Trump hosts Central Asian leaders as US eyes sources for rare earth metals

The vice president said Americans are “about to start suffering some very real consequences” at airports and with SNAP benefits because of the government shutdown, now in its 37th day.

“After 30 days of this thing, 40 days of this thing, you’re going to start seeing very real travel delays. That’s because the Democrat government shut down,” Vance told reporters at the White House. “They should stop this charade and open up the government.”

Former President Barack Obama made a surprise appearance at an event gathering progressives in Washington hosted by his former aides.

“We had a good night on Tuesday,” Obama told the crowds that erupted in loud cheers as he began speaking at a taping event for the podcast “Pod Save America.”

“It was a good reminder that the American people are paying attention,” he said. “They don’t want cruelty. They are not looking for people on the top trying to entrench themselves in power.”

The former president said different factions “are getting along not in some cliche or phonied way.”

“We recognize we have differences,” he said. “Yes, there are fights that are going to be fought, but deep down there is something core in us that we have in common that is extraordinary.”

During a working dinner with Trump, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon underscored his country has “very rich, boundless” critical mineral resources.

He also offered a nod to being in a tough geopolitical neighborhood, situated between Russia and China, making partnering with the U.S. all the more important.

“We are very keen to continue closely our cooperation on security items, which we are so concerned for,” Rahmon said.

Former Republican Rep. Glen Casada and his former chief of staff Cade Cothren had been convicted in a public corruption trial last year.

Trump approved the pardon because the White House said the Justice Department, under the former Biden administration, had “over-prosecuted” the pair for what the White House described as a “minor issue.”

Trump said on social media that he was part of a call with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Kazakhstan has had diplomatic relations with Israel since 1992 but joined the Abraham Accords between Israel and Arab and Muslim majority countries.

The initiative was a signature foreign policy accomplishment of Trump’s first term, and he wants to expand the list.

“There are many more Countries trying to join this club of STRENGTH,” Trump said on social media.

Kazakhstan joins Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates to sign on.

Leaders of five Central Asian countries have arrived at the White House for a working dinner with Trump as he steps up his hunt for rare earth minerals.

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdymukhamedov, Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbai Jeenbekov, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Tajikistan President Emomali Rakhmon all arrived separately, with a military Honor Guard on the driveway to greet each.

The evening summit and dinner follows Trump managing at least a temporary thaw with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on differences between the United States and China over the export of rare earth elements.

The elements are needed in the manufacturing of devices like smartphones, electric vehicles and fighter jets, and Trump has looked to increase U.S. supplies of them.

U.S. airlines began canceling flights nationwide Thursday due to the Federal Aviation Administration’s order to reduce traffic at the country’s busiest airports starting Friday because of the government shutdown.

Hundreds of flights scheduled for Friday were already cut at some of the 40 busiest airports, and the number of cancellations climbed throughout Thursday afternoon.

At least 445 flights have already been canceled on Friday, according to www.FlightAware.com. That’s more than four times higher than the number of flights cancelled Thursday.

▶ Read more about flight cancellations

A judge Thursday ordered President Trump’s administration to fully fund SNAP for November, three days after the government said it would only partially pay for the food aid program used by 1 in 8 Americans.

Judge John J. McConnell Jr. in Providence, Rhode Island, ruled that it must provide the money by Friday in response to a coalition of cities and nonprofit groups. The judge was one of two who said last week that the government couldn’t pause the program entirely this month because of the government shutdown.

“The defendants failed to consider the practical consequences associated with this decision to only partially fund SNAP,” McConnell said. “They knew that there would be a long delay in paying partial Snap payments and failed to consider the harms individuals who rely on those benefits would suffer.”

▶ Read more about SNAP benefits

Tax law experts are criticizing the IRS’ decision not to provide Direct File software to taxpayers for the 2026 filing season.

NYU Tax Law Center Senior Fellow Greg Leiserson said the decision “will deprive taxpayers of a free and easy-to-use tax filing option, making the tax filing process more expensive and unnecessarily burdensome.”

“The IRS has clear legal authority for the program, and providing such a service is a fundamental responsibility of tax administration in the present day.”

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to enforce a policy blocking transgender and nonbinary people from choosing passport sex markers that align with their gender identity.

The decision by the high court’s conservative majority is Trump’s latest win on the high court’s emergency docket, and it means his administration can enforce the policy while a lawsuit over it plays out. It halts a lower-court order requiring the government to keep letting people choose male, female or X on their passport to line up with their gender identity on new or renewed passports.

The State Department changed its passport rules after Trump, a Republican, handed down an executive order in January declaring the United States would “recognize two sexes, male and female,” based on birth certificates and “biological classification.”

