Live updates: Federal employees return to work, Trump's targets challenge U.S. prosecutor in court

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.

US Mint Stamps its Last Penny After 232 Years in Circulation

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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.

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.”

Read the full story.

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.

Read the full story here.

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.

Read the full story here.

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.”

Read the full story here.

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.”

Trump has issued a pardon to Joe Lewis, a billionaire who pleaded guilty in early 2004 to insider trading.

Lewis, whose family remains the controlling shareholder in English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, now lives in the Bahamas, according to The Athletic, which broke the story.

A White House official tells NBC News: “President Trump approved a pardon for Joseph Lewis, a British citizen with a 75-year career in business. In January of 2024, Mr. Lewis pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud. Mr. Lewis admitted he made a terrible mistake, did not fight extradition in the case, and paid a $5 million fine. Mr. Lewis is 88 years old and has requested a pardon so that he may receive medical treatment and visit his grandchildren and great-grandchildren in the United States.” 

It’s not clear if or how Lewis or his allies lobbied for this pardon, which comes amid a period in which the president has been doling out clemency quite liberally.

After brief remarks from Trump and the first lady, the president signed an executive order titled "Fostering the Future for American Children and Families," which aims to help connect former foster youth to career opportunities.

Vice President JD Vance, along with several Cabinet secretaries, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, were at the signing.

Trump signs foster care executive order: 'We are going to protect American children’

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During an executive order signing event in the East Room, Trump spoke about the ongoing construction of the new White House ballroom, which he said would be complete in about two years.

"And right behind me by the way, in about two years from now, we'll use a much bigger room," the president said.

"We had to turn away a lot of people," Trump joked, to laughter from the crowd.

"We'll be able to go from this room into a room that seats a few more people," he added.

First lady Melania Trump in the East Room is delivering remarks about the executive order the president plans to sign this afternoon, titled "Fostering the Future for American Children and Families."

"This executive order, Fostering the Future for American Children and Families, gives me tremendous pride," the first lady said. "It is both empathetic and strategic. It will certainly be impactful."

The executive order is in line with Melania Trump's work to support foster youth transitioning out of the system to adulthood and will help expand access for the youth to education, career development, housing and digital resources.

In her remarks, the first lady called on business leaders and those in the private sector to collaborate with federal agencies on this effort, saying, "My hope, of course, is that this level of coordinated collaboration will sustain."

She called on leaders to "rise above the ease of inaction" on this issue.

Melania Trump shares ‘tremendous pride’ she has in foster care executive order

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The White House has “urged” federal agencies to get employee paychecks out “expeditiously and accurately” in the coming days, a senior administration official said.

Some agencies, including the General Services Administration, the Office of Personnel Management and the departments of Energy, Health and Human Services and Veterans Affairs, could get their checks as soon as this weekend, according to the White House's projections, the official said.

Other departments, including Education, State, Interior, Transportation and some agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, NASA and the Social Security Administration, could get their back pay by Monday, the official said. Still others, including the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, Treasury and Justice, could receive their checks by the middle of next week, the official said.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced at a news conference that some Transportation Security Administration officers who showed “exemplary service” during the shutdown will receive $10,000 bonus checks.

It’s not clear how many officers will get the bonuses, but Noem highlighted a few TSA employees during the news conference who would be receiving the extra pay. She held a stack of white envelopes in her hand before passing out checks to many TSA officers who were present.

Noem hands out bonus checks for TSA officers who worked through shutdown

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She said those who are receiving bonuses took “seriously security concerns and measures” during the shutdown, but also “went above and beyond” by helping others, serving extra shifts and transporting others back and forth to work. 

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., has been hospitalized "out of an abundance of caution" after a fall, according to a post on X attributed to his spokesperson.

"Upon evaluation, it was established he had a ventricular fibrillation flare-up that led to Senator Fetterman feeling light-headed, falling to the ground and hitting his face with minor injuries," the post said.

