Tonight, an ivory tower.

We examine the country' fixation on the Epstein files.

We also look at the weak oversig of the New York State Police.

Finally, why should the US conti to foot the bill for the UN?

Insights from the professors coming up next.

This program is brought to you by the members of CNY.

Thank you.

For.

Good evening and welcome to Ivor We're glad that you're joining u I'm Nina Moore of Colgate Univer My colleagues around the table are Rick Finner of Utica Univers Ben Bossman of Gannon University and honor born Astoria of Lemoyn convicted sex offende Jeffrey Epstein died seven years His accomplice is serving a 20 year prison sentence, and almost a half billio dollars have been paid out to hi Yet the Epstein saga and of late the Epstein file continue to dominate the news cy The question we asked tonight is Well, a Free Press article said we're witnessing the masses call the wealthy to account on both sides of the aisl that it's about accountability, transparency, vindication for th Rick, t what do you attribute all the ho that surrounding the Epstein sag and the files?

Well, I think there are a number of answers there.

First, the salacious natur of this whole story, you know, f very much into, you know, sex s and there's plenty of sex in thi It has all of the attribute the conspiracy theorists love.

And then secondly, there's the political angle.

You know, when it appeared that, the names coming out of the email would be most damaging to Democr Republicans were all about gett emails out and opening up things But once it became know that there were prominent Republ named in there, then all of a s the Democrats saw an opportunity So I think politics has played a role as well.

But I do think tha there are legitimate questions to be asked in terms of who was doing what.

Who knew what.

And I understand why the average is looking at this and, and see that they have heard and read ab Having special access.

And even after he was convicted continuing to have relationships with Epstein.

Yeah.

Well let me pick up on your point abo being salacious and the fact that sex sells.

The thing about it is, accordin to this Free Press article, and also, we'll never really know wh and what's false.

He's implicated because a lot of this is coming from Epstein himself, a convicted sex offender.

So what does what do you think is primarily driving this?

It's not about truth finding, is Well, it is, and I think the fac that there were so many files and they were being, you know, released over time, th your favorite show on streaming we continue to have more informa Is the next installmen going to, to give us more inform I think we're at a point where most of the facts, all right, are going to be out t There's still plenty for people to go and sift through and reach different conclusions about.

But, you know I think that this has all of the attributes of your best made drama on television.

Yeah.

And one of the thing we, found this week on our bond is that victims had some compla about the handling of the latest Do you think in all of this that the victims concerns the fact that they were victimiz is being lost?

Yes.

I think in many ways we lose the sight of the fact that we are talking about minor and sexual assaults towards mino So, you know, yes, as a society the world, we are obsessed with We are obsessed with finding out who are the perpetrators.

But at the same time we lose sight of the fact that o less reported that a many, many accounts or, you know, exchanges were unredacted where faces, even nude pictures came o and that some in other legal par we call revenge porn.

Right?

Like if you are releasin that kind of material, it's unla It's completely unlawful.

But, you know I will say it reached a point.

Both, especially the right, had a huge deal about releasing thes They were constantly going o and on in the influencer univers about how we need to have these we need to see these files.

And now, you know, at the end o it required a law right there th administration didn't want to r and required a law to release it And what we see for me when I looked at the reporting a or what I see is like, you know, a rarefied universe of very rich, well-connected pe that can kind of protect each ot and kind of listen to each other The middle power they have conn with is really in Russian intell There's a lot going o that will be fleshed out over ti but yeah, we see tha there are two different worlds w And that' I think the proletariat, quote u willing is seeing and finding ou So, Rick, is this about the bour and the proletariat?

Are we essentially feedin the rich to the poor through all I'm sorry.

Ben.

Yeah.

No.

No worries.

I'm in additio to what my colleagues have said, another, issu that has to do with terms like f Institutional distrust and running off of that.

Got people where they're at now.

But it's also the other side of where if you promise that you're going to release all these things and then you don't and you resis that opens up the part of the the base that voted for that.

When you know you can't release it's never, ever going to be all There's going to be stuff that can't be released, and that just feeds into this di that it's probably at the highes for our institutions, which is r Yeah, it's really sad.

And so I'll just ask everybod to chime in here how much of thi Right.

Because you all mentioned how i and forth between get the Democr get the Republicans.

How much of this now is about hopefully some folks hopin they'll find something on Trump.

Oh, definitely.

But here's the thing.

