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Elaborate welcome for MBS at White House…

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Elaborate welcome for MBS at White House…

Today’s live updates have ended. Read what you missed below and find more coverage at apnews.com.

Both the House and Senate acted decisively Tuesday to pass a bill forcing the Justice Department to release its files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epsteina remarkable display of approval for an effort that had struggled for months to overcome opposition from President Donald Trump and Republican leadership.

When a small, bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a petition in July to maneuver around Speaker Mike Johnson’s control of which bills reach the floor, it appeared a longshot effort — especially as Trump urged his supporters to dismiss the matter as a “hoax.”

But both Trump and Johnson failed in their efforts to prevent the vote. Now the president has bowed to the growing momentum behind the bill and even said he will sign it. Just hours after the House passed the bill, the Senate agreed to pass it with unanimous consent once it is sent to the body.

The bill’s passage is a pivotal moment in Epstein survivors’ yearslong push for accountability over his abuse and a reckoning over how law enforcement officials failed to act under multiple presidential administrations.

Other news we’re following:

  • Full grand jury did not have final copy of Comey’s indictment: The Justice Department acknowledged in court Wednesday the grand jury that charged former FBI Director James Comey was not presented with a copy of the final indictment. The concession may further imperil a prosecution already subject to multiple challenges and demands for its dismissal.
  • US trade deficit falls nearly 24% in August: The Commerce Department said Wednesday that the the gap between what the United States buys from other countries and what it sells them fell to $59.6 billion in Augustfrom $78.2 billion in July. Still, the U.S. trade deficit is up so far in 2025, coming in at $713.6 billion through August, up 25% from $571.1 billion in January-August 2024.
  • The Education Department is being dismantled: The department is breaking off several of its main offices and giving their responsibilities to other federal agencies. Offices would go to departments ranging from Labor to Interior. Education officials say the moves won’t affect the money Congress gives states, schools and colleges. They didn’t say whether current department staff would keep their jobs.

Concolor fir selected as this year’s White House Christmas tree is cut down

A concolor fir selected for display as the White House’s Christmas tree was cut down, baled and loaded onto the back of a truck at the Michigan farm where it was grown (AP video: Mike Householder)

Democratic state election officials demand answers on Justice Department’s requests for voter data

The 10 secretaries of state asked the administration for more information about wide-ranging efforts to seek statewide voter registration lists, citing concerns that federal agencies have apparently misled them and might be entering the data into a program used to verify citizenship.

In a letter to the attorney general and Homeland Security secretary, they expressed “immense concern” over reports that the DOJ has shared the voter data with DHS.

“Given the unprecedented nature and scope of the DOJ’s requests, we require additional information about how this information will be used, shared, and secured,” they said.

Asked for comment, the DOJ shared a previous statement from the head of its Civil Rights Division. “Clean voter rolls and basic election safeguards are requisites for free, fair, and transparent elections,” it said, adding that the division has a mandate to enforce federal voting rights laws.

DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Court settlement calls for NPR to get $36M in government funds to operate US public radio system

The settlement announced late Monday, partially resolves a legal dispute in which National Public Radio accused the Corporation for Public Broadcasting of bowing to pressure from Trump to cut off its funding.

The president said in March that he would “love to” defund NPR and the Public Broadcasting Service, or PBS, because he believes they are biased in favor of Democrats.

NPR said the CPB violated its First Amendment free speech rights when it moved to cut off its access to grant money appropriated by Congress. NPR also claimed that Trump, a Republican, wants to punish it for the content of its journalism.

▶ Read more about the dispute and settlement

Harvard students react, as Larry Summers steps back from public commitments after Epstein emails

Harvard University students are reacting as former U.S. Treasury Secretary and current Harvard professor Larry Summers says he’ll step back from public commitments after the release of emails showing he maintained a friendly relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. (AP Video: Rodrique Ngowi)

Saudi crown prince thanks Trump for a ‘great welcome’

In brief remarks, Prince Mohammed said the relationship between the two countries dates back nine decades.

He noted that next year the United States will celebrate its 250th anniversary, while Saudi Arabia will mark 300 the year after that.

“We’ve been since the last nine decades working together in many areas,” he said.

Fall was the theme of the menu at dinner for Saudi crown prince

A menu is seen on a table as President Donald Trump speaks during a dinner with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

A menu is seen on a table as President Donald Trump speaks during a dinner with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The evening’s menu included a honeynut squash soup with cranberry relish, spiced hazelnuts and brown butter crème, followed by pistachio-crusted rack of lamb with sweet potato puree, broccoli rabe and pomegranate lemon jus. Dessert was a couverture mousse pear with vanilla ice cream.