Fetterman is "doing well" and "opted to stay" at the hospital for doctors to evaluate medication. He fell during on an early morning walk, the post said.

"Senator Fetterman had this to say: 'If you thought my face looked bad before, wait until you see it now!'" the post said.

Fetterman had a pacemaker implanted in 2022 after his stroke.

The hearing challenging Halligan's appointment has wrapped up after more than am hour of legal arguments.

The judge did not rule from the bench, but said she anticipates issuing a decision by Thanksgiving, which is two weeks away.

Judge Cameron Currie grilled a lawyer for the Justice Department about what she described as a gap in the Comey grand jury transcript.

Currie said there was a significant period of time missing in the grand jury material she reviewed, between 4:28 p.m. and when Comey was indicted later that evening. Currie said it was possible there was no court reporter in the room at the time, meaning only Halligan and the grand jury would have been in the room.

The judge also questioned a filing from U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi saying she'd reviewed and signed off on the proceedings.

“It became obvious to me that the attorney general could not have reviewed” that material because of the missing minutes, Currie said.

“She said she reviewed the proceedings,” DOJ attorney Henry Whitaker said.

“She could not have,” Currie shot back.

“She reviewed the witness testimony,” Whitaker then replied, walking back his previous response.

A lone protester stands outside the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, as lawyers for former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James argue that the U.S. prosecutor who brought charges against their clients was appointed unlawfully.

Alex Wong / Getty Images

The proceeding in which attorneys for James Comey and Letitia James are challenging the appointment of U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan and the indictments she brought against them is underway.

Comey attorney Ephraim McDowell was the first person up, and told U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie that the case against his client should be dismissed because Halligan's appointment was unlawful and she was the only person who presented the case against the former FBI director to the grand jury.

“Here the only thing that matters is whether Ms. Halligan had proper appointment when she stood up in front of the grand jury,” McDowell told the judge, contending she did not, meaning she was effectively a private citizen when she presented the case to the panel.

Ben McAdams, a Democrat who defeated a Republican incumbent in 2018 but narrowly lost re-election two years later, has launched a comeback bid in Utah.

The Democrat is jumping into the new congressional seat created after a court tossed the state's old congressional lines and approved a new map with a solid Democratic district in Salt Lake City.

"I'm tired of leaders in D.C. and Trump talking about affordability like it's just some slogan. We need wages that can actually buy groceries, we need homes that families can afford. And nobody should be afraid of medical bills," McAdams said in a video announcing his bid.

Health and Human Services employees were told the agency would try to get furloughed employees paychecks with back pay on or before Nov. 21, according to an email obtained by NBC News.

State Department employees received guidance late last night instructing them to report back to work this morning following the signing of the short-term government funding measure, known on Capitol Hill as a continuing resolution, or CR.

“Now that a CR has been enacted, we can all continue the critical work of advancing our national interests on behalf of the American people,” an undersecretary for management at the State Department, Jason S. Evans, wrote in email obtained by NBC News. “We look forward to all our people returning to work expeditiously on your next scheduled workday.”

The email included a link to FAQs for employees on returning to work and an update on issues related to back pay and bidding for their next positions and overseas posts.

Despite a vote to end the government shutdown, the ripple effects are being felt at airports across the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration announcing it will hold flight cancellations at 6% as it continues to assess whether the system can gradually return to normal operations. The goal is to relieve the stress of staffing shortages, but it’s unclear when airlines will be able to resume their full slate of takeoffs. NBC’s Sam Brock reports for "TODAY."

FAA freezes flight cuts at 6% as government shutdown ends

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Billy Edmonson voted for Trump in 2024 because of his stances on border security, gun rights and the economy. One year after casting his ballot, Edmonson is finding it difficult to make ends meet.

“Everything’s already so expensive. ... That’s the worst thing about his presidency so far, is he promised things coming down and prices are not coming down. I make more money than I’ve ever made in my life right now, and it has, financially, been a struggle,” said Edmonson, a 35-year-old construction worker from Missouri.