If you've, witnessed what's happ recently, people at the top, whether it's Trump or Clinton, that make the top people are going to be able to are going to be able to dance ar The people who are being harmed their jobs are people like Larry or, Brad Karp, Paul Mandelson, p in the middle who, you know, are being held accountable for their actions and their relationships here.

So, again, yeah, I think you can tell stories ab and we'll never know all of that But the people who are really l on this are people in more in th Yeah.

But I'd say on our, on the Clint not people in the middle.

We're subject almos to a contempt of Congress charge Because they didn't want to go So now they're going to give a d We'll see how it goes.

So do you think that is the best to deal with this?

They want their deposition to be What what about this process of for the truth?

Well, I mean, yes I think if there are very, impor issue that lead to national security c like we see in the case of Engl yes, people would be prosecuted And and people who are I mean, because now Republicans own Wash they would call Clinton.

This is this is politics as usua But at the same time there's a large number of people who want to know this stuff.

And I just want to add that when the Pizzagate conspiracists were talking about pizza, it turns out through these emai now we see these reporting that these people are all talking ab in a way that is not about pizza So, yeah that there's something else ther And we'll find out what that something else is.

But right no we're going to move on to our ne Unlike most police agencies, the State Police do not have formal disciplinary guidelines according to the New York Times.

The result is that often serious police misconduct is met with a slap on the wrist or no punishment at all.

And even when punishment is impo the punishments vary widely.

After examinin ten years of disciplinary record the New York Times analyst found no discernible pattern or standard in the handling of police misconduct, no rhyme or r So, Ben, as it's safe to sa that these sorts of outcomes tra to the lack of formal guidelines or something else.

Well, if what's being reported and they don't have any policies or procedures on recor for the whole state of New York, it's hard for me to believe, first of all.

But it has to be there in order to hold people accounta for doing thing that are aren't against the law.

But you have a large amount of d as a police officer, and where you can verbally war somebody all the way up to physi arresting them, taking them to and that that stays on the recor That kind of, power should not be taken lightl and it has to be overseen and p the police is the best way to do It's the most effective.

It has been shown that way, but to be done in order to be effect And if you don't do that, then steps have to be taken, wh not want as a police department.

Yeah.

The if I could just follow up because you were suggesting there may be some doub about whether or not it's true.

The Superintendent of State Police, promised last yea to put those guidelines in place So according to that we can sort of conclude that's n Does it strike you as unusual?

And what would you say might be the reasons why such a large police forc wouldn't have formal guidelines?

Your thoughts?

Honestly I have no thought of why you wou intentionally not have policie and procedures for any organizat let alone one that has, carries weapons, has to make split second decisions that will, cos including their own if they don' So, it is it is borderline insan if there's nothing beyond the s that they're following and and, you know, verbal commands, it's un it's without fathom for me to comprehend not havin any policies of procedures in pl And I mean, it's significant.

I'm assuming they have an intern because if they don't, that's those two things i tandem is a recipe for disaster.

You know, what they do have ar super visors at the troop levels that, impose penalties and some runs, the investigation or not.

Your thoughts about that kind of Because after all, the supervisor at the troo level is closest to whatever has and I'll have most of the fan.

Y that is the thing, right?

You cannot have just the police.

The police in that sense.

Then we should write our own cou evaluations.

And we shouldn't, should hav those shouldn't have to do anyth We should can I can write your c evaluation and so on.

And that's a huge conflict of in And here, the here the data is clear, right.

The inspector general, said that you know, state police, it was extremely l and lacked transparency.

The report that you sent m there were like ad hoc punishmen or disciplinary things for different officers for different reasons and they didn't kind of match up And also the police, this state they resisted making police reco available to the public.

Right.

And yes, my thing is very simple I've said this before.

Public funds, the police.

Police serves the public.

They are public servants, s they should have civilian oversi what police conducts, are police does a lot of things.

We shouldn't have police do a lot of things.

That's a different question.

But I do think that there should an outsid police civilian oversight board of regulates or looks at police and make it transparent.

That and so I have to admit, yo I was up when this story, came t that New York state did not have guidelines.

The words that came to me first trust, accountability and consis How you can have any of those in the New York State Police forc without these guidelines is beyo We're at a time where there's, you know, certainly distrust about police in the fairness and what they're doing.

And so how you can have an organ like New York State Police and function effectively without thi I understand why some members, don't want these guidelines because it provides them cover for all sorts of behavior.

But I think we really need to b into, you know, where appropriat have people police themselves, f do police themselves.

