The Latest: Trump to decide on Epstein files release after Senate agrees to pass the legislation

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 Epstein, a 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 long-shot 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.

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The day’s developments on federal deployments

In addition to news of an upcoming immigration sweep in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi, there 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 trial, saying 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

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

The additional haul of 792,000 metric tons this weekpushes 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 Chinahas 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 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 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

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?

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.

— Jack Brook and Sara Cline

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 Epstein, a 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.

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

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.

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

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

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 Epstein, a 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.

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

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.”