The Growing List of Names in the Epstein Files, and the Federal Investigation into D.E.I. at Nike

0:02From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Friday, February 6th. Here's what we're covering.

0:13The Crown Princess of Norway. The man in charge of the upcoming Olympics in L.A. The former British ambassador to the U.S. The list of prominent and powerful names surfacing in the Epstein files keeps growing, revealing a staggering web of connections. My colleagues have spent the last week combing through the latest batch of documents, tracing Jeffrey Epstein's relationships, and how, in some cases, he tried to leverage them. There are frequent moments where he's chatty with royals. You are such a sweetheart, reads one email sent to him, apparently by Crown Princess Meta Merit of Norway. It came in 2012, four years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for sex.

0:57In another email, Sarah Ferguson, the British ex-duchess, told Epstein she didn't have the words to describe the love or gratitude she felt for him, after Epstein likely paid for flights for her and her daughters. Epstein seemed to hope she would help him with his image problem, suggesting she release a statement that he was, quote, not a pedo. The documents are littered with stories like this. The billionaire Peter Thiel giving Epstein investment advice, or Epstein helping Woody Allen and his wife connect with the president of Bard College to try and get their daughter admitted. Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Richard Branson, Sergey Brin, and a former Israeli prime minister all make appearances.

1:39As more details have surfaced, there have been a flurry of apologies and statements by people trying to clarify their connection to Epstein. Some have lost their positions and may face other consequences. A former head of some of America's top art museums stepped down this week. So did the head of one of the country's top corporate law firms, after their chummy messages with Epstein became public. And in London, police have opened a criminal investigation into Peter Mandelson, the former ambassador who's been accused of passing confidential government information to Epstein. For now, there's been no evidence in the files of what has been one of the most enduring conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein, that he was gathering dirt on his wealthy, powerful, and famous acquaintances, that he could have potentially used for blackmail or other purposes.

2:36This week, the federal agency that enforces employment law said that it is investigating Nike over allegations that it discriminated against white workers. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, said that it's looking at, quote, systemic allegations of DEI-related intentional race discrimination. The agency is currently trying to force Nike to comply with a subpoena seeking information about a range of efforts to boost racial diversity among its employees and senior leadership. Nike called it a surprising and unusual escalation and said it had already been cooperating with the EEOC.

3:15The move appears to be the first time the commission has said that DEI practices can be considered discrimination against white Americans. It also puts the agency and its Trump-nominated chair, Andrea Lucas, at the forefront of the administration's broad assault on diversity programs. Are you a white male who's experienced discrimination at work based on your race or sex? You may have a claim to recover money under federal civil rights laws. Since taking charge of the EEOC last year, Lucas has solicited complaints from white men and said in a recent interview with The Times that her mission is to, quote, restore a focus on equality as opposed to equity.

3:56Critics of Lucas, including former EEOC commissioners, have accused her of distorting the intent of the agency, which was born out the Civil Rights Act to protect vulnerable workers. Under Lucas, the EEOC recently rolled back guidance for employers that was supposed to protect against workplace harassment, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. A civil rights expert at a national workers' rights group called the move radical and harmful, saying that Lucas had, quote, closed the door of the EEOC to groups that are disfavored by the president.

4:39Now, two more quick updates on the Trump administration. Everybody, you're going to save a fortune. And this is also so good for overall health care. As of last night, the White House has launched a new website aimed at lowering the cost of prescriptions by helping Americans buy medicine directly from drug makers. The site, TrumpRx.gov, is intended to be a portal where people can search for specific drugs and potentially find manufacturers who sell them direct to consumer, though people will still need a prescription. The administration has claimed Americans will save money on the site, though researchers who study drug pricing say that likely won't be true across the board.

5:18For example, they warn that some Americans with health insurance could overpay if they use the site. But people without insurance may find lower prices on TrumpRx than if they walked into a pharmacy. And today in the Middle East, some of President Trump's top advisers are set to hold talks with Iran, as Trump has turned up pressure on the country. Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, along with Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, will meet face-to-face with Iran's foreign minister in Oman. Trump has recently moved warships into the region and has threatened to strike Iran unless it agrees to a number of his demands.

5:57That includes freezing its nuclear program, reducing its stockpile of ballistic missiles and ending support for militant groups. Middle Eastern diplomats tell The Times they want the Americans to focus just on Iran's nuclear program. They're worried that the other demands could doom the talks before they even get started.

6:21Venezuelan oil is pretty different compared to oil drilled in the United States. It's dirtier, heavier, it contains a lot more sulfur, and that makes it trickier to process. Hiroko Tabuchi covers the environment and pollution for the Times. She's been reporting on how the Trump administration's plans for Venezuela and its oil have set off alarm bells in one small American town. It sits on the Gulf Coast, and it has a massive, specialized Chevron refinery. It's one of the few places in the country that can process the specific kind of oil that comes from Venezuela. Hiroko says that since the administration has moved to boost Venezuelan oil exports, residents there are bracing for what that could mean for them.