But there are levels above tha to ensure that what we're doing is in the best interest of our s and this needs to be a group to that police are acting in the be Okay, sure.

But but do you worry that havin perhaps here do more than occurs with other civilian review boar because they don't have the fina Do you worry here that having ci get involved more intimately might make the process more poli given just the reactions so many don't have expertise.

You you have X police, you can that are from a different state.

It just needs to be a level so that they're not too close to the peopl that they are actually investiga Then you're the expert.

Yeah, no, I agree, the worst case scenario is do I get a civilian board involve that has no idea how policing wo That's right.

That is the train wreck.

Wait.

Waiting to happen?

A step back from that, I agree.

If you're gonna have a civilian involved in any way, they have to have the experience the training and knowledge.

You don't put a bunch of people on a medical board that aren't medically traine because you're practicing things That's not it's not cookie cutte There's so many variables that h So you have to have that underst of system one, system two decisions that have to be ma without, you know, and also a sensitivit from the police officers standpo Yeah, absolutely.

Okay.

And you know when you're policing your own, it's it's a good way to make thi the correct way.

Okay.

Okay.

The United Nations is going brok It's set to run out of money in to 2.2 billion in unpaid member A lot hangs in the balance.

Were that to happen, peacekeepi aid delivery to poor countries, human rights monitoring, diploma interventions and more on our bo The United States owes 95% of the unpaid fees, but why should the US pa that amount of money to the U.N.

budget, given how the U.N.

is sometimes at odds with American interests?

Well, I mean, look, I I will start with a knee jerk an Do you remember what happene after the fall of the League of I do, all right.

So, you know, it's a very important moment.

You so look united.

The allies after the Second Worl we realized, created this system of internati that, you know, we can stave of unilateral aggression of countri If two countries have a problem, they can come to.

You went t the International Court of Justi and have a instead of, you know, fighting it out.

They can have a, a court decisi and maintained by that decision.

Pakista and India has done that previous Morocco, Western Sahara, this has been there has been.

So United Nations creates this of international security and pe Humanitarian aid, sustainabl development, international law.

These are things that ar in the interest of United States If we just g for whoever has the biggest gun, the world would indeed devolve i And United Nations have done plenty of good work.

There's the equal stock.

There is the, you know, the General Assembly the you know, the UN Security Co These are important things that underpin the way global actors nations act with e Sure.

And to completely dissolve that is not in the best interest of the US, because I think a large number of countrie don't want the UN to dissolve.

So it will be taken over by Chin or other bigger nations.

And, you know, that might be us which would not be a good thing.

But you mentioned the League of which, correct me if I'm wrong, Yes.

Faile because failing us of its weakne Right.

But here, much of the strength o rests on the US's backing and the US work is paying 22%.

The fees, but 22%, but China 20% By the way the United States used to pay al And this has been going down ove The fees are base upon the size of your economy.

So the US, being the larges economy, pays the largest share, But as China's economy has grown they're paying 20%.

If you add up.

What?

Europe?

UK, Germany, France, Italy, they pay almost 20%.

So it's no that the U.S added together thou That's true.

But if you look at the size of economy, it's about the size of My point is the US is not fundin It's funding about one fifth.

So And all of these groups are pay that they're not always going to what they want.

This has been an extremely impor organization.

Now in the last thing I want to is if you listen to Donald Trump on the one hand, he's been very critical of the UN and pulled us out of many of the organizations.

But lately he sat down and first he said he didn't kno that the US was behind in its pa And he said, if you need somebod to call these countries in and get them to send their check the right person.

He said that the UN is now indis So I'm a little bit confused, bu hopeful that the US will come f with, their share of the money.

Sure.

Well, that's what Trump is And speaking extemporaneously, most likely.

But Republican I've been have been sort of reti to pay lots of money to the UN because of its position and so many American, issues or issues that are important to especially when it comes to Isra Yeah.

And it's unfortunate.

I mean, th the organization itself does hav And I think Trump has has done a pointing out the flaws, maybe not in a diplomatic way, which is a problem.

And the fact that it may run out is even a bigger problem.

Yes.

It's flawed, but it's bette what was there before, and it's better than not having You have the World Health Organi that's part of this.

That is essential to, to our global society.

So I'm hoping that that this bri some change because strongly worded letters when, when thing right is not always the answer.

And unfortunately the founders of this did not put a consequence for when those st worded letters aren't followed.

57% of Americans in the latest approve of the United Nations, and this is trending upward.