▶ Read more about passport sex markers

A former Justice Department employee who threw a sandwich at a federal agent during President Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge in Washington was found not guilty of assault on Thursday in the latest legal rebuke of the federal intervention.

A viral video of the sandwich tossing made Sean Charles Dunn a symbol of resistance to Trump’s deployment of federal agents to combat crime in the nation’s capital. His misdemeanor acquittal is another setback for prosecutors, who have faced a backlash for how they have handled criminal cases resulting from the law enforcement surge.

There was no dispute over whether Dunn threw the sandwich at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent on the night of Aug. 10. But his lawyers argued it was a “harmless gesture” during an act of protest protected by the First Amendment.

Prosecutors said Dunn knew he didn’t have a right to throw the sandwich at the agent.

▶ Read more about sandwich-throwing man

Asked about the high court hearing arguments on his tariff policy, Trump said “we did very well yesterday.” He added, however, that a decision against tariffs would be “devastating for our country.”

“But I also think that we’ll have to develop a game two plan” Trump continued “and we’ll see what happens.”

Those comments came a day after his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, was asked if the administration had a Plan B should it lose at the Supreme Court and demurred, saying only, “We’re not going to discuss that now.”

Asked during his Oval Office event whether he believes it’s safe to fly, Trump said, “No I’m not concerned about it. It’s a fair question.”

U.S. airports in more than two dozen states are among those facing 10% reductions in air traffic Friday due to the government shutdown.

The Federal Aviation Administration is imposing the reductions to take pressure off air traffic controllers, who are federal employees and have gone without pay during the shutdown.

“They want to make sure it’s 100%,” Trump said of the move. “That’s why they’re doing it.”

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Thursday that “obesity is a disease of poverty,” but while rates of the chronic disease tend to be higher in people with the lowest incomes, that’s not always true.

About 44% of U.S. adults with the lowest incomes have obesity, compared with about 47% of those with middle incomes and about 39% of those with the highest incomes, according to 2017-2020 data collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Among women, about 48% of those in the lowest income category, below 130% of the federal poverty level, had obesity, compared with about 49% of those with middle incomes and 35% of those with the highest incomes.

Among men, those with the lowest incomes, below 130% of the federal poverty level, had the lowest obesity rates of 37%, compared with about 44% of men with middle incomes and 42% of men in the highest income category.

The unidentified man who fainted did not return to the Oval Office.

Trump said the gentleman was feeling lightheaded but is OK now.
The White House has not identified him.

Kazakhstan will join the Abraham Accords between Israel and Arab and Muslim majority countries in a symbolic move aimed at boosting the initiative that was a hallmark of President Donald Trump’s first administration, according to three U.S. officials.

The move is largely symbolic as Kazakhstan has had diplomatic relations with Israel since 1992 and is much further geographically from Israel than the other Abraham Accord nations – Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates. Those countries agreed to normalize relations with Israel as a result, something Kazakhstan has done since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the formal announcement, said Trump would announce the step at a summit he is hosting later Thursday with the leaders of the five Central Asian nations, including Kazakhstan.

A few minutes after the event was abruptly ended, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt released a statement saying that “a representative with one of the companies fainted” but that “The White House Medical Unit quickly jumped into action, and the gentleman is okay.”

She didn’t identify the man, but said the drug price event would resume shortly.

It had featured executives from drugmakers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.

A judge said Thursday she will order federal agents in Chicago to restrict using force against peaceful protesters and media, saying current practices violate their constitutional rights.

The preliminary injunction came in response to a lawsuit alleging federal agents have used excessive force in their immigration crackdown in the Chicago area.

U.S District Judge Sara Ellis‘s ruling, which is expected to be appealed by President Donald Trump’s administration, refines an earlier temporary order that required agents to wear badges and banned them from using certain riot-control techniques, such as tear gas, against peaceful protesters and journalists. After repeatedly chastising federal officials for not following her previous orders, she added a requirement for body cameras.

Ellis began Thursday’s hearing by describing Chicago as a “vibrant place” and reading from poet Carl Sandburg’s famous poem about the city.

Ellis said it is “simply untrue” that the Chicago area is a violent place of rioters.

“I don’t find defendants’ version of events credible,” Ellis said.

▶ Read more about federal agents in Chicago

The president’s drug price announcement ended abruptly when a man standing near Trump in the Oval Office collapsed.

Officials rushed to help the man after his collapse, and the press was quickly removed. It was unclear what caused the collapse or who the man was.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. had previously expressed skepticism to GLP-1s in fighting obesity and drugs diseases related to the condition.

But Kennedy was full of for praise of Trump for pushing to help a broader segment of Americans have access to the drug.

“It’s not a panacea, it’s not a silver bullet,” Kennedy noted.

