What we covered
• Health care deadline: House Republicans have unveiled a narrow health care package that does not extend soon-to-expire enhanced Obamacare subsidies — the latest sign that Congress is unlikely to avert skyrocketing costs for millions of Americans next year. The plan fails to fulfill President Donald Trump’s call to divert more federal funding to enrollees.
• Venezuela tensions: The US announced new sanctions on Venezuela, including members of President Nicolás Maduro’s family. Trump wouldn’t say today whether the US plans to seize more of the country’s oil assets as he escalates his pressure campaign against Maduro.
• New photos from Epstein’s estate: Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate showing the many powerful figures in the late sex trafficker’s orbit, including Trump, who downplayed the images this evening. The DOJ has been ordered to release its own Epstein case files by next Friday.
Our live coverage has ended. Get the latest here.
"Extremely disturbing": Top Oversight Democrat describes unreleased Epstein pictures
After House Democrats released new pictures subpoenaed from the Epstein estate, Rep. Robert Garcia told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins today the images they haven’t released are “extremely disturbing.”
He said that they will continue to put out photos in the days and weeks ahead as they work to protect the identities of the survivors.
In a statement, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said House Democrats were “selectively releasing cherry-picked photos with random redactions to try and create a false narrative.”
US special envoy Witkoff expected to meet with Zelensky and European leaders in Berlin this weekend
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders in Berlin this weekend, a White House official told CNN.
It comes at a pivotal moment as President Donald Trump seeks to end the yearslong conflict between Russia and Ukraine before the end of the year.
The leaders of France, the United Kingdom and Germany are also expected to be in Berlin.
Those same leaders told Trump earlier this week in a phone call that only the Ukrainians can decide whether to concede territory as part of a peace deal with Russia, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Thursday.
Kamala Harris embraces affordability argument as Democrats look to midterms
Former Vice President Kamala Harris tonight leaned into the issue of affordability as Democrats look toward a high-stakes midterm battle in 2026.
“America is facing an affordability crisis, a crisis that we are witnessing is fueling cynicism, fear, frustration and a lack of confidence in our systems,” Harris said at the Democratic National Committee’s annual winter meeting in Los Angeles.
Affordability has been a winning message in off-season elections across the country this year. The former vice president, who will resume her expanded book tour in January, also touted last month’s Democratic wins in Virginia, New Jersey and New York.
In her remarks, Harris urged her party to focus on fighting for Americans as they experience rising grocery prices and housing costs, while highlighting the political impasse around health care subsidies.
“They want leaders who fight for affordability, for health care, for the right of people to participate in their democracy,” Harris said, adding “Americans want leaders who fight for them, and that is what we will continue to do in 2026 as we compete in every state, in every district and every level of government.”
Catch up on today’s Trump administration news
The Trump administration had another busy week.
Here’s what happened today:
New photos from Epstein’s estate: Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released photos today from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate showing the many powerful figures in the late sex trafficker’s orbit, including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Steve Bannon, Bill Gates, Richard Branson and others. The White House accused House Democrats of releasing “cherry-picked photos with random redactions to try and create a false narrative”, while Trump said the photos were “no big deal.”
New Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire agreement: Trump today claimed he secured a halt to ongoing clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, announcing on social media that the two governments had agreed to stop fighting after he spoke with their leaders by phone.
Updates on the impasse over health care: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told CNN that Democrats are willing to sit down with Republicans to chart a path forward on health care — but he doesn’t think that will happen with House GOP leadership. Jeffries also left the door open to supporting two discharge petitions filed on bipartisan legislation to extend the expiring enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, signaling a decision could come next week. And Trump reiterated today his demand for a heath care plan that funnels federal aid directly to patients. His remarks came after House GOP leaders released a proposal aimed at expanding Americans’ health insurance options — but that failed to fulfill Trump’s call to divert more federal funding to enrollees.
Double-tap boat strike controversy: The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee said today that he expects Adm. Frank M. Bradley to brief the panel next week on the controversial September 2 double-tap strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean.
Criminal contempt probe: A divided federal appeals court has temporarily put hold on a federal judge’s plans to hear testimony next week in a criminal contempt probe he’s conducting into the Trump administration’s actions in a high-stakes immigration case.
Law signing: Trump signed legislation honoring the 1980 US Olympics men’s ice hockey team with congressional gold medals for their “Miracle on Ice” win. Trump likened Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the unlikely victory team at the signing.
Peace talks for Russia and Ukraine: Russia has not seen the new peace proposals that resulted from talks between the United States, Ukraine and Europe, a Kremlin aide said today, adding that it may not like them, Russian state media reported.
CNN’s Devan Cole, Adrienne Vogt, Anna Chernova, Christian Edwards, Kaitlan Collins, Ellis Kim, Adam Cancryn, Arlette Saenz, Kevin Liptak, Alejandra Jaramillo and Annie Grayer contributed reporting.