So I think that might put a litt more pressure on, Trump to, pay for this.

And so I totally agree that we need some reforms.

But ultimately, this grou is very important to the United Both okay, figurativel or symbolically as well as okay.

But if it's so important.

Right.

And all countries recognize tha why is it on the brink of failur What is that about?

Well, that is because, I mean, issues about paying dues and so Like, look I mean, I just want to point thi UN charter is a treat is a treaty between 100 and 93 c They all are saying that we believe in this.

And then there is enforcement mechanism, right?

If there is U.N.

peacekeeping force, if you know, the Security Council takes, decisio that force has to be in the, use The world is going through a bad Many countries are really poor.

The U.N.

supports them diplomatically, even in many cases.

So, yes, I mean, perhap big countries would step up to t I honestly don't know why countr are not paying their dues.

They should pay their dues.

But it's mostly the U.S.. But there is one other reason.

They have a very stupid financia that says if the U.N.

doesn't spend all of its budget that they must return that money to nation states even if they didn't receive the So that is a death spiral that they have to change.

But in the short run, it's basically us pay your dues for l and this year, and the U.N.

would not be facing this crisis.

Yeah, right.

Can you envision the European Un stepping in here to fill some of the financi I don't think they need to.

They are paying their fair shar determined by the size of their I don't think it's, this is no one of those cases where the U.S is funding all of this and nobody like NATO.

You could have made an argument No, this is where I think everyo is paying their fair share.

Yeah.

I mean, look, France, UK, Germa these people are paying their sh And, look, the idea is that Uni Nations creates stability in thi There is no doubt about that.

It and it creates a lot of cultu Unesco, Unicef, you know, a lot It's integrated.

It's very much integrate into the fabric of global life, global political life to just completely get rid of ri This will not happen.

What I fear is us, we under Dona may kind of retreat it and then just allow you in to be run by someo because he's more worried about the billionaire.

What is it called, the Board of or something else on the board o We shall talk about next time, because now it's time for our great books, starting with your f Ric.

My f goes to Treasury Secretary Scott Besson for his testimonies this wee in front of the House and Senate Besson refused to dismiss the p that the administration would su Kevin Warsh, Trump's pick to b the next head of the Federal Res if he didn't reduce interest ra as much as the president wants.

Just another sign that the Trump administration has no respect for the independence of the fed even if they choose honor born.

Well, my f goes to Steve Bannon' suggestion that, we should deploy Ice official and military troops to polling s during the 2026 midterms and special elections.

Incidentally, federal law prohib this and this.

Even in some states, there is a to carry firearms nearing pollin These, suggestions are really, scary to a lot of Americans.

Ben, m F is going to the idea around re that Ice can enter homes without a judicial warrant.

There has been a couple whistle that have come forward about thi that the form IE 205 is sufficie that is not signed by a judge to make entry into a house beca the civil, side of law that they Now, that is a good warrant whe in public or you're somewhere le But to not have a signed judge order is insane to me.

And now we're going to move to o Start again Starting again with you, Rick.

My AA goes to the goat and the k Novak Djokovic, the Goat, and Carlos Alcaraz, the kid competed in the finals of the Australian Open.

One of Tennis's grand slams.

Djokovic, at 39, who has won 24 Grand Slams, eventually lost to the 22 year old Alcaraz.

Alcaraz won his seventh Grand S who became the youngest ever to each of the four slams.

I call Alcaraz the ki not only because of his young ag but because a kid is a young go and he's already showing all the that he will eventually surpass as the greatest tennis player of And at age 22, I see what you did there with t and the kid on our barn and my e To the government, Katie hold a launch of the Health Care Acce Loan Repayment or the Healer pr which is a 48.3 million student loan repayment initiative desig to expand access to the care for State Medicaid members and unin individuals across New York Stat This will be a good program for, medical students.

All right.

Good.

And, Ben, my A's going to the pr and performance of Mamma mia!

And Buffalo.

I was performed ther between January 15th and Februar It was a stunning set, top tale fantastically fun for the whole They did a fantastic job.

It was, put on at Shea's Theaters in Buffalo.

We should all go and see that.

It was amazing.

And here we go a There we go again.

Okay, well that's all we have for you tonig We'd really love to hear from yo We'd love to hear what you think Pleas write to the address on your scr If you want to watch the show a or share it with someone else, go to W, C and Y. Dawg.

I'm Nina Moor for all of us here at Ivory Towe Good night.