Senate agrees to approve Epstein bill following House vote; Trump defends Saudi crown prince
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Trump said Mohammed bin Salman "knew nothing" about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, despite the CIA's determination that the crown prince directed the murder.
Highlights from Nov. 18, 2025
- EPSTEIN FILES VOTE: Congress is set to send to President Donald Trump legislation to compel the Justice Department to release records related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. After the House passed the bill, the Senate unanimously agreed to approve the measure as soon as it receives it.
- SAUDI CROWN PRINCE'S VISIT: Trump told reporters during his meeting with Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, that the crown prince "knew nothing about" the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, contradicting U.S. intelligence. Trump held a dinner in the crown prince's honor tonight.
- TEXAS REDISTRICTING: A panel of federal judges has barred Texas from using its redrawn congressional map, which Republicans enacted this year in an effort to shore up the party’s narrow House majority in next year’s midterm elections.
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Hunter Biden wants more than $33 million from former Overstock CEO
Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joe Biden, is asking a federal judge to award him more than $33 million in a default judgment after former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne failed to respond to several filings and failed to appear for several hearings in Biden's lawsuit over Byrne's comments suggesting he solicited a bribe from Iran.
"$33.33 million award is not so low that Byrne can absorb it 'with little or no discomfort,'" Biden’s attorney, Richard Harpootlian, writes. "Even if the award does not affect his lifestyle, Plaintiff believes an award of that size will cause Byrne discomfort and so satisfy the purpose of punitive damages. But it will not 'destroy' or 'cripple' Byrne. An award of $33.33 million would be less than 5% of his most likely earnings from his recent investment of the proceeds from his Overstock.com sale."
Harpootlian notes that it would be "much less than the $40 million that Byrne publicly stated he spent on financing challenges to the 2020 presidential election and paying for living expenses for the families of participants in the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol who were being prosecuted for those criminal actions."
Biden is asking for $1 in nominal damages and $33.33 million in punitive damages.
Harpootlian, who represented Alex Murdaugh in his double murder trial, took over for Biden’s defense after attorney Abbe Lowell dropped out of the case.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says Fed chair pick could be announced before Christmas
In an interview with "Special Report’s" Bret Baier on Fox News, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that Trump will meet with the shortlist of candidates for Federal Reserve chair after Thanksgiving and that he could announce his pick before Christmas.
“So we’ve moved the list from 11 to five. We’re doing another round of interviews, then some people in the White House will be doing interviews, probably right after Thanksgiving. Mid-December, the president will meet the final three candidates and hopefully have an answer before Christmas.”
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's term ends in May.
Other topics discussed in the interview included Saudi Arabia’s nearly trillion-dollar investment in the United States and the timetable for it, concerns within the U.S. military about selling F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia, and tariff revenue, among other topics.
Trump designates Saudi Arabia a 'Major Non-NATO Ally'
Trump said tonight 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.
Virginia Giuffre’s family reacts to House vote on Epstein files
Virginia Giuffre’s brother and sister-in-law reacted to the House vote on a bill to compel the Justice Department to release the rest of the Epstein files. Giuffre, one of the most prominent survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse, died by suicide in April, with her family continuing the fight for justice for the victims of Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
Elon Musk at White House dinner honoring Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Elon Musk is at Trump's White House dinner tonight honoring Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Trump patted Musk's arm as he entered the East Room shortly before he began his remarks.
Musk had advised Trump on slashing government spending during the first few months of his second term as a special government employee. The two publicly clashed in June over Trump's sweeping spending bill, which Musk opposed.
Also in attendance tonight are Apple CEO Tim Cook, Environmental Protection Administration Administrator Lee Zeldin, Fox News host Bret Baier, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., as well as Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. and son-in-law Michael Boulos.
Sen. John Thune defends airdropped provision allowing senators to sue the government
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., defended including a provision in the government funding bill that would allow senators to sue the federal government if their phone data was accessed without their being notified, saying he doesn’t know what he would do if the House were to pass a bill to rescind the provision.
"The House isn’t implicated in what we did. It just simply applies to the Senate," Thune said. "What this does is enables people who are harmed, in this case, United States senators, to have a private right of action against the weaponization of the ... by the Justice Department."
Pressed on the fact that many senators who could use the new ability to sue have said they support rescinding it and won’t use it to sue, Thune said: “I think the penalty is in place to ensure that in the future, if you get a Justice Department who did what Jack Smith did and weaponized the federal government against the Article I branch of the government — members the Article I branch the government — there is a remedy in place. There’s a recourse in place.”
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., who is on the Appropriations Committee and whose bill included the provision, said he didn’t know it was in there until after he voted for it.
“I support repealing it. I didn’t support the provision that was put in there,” Mullin said. “It shouldn’t be retroactive. But I think now it maybe — may repeal the whole thing and have to put different language in it and not make it retroactive.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., admitted he worked with Thune to include the provision but said he would support rescinding it.
“Look, the bottom line is Thune wanted the provision, and we wanted to make sure that at least Democratic senators were protected from [Attorney General Pam] Bondi and others who might go after them,” Schumer said. “So we made it go prospective, not just retroactive, but I’d be for repealing all the provision, all of it, and I hope that happens.”