Trump won't say if US will seize more Venezuelan oil assets
President Donald Trump would not say Friday if the United States intends to seize more Venezuelan oil assets, instead telling reporters that it “wouldn’t be very smart” to reveal that information.
“It wouldn’t be very smart for me to tell you that,” the president said. “We are knocking out drugs at levels that nobody’s ever seen before.
Trump seemed to suggest that land strikes could “now” be starting before, adding that they are “going to start happening.” CNN has reached out to the White House for clarification on what the president meant.
“Now we’re starting by land, and by land is a lot easier, and that’s going to start happening,” the president said.
Pressed if there is anything that the country can do to prevent potential land strikes, Trump said that he did not “want to say that.”
“I don’t want to say that, but it’s not only land strikes on Venezuela, it’s land strikes on horrible people that are bringing in drugs and killing our people,” the president added.
The US has announced new sanctions against members of Nicolás Maduro’s family and ships accused of moving Venezuelan oil.
Trump continues to exert pressure on the Venezuelan leader following the seizure of a tanker off the coast of the country.
Trump reiterates call for health care plan that funnels aid directly to patients
President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated his demand for a health care plan that funnels federal aid directly to patients, saying he hopes Republicans will find a way to get new legislation to his desk.
Trump’s remarks came just hours after House GOP leaders released a proposal aimed at expanding Americans’ health insurance options — but that failed to fulfill Trump’s call to divert more federal funding to enrollees.
Trump did not comment directly on the new House GOP plan.
His remarks came as Republicans have sought ways to avert a spike in premiums when key enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expire at the end of the year. He added that the money should be given to people through an “insurance account,” in line with some Republican proposals that would use federal money to fund health savings accounts for Affordable Care Act enrollees.
But that idea was not included in the House GOP plan, which instead proposes only codifying existing rules encouraging the use of HSAs and other similar plans.
Trump calls new photos released from Jeffrey Epstein's estate "no big deal"
President Donald Trump downplayed the new photos released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, one of which shows him posing with a group of women.
“I haven’t seen it, but, I mean, everybody knew this man,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
The president said Epstein was ”all over Palm Beach. He has photos with everybody.”
Some context: Many other powerful figures in the late sex trafficker’s orbit were also in the photos, including former President Bill Clinton, Steve Bannon, Bill Gates and Richard Branson.
One released image shows Trump with six women with leis whose faces were redacted by committee members, while another depicts what appears to be a bowl of novelty condoms with a caricature of Trump’s face with the text, “I’m HUUUUGE!”
President Donald Trump downplayed the new photos released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, one of which shows him posing with a group of women.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and Annie Grayer contributed reporting to this post.
Appeals court pauses testimony planned for next week in judge's criminal contempt probe of Trump officials
A divided federal appeals court has temporarily put hold on a federal judge’s plans to hear testimony next week in a criminal contempt probe he’s conducting into the Trump administration’s actions in a high-stakes immigration case.
The 2-1 ruling by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals freezes an order issued by US District Judge James Boasberg earlier this week that required testimony from Drew Ensign, a current top DOJ lawyer involved in immigration litigation, and a former department attorney who earlier this year filed a whistleblower complaint about the administration’s actions in the case.
The majority includes two Trump-appointed judges — Justin Walker and Neomi Rao. Judge Michelle Childs, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, dissented.
The DC Circuit’s order comes hours after Justice Department lawyers asked the court to intervene ahead of the planned testimony next week. The whistleblower, Erez Reuveni, was set to take the stand Monday morning.
The judges said they were putting Boasberg’s plans on hold to give the court time to consider a larger request from the government to end Boasberg’s contempt proceedings altogether.
Some background: Boasberg had ordered the administration in mid-March to turn around planes carrying migrants being deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador under the sweeping 18th Century wartime authority.
Yet the flights continued, and the migrants were held at the prison for several months before being released this summer as part of a prisoner swap with Venezuela.
Trump says Russia's invasion of Ukraine "similar" to 1980 "Miracle on Ice" hockey victory
President Donald Trump on Friday likened Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the unlikely victory of the 1980 US men’s ice hockey team over the Soviet Union.
“It’s a similar situation,” Trump said of the conflict as he honored players from the 1980 team, which defied steep odds to defeat their Soviet counterparts.
He didn’t expand on the comparison, and sounded unsure about how the war in Ukraine would eventually end.
“Let’s see what happens. We’re working on seeing if we can make a deal right now,” he said. “We’ll soon know, I guess.”
Intensive diplomatic efforts have been underway since the US revealed a 28-point plan, backed by Moscow, to end the conflict.
But the White House said this week it wouldn’t join additional talks if they determine them to be a waste of time.