He added, “Trump is the friend of the forgotten American. Obesity is a disease of poverty. And overwhelmingly these drugs have only been available for people who have wealth.”

• Los Angeles International in California
  
• Oakland International in California
  
• Ontario International in California
  
• San Francisco International in California
  
• San Diego International in California
  
• Seattle/Tacoma International in Washington
  
• Salt Lake City International in Utah
  
• Anchorage International in Alaska
  
• Denver International in Colorado
  
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International in Arizona
  
• Honolulu International in Hawaii
  
• Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas
  
• Portland International in Oregon

Introducing the officials who joined him for the announcement in the Oval Office, Trump asked or commented on who has or hasn’t used any of the weight-loss medications he calls the “fat drug.”

“Do you take any of this stuff, Howard?” Trump asked Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. “Not yet,” Lutnick replied.

“He doesn’t take it,” Trump said when he got to Dr. Mehmet Oz, director of Medicare and Medicaid services.

Trump introduced a few others before he asked for “Steve,” referring to him as “head of public relations for the White House.”

“He’s taking it,” the president said of Steven Cheung, who is the White House director of communications.

• Chicago O`Hare International in Illinois
  
• Chicago Midway International in Illinois
  
• Minneapolis/St Paul International in Minnesota
  
• Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County in Michigan
  
• Indianapolis International in Indiana

• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International in Georgia
  
• Dallas Love Field in Texas
  
• Dallas/Fort Worth International in Texas
  
• George Bush Houston Intercontinental in Texas
  
• Houston Hobby in Texas
  
• Charlotte Douglas International in North Carolina
  
• Miami International in Florida
  
• Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International in Florida
  
• Tampa International in Florida
  
• Orlando International in Florida
  
• Louisville International in Kentucky
  
• Memphis International in Tennessee

• John F. Kennedy International in New York
  
• LaGuardia Airport in New York
  
• Newark Liberty International in New Jersey
  
• Teterboro in New Jersey
  
• Boston Logan International in Massachusetts
  
• Philadelphia International in Pennsylvania
  
• Ronald Reagan Washington National in Virginia
  
• Washington Dulles International in Virginia
  
• Baltimore/Washington International in Maryland
  
• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International in Ohio

Former president Barack Obama said “No one was more skilled at bringing people together and getting legislation passed — and I will always be grateful for her support of the Affordable Care Act.”

In a post he said, “She made us proud to be Democrats, and will go down in history as one of the best speakers the House of Representatives has ever had.”

Trump has unveiled a deal with drug makers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to expand coverage and reduce prices for their popular obesity treatments Zepbound and Wegovy.

The drugs are part of a new generation of obesity medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that have soared in popularity in recent years.

But access to the drugs has been a consistent problem for patients because of their cost, and insurance coverage has been spotty.

Jeffries wants information about the Trump administration’s layoffs and Federal Aviation Administration changes and that have been underway even before the shutdown.

“We need a full and complete briefing so we can understand from the administration what the current status is, what the impact of administration layoffs have been, prior to the Trump Republican shutdown,” Jeffries of New York said during a press conference at the Capitol.

He said the administration “has been going after the FAA since the beginning of their time in office, since January 20th, and we need to understand how we got to this moment, separate and apart from the Trump Republican shutdown.”

The Trump administration is lifting a four-year-old arms embargo on Cambodia that had been imposed over the country’s increasing military ties and partnership with China after Cambodia and Thailand agreed to a truce in their border conflict last month.

The move will take effect Friday after the formal publication of an official notice in the Federal Register, according to an announcement made Thursday. It had been previewed by various U.S. officials in late October following the signing of an agreement between the Thai and Cambodian prime ministers at a summit in Malaysia that President Trump witnessed.

The State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed off on the step “based on Cambodia’s diligent pursuit of peace and security, including through renewed engagement with the United States on defense cooperation and combating transnational crime.” It means that arms sales requests from Cambodia will now be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and not automatically be subject to denial. It will also lift restrictions on third countries providing Cambodia with U.S. weapons.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday he would not guarantee Democrats a vote on extending enhanced tax credits for those with coverage through the Affordable Care Act.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has offered Democrats such a vote as part of the way out of the government shutdown.

Asked whether he would do the same, Johnson said the House had already done its job in passing a short-term funding patch.

“I’m not promising anybody anything,” Johnson said.

Johnson also rejected the idea that congressional leaders get together and negotiate a compromise on extending the enhanced tax credits that make coverage more affordable.

“We’re not taking four corners, four leaders in a back room and making a deal and hoisting it upon the American people,” Johnson said. “I’m not going to be a part of that.”

They include airports in Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Orlando, Miami, and San Francisco.

In some of the biggest cities — such as New York, Houston and Chicago — multiple airports will be affected.