Trump says he wants Prince Mohammed to serve on the Board of Peace for Gaza

“I hope your highness will be on the board,” the president said. “You’ll accept, I hope.”

Trump has planned to serve as chair of the board, which under his peace plan for Gaza will be a transitional authority for the territory.

Trump designates Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally

The president made the announcement at the dinner, a move that aims to elevate the military relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

The designation is largely symbolic but provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation.

Countries with the designation include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Columbia, Japan and New Zealand, among others.

JUST IN: Trump designates Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally as US administration aims to elevate military relationship

Trump gives Cristiano Ronaldo a shoutout

Soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, right, listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a dinner for Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, right, listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a dinner for Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The president opened his remarks by thanking some of the guests including the superstar, Ronaldo who plays in the Saudi soccer league.

“Wherever Ronaldo is here,” Trump said.

The president said he introduced his youngest son, Barron, to the soccer player, impressing the young Trump.

Ronaldo has been the face of the Saudi league since joining the Al-Nassr club in 2022 on a reported $200-million-a-year contract.

Elon Musk returns to the White House

Elon Musk sits during a dinner with President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Elon Musk sits during a dinner with President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Five months after the tech billionaire and world’s richest man had a public and personal falling-out with Trump, it appears Musk has mended fences.

The Tesla CEO was among the guests inside the East Room at the White House dinner for the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.

The president gave Musk a small tap on the arm as he walked into the dinner.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this blog post reported that Elon Musk was Tesla’s founder. The post should have made clear that Musk, who is CEO, was not technically present at the founding of the company but was an early investor and is listed on the Tesla website as a co-founder.

What to know about the F-35 fighter jet that Trump is selling to Saudi Arabia

FILE - An F-35A Lightning II sits on the runway at the Florennes Airbase in Florennes, Belgium, Oct. 13, 2025 (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)

FILE – An F-35A Lightning II sits on the runway at the Florennes Airbase in Florennes, Belgium, Oct. 13, 2025 (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)

The president says he has agreed to sell the nation’s most advanced fighter despite concerns that China could gain access to its vaunted technology.

The sale to the Middle Eastern nation, whose top trading partner is China, was reaffirmed Tuesday during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salm an’s visit.

Some in the administration also have been wary that selling to Saudi Arabia will upset Israel’s qualitative military edge over its neighbors, especially at a time when Trump is depending on Israeli support for the success of his Gaza peace plan.

Israel, which deployed the F-35 in its 12-day war against Iran in June, is among 19 other nations that already have the plane or have purchase agreements.

It was nearly 20 years ago when the first F-35 Lightning strike fighter rolled off an assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas.

▶ Read more on things to know about the F-35

Trump to make remarks Wednesday at investment summit with Saudi Arabia

The president is to appear at midday at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum with the crown prince, according to a schedule released by the White House.

The investment summit, put on by the two nations, will include the heads of Salesforce, Qualcomm, Pfizer, the Cleveland Clinic, Chevron and Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s national oil and natural gas company.

The day’s developments on federal deployments

Protesters pose for a photo as they hold signs amid the arrival of federal law enforcement, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Protesters pose for a photo as they hold signs amid the arrival of federal law enforcement, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

In addition to news of an upcoming immigration sweep in parts of Louisiana and Mississippithere were several other developments Tuesday regarding the administration’s deployments of federal agents to local jurisdictions:

▶ In North Carolina, federal agents expanded their immigration crackdown to the area around the state capital, Raleigh, with fear spreading in at least one immigrant-heavy suburb where restaurants closed and many people stayed home.

▶ In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee’s office said the National Guard would continue supporting a crime-fighting task force ordered by Trump in Memphis while state lawyers appeal a judge’s order that blocked the troops from operating in the city.

▶ In New York, a judge dismissed a legal challenge to policies barring immigration officials from arresting people at state courthouses, saying the federal government can’t force states to cooperate with those enforcement efforts. And New York City’s fiscal chief, who was arrested while protesting at an immigration holding facility, decided to go to trialsaying it will highlight federal authorities’ actions.

▶ In Wisconsin, a federal prosecutor said plea negotiations are underway with a judge accused of helping an immigrant evade agents.

▶ And at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV strongly backed U.S. bishops who condemned the administration’s immigration crackdown, urging the American people to listen to them and treat migrants humanely.

Crown prince returns to White House for dinner

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President Donald Trump speaks during a dinner with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive to welcome Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a dinner at the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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A menu is seen on a table as President Donald Trump speaks during a dinner with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrive through the Blue Room for a dinner in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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President Donald Trump speaks during a dinner with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The president and first lady Melania Trump greeted Prince Mohammed on a red carpet and under a white tent as rain fell at the White House.