House Oversight chairman says Clintons must appear next week for depositions
House Oversight Chair James Comer says former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton need to show up for their depositions next week in the panel’s Epstein probe or he will begin contempt of Congress proceedings.
Bill Clinton’s deposition is scheduled for December 17, and Hillary Clinton’s deposition is scheduled for December 18.
The Republican-led panel issued subpoenas to the Clintons in August and has been trying to get them to appear ever since.
Trump signs law honoring 1980 “Miracle on Ice" US Olympic men’s ice hockey team
President Donald Trump signed today legislation honoring the 1980 US Olympics men’s ice hockey team with congressional gold medals for their “Miracle on Ice” win.
“This is very exciting,” Trump said in an Oval Office signing ceremony where he was surrounded by many of the players. “This was one of the greatest moments in the history of US sports.”
The team defied nearly insurmountable odds to defeat the Soviet Union, the world’s largest hockey superpower, propelling them to win a gold medal and the nation’s adulation.
CNN’s Betsy Klein contributed reporting.
House Republicans have unveiled their latest health care proposal
House Republicans unveiled a narrow health care package this evening that does not extend soon-to-expire enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies — the latest sign that Congress is unlikely to avert skyrocketing insurance premiums for millions of Americans in the new year.
The GOP proposal would instead seek to expand the availability of association health plans, which allow employers to band together to purchase coverage, and fund a cost-sharing reduction program meant to lower premiums for certain Affordable Care Act enrollees. It would also impose new transparency requirements on pharmacy benefit managers in a bid to lower drug costs.
GOP leaders opted against extending the enhanced subsidies as part of their highly anticipated plan, according to multiple Republican leadership aides. But they do expect to allow a floor vote on an amendment related to those subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the month.
The big picture: The GOP’s intraparty fight over the fate of the Obamacare subsidies has consumed Congress for weeks, including an hours-long meeting of top House Republican leaders, centrists and hardliners earlier at the Capitol today.
GOP leaders plan to put the package on the floor next week, which will be the House’s final work week of 2025. But it remains unclear whether the proposal has the support to pass out of the chamber, much less win over the entirety of the House Republican conference.
House Oversight Democrats release more images from Epstein’s estate
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have released more than 70 additional photographs from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, including an image of the late convicted sex offender appearing in a bathtub with bubbles.
There is also an image of a man appearing to be Epstein holding James Patterson’s book “Filthy Rich” in front of his face. The book is about the late sex offender.
One shows a close-up photograph of Epstein, while yet another is a close-up of a “GX-99 Message Therapy System.”
Another image depicts carved pumpkin with a wig and a poster board that says “Trumpkin: Make Halloween Great Again,” and one shows Steve Bannon laughing with another man.
Others released in the second batch of the day include angles of rooms previously depicted from Epstein’s private island, including a room with an apparent dentist’s chair and masks on the walls.
Trump claims he brokered new Thailand–Cambodia ceasefire agreement after calls with both leaders
President Donald Trump on Friday claimed he secured a halt to ongoing clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, announcing on social media that the two governments had agreed to stop fighting after he spoke with their leaders by phone.
Later during an Oval Office event, Trump said he and his administration “did a very good job with Thailand and Cambodia.”
“We had them stopped. And I’ve been saying I stopped eight wars, but they started shooting at each other two days ago. Wasn’t good, and we got it, I think, straightened out today. So Thailand and Cambodia is in good shape,” he added.
But despite Trump’s claims, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters Friday that a ceasefire had not yet been reached.
“Right now, there is no ceasefire yet, the fighting is still ongoing,” Anutin said, according to Reuters.
“He wanted a ceasefire,” Anutin said of his conversation with Trump. “I told him to ask our friends — don’t just say a ceasefire but to tell the world that Cambodia will cease fire, withdraw its troops, remove all mines it has planted, and show them that they must stop everything first.”
More context: Trump’s claims come after days of escalating armed clashes along the Thailand-Cambodia border, where tensions have defied repeated US calls for both sides to uphold a Trump-backed peace agreement negotiated earlier this year.
Jeffries says he's reviewing efforts to force a vote on bipartisan Obamacare subsidy bills
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries left the door open to supporting two discharge petitions filed on bipartisan legislation to extend the expiring enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, signaling a decision could come next week.
A discharge petition is a procedural move that can force a floor vote in the House — even if leadership opposes it — if it gains signatures from 218 members of the chamber.
“We’re actively reviewing those two discharge petitions, and we’ll have more to say about it early next week,” Jeffries said at a news conference today.
Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer have filed discharge petitions on their separate plans to extend the Obamacare subsidies for a set period of time with some reforms.
The petitions have received signatures from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, but the efforts likely would need support from Jeffries — who has filed his own discharge petition on a three-year extension — to succeed.
Why this matters: If the enhanced subsidies are allowed to lapse, Affordable Care Act enrollees will see health care costs skyrocket in January.
