#NPR’s
LightNews LightNews
uk-nb.bsky.social
Melinda French Gates on Bill Gates in Epstein files – ‘Painful times in my marriage’

https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/407064/

In the interview with NPR’s Wild Card podcast, Melinda French Gates said: “For me, it’s personally hard whenever…
Melinda French Gates on Bill Gates in Epstein files - 'Painful times in my marriage' - United Kingdom News Beep
In the interview with NPR's Wild Card podcast, Melinda French Gates said: "For me, it's personally hard whenever those details come up, right? Because it
www.newsbeep.com
February 4, 2026 at 9:06 AM
gayfllics.bsky.social
Melinda French Gates addresses ex-husband Bill Gates’ connection to Jeffrey Epstein

Melinda French Gates, ex-wife of Bill Gates, has opened up about her ex-husband’s relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Melinda appeared on NPR’s ‘Wild Card’ podcast alongside host Rachel Martin following…
Melinda French Gates addresses ex-husband Bill Gates’ connection to Jeffrey Epstein
Melinda French Gates, ex-wife of Bill Gates, has opened up about her ex-husband’s relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Melinda appeared on NPR’s ‘Wild Card’ podcast alongside host Rachel Martin following the release of roughly 3 million documents tied to Epstein. The 61-year-old philanthropist asserted her ex-husband needs to answer for his alleged behaviour in private communications with Epstein. “For me, it's personally hard whenever those details come up, right?
fllics.com
February 4, 2026 at 1:08 AM
fllicsofficial.bsky.social
Melinda French Gates addresses ex-husband Bill Gates’ connection to Jeffrey Epstein

Melinda French Gates, ex-wife of Bill Gates, has opened up about her ex-husband’s relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Melinda appeared on NPR’s ‘Wild Card’ podcast alongside host Rachel Martin following…
Melinda French Gates addresses ex-husband Bill Gates’ connection to Jeffrey Epstein
Melinda French Gates, ex-wife of Bill Gates, has opened up about her ex-husband’s relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Melinda appeared on NPR’s ‘Wild Card’ podcast alongside host Rachel Martin following the release of roughly 3 million documents tied to Epstein. The 61-year-old philanthropist asserted her ex-husband needs to answer for his alleged behaviour in private communications with Epstein. “For me, it's personally hard whenever those details come up, right?
fllics.com
February 4, 2026 at 1:08 AM
northjules.bsky.social
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

In an interview with NPR’s “Wild Card” podcast on Tuesday, Melinda French Gates said she felt “unbelievable sadness” seeing her ex-husband’s name mentioned in the new batch of files released on Friday by the Justice Department.
#Pinks #ProudBlue #SheShed
Melinda French Gates says Bill Gates 'has to answer' for being in the Epstein files
She said in an interview with NPR that mention of her ex-husband in the Epstein files are difficult because it "brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage."
www.nbcnews.com
February 4, 2026 at 12:35 AM
wehriskat.bsky.social
From NPR’s Here and Now:
(And FWIW, I am not a fan of the interviewer).
Journalist Georgia Fort on her arrest
Demonstrators interrupted a service at a church where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official serves as pastor.
www.wbur.org
February 4, 2026 at 12:29 AM
podpulse-news.bsky.social
...government and media. This theme of institutional mistrust intersects with concrete political developments, as NPR's Up First reports on ongoing government dysfunction with a partial shutdown entering its fourth day, while nuclear negotiations with Iran proceed amid threats of military...
February 3, 2026 at 11:57 PM
drraymondmoore.bsky.social
Artemis II's delay highlights safety and complexity; calm study, not cynicism. NPR's piece is here: https://www.npr.org/2026/02/03/nx-s1-5698214/nasa-artemis-ii-launch-delay-moon, and you can reach @thebrycepowell.bsky.social.
NASA delays the launch of Artemis II lunar mission by at least a month
NASA is targeting March for the launch of four astronauts on a ten-day mission to circle the moon and return safely to Earth, traveling farther than any humans have ventured in deep space.
www.npr.org
February 3, 2026 at 9:44 PM
ctschroeder.bsky.social
I'm normally very critical of the podcast quote-posted here (NPR's Wild Card), bc the host makes everything about religion in this uncritical, new agey way that drives me up the wall. You can feel it a bit here but the insights from MG make it worth the listen
February 3, 2026 at 8:32 PM
daphsci.bsky.social
Did everyone hear him on NPR's On Point today?
February 3, 2026 at 8:18 PM
letswrestle.bsky.social
NPR’s On Point is killing it. Today’s show (which should be streamable tomorrow) is on video surveillance that is literally everywhere in the US, and yesterday’s was on the lack of Shame in US politics. Highly recommended, both worth a listen. #onpoint #npr

