A New York federal court released nearly 1,000 pages of newly unsealed documents yesterday from a civil lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of participating in the sex crimes of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The documents came into public view because of a judge’s order to reveal the true identities of almost 200 John and Jane Does associated with the lawsuit, which was brought by outspoken Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre against Maxwell and was settled in 2017 before Maxwell’s 2021 criminal conviction. The name drop was inaccurately hyped before it happened as the reveal of Epstein’s “client list,” but being named in the documents does not necessarily imply wrongdoing, as they mention alleged Epstein victims, contacts, employees, and others.

• Two of the biggest names included in the documents, former Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, were already known to have met Epstein, and the records do not indicate that either one had engaged in illegal activity.
• The documents also featured names of people who previously denied wrongdoing, including Prince Andrew (who settled a separate lawsuit with Giuffre), attorney Alan Dershowitz, and hedge fund billionaire Glenn Dubin.

Why now? Epstein died by suicide in a jail cell in 2019, but interest in his crimes and his ties to influential people remains—though only Epstein and Maxwell have been criminally charged in connection with his sex trafficking. After the Miami Herald pushed for public access to the documents from Giuffre’s lawsuit, including depositions of Maxwell and alleged victims, US District Judge Loretta Preska ordered their release, noting that much of the information in them had already been made public in other court cases and media coverage.

Looking ahead…more documents are expected to be released, which could continue to spur speculation about associations with Epstein. In advance of yesterday’s document dump, quarterback Aaron Rodgers baselessly implied comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s name might be in them, prompting the late-night host to threaten to sue.—CC, AR

Nearly 100 people killed in bombings near Iranian military leader’s grave. At least 95 people were killed and 211 were injured by two explosions during a ceremony honoring Qassem Soleimani, a leader of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard who was killed by a US drone strike in Iraq in 2020. Iranian officials described the blasts as terrorist attacks, but no group immediately claimed responsibility for them. The bombings came as tensions were already running high in the region because of the Israel–Hamas war.

Donald Trump asks SCOTUS to allow him on Colorado’s ballot. The former president asked the Supreme Court to overturn a ruling by Colorado’s highest court finding him ineligible to be on the state’s presidential primary ballot because of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Trump’s appeal seeks an answer to the high-stakes question of whether the 14th Amendment’s ban on insurrectionists holding office applies to him. Trump is currently the GOP front-runner in the presidential election, and the issue extends beyond Colorado—Maine’s secretary of state determined he should not be allowed on the ballot there, and the Oregon Supreme Court is also weighing the issue. Trump is asking the justices to reverse the Colorado ruling without hearing oral arguments.

🧊 The job market is cooling down. It’s getting harder to find a new job: US job openings fell in November to their lowest level since March 2021—though at 8.79 million, there were still more than before the pandemic, according to data released yesterday by the Department of Labor. Hiring was also down. It’s the latest sign that the Fed’s rate hikes have finally started to cool the once-scorching labor market to help curb inflation, but not so much that it’s looking like a recession. And, while it held bad news for job seekers, the Labor Department’s data also showed that quitting and layoffs have slowed.

Autonomix is pioneering a microchip-based technology with the potential to revolutionize medicine as we know it—and their funding round is open for only a few more days.

3,000x more sensitive nerve detection. Their breakthrough could unlock the ability to treat pain, hypertension, and more at their source in the nervous system.

Over $100b in market potential. Safer, faster, and more effective nerve treatments could open up billions in market potential.

$900m+ early-stage exits. Companies in this space have been acquired for millions even before FDA approval. Autonomix’s 100+ patents, issued and pending, give them valuable IP already.

This funding round ends Jan. 15. Invest in Autonomix before their planned Nasdaq listing.

Elon Musk might wingman your next “U up?” text if you’re a T-Mobile customer: Yesterday, the billionaire’s aerospace company, SpaceX, launched six Starlink satellites designed to provide LTE mobile phones with network signals, even out in the boonies.

The Direct to Cell satellites, which SpaceX describes as “a cell phone tower in space,” are meant to plug connectivity holes in remote areas where it’s currently impossible to get a single bar. After a period of testing…

• SpaceX will provide satellite coverage in partnership with T-Mobile in the US and through six other carriers around the world.
• Direct to Cell will only enable texting at first, but voice and data will follow “in the coming years,” T-Mobile said.

Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite business, is expected to pull in $10 billion in sales this year, surpassing SpaceX’s rocket launch business and accounting for most of the company’s total revenue, according to Bloomberg.

The new space race is calling. Other companies are competing to rule extraterrestrial cell service, too: AT&T completed the first voice call on a regular phone using a satellite connection last year, and Amazon says it will begin beta testing its own satellite service, Project Kuiper, later this year for Verizon, NTT, and Vodafone.—ML

The true crime podcasts will have to save their autopsy puns for another day because the only story their audience seems to care about right now is Gypsy Rose Blanchard getting out of jail. After spending eight years behind bars for her role in her mother’s murder, Blanchard is rushing to capitalize on her own lore.

For those who aren’t Patricia Arquette super fans—Blanchard pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2016 for the killing of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. Blanchard testified that in June 2015, her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, stabbed her mother with her knowledge while she was in the next room. Godejohn is currently serving a life sentence. As portrayed in both documentaries and a fictionalized series, Blanchard claimed her mother had Munchausen syndrome by proxy and subjected her to years of unnecessary medical treatment for illnesses she didn’t have, like leukemia and muscular dystrophy.

What’s she up to now? One of the first things Blanchard did after getting out of prison (like anyone who has a nonconsensual Hulu show based on their life) was get an iPhone 15 and start recording. Her Instagram has over 6 million followers, and #gypsyrose has 3.4 billion views on TikTok. And she’s embracing the spotlight: She’s used the accounts to promote an upcoming Lifetime docuseries and an e-book about her experience.—MM

Stat: The American Kennel Club recognizes 201 dog breeds, and the latest one is the Lancashire Heeler, which was added to the list yesterday. That means the smiley little herding dog from the UK, created through crossbreeding in the 17th century, can now compete in the club’s dog shows. But you’re still not likely to run into one you can pet on the street: There are only about 400 of them in the US.

Quote: “I can’t feel my fingers.”

Thirteen-year-old Willis Gibson, better known on YouTube as Blue Scuti, may have lost the feeling in his digits, but he did it achieving a rare accomplishment: He’s believed to be the first person ever to have beaten Tetris. In a video the competitive Tetris player posted, he stacked shapes until he reached Level 157, which caused the game to freeze because he had reached the highest level allowed by its coding. For years, Level 29 was thought to be the upper limit where blocks start falling so rapidly it’s impossible to keep up, but even before Gibson’s big victory, gamers’ lightning-quick thumbs had already proved that wrong.

Read: Game of clones: Science is immortalizing Argentina’s top polo horses. (Washington Post)

Sync your calendar with space: This calendar from the New York Times puts astrological events on your GCal so you’ll never miss a meteor shower.

Listen: Here are the podcasts that podcasters like best.

Build: This app scans your pile of Legos and tells you what you can make.

Face the music: The 100 best R&B songs of the century (so far).

Get your finances in order: Track your income, spending, investing, and more with Money with Katie’s 2024 Wealth Planner—join 15,000+ Rich Girls and Boys and grab yours today.

To be continued: The next chapter of your career comes with help from Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies. Whether full-time or online, turn your page here.*

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