What to know today
- GOVERNMENT REOPENS: Federal employees began returning to work today after President Donald Trump signed legislation last night to end the government shutdown. Departments that reopened include Justice, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development, three administration officials said.
- PROSECUTOR CHALLENGE: Lawyers for former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James argued jointly in court that Lindsey Halligan, the Trump-appointed prosecutor who has brought charges against them in separate cases, is serving unlawfully as acting U.S. attorney. The judge, who seemed skeptical of of the Department of Justice's argument for keeping Halligan as prosecutor, did not rule from the bench and said she anticipates making a decision by Thanksgiving.
- EPSTEIN RESOLUTION: House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he intends to hold a vote next week on whether to order the Justice Department to release all the files in the case of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. House Democrats got enough support to force the vote when Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., was sworn in yesterday after a seven-week delay.
BBC apologizes to Trump over misleading edit, but says there’s no basis for a defamation claim
The BBC apologized today to Trump over a misleading edit of his speech on Jan. 6, 2021, but said it had not defamed him, rejecting the basis for his $1 billion lawsuit threat.
The BBC said Chair Samir Shah sent a personal letter to the White House saying that he and the corporation were sorry for the edit of the speech Trump gave before some of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress was poised to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election that Trump falsely alleged was stolen from him.
The publicly funded broadcaster said there are no plans to rebroadcast the documentary, which had spliced together parts of his speech that came almost an hour apart.
Pete Hegseth announces 'Operation Southern Spear' targeting drug traffickers in the Western Hemisphere
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth today announced a U.S. military mission that "defends our homeland, removes narco-terrorists from our hemisphere, and secures our homeland from the drugs that are killing people."
Dubbed "Operation Southern Spear," Hegseth said on social media that the mission will be led by a joint task force and U.S. Southern Command.
"The Western Hemisphere is America's neighborhood - and we will protect it," Hegseth said.
The U.S. military has carried out a series of strikes on boats allegedly carrying drugs. By official estimates, the 19 strikes have killed 75 people so far. Ten strikes have been in the Caribbean Sea and nine in the Eastern Pacific. The most recent strike took place on Sunday, according to Hegseth.
Jobless claims for federal workers swelled to more than 33,000 in last week of shutdown
Continuing claims for jobless benefits for federal government workers continued to swell last week, rising to more than 33,300. That’s up from around 30,000 in the prior week.
As has been the case with this data, it’s slightly incomplete from some states. The full totals could be adjusted now that federal workers are back in the office reviewing and publishing the data.
Initial jobless claims continued to ease last week. Those fell to about 5,700 from about 7,400 in the prior week.
Now that the shutdown is resolved, government economic data will soon begin flowing again.
Tonight, the Bureau of Labor Statistics tells NBC News that “it may take time to fully assess the situation and finalize revised release dates” but it will begin announcing those revised dates for economic data as soon as possible on its website.
U.S. Mint stamps its last penny after 232 years in circulation
After 232 years, the U.S. Mint has pressed its final penny. While the coin will remain in circulation for now, new ones will never be made again. Reporting for "Today," NBC’s Joe Fryer shares a look back at the coin’s rich history, what it means for the ones still in circulation and how it will impact the way you shop.
Senators whose phone data was accessed in 'Arctic Frost' probe react to provision allowing them to sue
Republican senators whose cellphone data was obtained by the FBI in connection with an investigation that preceded former special counsel Jack Smith's probe of the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack have offered mixed responses to criticism over a provision tucked into legislation that reopened the government last night that would permit them to sue the federal government.
Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee wrote in a social media post today that he had no plans to seek compensation over the data.
"I do not want and I am not seeking damages for myself paid for with taxpayer dollars," Hagerty wrote on X.
"Jack Smith and all involved in this abuse should be held to the highest level of accountability — something which rarely seems to happen in Washington. To be blunt, Jack Smith should be in jail," he added.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a fellow Tennessee Republican, wrote on social media that she supports repealing the provision.
"As I have previously said, this fight is not about the money. It is about holding the left accountable for the worst weaponization of government in our nation’s history," she wrote on X.
An effort is underway in the House to vote on repealing the provision. Speaker Mike Johnson said the House will vote on the matter next week.
Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said in a statement that he has "no plans at this time" to sue over the data.