Trump tapped the crown prince on his arm a few times in greeting before his wife shook their guest’s hand.

A military band was playing as they walked inside to the East Room dinner.

US and Saudi Arabia sign framework agreements

The agreements signed Tuesday signify closer cooperation between the nations on anti-money laundering and terrorist financing, capital markets collaboration and critical minerals markets.

They also include an agreement to share tax information “enhancing both nations’ abilities to prevent and punish cross-border tax abuse and fraud,” according to the U.S. Treasury.

“The Saudis have shown they are valuable allies in the region,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Bret Baier’s show on Fox News in the evening.

China buys more US soybeans

Austin Rohlfing harvests soybeans on his family's field Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, near Boonville, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Austin Rohlfing harvests soybeans on his family’s field Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, near Boonville, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Soybeans stand ready to be harvested Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, on a farm near Boonville, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Soybeans stand ready to be harvested Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, on a farm near Boonville, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

The additional haul of 792,000 metric tons this week pushes Beijing’s total purchase to about 1 million metric tons following a leaders’ summit in late October. The purchase figures were released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Trump said Tuesday that China was “pretty much on schedule” in buying U.S. farm products but also told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to call Beijing and “speed it up.”

The purchases since late October have broken China’s boycott of U.S. soybeans, which were hurting farmers. But they’re still a far cry from the 12 million metric tons of beans that Agricultural Secretary Brooke Rollins says China has agreed to buy this harvest season.

Beijing has never confirmed a purchase deal with detailed quantities.

Trump administration takes major step toward dismantling the Education Department

The department is handing off some of its biggest grant programs to other federal agencies. The changes announced Tuesday represent a major step forward for the dismantling of the departmentwhich 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 Department of Labor over some of the largest federal funding streams for K-12 schools, including Title I money for schools serving low-income communities.

Opponents of such a shake-up say it could disrupt programs that support some of the nation’s most vulnerable student populations.

▶ Read more about the new changes and what the dismantling of the department means

Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers steps down from public commitments after Epstein emails

U.S. economist Larry Summers speaks during a panel on the second day of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

U.S. economist Larry Summers speaks during a panel on the second day of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Summers, also a former president of Harvard University, said he would step back from public commitments after the release of emails showing he maintained a friendly relationship with Jeffrey Epstein long after the financier pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl in 2008.

Summers said in a statement that he seeks to “rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me.”

“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.

Summers did not detail exactly what stepping back would entail, saying he would continue to teach.

However the Center for American Progress, a progressive Washington-based think tank, confirmed Tuesday that he was “ending his fellowship at CAP.” A spokesperson for the Budget Lab at Yale also said Summers is no longer a member of its advisory group.

▶ Read more about Summers

Who is Clay Higgins, the only House member to vote against releasing the Epstein files?

FILE - Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., walks at the Capitol in Washington, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE – Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., walks at the Capitol in Washington, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Higgins, who is in his fifth term representing a congressional district in southwest Louisiana, explained in a lengthy statement that he was “a principled ‘NO’ on this bill from the beginning.”

A fervent Trump supporter and a member of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, he said his concern with the bill was that it “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.”

Higgins suggested that he would be open to voting for it if the Senate amended it to protect the privacy of those “who are named but not criminally implicated.”

But the bill’s main sponsors have warned that is only a measure to protect people in Epstein’s orbit from embarrassment, and Senate leaders have shown no interest in taking up the proposed changes.

DHS plans to deploy 250 border agents to Louisiana in major immigration sweep, AP sources say

The federal agents are set to descend on New Orleans for a two-month crackdown dubbed “Swamp Sweep,” with the aim of arresting roughly 5,000 people across southeast Louisiana and into Mississippi. That’s according to documents obtained by AP and three people familiar with the operation who could not publicly discuss details and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The deployment, expected to begin in earnest Dec. 1, marks the latest escalation in a series of rapid-fire crackdowns unfolding nationwide as the administration moves aggressively to fulfill the president’s campaign promise of mass deportations.

The Louisiana operation is unfolding on the home turf of Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, a close Trump ally who has moved to align state policy with the White House’s enforcement agenda. But as seen in other blue cities in Republican-led states, increased federal enforcement presence could set up a collision with officials in liberal New Orleans who have long resisted federal sweeps.

Congress acts swiftly to force release of Epstein files, sending bill to Trump

Both the House and Senate acted decisively Tuesday to pass a bill to force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epsteina remarkable display of approval for an effort that had struggled for months to overcome opposition from Trump and Republican leadership.

When a small, bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a petition in July to maneuver around Speaker Mike Johnson’s control of which bills reach the floor, it appeared a long-shot effort — especially as the president urged supporters to dismiss the matter as a “hoax.”

