The Golightly Chronicles

Revisiting the heartbreaking loss of John Lewis

Holly Aguirre — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 04:38:18 GMT

July 17, 2020, Atlanta. Congressman John Lewis, who was known as “the conscience of the U.S. Congress,” is dead. The man who peacefully walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama only to be met with Billy clubs to the head, the man who spent his entire adult life advocating for voting rights, fighting cancers such as racism and discriminat…

Chuck D, Nile Rodgers, the Godfathers of Tech and Music

Holly Aguirre — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 19:57:42 GMT

CHUCK D AND NILE RODGERS ARE WHAT YOU'D CALL "OLD SCHOOL" IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY. BUT THEY'RE teaching us new lessons about music and technology. Chuck D, 41, the charismatic frontman for the groundbreaking, politically and socially outspoken hip-hop group Public Enemy, began promoting hip-hop acts in New York City in 1979, Nile Rodgers, 49, started his career at 16 making music on Sesame Street before heading up the musical group Chic and later producing hits for artists such as Madonna, Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, and David Bowie. Chuck and Nile share a vision of what the industry should be, and they are using technology to realize that vision.

Both artists are banking on the success of their online ventures: Chuck heads up Rapstation.com and SlamJamz.com, and Nile launched the Nile Rodgers MP3 Dance Club (www.mp3danceclub.com) last year. Their companies use MP3 (Motion Picture Experts Group, audio layer three) file-sharing technology, a format used for compressing audio to transmit as files at near-CD quality over the Internet. Everyday millions of people upload, download, and share MP3 files, but most big record labels have not embraced the technology for fear of Napster-like situations--the widespread distribution of copyrighted materials without the company's (of the artist's) consent. Granted, the labels do have a point.

Who the F is Holly Aguirre?

Holly Aguirre — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 16:50:23 GMT

As I recently posted on social media, my “professional” writing career began when my Poet Laureate grandmother Edna Hawkins encouraged me to enter an essay contest on why I was proud to be an American — which I won first prize: $25.

In my composition, I talk about the values instilled in me by my father who had immigrated to the United States all alone …

Iraqi teen arrives in Los Angeles to discover she is face of peace

Holly Aguirre — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 19:35:42 GMT

Fateful Beauty

I cannot believe I am here, Los Angeles, California, where Fate seems to smile every day. Her warmth and generosity provide a stream of golden opportunities for all living creatures lucky enough to be showered by her sun kissed gaze.

Perched here in the backseat of Cole’s car, the bold displays of her glory whiz past me as we head to a hotel in Santa Monica where we’re meeting a magazine writer.

Never have I seen so many different varieties of flowers and trees in shapes that I couldn’t even imagine! Sitting next to me, my father says that Los Angeles is a desert just like our country.

I think to myself, “If this a desert, then why is everything so green?”

This kaleidoscopic parade of flora and fauna makes me dizzy as we drive past the countless petals bursting with life; block after block a new species reveals itself. I can’t help but wonder what they feel like and if their scent is sweet or bitter as I press my face to the window. Between the buildings I catch a glimpse of the sun reflecting off the shining sea.

Beyond the city’s shiny shops and cafes, the lush rolling hills with their thick jade and cacti framing this scene remind me of a story my father told us one evening back home in Iraq. Sitting on the floor of our home, Father explained the importance of the color green in the Arabic world as he twirled a tiny delicate olive branch between his fingers. He said that green is older than the Prophet Mohammed, who wore an emerald turban and robe.

A Child’s Tale of War

Holly Aguirre — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 17:25:09 GMT

You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it — Atticus Finch

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Chapter One — A Second Chance

My father grasps my hand tightly. It is not a loving clasp as if we’re taking a walk in a park. It is as though he thinks I am fil…

Maimed by U.S. bombs, young Iraqi girl chooses love over hate

Holly Aguirre — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:03:31 GMT

As war continues to rage in the Middle East, I am reminded of the special time I spent interviewing Asra’a Mizyad, a young Iraqi girl who was hit by an errant U.S. missile as she walked home from school in 1999. Asra’a lived in the peaceful port village of Abu Flous near Basra, an area which had been deemed a no-fly zone.

Hot shrapnel ripping through her…

Regarding the New York Times Epstein 'bombshell'

Holly Aguirre — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 21:43:46 GMT

Earlier this week, three New York Times reporters received a gold star for doing their jobs.

I have read dozens of social media posts congratulating the reporters for their story about the White House Situation Room sewing circle, which has Guyliner Vance and others kvetching over their boss’s involvement with Jeffrey Epstein and how to spin it. Every ot…

Jeffrey Epstein: What really happened in the Virgin Islands courtroom

Holly Aguirre — Thu, 28 May 2026 12:03:56 GMT

One could easily mistake St. Thomas’s salmon-colored two-story Barbel Plaza Superior Court building for a strip mall, the kind with a Sally’s Beauty Supply that’s been closing forever yet rarely open for business. Its windows are blacked out, and the chaotic parking lot has yellow lines that are mere suggestions. Situated in the same block are 240 low-i…

A Day of Reckoning

Holly Aguirre — Sun, 24 May 2026 22:00:24 GMT

Full disclosure: I am a snob.

Qualification: I am a snob when it comes to the standards that I have set for myself.

Explanation: I never thought that I would be a self-publisher, a blogger, someone who writes for free. And yet here I am, putting my exclusive reporting, my precious scoops out into the wild for all to see.

I am so grateful to have roughly 10…

FBI was told Epstein used Wexner’s plane for trafficking in the 90s

Holly Aguirre — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 21:47:01 GMT

Appearing before a House committee investigating the Epstein case, billionaire businessman Lex Wexner denied any wrongdoing and rejected suggestions that he had facilitated or concealed criminal conduct of any kind.

