Trump signs bill requiring the Justice Department to release its files on Jeffrey Epstein
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Lawyers for former FBI Director James Comey were in court today to argue that charges that he lied to Congress should be dismissed.
What to know today
- EPSTEIN FILES: President Donald Trump tonight signed legislation to compel the Justice Department to release records related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Congress sent the measure to the White House this morning.
- EPSTEIN FALLOUT: Larry Summers, the former treasury secretary and ex-president of Harvard University, announced he will resign from the board of directors at OpenAI amid scrutiny of his connection to Epstein, which is now the subject of an internal investigation at the Ivy League school.
- COMEY CASE: Lawyers for former FBI Director James Comey were in court today to argue that charges that he lied to Congress should be dismissed on the grounds that his prosecution has been “selective and vindictive.” During the hearing, the Justice Department admitted that not every member of the grand jury saw the final version of the indictment, an error that could get the case thrown out.
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What’s in the ‘Epstein files’ — and when they might become public
The Justice Department’s records related to Epstein are on their way to becoming public after Trump signed the “Epstein Files Transparency Act,” but what could be in them, and when could the public actually see them?
Here’s a look at what’s known about the release so far — and what can be expected.
House unanimously votes to repeal provision allowing senators to sue the government over phone record searches
The House voted 426-0 this evening to strip a provision in the government funding bill that allows senators to sue the federal government for $500,000 if their phone data was searched without their knowledge.
The provision was added to the funding bill by Senate leaders from both parties and passed by both the House and the Senate last week in the funding bill that ended the government shutdown.
It remains unclear whether Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., will hold a vote on repealing the provision in the Senate.
“We’ll see what the House does,” Thune told NBC News when he was asked whether he’d take up the measure this afternoon.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had said he was “very angry” and “surprised” to see the payout provision — applicable only to senators — added to the bill and led the charge to repeal it.
“We had no idea that was dropped in at the last minute. And I did not appreciate that, nor did most the House members. Many of them were very — are very angry about that,” Johnson told reporters last week.
Asked this evening whether he believes Thune will bring it up for a vote in the Senate, Johnson told NBC News: “I certainly hope he will. We’ll have that, we’ll have that discussion.”
There is bipartisan support to repeal the provision among rank-and-file senators.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said this morning that though his data was requested as a part of the investigation that led to former special counsel Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 probe, he would prefer that senators use other means of “accountability.”
“I think it’s a bad idea. I mean, listen, I’m all for accountability. I mean, I have my phone tapped, so I’m all for accountability. Don’t get me wrong, but I just, I think taking taxpayer money is not the way to do it,” Hawley said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who continues to fiercely defend the provision, said today: “They went after my phone. I did nothing to deserve that. ... I am definitely going to sue.”
“If the government doesn’t pay, you’re going to get more of this,” he added.
Top military lawyer raised legal concerns about boat strikes
The senior military lawyer for the combatant command overseeing lethal strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats near Venezuela disagreed with the Trump administration’s position that the operations are lawful — and his views were sidelined, according to six sources with knowledge of the legal advice.
The lawyer, who serves as the senior judge advocate general, or JAG in military parlance, at U.S. Southern Command in Miami, raised his legal concerns in August before the strikes began in September, according to two senior U.S. officials, two senior congressional aides and two former senior U.S. officials.
His opinion was ultimately overruled by more senior government officials, including officials at the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, the six sources said. Other JAGs and military lawyers at various levels of seniority weighed in on the boat strikes, as well. It’s unclear what each of their opinions were, but some of the military lawyers, including civilians and those in uniform, also expressed concerns to senior officials in their commands and at the Defense Department about the legality of the strikes, the two senior congressional aides and one of the senior former U.S. officials said.
Trump to meet with Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office on Friday
Trump and Zohran Mamdani are set to meet in person Friday, days after Mamdani, the New York mayor-elect, reached out to the White House to arrange a sit-down.
Trump wrote tonight on Truth Social that Mamdani had asked for a meeting and that they “agreed that this meeting will take place at the Oval Office” this Friday. Trump said “further details” were forthcoming.