But both Trump and Johnson failed in their efforts to prevent the vote. Now the president has bowed to the growing momentum behind the bill and even said he will sign it. Just hours after the House passed the bill, the Senate agreed to pass it with unanimous consent once it is sent to the body.

JUST IN: Senate agrees to pass bill to force release of Epstein files, sending Trump legislation he initially opposed

JUST IN: Homeland Security to deploy 250 agents for expansive immigration crackdown in Louisiana in coming weeks, AP sources say

US approves Ukraine arms sale to maintain Patriot missile air defense systems

The Trump administration has approved a $105 million arms sale to Ukraine to help is maintain existing Patriot missile air defense systems.

The State Department announced on Tuesday that it had signed off on and notified Congress of the deal, which will be for spare parts, upgrades of Ukraine’s current launchers as well as support, training and other accessories.

In a statement, the department said the sale would “support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe.”

The administration has run hot and cold on supplying weaponry to Ukraine with President Donald Trump thus far unsuccessfully trying to arrange peace talks between Russia and Ukraine and alternating between insisting that Kyiv must cede territory occupied by Moscow and also suggesting that Ukraine might be able to retake all areas Russia has seized since its invasion in 2022.

Rapper Nicki Minaj speaks about Nigeria at the UN

In this image taken from video, pop star Nicki Minaj joined faith leaders Tuesday Nov. 18, 2025, at the United Nations headquarters to lend support for protecting religious freedom. (AP Photo/Joseph B. Frederick)

In this image taken from video, pop star Nicki Minaj joined faith leaders Tuesday Nov. 18, 2025, at the United Nations headquarters to lend support for protecting religious freedom. (AP Photo/Joseph B. Frederick)

The Trinidadian-born star thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for his leadership and calling for urgent action “to defend Christians in Nigeria, to combat extremism and to bring a stop to violence against those who simply want to exercise their natural right to freedom of religion or belief.”

Minaj spoke at a panel organized by the U.S. mission to the United Nations on the killing of Christians in Nigeria along with Ambassador Mike Waltz and faith leaders.

Trump has threatened military intervention in the West African country, where he says Christianity faces an “existential threat.” Violence has long plagued Nigeria. Data shows that while Christians are targeted over faith in some attacks, most victims of overall violence are Muslims.

Saying she was “very nervous” to speak, Minaj vowed to keep standing up “in the face of injustice” for anyone, anywhere, who is being persecuted for their beliefs.

JUST IN: Republican Leader Thune says Senate will try to pass Epstein bill quickly and send it to Trump

Newsom says Trump, Abbott ‘played with fire, got burned’ on Texas redistricting

FILE - Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom discusses the U.S. Senate vote against California Emissions rules which include the ban on the sale of new gas powered cars by 2035 during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., May 22, 2025. (Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

FILE – Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom discusses the U.S. Senate vote against California Emissions rules which include the ban on the sale of new gas powered cars by 2035 during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., May 22, 2025. (Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

In an X post on Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the ruling “a win for Texas, and for every American who fights for free and fair elections.”

Earlier this month, the Democrat celebrated in his home state as California voters approved new congressional boundaries that give Democrats a shot at winning five additional seats.

The measure had initially been contingent on Texas’ GOP-backed maps winning approval, but California lawmakers later removed that provision.

Texas governor promises swift appeal of redistricting ruling

Gov. Greg Abbott waves to supports as he announces his re-election campaign for Texas governor in Houston, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Gov. Greg Abbott waves to supports as he announces his re-election campaign for Texas governor in Houston, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is promising that Texas will be quick to appeal a ruling from three federal judges that prevents the states from using a new congressional map favoring the GOP.

Abbott called the 2-1 decision that the new map represented improper racial gerrymandering “absurd” and “clearly erroneous.”

Texas was the first state to heed President Donald Trump’s call Republicans to redraw maps in to help the GOP pick up additional seats in the 2026 midterm elections and preserve its slim U.S. House majority. The new Texas map was designed to give Republicans five more winnable seats and touched off a state-by-state fight over partisan redistricting.

“The Legislature redrew our congressional maps to better reflect Texans’ conservative voting preferences -– and for no other reason,” Abbott said in a statement.The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that federal courts cannot review partisan gerrymandering claims.

House passes bill to force release of Epstein files

The House voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill Tuesday to force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epsteina remarkable display of approval for an effort that had struggled for months to overcome opposition from President Donald Trump and Republican leadership.

When a small bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a petition in July to maneuver around House Speaker Mike Johnson’s control of which bills reach the House floor, it appeared a longshot effort — especially as Trump urged his supporters to dismiss the matter as a “hoax.”

