Latest / THE DAILY BRIEF / Looming fight with Trump casts shadow over win in Congress for Epstein survivors

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Looming fight with Trump casts shadow over win in Congress for Epstein survivors · THE DAILY BRIEF

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Now that this bill to release the Epstein files is
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: headed to Donald Trump's desk, and I would not have
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: predicted that at the begin m Today there is an
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: understandable sense of cautious optimism from many of Epstein's survivors
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: and their loved ones. For people like Sky and Amanda Roberts,
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: and for newly public survivors Shirlan Richard, there is also
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: there's definitely a moment of hope, but also a real
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  Speaker 1: resolve for what comes next. Here's more of our conversation. Amanda,
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: you have been standing right by skyside talking about Virginia,
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  Speaker 1: your beloved sister. Does today feel like it's a moment
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  Speaker 1: after fighting for so long, of some element of progress?
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: I think this journey is long and you get so
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: little wins. And I say this every time because it's
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: what gives you momentum for the next step, the marathon
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: that we're running, and we're running it together, and that's
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: what has been so powerful. But it gives us so
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  Speaker 2: much hope. It was a huge moment for the very
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: first time that vote yes was an acknowledgement for survivors
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  Speaker 2: that this did happen, that they are truth tellers, that
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  Speaker 2: we see them, that we believe them, and that we're
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  Speaker 2: going to continue to fight with them and we're going
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  Speaker 2: to run this marathon together. Is what I felt happened today.
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: And I'm hopeful. I'm hopeful because I believe the American
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: people are believing and seeing and trusting in a way
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  Speaker 2: that they were never trusting survivors before, and they're truly
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: seeing them and seeing their stories.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: And it's making an impact. There's no question it's making
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  Speaker 1: an impact. I've been in this town a long time.
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  Speaker 1: Very few things make impacts. Human stories, and humanity makes impacts.
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  Speaker 1: And we wouldn't be here without you two, and without
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  Speaker 1: you sharing your story. Let me ask you, because I
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  Speaker 1: used to so powerfully this morning, about the long length
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: of time you have been waiting and quietly waiting and
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: without the same universe of people that I think you've
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: been building over the last couple of days. What is
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: today meant to.
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  Speaker 3: Use so far?
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  Speaker 4: Today means that we're actually being seen. It means that
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  Speaker 4: maybe transparency is possible, maybe justice will be served, maybe
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  Speaker 4: all of the people that have been through this, not
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  Speaker 4: just Epstein survivors, but this is for everybody, This is
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  Speaker 4: for America. This is not just for us. It's called
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  Speaker 4: the Epstein Transparency Files Act because we started it. These
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  Speaker 4: guys helped start it, but this is for everybody.
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  Speaker 1: You two have came to this as loving siblings of
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  Speaker 1: your sister, and now you've become incredibly powerful advocates. And
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  Speaker 1: today's a hopeful day. But I think being clear eyed
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  Speaker 1: is so important in this moment too. There was an
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  Speaker 1: investigation that the term of administration announced last week. Do
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  Speaker 1: you have fear that they might use an ongoing investigation
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  Speaker 1: as an excuse not to release these files even if
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: legislation has passed. I don't bring that up to be
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  Speaker 1: a debbie downer, but just for people out there to
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  Speaker 1: understand all of the battles ahead, for all of you
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  Speaker 1: that have been advocating so hard.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that that.
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  Speaker 2: Was an issue that we talked about today when we
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  Speaker 2: sat with various members of the House, the Democratic Women's Caucus.
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: We sat down with them, and that was a fear
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  Speaker 2: that we expressed to them that potentially this could be
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  Speaker 2: another stone wall that could be thrown out at them.
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  Speaker 2: And I think what we asked of them is that
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: don't give up. You need to join this fight with
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: us when they do try to throw something against us again.
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  Speaker 2: Help us fight this, help us with legislation, help us
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  Speaker 2: figure out the pathways and maneuvers around these roadblocks that
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: we keep hitting over and over again. And I think
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  Speaker 2: we all were determined in that room. And I mean
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  Speaker 2: so many representatives Republican alike and Democratic.
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  Speaker 5: Vow to be a champion.
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: Yes, vow to be champions for us, Vow to find
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  Speaker 2: the routes and the way through for survivors, because it
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  Speaker 2: is time, and it's beyond time, and we are looking
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  Speaker 2: to Congress to be that vote for us to be
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  Speaker 2: the voice to continue to push and to carry the weight,
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  Speaker 2: carry the weight.
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  Speaker 1: What do you think Virginue would be thinking right now
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  Speaker 1: about today? She did it.
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  Speaker 3: She did it, She paved the way.
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  Speaker 5: She had a dag for pointing in people people's faces
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  Speaker 5: and tell you were wrong, you were wrong, And I
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  Speaker 5: was telling the truth the entire time. It's truly vindication
• 5:29
  Speaker 5: for her. I mean, today's a monumental day. It's acknowledgment
• 5:33
  Speaker 5: for the survivors. It's acknowledgment to my sister that she
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  Speaker 5: was a truth teller this whole time, and without her,
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  Speaker 5: we wouldn't have this road. We wouldn't have this road
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  Speaker 5: that we can now go down and really have these conversations.
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  Speaker 3: It's just tragic that she's not with us to share it,
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  Speaker 3: but she is. We wear her here. A lot of
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  Speaker 3: survivors wear her butterfly because it's a piece of her.
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  Speaker 3: It's a piece of her with us at all times
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  Speaker 3: so that we can continue to carry her voice.
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  Speaker 1: Charlene Rashard Sky and Matta Roberts, thank you all for
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  Speaker 1: joining me today. I know it's been a long day
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  Speaker 1: and a powerful day for all of you.
• 6:05
  Speaker 5: Thank you, Thank you do