Clinton Defends Epstein Ties; Trump Admin Bans Anthropic Contracts

[00:00] Evelyn Hartwell: From Neural Newscast, I'm Evelyn Hartwell. [00:03] Frederick Moore: And I am Frederick Moore. [00:05] Evelyn Hartwell: Today is February 27, 2026. [00:09] Evelyn Hartwell: Former President Bill Clinton is appearing before a congressional committee to discuss his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein. [00:17] Evelyn Hartwell: We are also examining the Trump administration's decision to ban the artificial intelligence firm Anthropic from all federal contracts. [00:27] Announcer: Additionally, we look at errors in a White House social media campaign regarding immigrant deportations. [00:35] Announcer: This morning's developments highlight a period of intense scrutiny for both past and current federal leadership. [00:42] Evelyn Hartwell: We start on Capitol Hill, where Bill Clinton is testifying today about his association with the late Jeffrey Epstein. [00:50] Evelyn Hartwell: This Republican-led inquiry follows the recent release of new Department of Justice documents and photographs. [00:58] Announcer: Those files include images of Clinton with Ghislaine Maxwell and records of his travel on Epstein's private jet. [01:07] Announcer: Maxwell described herself in recent depositions as the primary link between the two men. [01:13] Evelyn Hartwell: Clinton maintains that his association with Epstein was strictly for philanthropic purposes. [01:20] Evelyn Hartwell: He stated today, Frederick, that he had no idea of the crimes Epstein was committing during their interactions. [01:28] Announcer: Emails between Maxwell and Clinton's top aide, Doug Band, show a close working relationship. [01:34] Announcer: Band reportedly referred to Maxwell as a social matchmaker while coordinating flights and foundation meetings. [01:42] Evelyn Hartwell: Flight logs confirm that Clinton flew on Epstein's jet at least 24 times between 2002 and 2003. [01:51] Evelyn Hartwell: These trips covered foundation projects in Africa, Europe, and Asia. [01:57] Announcer: The former president told the committee he never visited Epstein's private island. [02:01] Announcer: He insists he cut all ties with the financier years before Epstein's initial 2006 indictment. [02:09] Evelyn Hartwell: Conclusively, while the files do not implicate Clinton in any criminal wrongdoing, [02:15] Evelyn Hartwell: the testimony remains a high-profile moment. [02:18] Evelyn Hartwell: Lawmakers are pressing for more details on the vetting processes for Foundation donors. [02:25] Announcer: Next, we turn to a major shift in federal technology policy involving the Pentagon. [02:31] Announcer: The Trump administration is cutting the AI company Anthropic from all government contracts. [02:37] Evelyn Hartwell: This move removes the San Francisco-based firm from the Pentagon's official supply chain. [02:43] Evelyn Hartwell: It marks a significant change in how the administration handles partnerships with major artificial intelligence developers. [02:52] Frederick Moore: Anthropic has been a key player in the AI industry with its Claude models. [02:56] Frederick Moore: The administration has not yet provided a detailed public reason for the sudden exclusion, Evelyn. [03:02] Evelyn Hartwell: In other news, the federal government is facing backlash over its social media messaging. [03:08] Evelyn Hartwell: The White House account on X recently posted about an immigrant named Atchandi. [03:13] Frederick Moore: The post labeled Chandi as one of the worst criminals, but used a photo of a different person. [03:19] Frederick Moore: It also claimed he had multiple felony convictions when he actually has only one. [03:24] Evelyn Hartwell: Chandy is a former refugee from Laos who has lived in the United States since childhood. [03:30] Evelyn Hartwell: His legal team noted that he has not missed a check-in with authorities in years. [03:35] Frederick Moore: This incident has raised questions about the accuracy of the administration's public deportation narratives. [03:42] Frederick Moore: Critics argue that misidentifying individuals undermines the credibility of federal law enforcement agencies. [03:48] Evelyn Hartwell: I'm Evelyn Hartwell. [03:50] Frederick Moore: And I'm Frederick Moore. [03:51] Frederick Moore: Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed. [03:56] Frederick Moore: View our AI transparency policy at neuralnewscast.com. [04:00] Frederick Moore: Neural Newscast uses artificial intelligence in content creation [04:04] Frederick Moore: with human editorial review prior to publication. [04:07] Frederick Moore: While we strive for factual, unbiased reporting, [04:10] Frederick Moore: AI-assisted content may occasionally contain errors. [04:13] Frederick Moore: Verify critical information with trusted sources. [04:16] Frederick Moore: Learn more at neuralnewscast.com.