An FBI document from 2019 had described him as a potential co-conspirator, a label that supposedly carried enormous weight but ultimately re…

EXCLUSIVE: Jeffrey Epstein’s dark connection to the Pentagon

Holly Aguirre — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 19:41:51 GMT

As hundreds of documents in the newly released Jeffrey Epstein files continue to shine a light on his proximity to power, it’s easy to get blinded by the marquee names like Gates, Musk, Thiel, Clinton, and Barak. Woody Allen? Come on, are you really surprised?

Clutch your pearls and continue to share the list of names we all know, but then buckle your se…

Jeffrey Epstein used International Peace Institute for trafficking purposes, allegedly

Holly Aguirre — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 13:04:18 GMT

After my 2019 Vanity Fair coverage rattled the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, my editors seemed thrilled with my exclusive and told me to keep going. I was asked to appear on a local radio show, was given VF’s blessing and was told that the promotions department were going to give it some juice.

“We’re really excited to see what you come up with next,” o…

Sundance CEO Lands in the Epstein Files

Holly Aguirre — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 06:54:00 GMT

The U.S. Department of Justice has dumped another three million documents in the so-called Jeffrey Epstein investigation, and now Congress, journalists and citizen sleuths are combing through the tranche of emails, videos and photos.

The latest document release comes after weeks of delay and a January 5 concession by the Justice Department that its discl…

The Jeffrey Epstein Story: The Worst and Best Thing to Ever Happen to Me

Holly Aguirre — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 20:22:27 GMT

Imagine that the biggest milestone of your career is the worst thing to ever happen to you. That is how I feel about my Jeffrey Epstein reporting. Not only does it dump of truckload of salt on gaslighting burns I thought were healed, but it also makes me question my chosen profession and mankind in general.

Now, toss in some sour grapes with a side of crow… Rinse. Repeat.

After qualifying that she’s not Downtown, Julie Brown of the Miami Herald is a household name. And rightfully so. She is one of the true gritty Old School newspaper reporters and has earned her top ranking amongst the more dogged scribes in the country. She has done a great job of staying in one lane, maintaining great sources within Florida’s law enforcement and judicial system.

Holly Aguirre, on the other hand, is not. I have name recognition in certain circles – old guard New York and Los Angeles media, those up to their eyeballs in the 90s rock and roll scene, especially in Atlanta and Athens, GA, and weirdly, a select group of news junkies. I’m talking the kind who read everything. These are rare and exotic birds, and I am always taken aback when I meet one in the wild.

Officials Repeatedly Enabled Jeffrey Epstein’s Crimes

Holly Aguirre — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 18:31:05 GMT

This was previously available to paid subscribers only. Sharing with all readers now as it is far too important to keep behind a paywall.

Pedophile Isle, Rape Island. These are a couple of the stomach-turning nicknames that locals had given Little Saint James, the private island and main residence of Jeffrey Epstein.

Exclusive: Epstein & the Maxwells’ Tangled World Wide Web

Holly Aguirre — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 11:35:31 GMT

One of the main questions I get regarding Jeffrey Epstein is, how did he make his money? The answer is simple: by helping other people hide theirs. Whether it was done under nefarious circumstances or through totally legal 501(c)(3)s and family foundations, for close to 40 years Epstein helped his clients squirrel away billions upon billions of tax-free dollars.

And in this case, following the money takes us down some pretty dirty back roads.

After breaking my big story for Vanity Fair, I kept going, turning over every leaf, crawling under every stone. The first place I looked was his since deleted web site, touting his philanthropic efforts. The Jeffrey Epstein Foundation was the convicted pedophile’s attempt at legitimizing himself. It smacked of desperation, listing every organization, every politician he’d ever given a dollar.

He even hired a publicist and started a pitiful YouTube channel.

But digging deeper and deeper, I started connecting some pretty odd dots and found myself going down some dirty back roads. Let’s go back to the start, keeping in mind, we’re just getting warmed up.

Inside Epstein’s Sycophantic Social Network

Holly Aguirre — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 13:03:26 GMT

I have spent days reading thousands of emails Jeffrey Epstein sent to royalty, lawyers, scientists, politicians, journalists and coconspirators along with their pathetic and sycophantic responses. I never thought I’d see such low-level pandering from people who are supposed to be some of the smartest and most successful people in the world.

Let me make t…

Of Course Trump Knows About Epstein Girls

Holly Aguirre — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 21:48:00 GMT

Donald Trump has indicated on numerous occasions that he is the smartest, most successful, and most diplomatic person in the room, capable of stopping wars in a day, bringing peace to the Middle East and even shooting someone on 5th Avenue and getting away with it. Right?

Those of us paying attention know that he has grifted countless contractors, bankr…

The Truth About the Prince & the Pedophile

Holly Aguirre — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 05:16:18 GMT

Taken with an Old School disposable cardboard camera, the image captures Prince Andrew, second son of Queen Elizabeth II, with his arm around the waist of a teenager named Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Two of his fingers rest on her exposed midriff, his hand touching her bare skin.

At the time His Royal Highness was 41 and the father of two girls, aged 13 and 11.

Lurking in the background, Ghislaine Maxwell leans in a doorway, smiling at the person taking the picture. She looks pleased, content, a caviar-fed cat full of canaries.

The Jeffrey Epstein Story Gets Personal

Holly Aguirre — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 20:38:55 GMT

Hello, readers. As I have been asked to outline several versions of a book on Jeffrey Epstein, I am sharing one with my subscribers. I welcome your feedback — what you would like to see more of, what you think is missing and/or just straight up praise/keep going is fine, too.

My biggest question is, would you rather read something that is solely based on…