Live updates: Federal employees head back to work, Trump foes to challenge U.S. prosecutor in court

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he plans to hold a vote next week on whether to order the Justice Department to release all the Jeffrey Epstein files.
What to know today
GOVERNMENT REOPENS: Federal employees are returning to work today after President Donald Trump signed legislation last night to end the government shutdown. Departments that are reopening include Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Justice, three administration officials said.
PROSECUTOR CHALLENGE: Lawyers for former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James will argue jointly in court today that the Trump-appointed prosecutor who has brought charges against them in separate cases is serving unlawfully as acting U.S. attorney.
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 after Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Arizona, was sworn in yesterday after a seven-week delay.
New Jeffrey Epstein files rekindle an old Trump political problem
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 reemerged 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.
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Judge hears challenge to Trump’s appointment of prosecutor in James Comey and Letitia James cases
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.
Federal agencies tell staff to return to work on Thursday as government reopens
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.