aggregates our best thinking and what you need to know for the week ahead. Subscribe to the Briefings newsletter from Goldman Sachs.     3. Catch me up   Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images President Trump visited Kerrville, Texas, today to survey the damage from deadly flash floods. "I've never seen anything like it," he said. "A little narrow river that becomes a monster." Go deeper. ✂️ The State Department is planning to fire more than 1,300 people. Between those dismissals and voluntary departures, the department says it expects to shed a total of roughly 3,000 employees, CNN reports. 📨 The price of a postage stamp is going up to 78 cents this weekend. Go deeper.     4. ✈ New hunt for Amelia Earhart's plane   GIF: Purdue University Libraries/Purdue Research Foundation A research team supported by Purdue University is hoping to solve one of aviation's greatest mysteries — the location of Amelia Earhart's long-lost plane, Axios Indianapolis' Justin L. Mack reports. The expedition will confirm whether an anomaly seen in satellite imagery of Nikumaroro Island, which is about halfway between Australia and Hawaii, is Earhart's plane. "What we have here is maybe the greatest opportunity ever to finally close the case," Richard Pettigrew, executive director of the Archaeological Legacy Institute, said in a statement. Share this story ... Subscribe to your city's Axios Local newsletter.     A MESSAGE FROM GOLDMAN SACHS The sharpest analysis on the week's market activity in 10 minutes or less     Weekly breakdowns on what matters most in the global economy on The Markets podcast from Goldman Sachs. Hear the sharpest analysis on what's happening in the markets this week, and a glimpse into the week ahead. Listen to The Markets podcast from Goldman Sachs.   📬 Thanks for reading! Please invite your friends to join PM. Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. 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