A spokesperson for Mamdani confirmed the plans.
“As is customary for an incoming mayoral administration, the Mayor-elect plans to meet with the President in Washington to discuss public safety, economic security and the affordability agenda that over one million New Yorkers voted for just two weeks ago,” spokesperson Dora Pekec said in a statement this evening.
Trump signs bill to release the DOJ’s Epstein files
Trump signed a bill tonight to compel the Justice Department to release files related to Epstein, capping off a monthslong bipartisan push in Congress that initially met resistance from Trump and sparked sharp divisions within the Republican Party.
Trump, who announced the bill signing on Truth Social, had said he would sign the measure into law, even as he continued calling the largely Democrat-led push to release the files a “hoax.”
The House overwhelmingly supported passing the bill yesterday, with only Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., voting against it. Later in the day, the Senate agreed to send the measure to Trump by unanimous consent, which it did today.
The bill requires Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all unclassified records related to Epstein within 30 days. It permits Bondi to withhold or redact information that could jeopardize a federal investigation.
House Democrat charged with stealing $5 million in FEMA funds and making illegal campaign contributions
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., has been indicted on allegations she stole and laundered $5 million in federal relief funds and used the money for her congressional campaign, the Justice Department said.
In a news release citing the indictment, the Justice Department said that Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, and Edwin Cherfilus, 51, her brother, worked on a staffing contract funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Covid vaccinations tied to their family health care company in 2021 and that the company was overpaid by $5 million in relief funds.
She and her brother are accused of conspiring to steal the overpayment and route it through various accounts to conceal its origins. Cherfilus-McCormick is alleged to have used the money for her own enrichment and to fund a significant part of her congressional campaign.
Cherfilus-McCormick did not immediately respond to a request for comment this evening.
First to NBC News: Sen. Peter Welch requests IG investigation into DHS no-bid contracts
Senator Peter Welch, D-Vt., has sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security inspector general requesting an investigation into reports that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem authorized no-bid media contracts to firms “which she and her senior advisors have personal ties."
In a letter to Inspector General Joseph Cuffari, obtained by NBC News, Welch writes, “These awards call into question whether DHS, under Secretary Noem’s leadership, is fulfilling its obligations under federal procurement laws to consider bids ‘with complete impartiality and with preferential treatment for none.’”
According to reports cited in the letter, DHS has invoked the “national emergency” at the border to bypass the normal competitive bidding process.
“Between February and August 2025, DHS awarded $143 million in no bid contracts to a company called Safe America Media, which was incorporated 11 days before the initial contract solicitation,” the letter reads. “In October, Safe America Media was contracted to help DHS produce a commercial —filmed during the government shutdown — featuring Secretary Noem on horseback at Mount Rushmore.”
The letter asks for a response to half a dozen questions, including, “Did Secretary Noem personally review and approve the contract(s) awarded to these other firm(s)?”
Trump administration moves to roll back some Endangered Species Act protections
The Trump administration moved today to weaken the popular Endangered Species Act in an attempt to restore changes made during the president’s first term that were later blocked by a federal judge.
The proposed changes include the elimination of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s “blanket rule” that automatically protects animals and plants when they are classified as threatened. Government agencies instead would have to craft species-specific rules for protections, a potentially lengthy process.
The administration’s announcement answers longstanding calls for revisions to the 1973 Endangered Species Act from Republicans in Congress and industries including oil and gas, mining and agriculture. Critics argue the law has been wielded too broadly, to the detriment of economic growth.
Sen. Alex Padilla walks out of hearing on ICE, says it wasn't a 'serious conversation'
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., walked out of a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on border security and immigration hearing this afternoon, telling NBC News that it was "clearly not" a serious attempt to examine Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“If there was a serious conversation, we’d have government officials participating as witnesses to the questions. There’s no representative of the Department of Homeland Security here. There’s no representative of ICE here to engage in meaningful conversation. And that’s not a coincidence,” Padilla said.
Padilla added that he spoke to Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who chairs the subcommittee, about his request to have relevant witnesses present, but “obviously nothing changed,” he said.