Obamacare tax credits look likely to expire as Trump rules out an extension
Inside a closed-door meeting of House Republicans today, Rep. Jen Kiggans, of Virginia, a swing district member who is a linchpin of the party’s narrow majority, stood up and made a plea.
“Doing nothing on health care is not the right answer,” she later told NBC News, summing up her message to colleagues. “I would really appreciate if we could have a timeline because we know that the end of the calendar year is coming, and I don’t want to see people’s premiums go up. I don’t want to see people lose their health insurance.”
The remarks drew an unspectacular reception.
“Average,” Kiggans replied when she was asked how it was received. “We line up, we have our one minute to state our case. Usual reaction.”
Republicans are careening to a health care cliff with no solution in hand. An estimated 22 million people in the United States are about to see their health insurance premiums soar by, in some cases, thousands of dollars per month, as billions in funding for the Affordable Care Act expires Dec. 31. The expiring funds, costing about $35 billion per year, were first passed during the pandemic to subsidize insurance payments, capping premiums for a “benchmark” ACA, or “Obamacare,” plan at 8.5% of income.
Indiana governor says he'll back Trump's endorsing primary challengers against state senators who oppose redistricting
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said in a statement today that he will back an effort by Trump to endorse primary challenges against state lawmakers who don't support GOP-led redistricting efforts in the state.
“I will support President Trump’s efforts to recruit, endorse, and finance primary challengers for Indiana’s senators who refuse to support fair maps," Braun said.
Trump criticized Republican state lawmakers on social media Sunday for not pressing ahead with redistricting efforts and urged that Republicans who opposed new congressional maps lose their seats.
In his statement today, Braun praised state House Speaker Todd Huston and GOP state representatives who supported redistricting under pressure from Trump and said he would “explore all options” to compel a vote in the Senate to approve new maps. Sen. Rod Bray said last week that the Senate was shy of the votes needed to advance redistricting efforts.
Bray did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Braun's statement.
Trump also took direct aim at Bray yesterday, posting on social media: "A RINO State Senator, Rodric Bray, who doesn’t care about keeping the Majority in the House in D.C., is the primary problem. Soon, he will have a Primary Problem, as will any other politician who supports him in this stupidity."
Sherrill resigns House seat following gubernatorial win
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., announced her resignation from her House seat today after she won the New Jersey governorship this month.
Sherrill opted to step down effective 11:59 p.m. Thursday, rather than wait until closer to her inauguration as governor in January. The move is expected to trigger a special election for her seat.
“It has been an honor to serve the residents of the 11th Congressional District since 2019,” Sherrill wrote.
“Public service is a public trust. I look forward to continuing to serve the residents of the 11th District and all New Jerseyans as Governor next year,” she added.
Senate unanimously agrees to send Epstein bill to Trump's desk
The Senate unanimously agreed to pass the Epstein files bill and will send it to Trump once it receives the legislation from the House, which approved it earlier in the day.
No more voting action by Congress is needed for it to go to Trump’s desk.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., put forward a unanimous consent motion, which passed with no objections.
Democrats target federal officials accused of civil rights violations in new legislation
Seizing on allegations that federal law enforcement officials committed constitutional violations as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown, Democrats have launched an effort to allow civil rights claims against rogue agents.
Lawmakers today reintroduced legislation that would ensure federal officials, including immigration agents and other law enforcement officers, can be sued individually for constitutional violations.
The bill, introduced in the House and the Senate by Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., would amend a post-Civil War-era law that allows such claims against state and local officials to make it clear that federal officials are covered, too.
Education Department takes a major step forward in the Trump administration’s plans to dismantle it
The Education Department is handing off some of its biggest grant programs to other federal agencies as the Trump administration accelerates its plan to shut down the department.
It is a major step forward for the administration’s dismantling of the department, which has mainly involved cutting jobs since Trump called for its elimination with an executive action in March.
Six new agreements signed by the Education Department will effectively move billions of dollars in grant programs to other agencies. Most notable is one that will put the Labor Department over some of the largest federal funding streams for K-12 schools, including Title I money for schools serving low-income communities.
National Press Club denounces Trump's remarks about Jamal Khashoggi
The National Press Club rebuked Trump in a statement this afternoon after he claimed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had nothing to do with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi even though U.S. intelligence reached that conclusion.
"For reporters around the world — and for those who risk their lives to report on powerful figures, governments, and global events — statements that appear to minimize or excuse the killing of a journalist have real-world consequences," the National Press Club said. "They can embolden those who wish to silence reporters, and they can undermine the essential principle that journalists must be able to work without fear of violence or retribution."
Asked about Khashoggi's murder earlier, Trump told reporters: "You’re mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen, but he knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that," referring to Crown Prince Mohammed.
Trump was responding to ABC News reporter Mary Bruce, who asked about the crown prince's alleged involvement in Khashoggi's killing. Trump initially responded by saying, "Fake news." When Bruce later asked Trump about Epstein, he derided her as a "terrible person and a terrible reporter" and said she couldn't ask any more questions.
