November 18

Catholic Bishops Condemn "Dehumanizing" Immigration Crackdown in Rare 216-5 Vote

At their plenary assembly in Baltimore, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a Special Message on immigration 216-5 with 3 abstentions — the first such urgent message in 12 years, requiring two-thirds approval. The bishops opposed "indiscriminate mass deportation," condemned "dehumanizing rhetoric and violence," and expressed concern about detention conditions and lack of pastoral access for Catholic detainees. The vote marked an extraordinary break with political allies of the Trump administration.

Gov. Greg Abbott declares CAIR a terrorist organization in Texas

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations under state action. The move targeted one of the country's most prominent Muslim civil-rights groups and followed scrutiny of Muslim civic institutions in Texas.

Ninth Circuit Blocks SB 261 Enforcement While Allowing SB 253 to Proceed

The Ninth Circuit granted an injunction pending appeal for SB 261 on November 18, 2025, halting enforcement while the case proceeded, but denied the same relief for SB 253. The split outcome reflected the court's view that SB 261's financial risk disclosure requirements raised stronger First Amendment concerns than SB 253's emissions reporting. Plaintiffs withdrew their Supreme Court emergency application, and CARB issued an advisory that it would not penalize companies for SB 261 non-compliance.

Education and Labor departments move education program management to other agencies

The Departments of Education and Labor jointly announced new interagency agreements on November 18, moving elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education program management to other agencies. The announcement preceded the formal interagency agreements and drew immediate legal scrutiny. The DOL press release framed it as aligning education with workforce development goals.

DOJ indicts three SPLC senior staff under mail and wire fraud statutes, alleging improper use of donor funds

The Department of Justice indicted three senior staff members at the Southern Poverty Law Center under federal mail fraud and wire fraud statutes, alleging they had misrepresented SPLC's financial practices to donors. SPLC described the prosecution as politically motivated, noting the indictment came 18 months after the Trump administration had publicly labeled SPLC a "radical left" organization and targeted it in executive communications. Defense attorneys immediately announced they would raise selective prosecution claims.

Trump gives MBS lavish White House welcome and shrugs off Khashoggi murder

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made his first US visit since the 2018 Khashoggi killing, receiving a military flyover and East Room gala attended by Elon Musk, Tim Cook, and Cristiano Ronaldo. When asked about Khashoggi, Trump said "things happen" and defended MBS. Saudi Arabia pledged to boost US investment from $600 billion to "almost $1 trillion." Trump angrily rebuked an ABC reporter for asking.

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Federal panel blocks Texas Plan C2333 as a racial gerrymander targeting Black and Hispanic voters

A three-judge federal panel in El Paso blocked Texas from using Plan C2333 in the 2026 elections on November 18, 2025, ruling there was "substantial evidence" the map was a racial gerrymander targeting Black and Hispanic communities in Houston, Dallas, and the Rio Grande Valley. The court found that Republicans had drawn district lines to eliminate five Democratic-held seats by splitting minority communities. Attorney General Ken Paxton immediately filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court to stay the ruling.

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House votes 427-1 to release Epstein files after Massie forces vote

Rep. Thomas Massie used procedural maneuvers to force a 427-1 House vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act despite months of resistance from Speaker Mike Johnson. Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana cast the sole no vote. The bill passed with bipartisan support and was sent to the Senate, which passed it by unanimous consent the following day. Massie, Ro Khanna, and MTG held a press conference with Epstein survivors.

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House votes 427-1 to release the Epstein files; Senate clears it

The House passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act 427-1, with Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) the lone no vote. The Senate cleared the bill by unanimous consent the same night. Survivors stood with Reps. Massie, Khanna and Greene outside the Capitol before the vote.

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House votes 427-1 to force release of the Epstein files

The House passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act on Nov. 18, 2025 by a vote of 427-1 under a suspension of the rules, a two-thirds threshold that made the result veto-proof. Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) cast the only no vote, arguing the release would injure innocent people named in the files.

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House Energy and Commerce Democrats demand answers on Norton's leave

Five days after Norton was placed on leave, Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats Frank Pallone, Diana DeGette, and Yvette Clarke wrote HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya on Nov. 18, 2025. They said the leave violated the Whistleblower Protection Act and the First Amendment, noted that an HHS official had told The New York Times she was a radical leftist placed on leave for criticizing the administration, and demanded a briefing within a week.

Senate passes Epstein files bill by unanimous consent

The Senate passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act by unanimous consent shortly after the House vote. The Senate action sent the bill to Trump and made the 30-day DOJ release deadline unavoidable unless the administration refused or delayed compliance.

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Brazil's Supreme Court sentences nine generals up to 24 years for a plot to kill Lula

Brazil's Supreme Court sentenced nine high-ranking military officers and a federal police official to up to 24 years in prison for conspiring to murder President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, VP-elect Geraldo Alckmin, and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes to prevent Lula's 2022 inauguration. One general was acquitted for insufficient evidence. Former President Bolsonaro had been separately sentenced to 27 years in September 2025.

House votes 427-1 to pass Epstein Files Transparency Act

The House voted 427-1 on Nov. 18, 2025 to pass H.R. 4405, the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) cast the lone no vote, arguing the release of witness and family member identities would cause harm. The Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent the same evening.

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Federal Court Blocks Texas 2025 Redistricting Map as Racial Gerrymandering, Orders 2021 Maps for 2026

A three-judge federal panel in El Paso issued a preliminary injunction blocking Texas's 2025 congressional redistricting map, finding it constituted racial gerrymandering. Judge Jeffrey Brown, a Trump appointee, wrote that map drawers "purposefully manipulated the districts' racial numbers" to convert coalition districts to single-race-majority districts. The court ordered Texas to use its 2021 maps for the 2026 elections. Ironically, the 2025 map was drawn at DOJ's urging, after AG Harmeet Dhillon alleged the 2021 maps themselves violated the Voting Rights Act.

House Votes 427-1 to Pass Epstein Files Transparency Act

The House voted 427-1 to pass H.R. 4405, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, with Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) casting the sole no vote. The vote was one of the most lopsided in recent congressional history on a contested issue. The bill passed with near-unanimous Democratic support and most Republicans voting yes -- including many who had privately opposed the discharge petition. The Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent the same day. President Trump signed it into law on Nov. 19, 2025. The law required DOJ to release all unclassified Epstein investigative records within 90 days, with exemptions for victim privacy and active investigations.

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Church Committee exposes the FBI's COINTELPRO and the NSA's Project SHAMROCK

The Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations, chaired by Sen. Frank Church of Idaho, released findings in November 1975 exposing the FBI's COINTELPRO program, which surveilled and disrupted civil rights organizations including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the NSA's Project SHAMROCK, which intercepted bulk cable traffic from major telecoms without warrants. The committee documented over two decades of warrantless domestic surveillance conducted without congressional oversight or judicial approval. The revelations directly prompted Congress to draft the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to impose legal constraints on intelligence agency surveillance of Americans.