The “First Friends” series examines figures with close ties to Jeffrey Epstein and his intimate associates that also boast close ties to President Donald Trump. This series unravels relevant and new connections that mutually inform readers about the nexus of power that is responsible for both Epstein’s crimes and Trump’s political and professional success.

Mar 10, 2026

First Friends: How Andrew Farkas and an Emirati Sultan Helped Epstein Build a Smuggler's Paradise

A deep dive into the relationship shared by Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew Farkas, and one of the top Emirati executives in the UAE reveals the infrastructure Epstein used to smuggle whatever, and whoever, he wanted with impunity.

Whitney Webb

Aug 26, 2025

First Friends: How the First Couple's Consigliere Went From Modeling Mogul to Special Envoy

Unlimited Hangout investigates how Paolo Zampolli became a recent Trump appointee despite his past of servicing corrupt, predatory and globalist ambitions targeting the world’s oceans, facilitating fraud, and aiding citizenship-by-investment scams.

Whitney Webb & Mark Goodwin

Jul 21, 2025

First Friends: How "Italy's Donald Trump" Introduced Naomi Campbell to Jeffrey Epstein

With the Trump administration having mismanaged the release of new information about the Jeffrey Epstein case, Unlimited Hangout investigates some important yet largely unknown players in the Epstein network whose close ties to Donald Trump.

Whitney Webb

A forensic investigation on the major movers and shakers of the cryptocurrency industry that explores the people, businesses, investments, patents, and infrastructure behind the blockchain and the oncoming new financial system.

Breaking (Down) The Chain: An Investigation Post-mortem

A concise post-mortem on The Chain series, a deep dive on the creation of the Bitcoin-Dollar system which names the names and explains the technology upholding the deflationary and highly-surveillable digital financial system fast approaching.

Nov 18, 2024 Mark Goodwin

The Chain Of Command: How Facebook's Libra, Bank Regulators, and PayPal Built A New World Currency

While Facebook’s Libra seemed to fail, it set the stage for stablecoin regulation. The finale of The Chain traces how Libra, the 2023 bank failures and the Gillibrand-Lummis bill realized PayPal’s founding goal of a “new world currency.”

Oct 31, 2024 Mark Goodwin & Whitney Webb

The Chain of Consensus: The Cartel Behind The Blockchain

While often pitched as decentralized, the key infrastructure upholding consensus on Ethereum has been dollarized by stablecoin issuers. These same entities, in addition to the currency speculators behind Block.One, were willing partners in the set up and take down of Terra-LUNA and FTX.

Sep 11, 2024 Mark Goodwin

The Chain of Issuance: The People and Patents That Built The Financial Surveillance Network

The patent hoarding developers and investors associated with PayPal and Google who built the first iteration of e-commerce and digital advertising have turned to the blockchain to fulfill their vision of total financial surveillance and the circumnavigation of government-issued money.

Aug 07, 2024 Mark Goodwin & Whitney Webb

The Chain of Custody: The "Mafia" Holding The Elite's Bitcoin

Endeavor, a self-described “mafia” multiplier backed by Bronfman, Omidyar and Hoffman, groomed the founders who dominate Latin American fintech, including Xapo’s Wences Casares, who helped build the Bitcoin-Dollar system with advisers like Larry Summers.

Jul 08, 2024 Whitney Webb & Mark Goodwin