"If I did sue, it would only be for the purpose of using the courts to expose the corrupt weaponization of federal law enforcement by the Biden and Obama administrations. With the full cooperation in our congressional investigations from the Trump DOJ and FBI, that shouldn’t be necessary,” Johnson said.
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville threatened that a lawsuit could be forthcoming if Biden officials whom he blamed for weaponizing the government weren't punished.
“If they aren’t, I will sue the living hell out of every Biden official involved in this to make sure this NEVER happens to a conservative again,” he wrote on X.
Hagerty, Blackburn, Johnson and Tuberville were four of eight senators whose phone data was obtained as part of the investigation dubbed "Arctic Frost." Josh Hawley of Missouri, Dan Sullivan of Alaska and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming also had their phone data accessed.
Colombia’s president blasts ‘barbarian’ Trump over boat attacks
Intelligence “is not for killing,” Colombian President Gustavo Petro told NBC News in a wide-ranging interview today, explaining his decision to stop sharing information with the United States in opposition to lethal strikes on boats allegedly carrying illegal drugs.
Describing Trump as a “barbarian” who “wants to frighten us,” Petro, a former Marxist revolutionary and one of the few international leaders willing to openly criticize his American counterpart, called the U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean “undoubtedly an aggression against Latin America.”
What’s next for airlines and flight schedules now that the government is reopened
Trump signed a bill last night that reopened the government after 43 days, paving the way for airlines to restore regular flight schedules and for air traffic controllers, who have not been receiving pay as they worked through the shutdown, to return to full staffing.
But it remains unclear when full flight schedules and paychecks will be restored after the Federal Aviation Administration was forced to mandate flight restrictions at 40 high-traffic airports last week. Last night, the FAA ordered that cancellations would remain at 6% today, after two days at that rate and an initial plan to ramp up to 10% by Friday.
As of this morning, nearly 1,000 flights within the U.S. had already been canceled for the day, and more than 900 were delayed, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. On Wednesday, only 900 flights were canceled — the lowest number since the FAA flight reductions began.
It is not immediately clear if the flight disruptions were all connected to staffing issues.
Justice Department joins lawsuit over California’s redrawn House map
The Justice Department on Thursday joined a Republican-led lawsuit that seeks to block a new Democratic-drawn congressional map in California that voters approved last week.
The redrawn district lines could allow Democrats to pick up an additional five House seats in next year’s midterm elections. The Trump administration’s involvement in the case adds another political layer to the ongoing redistricting battle that’s playing out across the country.
In a complaint filed in federal court Thursday, the Justice Department effectively joined a suit filed last week by the California Republican Party that challenges California’s new map.
In their complaints, the DOJ and the California GOP allege that the new maps approved by voters amount to a “racial gerrymander” that they say violates the U.S. Constitution. The suit claims that California Democrats considered race when proposing the redrawn map in ways that advantage Hispanic voters.
Former FCC chairs urge agency to repeal ‘News Distortion’ policy invoked by Trump administration
A bipartisan group of former Federal Communications Commission leaders has petitioned the agency to repeal the policy the Trump administration invoked in discussions surrounding Jimmy Kimmel at ABC and in the investigation of “60 Minutes” at CBS.
The group — which includes five Republican and two Democratic former FCC commissioners, as well as several former senior staffers — calls for eliminating the agency’s long-standing “News Distortion” policy.
The policy, according to the FCC’s website description, allows the agency to sanction broadcasters if “they have deliberately distorted a factual news report.”
Attorney General Bondi: Individual confronted acting U.S. attorney Alina Habba and 'destroyed property in her office'
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in posts on X this afternoon that someone confronted acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba last night "destroyed property in her office, and then fled the scene."
"Thankfully, Alina is ok," Bondi wrote. "We will find this person, and the individual will be brought to justice."
Bondi said that federal prosecutors, agents and law enforcement partners put their lives on the line, and the Department of Justice "will use every legal tool available to ensure their safety and hold violent offenders fully accountable."
Investigators are looking into how the individual got into Habba's office while she was at the U.S. attorney’s office at the time, according to a person familiar with the matter.
A spokesperson for the FBI in Newark said, “We are aware of the alleged attack at the U.S. attorney’s office and are working on getting more information.”
