Federal workers told to return to office after shutdown ends; travel issues also set to improve
Several federal agencies, including the Justice Department and the Department of Health and Human Services, told their staff to return to the office on Thursday after Trump signed the spending bill, according to US media.
Travel delays looked set to improve but not disappear with almost 1,000 flights cancelled on Thursday, according to tracking website FlightAware. Authorities said air traffic controller shortages were easing and the transportation secretary on Wednesday released a fresh order for six percent of flights to be frozen – lower than the eight to 10 percent expected under the previous emergency directive.
The deal also restores federal workers fired by Trump during the shutdown, while air travel that has been disrupted across the country will gradually return to normal.
Key events
Donald Trump is in Washington today, per his official schedule. He doesn’t have any public events until 2pm ET, when he’ll sign an executive order in the East Room. On Wednesday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt noted that this would be related to helping “young people transitioning from foster care to adulthood”. The president will be joined by the first lady, Melania Trump, for the signing.
Adam Gabbatt
The New York City mayoral election may be remembered for the remarkable win of a young democratic socialist, but it was also marked by something that is likely to permeate future elections: the use of AI-generated campaign videos.
Andrew Cuomo, who lost to Zohran Mamdani in last week’s election, took particular interest in sharing deepfake videos of his opponent, including one that saw the former governor accused of racism, in what is a developing area of electioneering.
AI has been used by campaigns before, particularly in using algorithms to target certain voters, and even, in some cases, to write policy proposals. But as AI software develops, it is increasingly being used to produce sometimes misleading photos and videos.
Read how the use of AI-generated campaign videos – labeled or unlabeled – are likely to permeate future US elections:
Compared to earlier in the year, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll has shown a little less self-doubt among Democrat voters.
The latest poll showed 39% of Democratic voters said they agreed with a statement that the party “has lost its way,” compared to 49% in an August poll. Among Republicans, 22% said their party has lost its way, little changed from 19% in August.
The poll found that Democrats viewed New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, just as favorably as they viewed Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom, at 67% compared to 65%, respectively.
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 1,200 US adults nationwide online.
The dollar eased on Thursday after US President Donald Trump signed a deal to end the government shutdown, while the yen hit a record low against the euro after Japan’s new prime minister said she wanted the central bank to go slow on rate hikes.
The pound briefly touched a session low, before recovering, after a report showed the UK economy barely grew in the third quarter of the year.
The Australian dollar, meanwhile, hit a two-week high thanks to official data that showed a steeper drop in the unemployment rate from a recent four-year high, reducing the possibility of further rate cuts.
Federal workers told to return to office after shutdown ends; travel issues also set to improve
Several federal agencies, including the Justice Department and the Department of Health and Human Services, told their staff to return to the office on Thursday after Trump signed the spending bill, according to US media.
Travel delays looked set to improve but not disappear with almost 1,000 flights cancelled on Thursday, according to tracking website FlightAware. Authorities said air traffic controller shortages were easing and the transportation secretary on Wednesday released a fresh order for six percent of flights to be frozen – lower than the eight to 10 percent expected under the previous emergency directive.
The deal also restores federal workers fired by Trump during the shutdown, while air travel that has been disrupted across the country will gradually return to normal.
Stock markets wavered on Thursday after President Donald Trump signed the spending bill to end a record-long US government shutdown.
Paris rose and Frankfurt fell in European midday deals. London dropped after data showed the UK economy slowed in the third quarter, dealing another blow to the Labour government ahead of its annual budget this month.
Shares in luxury fashion label Burberry jumped around five percent on London’s top-tier FTSE 100 index after the British group narrowed first half losses thanks to sizeable cost-cutting.
In Asia, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, Singapore, Mumbai, Manila, Bangkok and Jakarta all rose. Sydney, Wellington and Taipei fell.
Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor: “The ending of the US government shutdown has sparked risk-on sentiment with US futures pointing to a higher open.”
Democrats more enthusiastic than Republicans about 2026 midterms – poll
Democrats appear more enthusiastic than Republicans about voting in next year’s congressional elections following the party’s victories in recent state and local contests, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, which showed Republican President Donald Trump’s approval steady at 40%.
The six-day poll, which closed on Wednesday, showed 44% of registered voters who called themselves Democrats said they were “very enthusiastic” about voting in the November 3, 2026, elections, compared with 26% of Republicans who said the same. Some 79% of Democrats said they would regret it if they didn’t vote in the election, compared to 68% of Republicans.
Voters picked Republicans over Democrats – 46% to 34% – when asked which party was better on immigration, but only 14% said that was the most important issue for next year’s elections. By comparison, 26% said the most important issue would be democratic values and norms, and voters overall favored Democrats on that issue 43% to 34%.
Emerging market stocks extended gains on Thursday after US President Donald Trump signed legislation ending the longest government shutdown in history, while South African markets rallied on optimism over the budget review.