“We can’t sit by and ignore the violations of due process, the violations of fundamental civil rights that we’re witnessing in communities across the country, perpetrated by federal agents,” Padilla said.
He added that “both Democrats and Republicans have a responsibility to conduct that appropriate oversight of this administration. So I’m hoping those future hearings, if he’s genuine, lives up to that commitment, move in that direction, as well.”
In June, Padilla was forcibly removed from a news conference in Los Angeles after he tried to question Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a media event related to immigration.
Despite Ron DeSantis’ lobbying, megadonor Ken Griffin stays on the sidelines in Florida governor’s race
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been directly lobbying GOP megadonor Ken Griffin to help fund a challenger to Republican Rep. Byron Donalds in the state’s 2026 governor’s race. But those entreaties have been rebuffed, leaving DeSantis, who is term-limited, scrambling to find a viable financial backer for a new candidate.
Donalds has already raised more than $30 million and has Trump’s endorsement. Although Donalds and DeSantis were once allies, the two fell out when Donalds broke with DeSantis and endorsed Trump in the 2024 presidential primary. As a result, DeSantis has been searching for a candidate he can get behind to be his successor.
On at least two occasions, DeSantis directly spoke with Griffin or his top political adviser about a variety of issues, including putting their financial muscle behind a Donalds challenger.
The first conversation was during a private dinner in early June in Miami also attended by Cason Carter, who heads up public affairs for the Griffin-run investment firm Citadel; Mori Housseini, a major Republican donor and chair of the University of Florida Board of Trustees; and Manny Kadre, who chairs the University of Miami’s Board of Trustees, according to three people directly familiar with the event.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett says she's 'definitely open' to Senate bid in Texas
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said today that she is "definitely open" to launching a bid for the Senate seat held by Republican John Cornyn.
In an interview on NBC News' "Meet the Press NOW," moderator Kristen Welker asked Crockett about whether she had decided to launch a Senate campaign against Cornyn.
“I have not,” Crockett said, adding that she would "talk to my pollsters today."
Pressed about whether she was leaning toward running, Crockett said that while she hasn’t made a formal decision, she hasn’t spent all that money on internal polling just to turn down a Senate bid.
"I am definitely open, ’cause I did not spend all this money just to be a no. So we will see," she said.
Declared Democratic candidates include former Rep. Colin Allred and state Rep. James Talarico.
Ty Cobb says Comey case is 'dead' and he doesn't expect the DOJ to comply with Epstein documents release
Former Trump White House attorney Ty Cobb said in an interview today that the case against Comey is “dead” in light of the revelation that the federal grand jury was not presented with the full indictment.
“The fact that the grand jury never saw this indictment and only the foreperson approved it really makes the indictment a nullity,” Cobb told moderator Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press NOW” this afternoon.
Cobb also said Lindsey Halligan — the acting U.S attorney for Eastern Virginia who is presiding over the Comey prosecution — as well as Attorney General Pam Bondi could face disciplinary action based on their conduct, saying, “I think Halligan and Bondi for sure could face disciplinary action, because Bondi has twice affirmed the purported legitimacy of Halligan’s grand jury presentation before the court, and you know that those affirmations, you know, were false.”
House Ethics Committee to investigate Rep. Cory Mills
The House Ethics Committee has voted to create an investigative subcommittee to examine whether Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., violated any “law, rule, regulation, or other applicable standard of conduct,” according to a press release from the committee chair and ranking member.
The subcommittee will investigate Mills for several possible violations, including whether he broke campaign finance laws or improperly solicited gifts as well as allegations of sexual misconduct.
This announcement comes just hours after Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., introduced a privileged resolution to censure Mills. Democrats had also offered a censure of him yesterday but withdrew it after Republican's attempt to censure Del. Stacey Plaskett, D-U.S. Virgin Islands, failed.
The Ethics Committee is made up of an equal number of Republicans and Democrats. The members of the subcommittee have not yet been announced but the full list of the committee is here.