House rebukes Chuy Garcia's re-election move
The House has voted to formally disapprove of Rep. Chuy Garcia, D-Ill., for his ploy to handpick his successor.
The measure passed by a vote of 236-183, with four members registering as "present."
Fellow Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, of Washington, offered the resolution. It took aim at Garcia’s actions this fall, which set up his chief of staff as the sole Democrat on the primary ballot to replace him in a deep-blue district.
Garcia had filed paperwork to run for re-election in 2026, then announced he was retiring after the filing deadline. His chief of staff, Patty Garcia, had filed her own paperwork to run for the seat just hours before the same Nov. 3 deadline. The two are not related.
House Democratic leadership, led by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, of New York, backed Garcia and opposed the disapproval resolution.
Sen. Gallego to read part of Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre's memoir on the floor
Now that the House has voted to compel the Justice Department to release the Epstein files, Senate Democrats aren’t wasting any time in their chamber.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he'll move to unanimously pass the Epstein resolution on the Senate floor, though any one senator can object to that.
And soon, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., is expected to take to the floor to bring attention to one of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Giuffre.
Gallego will read excerpts of Giuffre’s memoir, "Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice." The book was released in October, months after she died by suicide in April. Her publisher released an email from Giuffre saying that it was her “heartfelt wish” that the book be released "regardless” of her circumstances.
Gallego will quote this excerpt, according to plans shared first with NBC News:
“Maxwell says she knows a wealthy man—longtime Mar‑a‑Lago member, she says—who is looking for a massage therapist to travel with him. [...] My lack of experience doesn’t concern her a bit. "I’m sure you’d be terrific," she insists, looking me up and down. "Will you come for an interview?"
“Even today, more than twenty years later, I remember how excited I felt. Could my dreams of becoming a professional masseuse be on their way to coming true so quickly? Something about how this proper, well-spoken lady focused on me made that seem possible. I told her I had to get permission from my dad first, but that I really wanted to come.
Lone 'no' on Epstein measure explains his vote
Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., the lone “no” vote out of the 428 votes cast on the Epstein bill, posted a message on X explaining his decision.
"I have been a principled 'NO' on this bill from the beginning. What was wrong with the bill three months ago is still wrong today," wrote Higgins, a former police officer.
"As written, this bill reveals and injures thousands of innocent people — witnesses, people who provided alibis, family members, etc. If enacted in its current form, this type of broad reveal of criminal investigative files, released to a rabid media, will absolutely result in innocent people being hurt. Not by my vote," he added.
The bill's co-authors, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., have said the legislation already has protections for the victims, who've supported the measure.
House overwhelmingly passes Epstein transparency bill
The House passed the Epstein measure by an almost unanimous bipartisan vote of 427-1.
The bill would compel the Justice Department to release all its records related to the late convicted sex offender.
The House Oversight Committee had subpoenaed the files earlier this year, but the Justice Department has not yet turned all the documents over.
The measure will now move on to the Senate, where House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has called on his colleagues to make some changes to the bill, including increasing protections for victims. Democrats have blasted that suggestion as a stalling tactic and called on the Senate to pass it as is.
If it is signed into law, the bill would require the Justice Department to release in a searchable and downloadable format “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” related to Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell within 30 days.
Khashoggi's widow says Saudi crown prince should 'apologize' to her for husband's death
Responding to Trump's defense of Mohammed bin Salman today on X, Khashoggi’s widow said the crown prince should meet directly with her and apologize for her husband's death.
"There is no justification to murder my husband. While Jamal was a good transparent and brave man many people may not have agreed with his opinions and desire for freedom of the press," Hanan Elatr Khashoggi said. "The Crown Prince said he was sorry so he should meet me, apologize and compensate me for the murder of my husband."
The CIA determined that the crown prince ordered Khashoggi’s murder. The crown prince has said he took responsibility for the death in his role as Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader but has denied that he directed it.
House vote to release Epstein files has begun
The House has started voting on the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The measure seemed ready to pass by a voice vote when Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., asked that the votes be recorded. The process is expected to last 15 minutes, and a two-thirds majority is needed to pass it.
Trump praises Saudi crown prince during White House visit
A a meeting in the Oval Office, Trump praised Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and claimed that the crown prince “knew nothing” about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed in 2018. The meeting displayed a deepening alliance between the two leaders, with the crown prince announcing that his country plans to invest $1 trillion in the United States, up from an expected $600 billion.
New international student enrollments at U.S. colleges fall 17% amid Trump visa restrictions
The number of international students newly enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities fell 17% this fall amid new visa restrictions by the Trump administration, a report found.
U.S. colleges and universities reporting declines in new enrollments cited multiple contributing factors, including visa application concerns (96%) and travel restrictions (68%), according to the report released yesterday by the nonprofit Institute of International Education, which surveyed 825 U.S. higher education institutions.
India remains the largest source of international students after overtaking China last year, with more than 363,000 students in the 2024-25 school year. There were almost 266,000 students from China, while South Korea was the third-largest source with more than 42,000, according to the IIE report, which is sponsored by the State Department.