Edmonson recalled that Trump promised to start lowering prices on his first day in office.

“It just doesn’t seem like there’s been a whole lot of focus on, ‘Hey, let’s get these prices down.’ It’s just been like, ‘Hey, prices are high because Biden did this.’ It’s like, well, Biden’s not in office anymore,” said Edmonson, a self-described independent, later adding, “It’s personally frustrating.”

Edmonson is not alone. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of registered voters, including 30% of Republicans, said in the recent national NBC News poll that Trump has fallen short of their expectations on the cost of living and the economy. After being one of the big reasons why Trump won a return to the White House in 2024, Trump’s performance on the economy has become one of the big drags on his second term.

Read the full story here.

The group Airlines for America, which includes airlines such as American, Delta and United, released a statement calling for a long-term solution to make sure air travel isn't hurt in the future by political disagreements.

"We implore Congress to ensure future funding bills do not allow aviation to become collateral damage in Washington’s policy debates," the trade group said in a statement.

Airlines for America pointed to a $5 billion Federal Aviation Administration fund that the group says "could be used to pay air traffic controllers during future shutdowns."

"We ask Congress to consider legislation that would implement a long-term solution," Airlines for America said.

Federal workers, including air traffic controllers, went unpaid during the shutdown. Last week, the Trump administration announced that flights would be cut to reduce strain as the shutdown dragged on.

Speaker Mike Johnson said the House will vote next week to repeal a provision slipped into the bill to end the shutdown that would allow senators to sue the government for potentially millions of dollars if their data is obtained without notifying them.

Johnson said he was “shocked” and “angry” when he learned about the provision, which would uniquely benefit eight Republican senators, whose phone records — but not the contents of their calls or messages — were found to have been accessed as part of the investigation that led to former special counsel Jack Smith’s probe into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Read the full story here.

Speaker Mike Johnson defended Republican lawmakers’ handling of the Epstein files and said “more is to come” as the House is set to vote next week on releasing more of the files. After a weekslong delay, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., yesterday secured the signatures they need to bypass GOP leaders and force a floor vote to compel the Justice Department to release all the files in its investigation into Epstein.

Johnson says 'more is to come' on Epstein as House set to vote on releasing files

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The Smithsonian has announced it will reopen several museums tomorrow, including the Museum of American History, the National Air and Space Museum and its annex in Virginia, which houses planes and space artifacts.

Other museums and the National Zoo are set to reopen on a "rolling basis by Monday," the Smithsonian's website said.

Trump can’t seem to escape Jeffrey Epstein. All summer, the Trump administration tried to brush back questions, including from allies, around its handling of the late financier’s case. The issue quieted down for over the past few weeks, with the government shut down and Congress preoccupied.

But it re-emerged yesterday, just as the shutdown is set to end. The latest twist comes at an inopportune time for Trump, with the president already in the midst of criticism from longtime supporters over his economic rhetoric and policy proposals in the wake of Republican candidates being routed in last week’s off-year elections.

Read the full story here.

When acting U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan walks into federal court here in Virginia this morning, it will be Halligan — not the criminal defendants she hopes to prosecute — at the center of the court’s attention.

Former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both frequent targets of Trump, filed separate motions in their respective cases, arguing that Halligan is unlawfully serving as acting U.S. attorney and therefore the indictments against them should be thrown out. In a rare joint hearing, attorneys for Comey and James will argue this together before U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie, who is traveling up from the District of South Carolina.

Read the full story here.

Multiple federal agencies have told their employees to report to work today, according to three administration officials. The directive came before Trump signed a short-term funding bill last night.

Government workers at the Health and Human Services Department, Department of the Interior, Housing and Urban Development Department, and Department of Justice were all advised to come in on Thursday, regardless of when the measure was signed.

Read the full story here.