www.wbur.org/onpoint/2026...
What happened to shame in politics?
Shame is a powerful feeling that can keep behavior in check. So what happens when political leaders feel no shame at all?
www.wbur.org
February 3, 2026 at 7:41 PM
skyhookon.bsky.social
In an interview on NPR's Wild Card podcast, Melinda French Gates reacts to her ex-husband, Bill Gates, being mentioned in the most recent release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Melinda French Gates reacts to new details about Bill Gates in the Epstein files
In an interview on NPR's Wild Card podcast, Melinda French Gates reacts to her ex-husband, Bill Gates, being mentioned in the most recent release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
www.npr.org
February 3, 2026 at 7:41 PM
seekhigherground.bsky.social
While my comment said "public radio" and not Marketplace, here's a cited reference to NPR's refusal to say "lie":

www.npr.org/sections/pub...

...happy to hear if that's changed (but have not heard it if so)
The Pros And Cons Of NPR's Policy Of Not Calling Out 'Lies'
Listeners overwhelmingly disapprove of NPR's explanation.
www.npr.org
February 3, 2026 at 7:38 PM
atlnewsgirl.bsky.social
Entire podcast interview coming Thursday, according to NPR’s story from this morning:
www.npr.org/2026/02/03/n...

Here’s a longer clip via the “Wild Card” (podcast name) channel on YouTube: youtu.be/1iPe6Iegom4
February 3, 2026 at 7:25 PM
wennergrenorg.bsky.social
Listen to Wenner-Gren grant recipient Peter Mancina on "Code Switch," discussing immigration enforcement and his book, "On the Side of ICE." podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