But both Trump and Johnson failed in their efforts to prevent the vote. Now the president has bowed to the growing momentum behind the bill and even said he will sign it if it also passes the Senate.

The Epstein files bill passed 427-1

The only no vote came from Rep. Clay Higgins, a Louisiana Republican who is a fervent supporter of Trump. He also chairs a subcommittee that initiated a subpoena on the Justice Department for the Epstein files.

JUST IN: House votes overwhelmingly to force release of Epstein files, sending bill once opposed by Trump to the Senate

DNC chair says Texas ruling show how state’s Democrats ‘rose up and fought back’

Calling the ruling “a win for Texas voters,” Democratic National Committee chairman Ken Martin cheered the judges’ decision, saying the maps debate “arose because Donald Trump and his Texas Republican allies are afraid of facing voters” in next year’s midterm elections.

Trump says he hasn’t spoken yet with Venezuela’s Maduro

President Donald Trump waits to welcome Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump waits to welcome Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Asked if they’d spoken, Trump said, “No. He wants to talk. Yeah, I’m open to talking. I talk to everybody.”

Trump first said on Sunday that that U.S. “may be having some discussions” with President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela.

The comments were a potential diplomatic avenue as the U.S. continues to build up is military presence off the South American country’s coast.

Former attorney general Eric Holder calls Texas ruling ‘major victory’

Holder, who heads up the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, in a statement called the ruling overturning Texas’ new maps “a major victory for Texans, particularly Texans of color.”

Holder, who served in President Barack Obama’s administration, warned that it should “also serve as a warning to anti-democracy politicians” pursuing “mid-decade gerrymanders” in other states.

Holder has been outspoken about the Texas redistricting efforts, hosting Obama earlier this year for a fundraiser benefiting his organization.

Tennessee GOP nominee in special US House race follows new Trump position on Epstein vote

Republican Matt Van Epps has said he’s with President Trump 100% as he runs with Trump’s endorsement in a Dec. 2 special election for Congress in Tennessee. He’s now following Trump’s changed stance favoring the House vote to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Van Epps voiced support for the House vote in a statement Tuesday.

Previously, he said he supported Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan for the Oversight Committee to investigate the Epstein files, including through subpoena power, and then release the results “for full transparency.” The oversight investigation has released thousands of pages of emails and other documents from Epstein’s estate.

“As I’ve said from the beginning, I support full transparency — I would vote to release the Epstein files, no hesitation,” Van Epps said Tuesday.

Van Epps is a military veteran and former state general services commissioner. In the 7th Congressional District race, he faces Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn, who has criticized Van Epps’ stance on the Epstein files.

Trump appointee wrote opinion nixing GOP-backed Texas House map

A judge appointed to the federal bench by Trump is the one who authored Tuesday’s ruling blocking the new U.S. House map for Texas that the president had backed.

A three-judge panel issued Tuesday’s ruling, but it was delivered by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown, nominated to the bench by Trump during his first term. The former Texas Supreme Court justice was joined in the opinion by U.S. District Judge David Guaderrama, an Obama appointee.

The lone dissent in the 2-1 decision came from U.S. Circuit Judge Jerry Smith, a Reagan appointee.

Republican lawmaker says he’s embarrassed for his party on Epstein bill

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., says he’s embarrassed for his own political party as the House debates a bill Tuesday afternoon requiring the Justice Department to release records related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Massie says that he and three Republican colleagues – Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Nancy Mace and Lauren Boebert – “have had to drag our party to this floor today to even vote on this.”

Massie says the three women have been threatened and intimidated, “and not by the far left. They have been threatened by people in our own party.”

The four Republicans joined with Democrats in signing onto a discharge petition that forces a vote on the release of the records.

Trump says it’s a ‘perfect night’ to have Saudi dinner in the grand ballroom he wants to build

About 120 people are expected for dinner in the East Room, which Trump says is “very small,” even though it can accommodate about 200.

He closed the joint news media appearance with Mohammed bin Salman by saying he’s probably made a “lot of enemies” because a lot of people weren’t invited to dinner or can’t attend because of the space limitations.

Trump has said the proposed ballroom will hold about 1,000 people.

“This would be a perfect night to have that ballroom open, Susie,” Trump says, addressing White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. “If we had that open, we’d have a lot of people very happy. Right now, we have a lot of unhappy people because they all want to be with us tonight to honor this great man.”

HHS official says bulk of home heating assistance funding to be released soon

In a letter sent Tuesday to state-based agencies that administer the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, a top official said it’s anticipated $3.7 billion will be released by the end of November.

Congress this month appropriated more than $4 billion for LIHEAP, which helps millions of low-income households pay to heat and cool their homes.