7:02Some of the people here in Pascagoula, Mississippi, worry that the air pollution they were already dealing with could get a lot worse. Everyone who owned their house back here had some form of cancer. When I spoke to residents in Pascagoula, they told me it felt like health problems had touched almost every family in the neighborhood. Sinus, running nose, and just, it was constant headaches and skin irritation. I have that now. I just thought itching and just, it wouldn't stop. One resident told Hiroko that sometimes the air smells like, quote, acid strong enough to take your breath. And Chevron's own monitors show occasional spikes in benzene, a carcinogen.

7:43Now, with the possibility that more Venezuelan oil could start being processed next door, some people there are doubling down on demands for Chevron to buy out their houses and pay for them to move elsewhere. One resident of 30 years said she didn't mind the oil giant operating there, but said, quote, just get us all out. For its part, Chevron says it has safely processed Venezuelan-style oil for decades. It's been noncommittal about the residents' buyout requests, but said that it's open to ways to, quote, collaborate with the community. A company spokesman told The Times, our employees live in Pascagoula, too.

8:24And finally.

8:29Americans' interest in Korean pop culture has been building for years, whether it's Squid Game, K-pop, They're stealing the souls of our fans? K-pop demon hunters, And now that obsession is translating into more and more Americans wanting to learn Korean. In the song Golden by Huntrix, you hear these Korean expressions.

8:59Universities from California to Arkansas are expanding their courses in Korean language and culture. Duolingo, the language learning app, saw a 22 % growth in Korean learners in the U.S. last year. And one teacher who leads Korean classes for high schoolers said many of his students who have no Korean heritage are already coming in knowing basic phrases and slang. Getting started in Korean may seem easy at first. The writing system is regarded as one of the most logical in the world. It can take just a few hours to learn the alphabet. Speaking in Korean, though, gonna be a little tougher. According to the State Department, it is one of the most difficult languages for English speakers to pick up.

9:42Those are the headlines. If you'd like to play the Friday News Quiz, it is just after these credits. This show is made by Will Jarvis, Jan Stewart, and me, Tracy Mumford. Original theme by Dan Powell. Special thanks to Isabella Anderson, Larissa Anderson, Miles McKinley, Zoe Murphy, and Paula Schumann.

10:01All right, now time for the quiz. This week, it is all Olympics, baby. We have some questions that will really test your mettle. See if you can snow for the cold. That was the last one, I swear. Here we go. First question. Athletes from 16 different sports will compete in this year's games. We're going to test whether you can identify some of those sports based only off how they sound. We'll start with an easy one. The skyhook, the frontside 540. Now into the double make twist, the tomahawk. And he gets that around. Are we going to see the back-to-back? That was snowboarding, obviously, the only sport with a quadruple 1260 roasted chicken salad twist.

10:41Okay, next one.

10:51That is the sound of someone thwacking their way through the slalom poles in alpine skiing. Number three.

11:05That one was curling, those brooms brushing, brushing, brushing. And last one, a little tougher.

11:26That's the sound of a four-man bobsled team blasting down an icy track. At their fastest, the sleds can hit almost 100 miles per hour.

11:40Moving on to the next Olympics question. This year, a new sport is making its debut at the Games. Do you know what it is? Sprints are short and intense, with races lasting less than three minutes. I will give you three options. Two of these are decidedly not Olympic sports. One is the correct answer. They are synchronized speed skating, where two athletes have to race around a track as fast as they can while staying in lockstep. Ski mountaineering, in which athletes ski and run uphill, then race back down to the bottom. Or luge biathlon, where two-person teams have to hit targets with their rifles while on a fast-moving sled.

12:23So that's synchronized speed skating, ski mountaineering, or luge biathlon. The answer is ski mountaineering or ski-mo, luckily, because luge biathlon is a terrible idea. And last question. There are a handful of countries that traditionally dominate the Winter Olympics. No surprise, they are countries with snow. can you name the top three countries that have won the most medals at the Winter Games ever?

13:03The answer? In third place, Germany. In second, it's the U.S. And the country with the most Olympic Winter medals, more than 400 of them, is Norway. Norway, though, is going into this year's Olympics a little tarnished. Some of the staff members of the country's ski jumping team were caught on video manipulating the suits their athletes wore during a recent competition. Basically, they made the area between the legs of the skin-tight outfits larger to give the ski jumpers a little extra lift when they sail off the end of that huge ramp. The scandal has become known as crotch gait. That is it for this week's news quiz.

13:46I'm Tracy Mumford, currently with zero Olympic medals. The headlines will be back on Monday.