You can also hear Peter's work being referenced on NPR’s "This American Life." www.thisamericanlife.org/880/what-is-...
How local police extend ICE's reach, even in sanctuary cities
Podcast Episode · Code Switch · 01/21/2026 · 39m
podcasts.apple.com
February 3, 2026 at 7:05 PM
A wonderful personal story by NPR’S Bob Mondello . Read it if you saw "The History of Sound," or if you are interested in the Supreme Court, or if you can't remember your father's voice.
February 3, 2026 at 5:49 PM
stayinformed.bsky.social
In Pictures: Remembering Susan Stamberg, one of NPR's Founding Mothers www.npr.org/sections/the... #recentnews #topstories
In Pictures: Remembering Susan Stamberg, one of NPR's Founding Mothers
Susan Stamberg joined NPR at its start, originally to cut tape — literal tape, with a single-sided blade — at a time when commercial networks almost never hired women.
www.npr.org
February 3, 2026 at 5:25 PM
npr.org
In an interview on NPR's Wild Card podcast, Melinda French Gates reacts to her ex-husband, Bill Gates, being mentioned in the most recent release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein. See the clip.
Melinda French Gates reacts to new details about Bill Gates in the Epstein files
In an interview on NPR's Wild Card podcast, Melinda French Gates reacts to her ex-husband, Bill Gates, being mentioned in the most recent release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
n.pr
February 3, 2026 at 4:56 PM
stevemullis.net
From hiding, Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine tells NPR's Scott Simon why he continues to oppose repression in Uganda following the disputed Jan. 15 presidential election.
Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine is in hiding after disputed election loss
From hiding, Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine tells NPR's Scott Simon why he continues to oppose repression in Uganda following the disputed Jan. 15 presidential election.
www.npr.org
February 3, 2026 at 4:23 PM
musicinjections.bsky.social
Madison McFerrin : Live from NPR's Tiny Desk · Album ... soundcloud.com/madmcferrin/...
February 3, 2026 at 1:52 PM
podpulse-news.bsky.social
...institutions, where financial incentives and ego prevent honest acknowledgment of knowledge gaps. This theme of institutional credibility resonates through other major stories, including the ongoing government shutdown negotiations covered by NPR's Up First, where political dealmaking...
February 3, 2026 at 1:26 PM
some-news.bsky.social
In an interview on NPR's Wild Card podcast, Melinda French Gates reacts to her ex-husband Bill Gates being mentioned in the most recent release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Melinda French Gates reacts to ex-husband Bill Gates being mentioned in Epstein files
www.npr.org
February 3, 2026 at 12:37 PM
stphnfwlr.com
NPR's review of the documents has found numerous examples of the Justice Department failing to redact names of publicly identified victims of sexual abuse as well as names of individuals who have not previously been publicized.
Powerful people, random redactions: 4 things to know about the latest Epstein files
In the Justice Department's release of millions of pages of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, there are several instances of unredacted names of Epstein's accusers, raising concerns about privacy.
www.npr.org
February 3, 2026 at 12:33 PM
brianmannadk.bsky.social
From NPR'S Becky Sullivan www.npr.org/2026/02/03/n...
Minnesota Olympians, other athletes speak up about federal agents in Minneapolis
"I want to make sure you know who I'm racing for," wrote Minnesota-born cross-country skiing star Jessie Diggins. Meanwhile, a hospitality center for Team USA families dropped the name "Ice House."
www.npr.org
February 3, 2026 at 7:58 AM
penamerica.bsky.social
For NPR's Here & Now, Indira Lakshmanan speaks with New York Times Opinion columnist M. Gessen about co-founding a tech project called Kronika, a PEN America and Bard College initiative, that aims to help journalists around the world safeguard history: www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...
How Kronika aims to safeguard journalism
What started out as an effort to protect news from censorship in Russia is now expanding.
www.wbur.org
February 3, 2026 at 3:42 AM
ajsdecepida.bsky.social
🔃 {𝗮𝙅𝙎𝘿} My notes about the article… ⤵
{𝗮𝙅𝙎𝘿} My notes about the article… Scope and Evidentiary Posture Margaret Sullivan’s Guardian column (Mon. 02-Feb-2026) argues that Jeff Bezos is inflicting potentially lasting harm on The Washington Post through: last-minute interference with presidential endorsements in 2024, a perceived ideological “right turn” in opinion, and cost-cutting/layoffs that could gut core coverage. This audit checks those claims against contemporaneous reporting, documented internal blowback (resignations, cancellations), and the paper’s business context.1 What is Solidly Supported Bezos intervened in the 2024 endorsement process (and it detonated trust fast). Multiple independent accounts converge on a sequence in late Oct-2024: The Washington Post announced it would stop endorsing presidential candidates (starting immediately), breaking a long-standing practice, and reporting at the time attributed the decision to Bezos. The Post’s own reporting also described the newsroom/columnist outrage and immediate reputational hit.3 Subscriber cancellations were large, rapid, and internally