U.S. and world news for Nov. 19

Epstein files release uncertain

As of the Wednesday morning, The White House had not said when President Trump will be signing the bill passed by Congress yesterday requiring the Justice Department to release all of the Epstein files or if he’ll veto it. Trump has denied having any substantive ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein even though Epstein had said they were best friends for more than a decade. Emails in which Epstein talked about his relationship with Trump have already been released by members of the House. A Trump veto would then require a two-thirds vote in Congress to override, and Congress showed yesterday that the votes are there to do that. He could also take no action, allowing the bill to become law without his signature. Some lawmakers have questioned whether the Justice Department will release the files or withhold them and blame it on on-going investigations. Epstein’s brother Mark Epstein, in an interview with NewsNation, claimed that a source told him some information in the files is being destroyed.

Saudi crown prince at the White House

Donald Trump on Tuesday hosted Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who the CIA says likely ordered the murder of a Washington Post journalist. While responding to questions from reporters in the Oval Office, Trump angrily dismissed a question about the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, claiming that the Saudi dissident journalist was “extremely controversial.” Trump insisted the subject was only raised during his meeting with Prince bin Salman to embarrass his visitor. Trump lashed out at a reporter from ABC News, and said his FCC commissioner should look into pulling ABC’s broadcast licenses. Later in the day, Trump said the U.S. will designate Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally as the administration works to deepen its military partnership with the kingdom.

ICE raids spreading in the south

Trump’s immigration raids have spread to more states across the U.S., from Minnesota to North Carolina, with Louisiana potentially next. Over 200 people have been arrested in ICE raids in Charlotte, North Carolina, over the last three days, the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday. While the spotlight has been on North Carolina’s most populous city, immigration enforcement actions have begun to spread to other parts of the state and are expected to reach New Orleans within weeks. Gregory Bovino, Trump’s top Border Patrol official, is scheduled to arrive in New Orleans soon, according to two sources familiar with the planning. Trump has named New Orleans as another city he plans to go after.

CNN finds doubts that Trump can send tariff rebate checks

A CNN analysis reveals that it is improbable that Donald Trump will be able to deliver $2,000 tariff rebate checks to American households next year as he has promised. Trump said that some of the tariff money collected from U.S. importers and consumers would be refunded in the form of the rebate checks. “It’s highly unlikely there is some sort of stimulus check sent out next year. I would be pretty shocked,” Scott Lincicome, vice president of general economics at the Cato Institute, told CNN. Users of the prediction platform Polymarket say there’s just an 11% chance that Trump will make good on his promise. CNN calculated that the rebate checks promised by Trump would cost from $279.8 billion to $608 billion and the Tax Foundation projects tariff revenue this year will be only $158.4 billion.

New strain of the flu virus detected

A new virus variant and lagging vaccinations may mean the U.S. is in for a severe flu season. Health experts are closely watching a mutated strain called subclade K that’s behind early surges in the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan. Flu activity in the U.S. is low but rising quickly, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. Early analysis shows that this season’s flu shots provide some protection against being hospitalized with this variant, especially for kids. But data shows many Americans appear to be skipping their flu vaccines this year. This comes on the heels of a severe flu season last winter: The U.S. had its highest rates of flu hospitalizations in nearly 15 years, and at least 280 children died of influenza, the highest number since 2004.

Russian strikes Ukraine overnight

NATO scrambled fighter jets in Polish and Romanian airspace as Russia carried out a massive overnight attack across Ukraine, killing at least 19 people and injuring dozens more. Romania’s defense ministry said a Russian drone entered its airspace during the attack, which struck apartment buildings in the city of Ternopil. Dozens of people were injured in the attack, 16 of them children, and more are still trapped under the rubble, Ukraine’s Interior Minister said. The Russian attack involved 470 drones and 48 missiles and mostly focused on western areas of Ukraine, which lie close to the borders of Romania and Poland. Many regions of Ukraine are without power today following the strikes on the country’s energy infrastructure.