The Latest: Trump unveils deal to lower costs on obesity drugs

President Donald Trump unveiled a deal Thursday 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.

Access to the drugs has been limited because of their costs – around $500 a month for higher doses – and spotty insurance coverage.

Coverage of the drugs for obesity will expand to Medicare patients starting next year, according to the administration, which said some lower prices also will be phased in for patients without coverage.

Thursday’s announcement is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to rein in soaring drug prices in its efforts to address cost-of-living concerns among voters.

Still, it’s unclear how much the price drop will be felt by consumers. Drug prices can vary based on the competition for treatments and insurance coverage.

Meanwhile, The Federal Aviation Administration announced it would reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets – including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago – to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the ongoing government shutdown. See which airports will be affected.

Here’s the latest:

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.”

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 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.

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 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.”

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.

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.

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.”

Travelers through some of the busiest U.S. airports can expect to learn Thursday whether they’ll see fewer flights as the government shutdown drags into a second month.

The Federal Aviation Administration will announce the 40 “high-volume markets” where it’s reducing flights by 10% before the cuts go into effect Friday, said agency administrator Bryan Bedford. The move is intended to keep the air space safe during the shutdown, the agency said.

Experts predict hundreds if not thousands of flights could be canceled. 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.

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.

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.

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.

Grassroots Democratic groups nationwide touted Tuesday’s election results as voter approval of the shutdown strategy – and warned lawmakers against cutting a deal too soon.

“Moderate Senate Democrats who are looking for an off-ramp right now are completely missing the moment,” said Katie Bethell, political director of MoveOn, a progressive group. “Voters have sent a resounding message: We want leaders who fight for us, and we want solutions that make life more affordable.”

Some Senate Democrats echoed that sentiment. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats and a leading voice in the progressive movement, said Democrats “have got to remain strong” and should secure assurances on extending health care subsidies – including “a commitment from the speaker of the House that he will support the legislation, and that the president will sign.”