Andrew Gradison, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Administration for Children and Families, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said there’s a recognition state-based agencies need the majority of their funds now to help households during the winter months. Gradison blamed congressional Democrats for the delay in funding.

The 43-day federal government shutdown prompted some states to warn recipients their heating assistance would be postponed, creating uncertainty for families as temperatures were dropping. Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, said states have been accepting LIHEAP applications but can’t issue benefits until their federal allocations are finalized.

“The administration’s advance notice is encouraging, and it’s important that the remaining funds be released by the end of the month so states can provide timely assistance as winter temperatures set in,” he said.

Trump says ABC should have its broadcast license taken away

The president lashed out again at the same reporter who asked another question about releasing files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, criticizing her attitude and the way she asks questions.

He then said that he thinks the “license should be taken away from ABC because your news is so fake and it’s so wrong.” He then referred to Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carrwho has been a staunch ally and launched investigations into several networks.

Carr also said to ABC before it took comic Jimmy Kimmel off the air following his comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination that “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

Trump, after calling for ABC’s license to be revoked, said Tuesday that Carr “should look at that.”

Federal judges block Texas from using its new US House map in the 2026 midterms

Texas cannot use a new congressional map drawn by Republicans in hopes of securing the party additional U.S. House seats, a panel of three federal judges ruled Tuesday.

The ruling was a blow to Trump’s efforts to have GOP lawmakers in multiple states redraw their maps to help the party preserve its slim House majority in the potentially difficult 2026 midterm elections.

“The public perception of this case is that it’s about politics. To be sure, politics played a role in drawing the 2025 Map. But it was much more than just politics. Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map,” the ruling states.

Texas this summer was the first state to meet Trump’s demands in what has become an expanding national battle over redistricting. Republicans drew the state’s new map to give the GOP five additional seats, and Missouri and North Carolina followed with new maps adding an additional Republican seat each. To counter those moves, California voters approved a ballot initiative to give Democrats an additional five seats there.

The 2-1 decision followed a nearly two-week trial in El Paso, Texas.

JUST IN: Federal judges block Texas from using redrawn congressional maps that would boost the GOP in the 2026 midterm elections.

Trump says he likes Bessent for Fed chair, but Bessent said no

Trump gave a nod toward Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and said that’s who he wants to lead the Federal Reserve, but Bessent has declined his overtures.

“I think I already know my choice,” Trump said. “Well, I liked him. But he’s not going to take the job. He refused. You like Treasury better, right?”

The president said he would like to remove current Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whose term expires in May. Powell has not cut the Fed’s benchmark interest rates as aggressively as Trump wants. The president believes inflation has been defeated, even though it’s above the Fed’s 2% target.

Trump said he has “some very good people” who could replace Powell, adding that there are “some surprising names” but he may “go the standard way.”

Bessent said that Trump will be “sitting down with them in the near future.”

Trump criticizes Biden for fist bumping the Saudi prince

Trump said that when you get off of Air Force One in Saudi Arabia and are greeting the country’s future king, “you shake his hand. You don’t get the fist bump.”

Then-President Joe Biden greeted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with an awkward fist bump in 2022 when Biden traveled to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Human rights activists had criticized Biden’s decision to meet the Saudi leader.

But a year later, in 2023, Biden shook hands with the crown prince when they appeared together at an international s ummit in New Delhi.

Trump said he wouldn’t ask bin Salman how he felt about the fist bump.

Senate Democratic leader presses for quick passage of Epstein files bill

Sen. Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, told reporters that once the House passes a bill to force the Department of Justice to release its case files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, he plans “to move on the floor so that the Senate take it up immediately.”

It’s unclear how the Senate will handle the legislation, but there is growing interest among both Democrats and Republicans to pass the bill, especially after President Donald Trump has reversed course and said he will sign it.

“The American people have waited long enough, and they want to see what’s in it,” Schumer added.

Trump dismisses criticism of Crown Prince over 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying ‘Things happen’

The president said the Crown Prince “knew nothing about it” and said of Khashoggi that “a lot of people didn’t like that gentleman.”

Trump lashed out at a reporter who asked the question, calling her “fake news” and chastising her saying “you don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking him a question like that.”

JUST IN: Trump dismisses criticism of Saudi Crown Prince over 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, says ‘things happen.’

Saudi crown prince ups his planned US investments to $1 trillion

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Trump that his country would be increasing its financial commitments to the U.S. from $600 billion to $1 trillion.

“Good, I like that very much,” Trump said.

Prince Mohammed was asked if Saudi Arabia can sustain the investments given the current low level of oil prices, but he indicated that the deals on computer chips fit with his country’s development.

The president has tried to make the case that his mix of tariffs and diplomacy will create $21 trillion in investment commitments before the end of the year.