An index tracking emerging market stocks was on track to extend gains to the fourth session, up 0.23%, echoing strength across broader Asian equity markets.
A separate index for EM currencies was up 0.13%, with a softer dollar allowing currencies elsewhere to shine.
Piotr Matys, senior FX analyst at In Touch Capital Markets, said: “It seems that investors are bracing for major US data releases to be on the soft side, which would strengthen the case for the Fed to consider lowering interest rates at its last meeting and, more importantly, to continue easing monetary policy over this 12-month horizon.”
David Smith
Donald Trump was described as “that dog that hasn’t barked” in an email by Jeffrey Epstein. Don’t tell Kristi Noem, who has a way of dealing with troublesome hounds.
The US president would love nothing more than to let sleeping dogs lie, but that hope was dashed on Wednesday when Democrats released emails suggesting that Trump was aware of Epstein’s conduct and had spent hours with one of the disgraced financier’s victims.
Read how the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, who says a prayer before each briefing, was dispatched to the podium to defy the laws of moral physics by explaining why the true wrongdoers here were Joe Biden and the Democrats:
Lawyers for James Comey and Letitia James expected to ask judge to dismiss cases
Lawyers for two of President Donald Trump’s foes who have been charged by the justice department are expected to ask a federal judge on Thursday to dismiss the cases against them, saying the prosecutor who secured the indictments was illegally installed in the role, reports the Associated Press (AP).
The challenges to Lindsey Halligan’s appointment as interim US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia are part of multi-prong efforts by former FBI director James Comey and New York attorney general Letitia James to get their cases dismissed before trial.
At issue during Thursday’s arguments are the complex constitutional and statutory rules governing the appointment of the nation’s US attorneys, who function as top federal prosecutors in justice department offices across the country.
The role is typically filled by lawyers who have been nominated by a president and confirmed by the Senate. Attorneys general do have the authority to get around that process by naming an interim US attorney who can serve for 120 days, but lawyers for Comey and James note that once that period expires, the law gives federal judges of that district exclusive say over who can fill the vacancy.
But that’s not what happened in this instance, reports the AP. After then-interim US attorney Erik Siebert resigned in September while facing Trump administration pressure to bring charges against Comey and James, attorney general Pam Bondi – at Trump’s public urging – installed Halligan to the role.
Siebert had been appointed by Bondi in January to serve as interim US attorney. Trump in May announced his intention to nominate him and judges in the eastern district unanimously agreed after his 120-day period expired that he should be retained in the role. But after the Trump administration effectively pushed him out in September, the justice department again opted to make an interim appointment in place of the courts, something defense lawyers say it was not empowered under the law to do.
According to the AP, prosecutors in the cases say the law does not explicitly prevent successive appointments of interim US attorneys by the justice department, and that even if Halligan’s appointment is deemed invalid, the proper fix is not the dismissal of the indictment.
Comey has pleaded not guilty to charges of making a false statement and obstructing Congress, and James has pleaded not guilty to mortgage fraud allegations. Their lawyers have separately argued that the prosecutions are improperly vindictive and motivated by the president’s personal animus toward their clients, and should therefore be dismissed.
Newly released emails reveal Epstein kept close eye on Trump
Anna Betts
A tranche of documents released by the House oversight committee on Wednesday revealed that Jeffrey Epstein’s staff kept him apprised of Donald Trump’s air travel as it related to his own transportation – and that the late sex trafficker kept up with news about his former friend years after their relationship soured.
This disclosure of about 20,000 pages from Republican members of the committee related to Epstein comes as Trump continues to battle with the political fallout related to their past friendship – and his justice department’s failure to release documents as he had long promised on the campaign trail.
Most of the discussions reviewed by the Guardian surrounding Trump’s location appeared to relate to flight logistics, as he and Epstein often used the same airports.
On 25 November 2016, just weeks after Trump won the presidential election, Epstein’s pilot, Larry Visoski, wrote:
Trump is still scheduled to depart Sunday between 4 and 6 pm,, Let me know if we are firm for wheels up Saturday at 6pm still?
Epstein replied: “will let you know tomorrow morning.”
But other emails tracked Trump’s movements more generally. Epstein received a heads-up on 2 December 2017: “Trump in our neighborhood today. Looks like he is going to 740 Park for a fundraiser.” The sender’s name was redacted in the email release, but it was signed by Richard Kahn, Epstein’s accountant.
One visitor waiting outside Epstein’s home made a joke about Trump while waiting to get inside. “[I’m] at the door but i will wait for my time. . i dont want to come early to find trump in your house,” they wrote, adding two smiling emojis. Their name was redacted in the email.
The cache of filings also indicates Epstein’s associates forwarded numerous news articles related to Trump, including reports that involved controversies surrounding the president. The news coverage included a January 2019 story on Trump ally Roger Stone’s arrest, and an article on Michael Cohen’s discussions with prosecutors.