Jeffries criticized Republican leaders today for taking a “my way or the highway approach” as the time to extend the subsidies before year’s end quickly dwindles.
White House claims Democrats are trying to create "false narrative" with latest batch of Epstein materials
The White House is accusing House Democrats of releasing “cherry-picked photos with random redactions to try and create a false narrative” about President Donald Trump in the latest batch of materials released from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate.
“The Democrat hoax against President Trump has been repeatedly debunked and the Trump Administration has done more for Epstein’s victims than Democrats ever have by repeatedly calling for transparency, releasing thousands of pages of documents, and calling for further investigations into Epstein’s Democrat friends,” a White House spokesperson said today.
A White House official said no documents have “ever shown any wrongdoing by President Trump.”
Today’s release: Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released photos from the disgraced financier’s estate showing the many powerful figures in the late sex trafficker’s orbit, including Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Steve Bannon, Bill Gates, Richard Branson and others.
Taken collectively, the 19 images reinforce that Epstein was connected in the past to a wide variety of powerful and high-profile people whose ties to him are now under significant scrutiny.
None of the released images depict any sexual misconduct nor are believed to depict underage girls. It was not immediately clear when or where they were taken, or by whom.
Remember: The Department of Justice is separately facing a December 19 deadline to publicly release all records amassed by federal prosecutors during the sex trafficking investigation and prosecution of Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and Annie Grayer contributed reporting to this post.
House Democrat expects Adm. Bradley will brief Armed Services Committee next week on double-tap boat strike
The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee said today that he expects Adm. Frank M. Bradley to brief the panel next week on the controversial September 2 double-tap strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean.
“Supposed to be next week. I talked to him yesterday, just in an individual one on one meeting, and urged him,” Rep. Adam Smith said, adding that Bradley wants to brief lawmakers.
Smith also disputed House Speaker Mike Johnson’s view, told to reporters on Thursday, that the individuals who were killed in the double-tap strike had been trying to wave down another boat so they could continue their mission of running drugs. He said releasing the video would clear the air for the public.
“You can release the portion of that video right before the second strike, just like they’ve done for every other strike. No sensitive information, no classified information. There is no reason not to release that video. Then the public can judge. You all can judge,” he said.
More conversations needed to find solution on health care, Jeffries says
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told CNN that Democrats are willing to sit down with Republicans to chart a path forward on health care — but he doesn’t think that will happen with House GOP leadership.
He also added that Democrats will get together early next week to have conversations amongst themselves on the issue.
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York warned that “people are going to die,” as the enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits sunset on January 1, with no sign that Congress will vote to extend them before they leave town.
Where things stand: Speaker Mike Johnson has said that there will be a vote on a GOP-backed health care proposal next week, but House Republicans have not released their alternative, and some of their members in swing districts are pushing for an amendment vote on extending the subsidies.
President Donald Trump predicted Republicans and Democrats will work together on health care following the Senate’s rejection of dueling proposals from both parties. Millions of Americans could see their premiums skyrocket if enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies are allowed to lapse.
This post has been updated with more lawmakers’ reactions. CNN’s Morgan Rimmer and Ellis Kim contributed reporting to this post.
US pressure on Venezuela is mounting. Catch up on the latest tensions between both countries
The US has announced a slew of new sanctions against Venezuela as it ramps up a pressure campaign that has included moving troops into the Caribbean, strikes on suspected drug boats, threats against its leader and seizing a tanker and its oil.
Catch up on the latest on US-Venezuela tensions:
Boat strikes: The US has killed at least 87 people in strikes that have destroyed 23 alleged drug boats, and President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested action on land could come soon. He said yesterday that the campaign against Venezuela is “about a lot of things” — including migration.
New sanctions: Yesterday, the US announced new sanctions on shipping companies and vessels it says help move Venezuelan oil. As of early Friday, there were at least eight tankers under US sanctions related to Iran or Russia near Venezuelan ports, or off its coast, according to AIS shipping data reviewed by CNN and matched up with US Treasury data.
Three nephews of Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, and another Maduro-affiliated businessman, were also named in the sanctions list. Two of the sanctioned nephews were previously convicted of drug trafficking charges in the US before being released in a prisoner swap.
Deportation flights: The Venezuelan government said the US has unilaterally suspended deportation flights from the United States that were due to land on Friday, but a US administration official denied that to be the case.
Opposition leader in Norway: The sanctions came as Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. Machado, who spoke from Oslo yesterday, said the US helped her get to Norway to receive the prize. She had been in hiding in Venezuela and vowed to return, no matter who was in power.
CNN’s Michael Rios, Lauren Kent, Stefano Pozzebon, Lex Harvey, Sandi Sidhu, Isaac Yee, Donald Judd and Alejandra Jaramillo contributed reporting.