It’s an improbably high sum and the White House can’t fully explain how the president reached that total.

But Trump is facing pushback from the public on his economic leadership and has promised that the investments will create jobs domestically.

Trump praises Saudi crown prince as they appear before news media

“We have a extremely respected man in the Oval Office today,” Trump said to open the news media spray, calling Mohammed bin Salman “a friend of mine for a very long time.”

Trump also praised the prince’s father.

The president is still speaking about how great he thinks the U.S. is performing under his leadership.

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The Dictatorship

8 convicted in Texas immigration center shooting sentenced to decades in prison

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June 24, 2026

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8 convicted in Texas immigration center shooting sentenced to decades in prison

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Eight protesters accused by the Justice Department of having ties to antifawere sentenced Tuesday to decades in federal prison over a shooting outside a Texas immigration detention center that wounded a police officer. Prosecutors have called the shooting an act of terrorism.

One of the defendants, a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist convicted of opening fire during the July 4 demonstration outside the Prairieland Detention Center near Dallas, was sentenced to 100 years in prison, the maximum punishment.

The lengthy sentences were condemned by family members and supporters in a news conference outside the federal courthouse in Fort Worth. Hope Song, whose son Benjamin Songreceived the heftiest sentence, disputed prosecutors’ claims that her son shot the officer and said he didn’t intend to hurt anyone.

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, one of two judges overseeing the proceedings, said what happened wasn’t a protest but “an assault on democracy.”

“The need to deter this type of conduct is high,” O’Connor said.

The seven other protesters received prison terms ranging from 30 to 70 years.

Prosecutors said the eight are members of antifa, a decentralized anti-fascist organization and a targetof the Trump administration. Antifa is not a single organization but rather an umbrella term for far-left militant groups that confront or resist neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations.

President Donald Trump last fall signed an executive order designating antifa a domestic terrorist organization, even though there is no domestic equivalent to the State Department’s list of foreign terror organizations.

The defendants deny any affiliation with antifa and maintain they attended the demonstration in support of detained immigrants.

Prosecutor Frank Gatto urged the judge to impose stiff penalties.

“People with that kind of extremist beliefs need extra time in prison,” Gatto said. “They believe violence is justified.”

Phillip Hayes, Song’s attorney, said outside the courthouse that he takes issue with the idea that the protesters are extremists.

“This is a bunch of kids and young adults who really have a really big heart and really wanted their voice to be heard,” Hayes said. “It was never intended that anybody get hurt. It was never intended that any shots would be fired.”

Prosecutors said in court that Song had yelled “get to the rifles” and opened fire, striking a police officer who had just pulled up to the center.

Hayes argued that Song’s shots were “suppressive fire” and that a ricochet bullet hit the officer after he arrived on the scene and “aggressively” pulled out his firearm. He said his client will appeal the 100-year sentence.

“Song, aside from this day, has had an impeccable life. A former Marine. A good student,” Hayes said. “He had a lot of good qualities that were just ignored. The judge went ahead and gave as much as he could.”

Other defendants and their family members pleaded for leniency in court.

Autumn Hill said the gathering “seemed more like a party to me than anything else” and that she and others who participated “didn’t expect or want any violence or destruction of property to occur.”

Amber Lowrey told the judge that her sister, Savanna Batten, is a compassionate person with dreams of opening a bakery. She said Batten’s activism started with animal rights and evolved into anti-war and human rights advocacy.

“She’s the best person I know,” Lowrey said.

Hill and Batten both received 50-year sentences.

Other defendants previously pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists rather than take their case to trial.

Critics warn the case could have a wide-reaching impact on protests given that organizations operating within the U.S. are supposed to be protected by First Amendment free-speech rights.

Last week, federal prosecutors charged 15 peoplewith impeding the Trump administration’s immigration crackdownin Minnesota. They claimed the demonstrators were members of antifa who conspired against the federal government to block arrests and deportations by setting up blockades around government buildings and throwing chunks of ice at federal vehicles, among other actions.

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The Dictatorship

Tulsi Gabbard and Senate GOP face difficult new questions over influence of her ‘guru’

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June 24, 2026

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Tulsi Gabbard and Senate GOP face difficult new questions over influence of her ‘guru’

About a month into Donald Trump’s second term, Senate Republicans weighed whether to confirm one of the president’s worst nominees. Indeed, the list of reasons to reject Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination for director of national intelligence was not short.

The former congresswoman lacked the requisite experience in intelligence matters. She had an indefensible habit of echoing Russian propaganda. She struggled to explain her record of defending Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime. Senators heard from former national security officials who issued unsubtle warnings about elevating Gabbard to an important and influential position.