The Trump administration has been sending mixed messages on visa policies for international students. In May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. would “aggressively revoke” visas for Chinese students, but in August Trump said he planned to allow 600,000 Chinese students into the country — a figure more than double the number in the U.S. now, sparking uproar among some conservatives.
In a surprise announcement in September, Trump also said he was raising the fee for H-1B skilled worker visas to $100,000, prompting concern in countries such as India, which accounts for more than 70% of H-1B visa recipients including students who use them to stay in the U.S. after graduation. Trump later defended the H-1B visa, arguing this month that foreign labor is sometimes needed because the U.S. lacks “certain talents.”
A White House spokesperson told NBC News that Trump is “strengthening our country’s visa programs to put American national security first.”
The U.S. had almost 1.2 million international students from more than 200 places of origin in the 2024-25 school year, the report said, making up about 6% of the total student population of more than 19 million. International students, who often pay full tuition, are considered an important source of revenue for universities facing government budget cuts.
Federal court blocks Texas Republicans’ redrawn congressional map
A panel of federal judges has barred Texas from using its redrawn congressional map, which Republicans enacted earlier this year in an effort to shore up the party’s narrow House majority in next year’s midterm elections.
The court ordered Texas to use its previous map that was drawn in 2021 instead. The ruling, signed by Judge Jeffrey Brown, who was nominated by President Donald Trump, is likely to be appealed.
An appeal would go directly to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to the ruling, teeing up a legal fight that could decide control of of the House.
The decision is a major blow for Trump, who called on Texas Republicans over the summer to draw a new map that could result in the party gaining up to five seats, triggering a nationwide redistricting battle across the country.
Democrats introduce bill to limit donations for White House ballroom construction
Two Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation to impose donation restrictions on the controversial $300 million ballroom project that resulted in the demolition of the East Wing of the White House.
The legislation was introduced by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif.
If passed, the bill would bar donations from companies or people "that present a conflict of interest" and impose a two-year pause before a donor can lobby the federal government, among other restrictions, their news release said.
The bill would also require the National Park Service to publish donor names. Currently, ballroom donors can be anonymous.
In a statement, Warren said that the bill would "put an end to what looks like bribery in plain sight." Garcia also slammed the White House for not revealing all donors, saying in a statement that "the people’s house could be funded by shady figures, corrupt money, and bad actors."
The White House didn't immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment on the legislation.
NBC News has previously reported how the donations are being funneled through the Trust for the National Mall, a nonprofit that typically takes on uncontroversial projects.
Comcast Corp., the parent company of NBCUniversal, was included on a White House list of ballroom donors.
Trump attacks ABC reporter after Epstein questioning
Trump lashed out at ABC News' chief White House correspondent in response to a question asking why he wouldn't release the Epstein files immediately.
"You start off with a [Mohammed bin Salman], who is highly respected, asking him a horrible, insubordinate and just a terrible question," the president said, referring to correspondent Mary Bruce's initial question about the Saudi crown prince's alleged involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The crown prince has denied ordering the killing, but has said he took responsibility for the death as Saudi Arabia's de facto leader.
The president then answered that he had "nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein," repeating that he "threw him out of my club many years ago because I thought he was a sick pervert."
Trump was friends with Epstein in the 1980s, '90s and early 2000s before he said he barred Epstein from Mar-a-Lago for recruiting young female employees away from the resort.
"You just keep going on the Epstein files," Trump said, claiming the sex abuse scandal is "a Democrat hoax." The president then said the network's license should be revoked.
"I think the license should be taken away from ABC, because your news is so fake and it's so wrong," Trump said. "And we have a great [FCC] commissioner, the chairman, who should look at that."
NBC News has reached out to ABC News for comment on Trump's attacks on the network and its reporter.
Last December, ABC agrees to pay $15 million in a settlement with Trump following a legal dispute over an interview in which the president alleged anchor George Stephanopoulos defamed him.
Trump says he has 'nothing to do' with family business in Saudi Arabia
Trump denied any conflicts of interest between his family businesses and Saudi investments in the U.S., saying that "what my family does is fine" when asked about the issue by a reporter at the White House.
"I have nothing to do with the family business," the president said. "What my family does is fine. They do business all over. They've done very little with Saudi Arabia, actually. I'm sure they could do a lot, and anything they've done has been very good."
The Trump Organization, run by the president's sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump has multiple active projects in the Middle Eastern country, including plans for Trump Towers in both Jeddah and Riyadh. The president has also hosted tournaments for LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed competitor to the PGA, at his golf courses.
Saudi crown prince says Iran wants to make a deal with the U.S., Trump says he's 'open to it'
The Saudi crown prince said during his bilateral meeting with Trump that he believes Iran wants to make a deal with the U.S., an apparent reference to a Iranian denuclearization agreement.
"We will do our best to help to reach a deal between the rest of America and Iran," he said. "By the way, Iran does want to make a deal. I can say, I think they very badly want to make a deal."
Trump said he would be "open to it," adding, "It would be a nice thing to have a deal with Iran, and we could have done it before the war, but that didn’t work out ... but they would very much like, I mean, they may say something else, but they would very much like to have a deal."
