Wednesday, November 19th, 2025 - 427-1 Epstein files vote; MBS gets a pass, Trump’s tantrum; TX gerrymandered map blocked

Morning Announcements

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10d ago 7:55

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Today’s Headlines: The House finally voted on releasing the Epstein files, and it was a blowout: 427–1, with Louisiana Republican Clay Higgins as the lone no vote. Speaker Mike Johnson is still trying to get the Senate to redact names (interesting), but survivors held a powerful press conference beforehand urging Trump to stop playing politics and just release the files himself. Meanwhile, the first real accountability domino fell: Larry Summers is stepping back from Harvard and the Center for American Progress over his deep Epstein ties — though OpenAI’s board is staying suspiciously quiet about whether he’s out there too. Over in the Oval Office, Trump hosted Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman for what was supposed to be a big investment-and-F-35s photo op, but it immediately derailed when reporters asked about Epstein and, awkwardly, MBS’s role in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Trump waved that off with a casual “things happen,” then snapped at ABC’s Mary Bruce for asking why he hasn’t released the Epstein files, calling her a “terrible reporter” and demanding ABC lose its broadcast license. Very normal, very innocent behavior. In foreign policy news, the UK has reportedly stopped sharing intel on drug smuggling boats over concerns about recent U.S. strikes — something Secretary of State Marco Rubio swears is absolutely not happening because “it didn’t come up once.” The courts were also busy. A federal judge said the DOJ’s case against James Comey may have been tainted by “profound investigative missteps,” another court blocked Texas’s new gerrymandered congressional map for 2026 (pending the inevitable SCOTUS appeal), and a bankruptcy judge finally approved a $7 billion Purdue Pharma settlement after six years of legal trench warfare — money that will go to families, governments, hospitals, and tribes devastated by the opioid crisis.

Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode:

CNN: Live updates: Trump presidency, Epstein files release heads to House for vote

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

ABC News: Trump defends Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi killing, threatens ABC News in White House meeting – as it happened | Mohammed bin Salman

People: Donald Trump Lashes Out at ABC Reporter over Another Epstein Question, Saying 'Your Crappy Company' Should Lose Its FCC License

NBC News: U.K. withholds intelligence on alleged drug boats over U.S. strikes, sources say

CNN: Judge says James Comey indictment may be tainted by ‘profound investigative missteps’

Democracy Docket: Federal Court Blocks Texas Gerrymander - Democracy Docket

Financial Times: Judge rules Purdue Pharma must pay $7bn in bankruptcy settlement

Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson

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