Khashoggi’s wife upset by Trump’s ‘justification’ of husband’s killing
The wife of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, said she was upset by Trump’s defense of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Trump said the crown prince knew nothing about the killing of Khashoggi by Saudi agents in 2018, offering a fierce defense of the visiting crown prince that contradicted a U.S. intelligence assessment.
Democrats see a plan to undermine elections in Trump’s surge of federal agents in cities
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker often warns that Trump might deploy military-style forces during the midterms to intimidate voters. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., has said Trump is signaling to supporters that he would forgive political violence on his behalf in future elections. And California Gov. Gavin Newsom has cast doubt on whether those elections will occur at all.
For months, the Trump administration has surged immigration agents and National Guard troops in Democratic-run cities, citing emergencies tied to crime or immigration. But leading elected officials on the left have increasingly speculated something far darker is afoot: a plan to undermine future elections.
“They clearly are looking to do everything to discredit elections, to sow distrust and claim fraud when they lose in 2026,” Pritzker said in an interview. “I’m not a conspiracy theorist. I don’t think like one. But it’s hard to avoid the evidence here. ... When you put all this together, it’s hard not to wonder and think seriously that there is something in this about the 2026 elections for Donald Trump.”
Judge to revive criminal contempt proceedings in Alien Enemies Act case
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg is reviving his criminal contempt proceedings in an Alien Enemies Act case stemming from the government’s potential “willful disregard” on March 15, when planes with immigrants were taking off and traveling toward El Salvador, contrary to Boasberg’s orders.
At a hearing this afternoon in federal court in Washington, Boasberg ordered both sides to provide proposals for how to proceed, along with a list of witnesses to start the process, by Monday24.
He said they’ll start with requiring sworn declarations to be filed by those involved with the decisions surrounding the deportations of the more than 137 people sent to El Salvador and move into live witness testimony if he finds the declarations are not sufficient or he has further questions.
Boasberg mentioned fired Justice Department attorney Erez Reuveni and current Justice Department official Drew Ensign as two people to begin with. “We’ll begin to get an idea of what happened here, and then we’ll see where that leads,” he said.
An appeals court said this month it would not reinstate an order in which Boasberg said he believed “probable cause exists” to hold administration officials in contempt for violating his orders. The appeals court did say he “remains free to require the government to identify the decision makers who directed the potentially contemptuous actions and to carefully consider next steps.”
Trump says he will try to intervene in Sudan's civil war
Trump said he will start "working" on resolving the Sudanese civil war after a discussion of the matter with Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman. According to Trump, the crown prince explained "the whole culture and whole history" of Sudan, which he found "very interesting."
"His Majesty would like me to do something very powerful having to do with Sudan. It was not on my charts to be involved in that," Trump said. "I thought it was just something that was crazy and out of control, but I just see how important that is to you and to a lot of your friends in the room, and we're going to start working in Sudan."
The Sudanese civil war between the country's army and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group, has been raging since 2023. An estimated 150,000 people have been killed and over 11 million have been displaced as a result of the war, which human rights groups consider one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
Rep. Nancy Mace will try to censure fellow Republican Cory Mills today
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., will try to censure fellow Republican Rep. Cory Mills of Florida today, a source familiar with the matter said.
Her resolution is expected to be privileged, meaning the House would be required to vote on it.
Mace also wrote to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., urging that Mills be removed from the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees, citing what she called his “series of alarming ethical, legal, and personal misconduct allegations.”
Mills’ office did not respond to a request for comment on Mace’s effort to take punitive action against him.
Mills has been mired in several controversies. Most recently, a judge issued a restraining order for one of his ex-girlfriends, who has accused him of harassment and blackmail.
Democrats have threatened to censure Mills several times but backed off.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, also a Florida Republican, said on the floor yesterday that Mills shouldn’t run for re-election.
Johnson has stood by Mills so far.
Trump says he 'may take a little heat' from MAGA supporters on his advocacy of H-1B visas
Trump said at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum this afternoon that he "may take a little heat" from his MAGA supporters over his advocacy of H-1B visas to attract "certain talents" to the United States.