Trump says Saudi crown prince 'knew nothing' about murdered journalist
Trump said that Crown Prince Mohammed knew "nothing" about journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in Saudi Arabia in 2018, despite the CIA's determination that the crown prince directly ordered Khashoggi's death in 2018.
"You’re mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial," Trump said, referring to Khashoggi. "A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen, but [bin Salman] knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that."
The crown prince called Khashoggi's death "painful for us in Saudi Arabia" and said the country has taken "all the right steps" in investigating the journalist's death.
The crown prince said that his country has "improved our system to be sure that nothing happened like that, and it’s painful and it’s a huge mistake" and that they are "doing our best that this doesn’t happen again."
Bin Salman has denied ordering the killing, but has said he took responsibility for the death as Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader.
Crown prince says Saudi Arabia will invest $1 trillion in the U.S.
The Saudi crown prince said in the Oval Office with Trump that his country plans to invest $1 trillion in the U.S., up from an expected $600 billion.
"We’re going to announce that we are going to increase that $600 billion to almost $1 trillion for investment, real investment and real opportunity," he said, adding that it would involve investment in technology, AI and other areas.
Trump responded, "We appreciate it very much."
Appeals court upholds dismissal of Trump's CNN defamation suit
A federal appeals court today upheld a lower court's dismissal of Trump's $475 million defamation suit against CNN for referring to his false 2020 stolen election claims as "the big lie."
"Trump has not adequately alleged the falsity of CNN’s statements. Therefore, he has failed to state a defamation claim," the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in its ruling.
"Trump’s argument hinges on the fact that his own interpretation of his conduct — i.e., that he was exercising a constitutional right to identify his concerns with the integrity of elections — is true and that CNN’s interpretation — i.e., that Trump was peddling his 'Big Lie' — is false. However, his conduct is susceptible to multiple subjective interpretations, including CNN’s," the three-judge panel ruled.
Trump had contended in his suit that linking him with the phrase was essentially comparing him to the Nazis and Adolf Hitler, who's credited with coining the term. U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal disagreed in a 2023 ruling in which he dismissed the suit.
“CNN’s use of the phrase ‘the Big Lie’ in connection with Trump’s election challenges does not give rise to a plausible inference that Trump advocates the persecution and genocide of Jews or any other group of people,” the judge wrote.
A spokesman for Trump's legal team said in a statement that “there is no doubt that Fake News CNN defamed President Trump," and that he will "continue to hold the mainstream media accountable and will pursue this case against CNN to its just and deserved conclusion.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson says he wants the Senate to amend the Epstein files bill
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said this morning that while he plans to vote in favor of the bill that would compel the Justice Department to release the files on Jeffrey Epstein, he wants the Senate to amend the legislation.
At a GOP leadership press conference, Johnson argued that the legislation the House is voting on this afternoon "fails to fully protect victim privacy."
"I’m going to read you an excerpt out of our legal document we put together to explain: Congress should give the attorney general broader authority to redact all the victim information. The discharge doesn’t do that," Johnson said.
One of the bill's sponsors, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., this morning called Johnson's claim is a "red herring," saying that survivors of Epstein's abuse "have always been in favor of this legislation." He said that if the Senate wants to strengthen the bill's protections, "that's fine with us."
The current measure says that the attorney general "may withhold or redact the segregable portions of records" including those that contain "personally identifiable information of victims," but it's not technically required.
Johnson also said the bill doesn't prohibit the release of child sexual abuse materials. "We can't go for that," he said.
The speaker rejected the notion that his sudden support of the legislation is a reversal for him.
"No, it’s not a reversal," he said, adding that he had issues with the bill's language since the beginning of the process. "I’ve been for maximum transparency, but again, there’s a reason you have rules and processes here to ensure that this is not done haphazardly, and I was not satisfied."
Top Trump super PAC to start TV ads in Tennessee special election
The top outside group aligned with Trump’s political operation is starting TV ads in a deep-red House special election in Tennessee to boost the Republican contender there.
The super PAC MAGA Inc. has placed more than $200,000 of TV and radio ads so far to support Republican Matt Van Epps in the special election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, according to ad-tracking firm AdImpact. Trump carried the district by 22 points in 2024. Then-GOP Rep. Mark Green resigned earlier this year, triggering the special election.
MAGA Inc. jumped into the race last week with more than $15,000 in phone-banking, its first spending on any election so far this year. That expense has grown to more than $100,000 so far, according to FEC filings.
Also last week, Trump held a tele-rally for Van Epps to energize Republicans as early voting began. Van Epps faces Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn in the Dec. 2 special general election.
What to expect from Trump's meeting with Saudi crown prince
As Trump meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman today at the White House, a senior White House official says the two leaders are expected to discuss deals on America’s AI infrastructure, nuclear energy, and defense sales, as well as Saudi Arabia's commitment of $600 billion in investments.
Additionally, Trump has said the U.S. would sell Saudi Arabia F-35 fighter jets. The president also “hopes” that Saudi Arabia will join the Abraham Accords, the official said.
Saudi crown prince arrives at the White House
Upon his arrival at the White House, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was greeted with a ceremony that included much more pomp and circumstance than that given other world leaders so far this term.