But in case that weren’t quite enough, let’s also not overlook the fact that Gabbard was a member of a secretive Hare Krishna offshoot religious sect that is considered by many of its former members to be an abusive cult.

Gabbard, who wrapped up her tenure as DNI last week, has long insisted that any suggestion that she was somehow enthralled to or controlled by this sect or its leader, whom she has referred to as her “guru,” is just bigotry against her faith.

But it’s against this backdrop that The Washington Post obtained hundreds of secret memos prepared for Gabbard during her congressional tenure, which were put together by members of the alleged cult and which included thousands of pages of specific directives to her on policy and politics.

After careful analysis of thousands of these documents, which have not been independently verified by MS NOW, the Post determined that they likely came from Gabbard’s secretive guru, a man named Chris Butler.

The memos, starting in 2013, when the Hawaiian first arrived on Capitol Hill, reflect a dynamic in which Gabbard didn’t just take direction from the materials, but essentially took dictation from the alleged cult leader: Memos told Gabbard what she should do as a member of Congress, and she often did exactly that, sometimes word for word.

The Post’s Jon Swaine spent months trying to get Gabbard to respond to questions, but to no avail. Her spokeswoman reportedly encouraged Swaine to drop the story, saying, “I cannot imagine WaPo’s readers would be interested in yet another uncredible, bigoted attack on the DNI’s faith.”

On May 20, Swaine nevertheless alerted the DNI and top members of her staff to the fact that the Post was prepared to publish his reporting anyway on her association with Butler.

On May 22, Fox News reported that Gabbard was leaving the administration, ostensibly because of a health issue involving her husband.

This week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke on the Senate floor and commented on the reporting:

There are reports that Tulsi Gabbard was receiving instructions from a so-called guru and repeating them word for word. That ought to concern all of us if it’s true. No one knows who this guru really is, what his connections are, and where the instructions came from. … We need answers.

The New York Democrat’s comments made sense, though it’s worth considering who, exactly, “we need answers” from.

It stands to reason, for example, that Gabbard has some explaining to do, but I’m also interested in the answers from those who elevated her to an influential intelligence office in the first place.

In February 2025, confronted with an avalanche of reasons to reject Gabbard’s nomination, 52 Senate Republicans — every GOP member except Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell — shrugged off every red flag and voted to confirm her as the nation’s DNI, including so-called “moderates” such as Maine’s Susan Collins and Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski.

The question for these 52 senators seems obvious: Do you regret that confirmation vote and now recognize it as a mistake? Or do you still think it was a good idea to put Gabbard in this influential intelligence position?

Steve Benen is a producer for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He’s also the bestselling author of “Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past.”

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The Dictatorship

Trump ignored warnings before launching Iran war, reporters tell MS NOW

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June 24, 2026

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Trump ignored warnings before launching Iran war, reporters tell MS NOW

In the lead-up to the Iran war, President Donald Trump dismissed the possibility that Tehran would close the Strait of Hormuz despite warnings from his top military adviser, authors of a new book told MS NOW’s Lawrence O’Donnell on Monday.

In their first televised interview about “Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump,” New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan said Trump also disregarded warnings from Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about the potential effects on American weaponry and about casualties.

The initial closure of the strait, a narrow passageway through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes, led to a spike in gas and oil prices. According to Swan, Trump thought Iran would have limited time to take action because the war would be over quickly — a claim he has made repeatedly during the nearly four-month-long war.

“He felt that this regime was a paper tiger, that this was going to be a fast war,” Swan said on “The Last Word.” “He just said he felt that that was going to be the case, that they were going to collapse very quickly.”

“It’s a form of magical thinking, actually, is what it all boils down to,” he added.

The revelation is just one of several in the book — which is based on more than 1,000 interviews — that illustrate how Trump repeatedly bases geopolitical decisions on his own whims rather than experts’ assessments.

Another example of such thinking was when Trump floated a plan to expel 2 million Palestinians from Gaza so he could turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” Haberman and Swan wrote in the book that one senior aide characterized the idea as “legitimately nutso … but very on-brand.”

Haberman also spoke about “how scared” people were inside the White House ahead of last year’s so-called Liberation Daywhen Trump unveiled sweeping global tariffs. (The Supreme Court struck down those tariffs in February.)

“They were scared at how close the bond markets came to just completely melting down seven days later, which was finally what got him [Trump] off of it, but again, it was the willingness to just go straight to the brink” that was jarring, Haberman said.

Despite such fear among Trump’s staff, Haberman added, the White House makes up “a group of people who genuinely want to see him succeed.”

Julianne McShane is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW who also covers the politics of abortion and reproductive rights. You can send her tips from a non-work device on Signal at jmcshane.19 or follow her on X or Bluesky.

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