“I may take a little heat, I always take a little heat from my people, the people that love me and the people that I love, they happen to be toward the right of center," Trump said in lengthy remarks at the Kennedy Center. “I love my conservative friends, I love MAGA, but this is MAGA.”
Trump appeared to be alluding to his argument that H-1B visas are necessary to attract workers from abroad, an idea that has drawn criticism from some of his MAGA and conservative supporters.
"Those people are going to teach our people how to make computer chips, and in a short period of time our people are going to be doing great and those people can go home where they probably always want to be," he said.
Trump added that companies can't open a computer chip factory in the United States and expect to "hire people off an unemployment line to run it."
Texas Republicans in some counties are pushing to count ballots by hand in next year’s primary
Republicans in at least a half-dozen counties in Texas are considering or have made plans to count ballots by hand in next March’s primary elections, a move that’s financially costly and could inject uncertainty into key contests.
Texas Republicans who are pushing for the shift argue that voting machines that normally handle the process are unreliable, a position Trump and his allies have been pushing for years, despite a lack of evidence. But voting experts and Democrats warn that hand-counting could result in errors, delays in final results and post-election litigation.
Texas tasks political parties, rather than local governments, with running Election Day voting in primaries, giving partisan officials unusual say over election administration. Democrats and Republicans in the state often administer elections jointly, outsourcing the job to the county election officials, and their expenses are reimbursed by the secretary of state.
Larry Summers resigns from OpenAI board, Harvard launches probe after release of Epstein emails
Larry Summers, the former treasury secretary and ex-president of Harvard University, announced today that he would resign from the board of directors at OpenAI amid scrutiny of his connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — ties that are the subject of a new internal investigation at the Ivy League school.
“In line with my announcement to step away from my public commitments, I have also decided to resign from the board of OpenAI,” Summers said in a statement. “I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company, and look forward to following their progress.”
Summers, who was treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton and a top economic adviser to President Barack Obama, joined OpenAI’s board in November 2023.
DOJ dodges questions on memo that said Comey shouldn't be charged
An attorney for the Justice Department, Tyler Lemons, repeatedly dodged questions from the judge about reports that prosecutors in U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan's office had recommended Comey not be charged because of insufficient evidence, and said he'd been directed to be tight-lipped.
Asked if, as NBC News and other news outlets have reported, there was a "declination memo" advising against charges, Lemons responded, “At this point, my posture would be whether one existed would be privileged.”
U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff didn't like the answer and said he'd been looking for a yes or no response. “You are not permitted by someone to answer?” the judge asked.
Lemons eventually said he'd been directed by the deputy attorney general's office to keep privileged information close to the vest. He acknowledged to the judge that there had been a memo from the prosecution team and he had reviewed it, but did not go into detail.
The prosecutor also denied that Halligan was simply doing Trump's bidding when she charged Comey.
“It was her decision and her decision only,” Lemons said. "Ms. Halligan was not a puppet."
Climate activist and billionaire Tom Steyer to run for California governor
Tom Steyer, the billionaire philanthropist and Democratic climate activist who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2020, is jumping into the crowded race to be the next governor of California.
Steyer joins a crowded and uncertain field vying to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom next fall. Prominent Democratic candidates include former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Rep. Katie Porter and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, with other prominent candidates also musing about a potential bid.
Despite the state’s Democratic lean, some prominent Republicans are running too, including Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News host Steve Hilton.
Comey lawyer urges judge to dismiss 'vindictive' case
The hearing in the Comey case is underway, with an attorney for the former FBI director urging the judge to dismiss the charges against his client on the argument that he's the victim of a "selective and vindictive" prosecution.
“This is an extraordinary case, and it merits and extraordinary remedy,” the lawyer, Michael Dreeben, told U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff at the federal courthouse in Alexandria.
Dreeben pointed to statements from the president demanding that Comey be prosecuted.
He asked the judge to dismiss the case "with prejudice," meaning the charges could not be refiled. Comey is in court for the hearing.
Large online propaganda campaigns are flooding the internet with ‘AI slop,’ researchers say
Many of the largest and most widely established state-sponsored online propaganda campaigns have embraced using artificial intelligence, a new report finds — and they’re often bad at it.