The ceremony included a red carpet, a color guard on horseback carrying Saudi and U.S. flags, and the Marine band playing live from the Truman Balcony.
The crown prince's visit marks the first time he has returned to the White House since 2018, after the CIA concluded that he directly ordered the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Trump greeted him outside the South Portico of the White House, where Vice President JD Vance and Secretaries Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, Scott Bessent, Howard Lutnick, Chris Wright and chief of staff Susie Wiles were also present.
After a flyover of F-35s, the two leaders entered the White House and went to the West Colonnade, where Trump could be seen showing off the newly installed Presidential Walk of Fame — a display of presidential portraits — to the crown prince.
The leaders then posed for a photo in front of U.S. and Saudi flags before entering the Oval Office.
Working Families Party to support primary challenger to Sen. John Fetterman
Pennsylvania’s Working Families Party is making plans to support a primary challenge to Democratic Sen. John Fetterman when he is up for re-election.
The state party announced today that it plans to start recruiting “working class leaders into a candidate pipeline” as well as volunteers and raise money for a challenge in 2028.
“We deserve real working class leadership in the U.S. Senate. Senator Fetterman has sold us out, and that’s why the Pennsylvania Working Families Party is committed to recruiting and supporting a primary challenge to him in 2028,” Shoshanna Israel, the mid-Atlantic political director of the Working Families Party, said in a statement.
Israel also wrote that Pennsylvanians “deserve a Senator who won’t enable Trump or vote with Republicans to rip health care away from over 400,000 of our neighbors.”
NBC10 reached out Fetterman’s office for a comment and has not yet received a response.
Trump’s Gaza peace plan wins global backing. Now comes the hard part.
To hear Trump tell it, this was “one of the biggest approvals in the history of the United Nations,” a “moment of true historic proportion” that would “ lead to further peace all over the world.” But the gravity of the United Nations Security Council’s endorsement of the U.S. Gaza plan raised renewed questions today over how it will actually work.
Most pressingly, it is not clear whether those at the heart of this conflict — the Palestinians and the Israelis themselves — actually support its end goals.
Hamas, which still controls around half of the strip, outright rejected the resolution and said it robs Palestinians of their own agency, effectively allowing Trump free reign over the Gaza Strip for the next two years. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed its passage, but previously said he rejects its talk of “Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
On a practical level, the proposal says it will require the creation of several as-yet-non-existent bodies, including the “Board of Peace” headed by Trump, and the International Stabilization Force, or ISF, whose troops could be drawn from Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and as far away as Indonesia.
House could vote today on a resolution of disapproval for Rep. Chuy Garcia
The House could vote today on a resolution by Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., to disapprove of Rep. Chuy Garcia, D-Ill., over his ploy to handpick the successor for his congressional seat.
Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, the Democratic whip, offered a motion to table Gluesenkamp Perez’s resolution, which would have effectively killed the effort. But the tabling motion was defeated 206-211, with Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, joining Gluesenkamp Perez in voting against it.
After the tabling vote, Gluesenkamp Perez debated Democrats who support Garcia.
“And the question at hand is, do we condone a subversion of an election because it is playing by the rules?” she said on the House floor. “That’s not what we’re here to do.”
Garcia rose to speak, saying he “wasn’t expecting to stand here to debate my retirement.” He said he “decided that it was time to dedicate more of my time to the people who have sacrificed the most,” listing his wife, children and grandchildren. He said he wanted to focus on helping his wife manage her multiple sclerosis, as well as take care of his grandson whom he and his wife adopted following the death of their daughter.
Gluesenkamp Perez responded: “I feel deeply for the sacrifice that it’s taken him to serve his community. That does not legitimize the way in which he left his seat and choosing his successor and refusing to be forthright with his constituents.”
Massie warns Senate not to 'muck' up Epstein bill
Massie warned the Senate to not "muck" up the Epstein bill after it passes the House.
“It may be tempting for them to get cute and to do things that will limit the release of these documents,” Massie said. “They are afraid that people will be embarrassed. Well, that’s the whole point here. They need to be brought to justice, and embarrassment is no reason to stop it.”
Massie speaks at the Capitol today. Heather Diehl / Getty Images
Massie also criticized the nearly two-month delay in newly elected Rep. Adelita Grijalva's swearing-in, which prevented him and other supporters of the bill from getting enough signatures to force the chamber to vote on it. He added that he thought in holding the vote on the bill, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., "wants to save face."
Virginia Giuffre's brother calls her 'a beacon of hope' in emotional remarks
Sky Roberts, the brother of Epstein survivor Virginia Giuffre, delivered emotional remarks about his late sister, saying that she became "a beacon of hope" for other survivors of sexual assault and that tactics to silence his sister "did not work."
"Virginia's story is one that should have been filled with promise," Roberts said. "But instead, it became a harrowing tale of exploitation and survival."
Giuffre, who by suicide earlier this year, was one of the most prominent survivors of Epstein’s abuse. Since her death, her brother has become an advocate for his sister's legacy.
"The most destructive wound they inflicted was that of forced complicity, a betrayal of self that was crafted by her abusers," Roberts said, who paused at times during his remarks to hold back tears. "But I stand here today declare that their tactics of fear and intimidation did not work."
