Today is Wednesday, November 19th. We'll tell you about the votes in Congress to make the Epstein files public, but what could still get in the way of their release. Also, how President Trump defended Saudi Arabia's crown prince, despite U.S. intelligence linking him to a murder. Plus, why some key functions of the Department of Education are being handed over to other agencies, how so-called ghost job postings may be deceiving you,

and calling all Santas what to know about a classic effort to spread holiday cheer.

Those stories and even more news coming up.

Welcome, welcome to The Newsworthy, all the day's news in around 10 minutes.

Fast, fair, fun, and on the go. I'm Erica Mandy.

Thanks so much for being here. You're ready? Let's do this.

Well, Congress has overwhelmingly approved releasing the Epstein files. Lawmakers passed a bill that

tells the Justice Department to release all the files related to its investigation of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In the House, it passed 427 to one.

Only Congressman Clay Higgins voted against it, saying he did so to protect the victims, witnesses, undercover law enforcement, and others who could be revealed and ultimately hurt.

Just days ago, only four Republicans joined all Democrats signing a petition to force the vote.

Then many more seemed to change their tune after President Trump dropped his opposition.

And yesterday, some actually spoke out against the bill, even as they were voting for it,

saying they just needed to avoid the political backlash they'd get for voting no.

Shortly after it sailed through the House, the Senate agreed to pass the bill with unanimous

consent, aka without a formal vote. So this means it's now up to President Trump to sign it,

which he has said he plans to do. Though there are still questions about what the Justice Department

will ultimately release. Under the bill that just passed, the DOJ would still be able to withhold documents that would, quote, jeopardize an active federal investigation. And remember, even though the DOJ said case closed earlier this year, Trump this week ordered the department to investigate Democrats linked to Epstein. And Attorney General Pam Bondi agreed. Also, the DOJ and

FBI have said the files include images of Epstein and victims who were minors, as well as more than

10,000 videos and images of illegal child sex abuse material and other pornography. So many

records could still be exempt for that reason as well. To be continued.

Saudi Arabia's crown prince Muhammad bin Salman, better known as MBS, got a royal welcome at the White House. The arrival ceremony included an elaborate military display, complete with a military

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