The report, by the social media analytics company Graphika, analyzed nine ongoing online influence operations — including ones it says are affiliated with China’s and Russia’s governments — and found that each has, like much of social media, increasingly adopted generative AI to make images, videos, text and translations.
The researchers found that sponsors of propaganda campaigns have come to rely on AI for core functions such as making content and creating influencer personas on social media, streamlining some campaigns. But the researchers say that content is low quality and gets little engagement.
NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to keep Jessica Tisch on as police commissioner
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced that he has chosen New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to continue in her role leading the largest police department in the nation.
As a candidate, Mamdani vowed to keep Tisch — who was appointed commissioner by Mayor Eric Adams — in the role.
“Together, we will deliver a city where rank-and-file police officers and the communities they serve alike are safe, represented, and proud to call New York their home,” Mamdani said in a statement.
The fight over the Democratic Party’s future collides with the race to succeed Nancy Pelosi
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s announcement that she would not seek re-election capped off a decades-long tenure in Congress and the top echelons of the Democratic Party.
Now, her departure also sets up a clearer picture of the race to be San Francisco’s next representative in the House — and of how Democrats want to chart the future of their party at a moment of generational change.
The two main contenders for Pelosi’s district — Scott Wiener, a California state senator, and Saikat Chakrabarti, the former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — had already jumped into the race ahead of Pelosi’s decision.
Trump defends Saudi crown prince during controversial visit
Trump welcomed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, to the White House for the first time since the CIA concluded that the crown prince approved the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In a tense Oval Office exchange with reporters, the president defended the visiting leader, saying the the crown prince “knew nothing” about the murder. NBC’s Peter Alexander reports for "TODAY."
James Comey seeks to dismiss ‘selective and vindictive’ case against him in key hearing
Former FBI Director James Comey's lawyers will argue in a federal court in Virginia today that he is facing a “selective and vindictive” prosecution after he was charged with making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding.
Comey’s team argues the Trump administration has singled out their client because of his protected speech and what they call Trump’s “personal animus” toward Comey.
“The Constitution forbids the government from prosecuting an individual based on his protected speech or based on a government official’s animus toward the individual,” Comey's lawyers wrote in filings. “Objective evidence establishes that President Trump directed the prosecution of Mr. Comey in retaliation for Mr. Comey’s public criticisms and to punish Mr. Comey because of personal spite.”
Comey’s team has provided the court pages of examples — more than 200 in total — of Trump’s disparaging posts and comments about the former FBI director. The posts, including a message to Attorney General Pam Bondi calling on her to prosecute Comey and others that Trump had intended to be private, are sure to play a role in today’s hearing.
They are asking U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning it cannot be brought for a second time.
Trump designates Saudi Arabia a ‘Major Non-NATO Ally’
Trump said last night that he is designating Saudi Arabia a “Major Non-NATO Ally,” saying the classification would take the country’s military cooperation with the United States “to even greater heights.”
“You always had a little cloud over your head, and sometimes that cloud was very big. That cloud is not there anymore, and we want to keep it that way,” Trump said before he announced the designation at a dinner honoring Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Major Non-NATO Ally status is a designation that “provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation,” according to the State Department. It does not, however, require U.S. security commitments to the country.
Other countries that have the MNNA designation include Israel, Japan and South Korea.
The designation comes as part of Trump’s outreach to the country, which includes a massive investment deal from the Saudis. Trump said at the dinner that the investment would equate to $1 trillion.
Congress passes bill to force the release of the Epstein files
Congress voted overwhelmingly yesterday to pass legislation to compel the Justice Department to release its records related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — a major victory for lawmakers in both parties who’ve been leading the push for months.
As the final vote tally in the House, 427-1, was read, several Epstein survivors who were sitting in the gallery embraced ane another and loud cheers went up through the chamber. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., was the only lawmaker to vote no.
Just hours later, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., headed to the floor and requested unanimous consent that the measure be passed in the upper chamber once the bill is sent over from the House.