"Virginia’s spirit could not be broken," Roberts said. "She became a beacon of hope, a warrior, fighting not just for herself, but for every survivor who suffered in silence."
Epstein survivor criticizes Trump's focus on Democrats' relationships with Epstein, calls his actions 'a national embarrassment'
Epstein survivor Jena-Lisa Jones strongly criticized Trump for directing the Justice Department to investigate Epstein’s connections to prominent Democrats and others.
“I beg you, President Trump: Please stop making this political,” Jones said. “It is not about you, President Trump. You are our president. Please start acting like it. Show some class, show some real leadership, show that you actually care about the people other than yourself.”
Jones said she voted for Trump, but added “your behavior on this issue has been a national embarrassment.”
Jena-Lisa Jones holds up a photo of her younger self at the Capitol today. Heather Diehl / Getty Images
“It is time to take the honest, moral ground and support the release of these files, not to weaponize pieces of the files against random political enemies that did nothing wrong, but to understand who Epstein’s friends were, who covered for him, what financial institutions allowed his trafficking to continue, who knew what he was doing but was too much of a coward to do anything about it,” she said.
Reached for comment on the speakers' criticisms of Trump, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson repeated the president's claim that “Democrats and the media knew about Epstein and his victims for years and did nothing to help them while President Trump was calling for transparency, and is now delivering on it with thousands of pages of documents as part of the ongoing Oversight investigation.”
But before his dramatic reversal on the release of the files last weekend, Trump had called the push to release the files a "hoax" and criticized those who continued to focus on Epstein. Survivors and a group of lawmakers are also still pushing for the release of private Epstein files held by the administration.
Epstein survivor delivers message to Trump: 'I am traumatized, I am not stupid'
Haley Robson, a survivor of Epstein, began her remarks by noting that while people see the survivors as adults, she emphasized they were fighting for themselves and other victims as the children who were left behind, showing a picture of herself as a child.
Robson thanked the lawmakers championing the effort, saying that to watch Republicans going against their party and risking their careers was "unbelievable to watch."
Robson said that if Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who supported the vote to release the Justice Department's Epstein case files, decided to read names of people connected to Epstein on the House floor, she would stand next to her.
Robson reacts during a news conference outside the Capitol today. Heather Diehl / Getty Images
Robson delivered a message to Trump, saying she was "skeptical" of his "agenda," even though he flipped his stance on the House vote.
"I am traumatized, I am not stupid," she said in her message to Trump. She said he had put them through "so much stress."Reached for comment on speakers’ criticisms of Trump, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson provided a statement repeating Trump's claim that “Democrats and the media knew about Epstein and his victims for years and did nothing to help them while President Trump was calling for transparency, and is now delivering on it with thousands of pages of documents as part of the ongoing Oversight investigation.”
But before his dramatic reversal on the release of the files last weekend, Trump had called the push to release the files a “hoax“ and criticized those who continued to focus on Epstein. Survivors and a group of lawmakers are also still pushing for the release of private Epstein files held by the administration.
Epstein survivors press conference begins
Reps. Ro Khanna, Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene each thanked Epstein survivors and lawmakers who supported efforts to release the Epstein files.
Greene, who had a public rift with Trump over the files, talked about being called a "traitor" by the president. She emphasized that a traitor is someone who serves foreign countries and themselves, but a patriot serves the country and people like "the women standing behind me."
She predicted a unanimous vote in the House to release the files, but said "the real test will be will the Department of Justice release the files," or would the files be "tied up" in investigations.
Trump says he won’t rule out sending troops into Venezuela
Trump says he has not ruled out putting American forces on the ground in Venezuela, but he’s also holding out the possibility he’d speak with the country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, whom the administration accuses of running a cartel, an allegation Maduro denies.
House is expected to vote on the Epstein files bill around 2 p.m.
The House is set to vote around 2 p.m. on the bill that would compel the Justice Department to release files related to the Epstein case.
The bill needs the support of two-thirds of the House members because the legislation is being considered under suspension of the rules, an expedited process typically used when a measure is expected to have enough votes to advance. Typically, a discharge petition like the one a majority of House members used to force the vote on the bill would require seven legislative days of waiting.
“Almost everybody” will vote for the legislation, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told NBC News last night, adding that leaders aren’t telling members how to vote.
If passed, the bill would head next to the Senate.
Immigration arrests in Charlotte have sparked fears, leading businesses to close
Jonathan Ocampo has called this Southern city home for six years, but, after immigration enforcement descended here over the weekend, the American citizen of Colombian descent said he doesn’t leave the house without his U.S. passport.
“I’m carrying it here right now, which is sad,” he told NBC News. Ocampo said he worries that his father, a citizen who has been in the country for 40 years, could be targeted because of being Hispanic-looking and speaking what he described as very broken English.
“It’s just scary,” he said.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, more than 130 people have been arrested since Border Patrol began an immigration enforcement push it calls “Operation Charlotte’s Web” on Saturday, putting many residents and business owners of the state’s largest city on edge. A popular Latino bakery was closed Monday over fears of Border Patrol activity. Several small businesses in a shopping center also shut their doors Monday after immigration authorities were seen smashing the car window of a Honduran-born U.S. citizen, Willy Aceituno, over the weekend.
