Politics & World Affairs — November 12, 2026

Massie forces Epstein files vote. Rep. Thomas Massie secured the 218 signatures needed to force another House vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files, one day after Republicans blocked his first attempt.

Axios describes Massie, who is leaving office, as a Trump foe, underscoring the intraparty friction surrounding the push. The threshold he reached represents a House majority, meaning the measure can advance despite leadership opposition. The maneuver came immediately after the chamber’s Republicans turned back his initial effort, setting up a second confrontation over whether documents related to Epstein will be made public.

Axios · Read more ↗

House sidesteps Hegseth impeachment. House Republicans voted 211-204 to send impeachment articles against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee, effectively ending the effort for now.

The narrow margin, with 211 members prevailing over 204, reflected a closely divided chamber on the question. Rather than rejecting the articles outright, Republicans routed them to the Judiciary Committee, a procedural step that Defense News reports effectively kills the impeachment push for now. The move spares members a direct up-or-down vote on removing the defense secretary while leaving the articles technically pending before the panel.

Defense News · Read more ↗

Brooklyn building collapse kills two. A three-story apartment building collapsed in Brooklyn Wednesday afternoon, killing at least two people and injuring 19. Search-and-rescue operations continued into Thursday.

The BBC reports that the ongoing search for survivors is dangerous for crews working in the unstable debris, and officials have not ruled out finding additional victims as operations stretch into a second day. The casualty figures, at least two dead and 19 injured, remain preliminary while rescuers continue combing the wreckage of the residential structure. No cause for the collapse was given in the available reporting.

BBC World · Read more ↗