What we're covering:
• Epstein vote: The House plans to vote this afternoon on a bipartisan bill to compel the Justice Department to release all of its case files tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. If the measure passes, it will still face an uncertain future in the Senate. President Donald Trump said yesterday he would sign a bill to release the files after reversing course and encouraging House Republicans to vote in favor.
• Saudi meeting: Meanwhile, Trump is hosting Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House today. The visit will include a welcome ceremony and a formal dinner, but atop Trump’s agenda is a discussion of Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel.
• Venezuela tensions: Trump has yet to make a decision on whether to attack Venezuela on land, two officials said, as he hints a window may be opening for diplomacy with President Nicolás Maduro.
Here's what Virginia Roberts Giuffre's family members say about the Epstein files vote
Ahead of the vote in the House later on a resolution compelling the federal government to release the Jeffrey Epstein case files, Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s brother spoke to CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
Sky Roberts explained why he’s skeptical about President Donald Trump’s position on the bill to release the files.
Giuffre, a prominent accuser of Epstein, died by suicide in April.
Ronaldo to appear at the White House today, coinciding with Saudi visit
Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is also expected to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House today — the same day Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is visiting for a full day of events with the president, two White House officials have told CNN.
Ronaldo, who plays in the Saudi Pro League, has scored 143 international goals for Portugal and is the first-ever male player to score at five World Cups.
Earlier this year, he became the sport’s first billionaire player following a contract he signed with Al Nassr, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Ronaldo recently told CNN that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will “definitely” be his last.
“I will be 41 years old, and I think (this) will be the moment in the big competition,” the five-time UEFA Champions League winner told CNN’s Becky Anderson in an interview at the Tourise Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last week.
The Portugal superstar also confessed to CNN that he will likely hang up his cleats on his legendary career soon: “Let’s be honest, when I mean soon, it’s probably one or two years I’ll still be (in) the game.”
Some background: The expanded 48-team World Cup, the largest in history, kicks off on June 11, 2026, and is being co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada.
The World Cup draw is scheduled for December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, an event that Trump is considering attending, the officials said.
Trump explains why his voice sounded rough
As you may have seen yesterday, President Donald Trump addressed the media on a number of subjects in the Oval Office.
He said he was “feeling great,” while explaining why his voice sounded rough.
An audibly hoarse President Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday that he was “feeling great,” but that he strained his voice while yelling at people over trade. He refused to say which country inspired his ire.
White House pulling out all the stops for Saudi Arabian crown prince's visit today
President Donald Trump is pulling out all the stops for Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the White House today.
There will be a welcome ceremony involving military bands, a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office and a black-tie dinner in the evening, sources familiar with the matter said.
For context: This is Prince bin Salman’s first visit to the White House in more than seven years.
Ahead of today’s meetings, US and Saudi officials were working to finalize agreements on defense and security cooperation, including major new purchases of American-made fighter jets and weapons, a US official said.
Summers says he is "deeply ashamed" of relationship with Epstein
Larry Summers has said he is “deeply ashamed” about his relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, telling CNN that he would pause all public engagements as he works to “rebuild trust and repair relationships.”
But the Harvard University professor added that he will continue teaching as some call for the university to sever ties with him.
“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.
New details of Summers’ relationship with Epstein emerged last week when a House committee released emails showing years of personal correspondence between the two men, including Summers making sexist comments and seeking Epstein’s romantic advice.
Summers’ first statement addressing the newly unveiled Epstein correspondence comes on the heels of Sen. Elizabeth Warren calling on Harvard to sever ties with Summers and putting new pressure on the elite university to hold Summers accountable for his close friendship with Epstein.
You can read more detail on this here.
What could be on the agenda when Trump meets with Saudi’s crown prince
President Donald Trump is hosting Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House today, as we reported earlier.
Here’s a look at what might come up:
- Top of Trump’s agenda will be a discussion of Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel. A framework that was being discussed before the October 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel included a US defense treaty with Saudi Arabia and help building a civilian nuclear program in exchange for establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.