Rep. Thomas Massie warns new DOJ investigations could prevent the release of more Epstein docs
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who spearheaded the Epstein discharge petition, suggested last evening that new Justice Department probes Trump directed to explore Epstein’s ties to other high-profile figures could block the release of more documents.
“I’m concerned that now he’s opening a flurry of investigations, and I believe they may be trying to use those investigations as a predicate for not releasing the files. That’s my concern,” Massie told reporters outside the Capitol.
“I’m afraid they’re going to try to use a provision of the law that allows you not to release these materials if they’re subject of an ongoing investigation and would harm, the release of which would harm the ongoing investigation,” he added.
Trump directed the Justice Department on Friday to investigate Epstein’s ties to notable Democrats.
Asked about Trump encouraging Republicans to vote for Massie’s measure — a sudden reversal of his position on releasing the Epstein files — Massie said it’s because “for four months, [Trump] thought the best thing for him was to keep the file secret, and somebody convinced him that the best thing for him was to release the files.”
“If they’re serious about it, they should release them right now. It’s that simple,” he said.
Trump encouraged House Republicans over the weekend to pass the measure, saying, “We have nothing to hide.”
As for how the vote today will go, Massie predicted his bill will pass with a veto-proof majority.
Zelenskyy, U.S. envoy will visit Turkey in a new bid to end the Russia-Ukraine war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today that he will travel to Turkey this week in an attempt to jump-start negotiations on ending Russia’s invasion, which began nearly four years ago.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff will join him in Turkey, a senior Turkish official told The Associated Press, but the Kremlin said that Russia won’t be sending anyone.
Turkey provided a setting for low-level talks between Ukraine and Russia earlier this year, though the only significant progress in Istanbul was on exchanging prisoners of war. U.S.-led international peace efforts have brought no breakthrough, either.
Zelenskyy said that he would be in Turkey tomorrow, a day after visiting Spain, where he hoped for pledges of new support today.
“We are preparing to reinvigorate negotiations, and we have developed solutions that we will propose to our partners,” Zelenskyy said on social media, without providing details. “Doing everything possible to bring the end of the war closer is Ukraine’s top priority.”
Heavy new American sanctions on Russia’s all-important oil industry, devised to push Putin to the negotiating table, are due to take effect Friday. The sanctions against oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil seek to starve Putin’s war machine of cash and halt its grinding war of attrition, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives in Ukraine.
‘I am deeply ashamed’: Larry Summers to step back from public commitments after new Epstein emails
Larry Summers, who was treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton, said yesterday that he will be stepping back from public commitments following the recent publication of his correspondence with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein,” Summers said in a statement.
The House Oversight Committee last week released more than 20,000 emails from Epstein’s estate, which included extensive correspondence between the disgraced financier and Summers. The most recent one was from the day before Epstein was arrested in 2019.
“While continuing to fulfill my teaching obligations, I will be stepping back from public commitments as one part of my broader effort to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me,” Summers added in his statement.
Hundreds of federalized National Guard members are set to leave Illinois and Oregon
Hundreds of federalized National Guard members sent to Illinois and Oregon will return to their home states as early as this week, a defense official told NBC News yesterday.
The official said that 200 California National Guard members activated for the greater Portland area will head back home, leaving 100 members of the Oregon National Guard in place. In Illinois, 200 Texas National Guard members will depart the state, leaving 300 Illinois Guard members there.
The remaining guards will be conducting training, but are not on mission to protect federal property or personnel.
Saudi crown prince returns to U.S. for first time after diplomatic isolation
Whether viewed as a visionary reformist or a murderous despot, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, will be taking a huge step toward rejoining the international community when he meets with Trump at the White House today.
Crown Prince Mohammed, 40, became an international pariah after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a fierce critic of his government, in 2018, though Trump defended the Saudi government even after the CIA concluded that the crown prince himself ordered the killing.
Then-President Joe Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia in 2022 and controversially fist-bumped him, an image that went viral, at a time when most leaders had shunned the crown prince. The crown prince said in 2019 that he took “full responsibility” for the Khashoggi killing since it happened on his watch, but denied ordering it.
But it is the crown prince’s trip today, his first during Trump’s second term, that will be seen more broadly as a move toward acceptance back into the diplomatic fold.
House poised to pass a bill to force the release of the Epstein files in a bipartisan vote
The House is poised to vote overwhelmingly today for legislation to compel the Justice Department to release all its records related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a major victory for the lawmakers in both parties who’ve been leading the push for months.
The measure, which last week secured enough bipartisan support to head straight to the House floor, got another boost over the weekend, when Trump reversed his position and urged Republicans to support it.
The bipartisan duo who co-authored the legislation — Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif. — are working to secure a veto-proof majority in the House, and they predict that as many as 100 Republicans could vote for it. The number could climb even higher now that Trump has given his blessing.
“Almost everybody” will vote for it, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told NBC News, adding that leaders aren’t telling members how to vote.
