E24 - Today on Vapid Response Wednesday: the story of a wealthy family that lost everything and the one son who had no choice but to try to defend his sister after she was convicted of abusing and trafficking minors with (and for) Jeffrey Epstein. For this special episode we read through Ian Maxwell's entire body of published work for The Spectator and unseriously consider some of the many questions the tabloid heir raises about the arrest and conviction of his sister Ghislaine, the evils of the First Amendment, and of course a lengthy digression about some people named Todd.

Watch this episode on YouTube!

• Nobody's Girl, Virginia Roberts Giuffre (2025)

• Virginia Giuffre's full 2019 interview on 60 Minutes Australia

• Ian Maxwell's video interview with The Telegraph, Feb. 20, 2026

• Ian Maxwell's author page at The Spectator

• "The truth about my sister, Ghislaine Maxwell," Ian Maxwell, The Spectator, 12/16/2021

• "My sister Ghislaine was denied justice," Ian Maxwell, The Spectator (UK edition), 7/1/2022

• "Don't take Virginia Giuffre's memoir at face value," Ian Maxwell, The Spectator, 11/5/2025

• "How my sister Ghislaine beat the Epstein conspiracy theories," Ian Maxwell, The Spectator, 9/9/2025

• "My sister Ghislaine became a prop in the theater of global online outrage," Ian Maxwell, The Spectator, 2/25/26

• Full Department of Trade and Industry report regarding the investigation into Robert Maxwell's pension fund embezzlement and corporate fraud (2001)

Check out the OA Linktree for all the places to go and things to do!

OA1240 - Shaina Aber, Executive Director with Acacia Center for Justice, joins today to discuss immigration nonprofit work during Trump 2.0. Find all of the tools and programs we talked about at their website, Acacia Center for Justice.

OA1239 - Did the Supreme Court just hand Donald Trump the biggest L in US presidential history? We go beyond the headlines to break down the first decision on the merits of any of the second Trump term's policies. What is the deal with the "major questions doctrine" and why can't the conservative justices agree about what it is and how to use it? Why did Neil Gorsuch choose this case to drop a lengthy diss track with bars about every one of his colleagues? And is there anything Clarence Thomas wouldn't let a Republican president do? We then review a lesser-noticed SCOTUS decision from this week on whether you can sue USPS for intentionally stealing your mail for openly racist reasons (the answer may surprise you!).

Finally, in today's footnote: Thomas Takes the ICE Exam!

1. Learning Resources, Inc. et al. v. Trump (2/20/2026)

2. United States Postal Service v. Konan (2/24/2026)

3. "The Postmaster," William Shawn, The New Yorker (11/14/1970)(letter addressed to William Faulkner from Post Office Inspector Mark Webster)

4. Memorandum Summary of Documents Newly Received from DHS Whistleblowers, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (2/23/2026)(with leaked ICE training documents attached)

Check out the OA Linktree for all the places to go and things to do!