- Saudi Arabia has said a condition to normalizing ties with Israel is a “credible” and “irreversible” pathway to Palestinian statehood, which the Gaza plan Trump helped broker stops short of providing.
- Separately, ahead of the meetings today, US and Saudi officials were working to finalize agreements on defense and security cooperation, including major new purchases of American-made fighter jets and weapons, a US official said. Trump said yesterday he plans to sell the county F-35 fighter jets.
In the background: Adding to the sensitive dynamic of the visit are Trump’s personal financial interests in the region. The Trump Organization, which is being run by the president’s sons is involved in major real estate projects in Saudi Arabia. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner also has significant business ties to the country.
House to vote on Epstein files release this afternoon
More detail now on the House’s plans to vote on a resolution compelling the federal government to release the Jeffrey Epstein case files this afternoon.
The vote on Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna’s bill will take place between 2 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. ET, according to a schedule released by Majority Leader Steve Scalise. The House will consider it under a suspension of rules, meaning it’ll require a two-thirds vote of the chamber to pass.
Republican leaders were bracing last week for its members to vote in support of releasing the files. Now with President Trump’s blessing, it’s expected to receive even more GOP support.
Even Speaker Mike Johnson, who had long resisted bringing up a vote on the files’ release, indicated to reporters Monday he may vote in favor of the measure so long as the Senate later makes changes to better protect the identities of victims and whistleblowers.
What's happening at the White House today?
President Donald Trump will host Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman today and the White House has confirmed the timings in its daily schedule release.
The arrival ceremony will take place from 11 a.m. ET on the White House South Lawn.
As we’ve reported, the event will involve military bands and all the trappings of a state visit.
Then, at 11:45 a.m. ET, Trump and Prince bin Salman will take part in a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office before the two leaders then have lunch in the Cabinet Room of the White House 30 minutes later. This will be closed to the press.
At 2 p.m. ET Trump is expected to bid farewell to Prince bin Salman, according to the schedule. This will be open to the press.
From 6:40 p.m. ET the president, now with First Lady Melania Trump, will greet Prince bin Salman and they will take part in a receiving line at 6:45 p.m. ET in the White House’s Blue Room. This will be closed to the press.
At 7:15 p.m. ET Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will have dinner with Prince bin Salman in the East Room and this is currently open to the press pool.
The president and first lady are then scheduled to bid farewell to Prince bin Salman from 9:10 p.m. ET from the South Lawn.
Stay with us today as we keep you updated on these events, as they happen.
The House plans to vote on release of Epstein files today. Here's where things stand
All eyes are also on a highly anticipated vote in the House today to compel the release of all of the Justice Department’s files related to the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
President Donald Trump, who recently opposed the release of the documents, reversed his position and urged lawmakers to support the bipartisan legislation.
Here’s what to know ahead of the vote:
- How we got here: A discharge petition, which forces a floor vote even if it is not introduced by leadership, got enough signatures last week. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky said that he thinks 100 or more Republicans in the House could vote for the bill.
- Trump switch-up: Trump said he would sign legislation compelling the release of the files if it reached his desk. He said he does not want the subject to distract from his administration’s successes. Trump also encouraged House Republicans to vote for the bill and move on from what he calls a “Democrat Hoax.”
- House leader: Speaker Mike Johnson signaled he could support the bipartisan bill to release the case files if changes were made in the Senate. Johnson previously called the effort a “moot point” given an ongoing House Oversight Committee investigation.
- In the Senate: GOP Senate leader John Thune is still mulling whether to schedule a vote, a source said. His position is critical because the measure would have to pass the Senate before becoming law and prompting the release of the files.
CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo, Manu Raju, Alison Main, Ted Barrett, Ellis Kim, Piper Hudspeth Blackburn and Aileen Graef contributed reporting to this post.
