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

President Donald Trump is hosting leaders of five Central Asian countries at the White House as he intensifies his hunt for rare earth metals needed for high-tech devices, including smartphones, electric vehicles and fighter jets.

Trump and the officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are holding an evening summit.

The Thursday meeting comes the heels of Trump managing at least a temporary thaw with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on differences between the two countries over the export of rare earth elements, a key point of friction in their trade negotiations.

After Trump-Xi talks in South Korea last week, China said it would delay its new rare earth export restrictions by one year.

Washington is now looking for new ways to circumvent China on critical minerals, which Central Asia holds deep reserves of. But the region badly needs investment to further develop the resources.

Here’s the latest:

Vance says the shutdown is about to hurt

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.”

Obama celebrates Tuesday wins in surprise appearance

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.”

Tajikistan president highlights mineral resources

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.

Trump pardons former Tennessee House speaker

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 makes it official: Kazakhstan is joining the Abraham Accords

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.

Trump hosts 5 Central Asian presidents

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.

Flight cancellations accelerate as US airlines comply with shutdown order to cut flights

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 canceled Thursday.

▶ Read more about flight cancellations

Federal judge orders Trump administration to fully fund SNAP benefits in November

A judge Thursday ordered 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 criticize IRS decision to end Direct File

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.”

Supreme Court lets Trump block transgender and nonbinary people from choosing passport sex markers

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed 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

Man who threw sandwich at federal agent in Washington is found not guilty of assault charge

A former Justice Department employee who threw a sandwich at a federal agent during 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

Trump says if the Supreme Court rules against his tariffs, he’ll have to come up with a new plan

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.”

Trump says it’s safe to fly, even as FAA plans to reduce air traffic

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.”

Obesity affects more than just low-income Americans

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.

Kazakhstan to join Abraham Accords with Israel in symbolic move to boost Trump initiative

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 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.

— Matthew V. Lee and Aamer Madhani

Judge will order federal agents in Chicago to restrict using force against protesters and media

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 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

Kennedy says GLP-1 agreement shows Trump is champion of forgotten Americans

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.”

Trump polls for who has or hasn’t used a weight loss drug

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.

Trump unveils deal to reduce prices for some obesity drugs

Trump has unveiled a deal with drugmakers 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.

Obama says Pelosi worked to ‘make our country better’

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.”

Jeffries demands airline safety briefing

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 Jan. 20, and we need to understand how we got to this moment, separate and apart from the Trump Republican shutdown.”

US lifts arms embargo on Cambodia, citing its ‘diligent pursuit of peace’ in Southeast Asia

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 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.

Johnson won’t promise ACA vote in the House as part of a shutdown deal

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.”

Affected airports cover more than 2 dozen states and include busiest across the US

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.

Experts predict hundreds if not thousands of flights could be canceled

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

Trump calls Pelosi ‘overrated’ and says he was ‘honored’ to be twice impeached by the House

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.

The FAA is imposing the flight reductions to relieve pressure on air traffic controllers

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 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.

Leader Thune on the Senate working through the weekend: ‘We’ll see’

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.”

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries says Pelosi is the ‘greatest Speaker of all time’

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.”

Most major US airports are among 40 targeted by shutdown-related flight cuts

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

Pelosi was a check on Trump during his first term

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

Nancy Pelosi won’t seek reelection, ending her storied career in the US House

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

Senators search for a potential deal

Central to any resolution will be a series of agreements that would need to be upheld not only by the Senate but also by the House and the White House, which is not at all certain in Washington.

Senators from both major parties, particularly the members of the powerful Appropriations Committee, are pushing to ensure the normal government funding process in Congress can be put back on track. Among the goals is guaranteeing upcoming votes on a smaller package of bills to fund various aspects of government such as agricultural programs and military construction projects at bases.

More difficult, a substantial number of senators also want some resolution to the standoff over the funding for the Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at year’s end.

Trump’s approach to the shutdown stands in marked contrast to his first term

During the shutdown in Trump’s first term, the government was partially closed for 35 days over his demands for money to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall. At that time, he met publicly and negotiated with congressional leaders. Unable to secure the money, he relented in 2019.

This time, it’s not just Trump declining to engage in talks. The congressional leaders are at a standoff, and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson sent lawmakers home in September after they approved their own funding bill, refusing further negotiations.

Trump sets another shutdown record

Now at 37 days, it’s the longest in U.S. history.

While some Democrats saw Trump’s comments on the shutdown Wednesday as evidence that he’d soon get more involved, he’s largely stayed out of the fray. Instead, the talks have intensified among a loose coalition of centrist senators trying to negotiate an end to the shutdown.

Trump has refused to negotiate with Democrats over their demands to salvage expiring health insurance subsidies until they agree to reopen the government. But skeptical Democrats question whether the Republican president will keep his word, particularly after his administration restricted SNAP food aid despite court orders to ensure funds are available to prevent hunger.