disruptive. The Post reported that “250,000” digital subscribers canceled after the non-endorsement decision; the Post’s own media report (29-Oct-2024) frames this as a crisis of reader trust and internal morale.4 The Associated Press, relying on what it describes as the Post’s reporting and internal sourcing, likewise reported “at least 250,000” cancellations (about 10% of digital subscribers) and emphasized how unusual that scale of backlash is for a single management action.5 The internal backlash wasn’t just readers — there were high-visibility resignations and public dissent. Semafor reported Robert Kagan’s resignation in response to the non-endorsement decision and described broader internal fury.6 The Post then reported Bezos’s follow-up defence of ending endorsements as “principled,” while also noting editorial board resignations/step-downs and the perception problem created by the timing.7 Editorial independence concerns weren’t limited to endorsements — other incidents became symbols. Ann Telnaes’s resignation letter (published on Substack) frames her departure as an editorial constraint on holding powerful people accountable (in her account, an editor prevented publication of a specific cartoon), and she links that to her core job function.8 Her later reflection post explicitly dates that resignation essay to 03-Jan-2025.9 NPR’s David Folkenflik (via a public-radio posting of the NPR piece) reported Ruth Marcus’s resignation letter accusing publisher Will Lewis of killing a column that criticized Bezos’s direction for the opinion pages — again framed as an owner/publisher boundary problem, not merely a business dispute.10 Near-term layoff fears in early 2026 were widely reported and targeted at “core” desks. A Guardian news report (26-Jan-2026) describes staff expectations of significant early-February cuts and specifically names sports/metro/foreign as vulnerable, including a letter from foreign staff to Bezos urging a course change.2 This matches Sullivan’s “foundational coverage” concern, even if she’s writing in opinion voice.1 What's Plausible but Requires Careful Framing (Sullivan's Rhetoric Runs Ahead of the Hard Facts) “Bezos is destroying the Post.” That’s a value judgment, not a falsifiable claim. What is falsifiable — and well supported — is that particular owner-linked decisions (endorsement reversal; perceived opinion-page constraints) triggered measurable subscriber losses and high-salience departures, and that the newsroom entered 2026 under renewed cost-cutting threat.2‑5,10 Calling that “destroying” depends on what you mean: financial viability, civic impact, newsroom capacity, or brand trust. Sullivan blends all four without separating them.1 The claimed financial numbers (“maybe $100m a year”) are not nailed down by primary disclosure. Sullivan asserts a scale of losses (and “rounding error” framing) but the Post is privately held and doesn’t publish full financials. You can responsibly say “loss-making” and “under pressure,” but you should treat any single-number estimate as approximate unless independently documented. Reuters, for example, reported a specific 2023 loss figure ($77m) in a Jan-2025 business context piece. That supports “loss-making,” but it doesn’t automatically validate Sullivan’s “maybe $100m a year” figure.1,11 “A sharp right turn” in opinion is partly evidenced through departures — but the causal chain is still interpretive. Departures (Telnaes; Marcus) and internal protest (board step-downs; Kagan) support the narrower claim that people inside the institution viewed leadership direction as unacceptable.6‑8,10 But “sharp right turn” is a spectrum claim about content outcomes. Sullivan doesn’t provide systematic evidence (e.g., topic mix, stance analysis, commissioning patterns over time); she relies on exemplary incidents and reputational inference. That’s legitimate polemic, not demonstrated measurement.1 Business-Model Context that Matters (And Complicates the Morality Play) Cost-cutting pressure is real, and not unique to the Post. Reuters’ Jan-2025 report describes layoffs (~4% of workforce, under 100) as part of an effort to build a “more sustainable future,” while also stating they were not expected to hit the newsroom directly at that time.11 By Jan-2026, reporting suggests possible newsroom-facing cuts, especially in expensive coverage areas like foreign and sports.2 That evolution (business-side trimming → potential newsroom trimming) is a key escalation in the “national treasure” argument.1,2,11 The endorsement crisis likely worsened the financial problem it was supposed to “principle” its way out of. If you lose ~10% of digital subscribers abruptly, you don’t just lose revenue; you also shake advertiser confidence, recruiting power, and internal momentum. That’s exactly the spiral Nate Silver emphasizes in his “mind share” framing: reputational shocks can become structural decline.12 Joshua Benton’s Nieman Lab note points to that same logic: large cost base + sudden subscriber drop = compounding damage, and the “rounding error” critique becomes sharper because the owner can absorb short-term losses while rebuilding trust.13 Owner incentives and perceived conflicts are the story, even if quid pro quo is unproven. The Post reported Bezos explicitly denied quid pro quo and denied coordination with campaigns, while acknowledging the timing failure and the optics of his business interests.7
February 3, 2026 at 3:31 AM