After 42-day standoff, government is back open – and the minority party won no concessions from the party in power, writes Guardian US’ senior politics reporter Chris Stein in this analysis piece:
House passes funding bill to end US shutdown – see how lawmakers voted
The US House of Representatives voted to pass the funding bill to end the longest government shutdown in US history. You can see how lawmakers voted via this interactive:
The longest US government shutdown in history ended on Wednesday after more than 42 days, following the House of Representative’s passage of a bill negotiated by Republicans and a splinter group of Democrat-aligned senators. The legislation restarts federal operations but does not include the healthcare funding the minority party demanded.
You can watch the Guardian’s video report on it here:
Trump signs funding bill to end longest US government shutdown
Chris Stein
The longest US government shutdown in history ended on Wednesday after more than 42 days, following the House of Representative’s passage of a bill negotiated by Republicans and a splinter group of Democrat-aligned senators.
The compromise sets the stage for government operations to return to normal through January, while leaving unresolved the issue of expiring tax credits for Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare health plans, which most Democrats demanded be extended in any deal to reopen the government.
After it was unveiled over the weekend, the Senate approved the compromise on Monday, and the House followed suit two days later by a margin of 222 in favor and 209 against, with two not voting. Donald Trump signed the bill on Wednesday night, saying “we’re sending a clear message that we will never give in to extortion, because that’s what it was … the Democrats tried to extort our country”.
Six Democrats broke with their party to vote for the bill: Adam Gray of California, Tom Suozzi of New York, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, Don Davis of North Carolina, Henry Cuellar of Texas and Jared Golden of Maine. Two Republicans, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Greg Steube of Florida, voted against it.
House Republican leadership said in a statement:
The Democrat shutdown is finally over thanks to House and Senate Republicans.
There is absolutely no question now that Democrats are responsible for millions of American families going hungry, millions of travelers left stranded in airports, and our troops left wondering if they would receive their next paycheck.
In remarks on the House floor shortly before the vote, the Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries had pledged to continue to press for the subsidies’ extensions.
He said:
This fight is not over. We’re just getting started.
Either Republicans finally decide to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits this year, or the American people will throw Republicans out of their jobs next year and end the speakership of Donald J Trump once and for all. That’s how this fight ends.
The spending standoff was the biggest battle between congressional Democrats and Republicans since Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. It resulted in unprecedented disruptions to government services, with the Trump administration ordering cuts to commercial air travel across the country, and the first-ever halt to the largest federal food aid program.
House to vote on Epstein files next week
Mike Johnson, the US House speaker, said on Wednesday he would put the bill compelling the release of government files related to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on the House floor next week.
“We are gonna put that on the floor for [a] full vote next week, [as] soon as we get back,” Johnson told reporters, as the chamber gathered to debate legislation to reopen the government.
Johnson, who opposes the bill, made the announcement just hours after swearing in Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva, who took her oath of office seven weeks after she won a late September special election to succeed her father, the longtime representative Raúl Grijalva, who died in March.
Grijalva’s swearing-in cleared the path for the vote to release the Epstein files, as she became the 218th and final signature on a discharge petition that automatically triggers a House floor vote on legislation demanding the justice department release the files. In her floor remarks on Wednesday, Grijalva said:
Justice cannot wait another day. Adelante.
Under the rules governing discharge petitions, Johnson would not have been mandated to require a vote until early December, so his announcement that the vote would take place next week is earlier than expected.
Even if the bill passes the House, it still needs to get through the Senate and be signed by Trump. Senate leaders have shown no indication they will bring it up for a vote, and Trump has decried the effort as a “Democrat hoax”.
More on this story in a moment, but first here are some other key developments in US politics:
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A tranche of documents released by the House oversight committee on Wednesday revealed that Jeffrey Epstein’s staff kept him apprised of Donald Trump’s air travel as it related to his own transportation – and that the late sex trafficker kept up with news about his former friend years after their relationship soured. This disclosure of about 20,000 pages from Republican members of the committee related to Epstein comes as Trump continues to battle with the political fallout related to their past friendship – and his justice department’s failure to release documents as he had long promised on the campaign trail.
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The US House of Representatives voted to pass the funding bill to end the longest government shutdown in US history. Trump signed the bill into law on Wednesday night. The legislation comes in the wake of a Senate-brokered compromise in which a handful of Democrats voted to forego the extension of expiring healthcare subsidies, which have been at the heart of the long impasse.
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Trump has said he feels he has “an obligation” to sue the BBC over its editing of one of his speeches, as a deadline looms for the corporation to respond to his billion-dollar legal threat. The US president accused the broadcaster of having “defrauded the public” with an edition of Panorama last year that spliced together two parts of a speech he made on 6 January 2021 and has given it until Friday to respond.
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Trump has repeated a request to Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, for a pardon for Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial in three separate corruption cases. The Israeli prime minister has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the ongoing court cases. No rulings have been delivered, and his supporters have dismissed the trials as politically motivated.