The U.S. on Thursday sanctioned three men from Lebanon and Syria for allegedly helping to funnel tens of millions of dollars from Iran to the militant Lebanese group Hezbollah.

The Treasury Department says the men use exchange houses to take advantage of Lebanon’s cash-based financial sector and funnel the money from Iran to support Hezbollah.

Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley said “we will work with our Lebanese partners to create a resilient economy that puts the interests of all Lebanese citizens front and center.”

While plans to reopen the federal government remain stalled, the shutdown’s impact continues to grow. The Federal Aviation Administration said it will reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 markets starting Friday, and millions will go without SNAP benefits even as the Trump administration says it will partially fund the program in November.

The cuts could represent as many as 1,800 flights and upwards of 268,000 seats combined, according to an estimate by aviation analytics firm Cirium.

The president gave the remarks on Pelosi’s retirement exclusively to a reporter broadcasting on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom.”

Pelosi led the House in impeaching Trump twice during his first term — first over withholding military support for Ukraine as it confronted Russian aggression and later after inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol. He was acquitted both times by the Senate.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the political old guard is being “repudiated,” though he commended Pelosi for her service.

Airlines said they would try to minimize the impact on customers, some of whom will see weekend travel plans disrupted with little notice.

United Airlines said it would focus the cuts on smaller regional routes that use smaller planes like 737s. United, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines said they would offer refunds to passengers who opt not to fly — even if they purchased tickets that aren’t normally refundable.

The head of Frontier Airlines recommended travelers buy backup tickets with another airline to avoid being stranded.

Air traffic controllers are working without pay during the government shutdown and have been increasingly calling off work.

Controllers already have missed one paycheck and are scheduled to again receive nothing next week as as the shutdown drags on and the financial pressure on them mounts.

The FAA has already been delaying flights at times when airports or its other facilities are short on controllers.

Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune opened what’s seen as a pivotal day in efforts to end the government shutdown by keeping all options open.

“I think it’s all going to be subject to whether or not it looks like there’s a path to wind this down, this weekend,” Thune said.

He added that the next step is getting a response from Democrats on the offer before them, “and then we’ll see where they go with that.”

Asked whether the Senate would cancel its recess next week, Thune said he’s “not ruling anything out at this point.”

Jeffries of New York is in line to become the speaker himself if the party regains control of the chamber in next year’s election.

“The United States is a much better nation today because Nancy Pelosi dedicated her life to serving the children, the climate, the country and the American people,” Jeffries said in a statement.

“Nancy D’Alesandro Pelosi is an iconic, heroic, trailblazing, legendary and transformational leader. She is the greatest Speaker of all time,” he said.

“House Democrats will always be down with NDP.”

Airports in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago along with hubs across the U.S. are among the 40 that will see flights cut starting Friday due to the government shutdown, according to a list distributed to the airlines and obtained by The Associated Press.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it will reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the ongoing government shutdown.

▶ Read more about the shutdown’s effects on air travel

As House Speaker, she became the Democratic Party’s antidote to President Trump.

Trump was impeached by the House — twice — first in 2019 for withholding U.S. aid to Ukraine as it faced a hostile Russia at its border and then in 2021 days after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Senate acquitted him in both cases.

Pelosi stood up the Jan. 6 special committee to probe Trump’s role in sending his mob of supporters to the Capitol, when most Republicans refused to investigate, producing the 1,000-page report that became the first full accounting of what happened as the defeated president tried to stay in office.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi will not seek reelection to the U.S. House, bringing to a close her storied career as not only the first woman in the speaker’s office but arguably the most powerful in American politics.

Pelosi, who’s represented San Francisco for nearly 40 years, announced her decision Thursday.

“I will not be seeking reelection to Congress,” Pelosi said in a video address to voters.

Pelosi, appearing upbeat and forward-looking as images of her decades of accomplishments filled the frames, said she would finish out her final year in office. And she left those who sent her to Congress with a call to action to carry on the legacy of agenda-setting both in the U.S. and around the world.

▶ Read more about Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi

President Trump has warned the United States will be rendered “defenseless’’ and possibly “reduced to almost Third World status” if the Supreme Court strikes down the tariffs he imposed this year on nearly every country on earth.

The justices sounded skeptical during oral arguments Wednesday of his sweeping claims of authority to impose tariffs as he sees fit.

The truth, though, is Trump will still have plenty of options to keep taxing imports aggressively even if the court rules against him. He can re-use tariff powers he deployed in his first term and can reach for others, including one that dates back to the Great Depression.

“It’s hard to see any pathway here where tariffs end,” said Georgetown trade law professor Kathleen Claussen. “I am pretty convinced he could rebuild the tariff landscape he has now using other authorities.”

▶ Read more about Trump’s tariff options