Trump urges Republicans to back the release of the Epstein files. Flight reductions across the U.S. come to an end. A Venezuelan cartel is assigned a terrorist designation. And country music confronts AI.
Here’s what to know today.
Trump says House Republicans should vote to release Epstein files
President Donald Trump on Sunday called on House Republicans to support the release of files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, dramatically changing course on an issue he has long opposed.
“House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
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Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie last week reached enough signatures on a discharge petition to force a vote on the measure onto the House floor. Speaker Mike Johnson has opposed the effort — but he said he would bring the measure to the floor this week. To become law, the bill would also need to pass the GOP-controlled Senate and gain Trump’s signature.
Several women who survived abuse by Epstein have come together for a public service announcement video demanding that Congress release all files.
Read the full story.
More politics news:
- Democratic candidates and operatives are working on how to renew the party’s appeal to young men, amid some signs of progress after a sharp wake-up call in 2024.
- Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was once one of Trump’s most vocal supporters, said that she’s facing threats after the president criticized her on social media.
Trump floats talks with Maduro as tensions with Venezuela intensify
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump indicated that the U.S. “may be having some discussions” with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, adding that “they would like to talk.” The president floated potential talks Sunday after the U.S. announced plans to designate Cartel de los Soles, a group it alleges is run by Maduro, as a foreign terrorist organization. The designation is set to take effect on Nov. 24, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
The designation puts the cartel among the likes of Hamas and the Islamic State group, banning its members from entering the U.S. and allowing the U.S. government to seize its assets. It also makes it unlawful for a person in the U.S. to provide “material support” to such an organization.
Three people were killed on Saturday when the U.S. military carried out another strike on an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific, U.S. Southern Command said Sunday. It is at least the 21st strike the military has conducted on alleged drug boats during the second Trump administration.
Read the full story.
Flights to return to normal levels today
Travelers pass through the Miami International Airport on Nov. 10, 2025.Joe Raedle / Getty Images
The Federal Aviation Administration ended its flight reduction emergency order today, meaning flights will resume operations as normal, officials announced. The emergency order officially lifted at 6 a.m. ET, bringing an end to the reductions that caused mass cancellations and delays at airports.
The cuts, which started with a 4% reduction in flights at 40 major airports on Nov. 7, were designed to address fatigue and staffing issues among air traffic controllers amid the record-long government shutdown. They’re being rolled back now that staffing levels have “stabilized” with the end of the government shutdown last week, the FAA said.
Read the full story.
Voters across parties say ‘extreme political rhetoric’ contributed to Charlie Kirk’s killing
Charlie Kirk on the campus of the University of Arizona on Oct. 17, 2024.Olivier Touron / AFP – Getty Images file
More than 6 in 10 registered voters said they think “extreme political rhetoric” was an important contributor to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk earlier this year — including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents, according to the latest NBC News poll.
The findings represent a grim milestone in America’s reckoning with growing political violence and its root causes. The survey marks the first time, across questions about five different violent incidents over 15 years of NBC News polling, that there has been cross-partisan agreement that rhetoric played an important role in an attack, as opposed to the incident having been more about the actions of a single disturbed person.
Overall, 61% of respondents said they feel that “extreme political rhetoric used by some in the media and by political leaders was an important contributor” to Kirk’s killing.
Another 28% said they “feel more this is an incident caused by a disturbed person.” And 4% of those who participated in the poll volunteered, when presented with those two options, that they thought it was some of both.
Read more results from the NBC News poll on political violence here.
Read All About It
- International student enrollment rates at American colleges and universities fell sharply this year, driven by visa application issues as prospective students are caught up in the administration’s immigration crackdown.
- The ByHeart infant formula recall tied to a recent botulism outbreak has put parents of babies on edge.
- Jets cornerback Kris Boyd is in critical condition after a shooting in New York City, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation.
- The body of a girl swept into the Pacific amid high surf was found Sunday off the Central California coast, not far from where her father, who also died, tried to save her.
- Detroit might have stuffed Philadelphia’s “tush push” play multiple times — but it was all for naught as the Eagles beat the Lions 16-9.
Staff Pick: Mystery engulfs country music chart
An AI-generated image depicting country singer, Breaking Rust. Breaking Rust
For the second-consecutive week, a song by an artist called Breaking Rust has topped Billboard’s country music digital sales chart. Billboard says Breaking Rust’s music is AI-generated, but at a moment when generative AI technology grows ever more sophisticated, it’s impossible to prove. Still, other evidence suggests it is so: Breaking Rust has no other online presence besides its Instagram, Spotify and YouTube pages, and has thus far remained silent about the achievement.
Breaking Rust’s apparent success comes at a moment of uncertainty for the music industry, which has struggled to see new acts break widely into the mainstream this year amid a broader fracturing media ecosystem. The rise of AI-generated tracks — some of which have been powered by artificial streaming, a scourge music platforms continue to struggle with — is only complicating the picture. — Rob Wile, business reporter
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
When it comes to advent calendars, chocolate and sweet treat options are a classic. But the NBC Select team opened ones filled with Legos, Bonne Maman jam and Charlotte Tilbury makeup and more, that really take things up a notch.
Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.
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