📁 Axios PM: Epstein file flood

🎥 Plus: 25 film classics | Friday, January 30, 2026

View in browser   PRESENTED BY AMAZON   Axios PM By Mike Allen · Jan 30, 2026 😮‍💨 Friday! Wishing you a warm, cozy weekend. Today's newsletter, edited by Emily Peck, is 757 words, a 3-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for copy editing. 💔 Breaking: Catherine O'Hara, the hilarious actress known for her iconic turns in films like "Home Alone" and "Beetlejuice," died at her home in L.A. today after a brief illness. She was 71. Read an appreciation.     1 big thing: 📁 Millions of Epstein docs released   Photo illustration: Maura Kearns/Axios. Photos: Getty Images The Justice Department released the final tranche of Epstein files, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters today. 🔢 By the numbers: DOJ is releasing more than 3 million pages, 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, he said. Blanche didn't detail the contents. But journalists worldwide are digging through the docs, Axios' April Rubin reports. The videos and photos include "large quantities" of commercial pornography — not taken by Jeffrey Epstein or anyone in his orbit — that was seized from his devices. The big picture: With the release, Blanche said the DOJ's obligations under the Epstein Files Transparency Act will be completed. It's been more than a month since the congressionally mandated deadline for the department to vet and release materials. Asked if all files related to President Trump are being released, Blanche said: "Yes, I can assure that we complied with the statute, we complied with the act. We did not protect President Trump." See the documents.     2. 🏦 Warshonomics   Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Jin Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images   Kevin Warsh, named by President Trump this morning to chair the Federal Reserve, is a former Fed governor who's well-known in political circles and trusted by the markets, Axios' Neil Irwin and Courtenay Brown write. Warsh's appointment attracted enthusiastic endorsements, plus accusations that he's overly political and will be too deferential to Trump. Longer-term interest rates were up slightly, reflecting Warsh's stated desire to reduce the Fed's massive bond portfolio. The dollar was up, and stocks were slightly down. Some Democrats attacked the new nominee for seemingly adapting his views on interest rates to the party of the White House occupant. But Warsh drew general support among Republicans and on Wall Street. President Trump concluded his announcement post about Kevin Warsh by saying: "On top of everything else, he is 'central casting,' and he will never let you down." Via Truth Social Warsh, 55, was a key lieutenant of Fed chair Ben Bernanke during the Global Financial Crisis nearly two decades ago. Since then, Warsh has been a Fed critic. He's argued that Fed leaders — Powell, and Janet Yellen before him — were too willing to try to fine-tune the economy, overly confident in models and too eager to intervene with bailouts. While traditionally a monetary "hawk" who favors tighter policy, he has lately endorsed "dovish" interest rate cuts in light of strong productivity gains fueled — in Warsh's telling — by Trump's economic policies and the AI boom. The open questions for economy-watchers: Will Warsh's dovish tone persist once he's in the big chair at the Fed? How effective will he be at bringing the 18 other Fed officials who have a say on monetary policy to his side? Share this story.     A MESSAGE FROM AMAZON Meet Kathy, who turned an entry-level Amazon role into a robotics career     Career journey: "I started as a picker, and then I learned about skills training programs through Amazon Career Choice. After the program, I doubled my income." Best benefit: "With free skills training, there's no limit to what you can achieve with it." See the impact.     3. Catch me up   Team USA's Lindsey Vonn at the finish line after crashing today in Crans Montana, Switzerland. Photo: Giovanni Auletta/AP "My Olympic dream is not over," Lindsey Vonn said today after crashing and injuring her knee in her final downhill race before next month's Winter Olympics, where she's expected to be one of the biggest stars. Go deeper: Axios' Maxwell Millington unpacks the Team USA roster. Don Lemon speaks last year in Washington, D.C. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images ⚠️ Don Lemon is charged with federal civil rights crimes stemming from an anti-ICE church protest in Minnesota, DHS says. The former CNN anchor was targeted by conservative influencers and politicians after interviewing protesters, congregants and a pastor during the protest earlier this month. Go deeper. ⚖️ The Justice Department opened a federal civil rights probe into the death of Alex Pretti. Previously, the Department of Homeland Security said it would be heading the investigation and faced blowback. Go deeper. 🏁 President Trump signed an executive order to bring an IndyCar street race to... downtown D.C. this summer. Mayor Muriel Bowser is embracing the unprecedented high-profile race course near the National Mall. Go deeper with Axios D.C. 💬 Iran's foreign minister says the country is ready to resume nuclear talks with the U.S. Axios' Barak Ravid reports.     4. 📽️ 1 film thing: Movie history   "Clueless." Photo: Paramount Pictures   From "Clueless" to "Inception," 25 films spanning more than a century were added to the National Film Registry, securing their place in America's film heritage, writes Axios' Maxwell Millington. The selections date back to the silent-film era. Why it matters: By elevating everything from Cher Horowitz's iconic plaid outfit to Christopher Nolan's brain-twisting blockbuster, the National Film Registry is defining which pop-culture moments will endure in America's shared cultural memory. 🍿What we're watching: Turner Classic Movies will screen some of the films during a special on March 19 at 8 p.m. ET. See the full list.     A MESSAGE FROM AMAZON Meet Kathy: one of 700,000 Amazon employees using free skills training     Favorite part about Amazon: "It's amazing how many hourly employees have used the free skills training. Stories like mine are one of the many things Amazon is known for." More than 700,000 employees globally have used Amazon's free skills training to learn and earn more. Read more.   📬 Thanks for sharing part of your week with us! Please invite your friends to join PM. 👆 Like this comms style and format? It's called Smart Brevity®. 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