President Donald Trump has signed a government funding bill, ending a record 43-day shutdown that caused financial stress for federal workers who went without paychecks, stranded scores of travelers at airports and generated long lines at some food banks. The signing ceremony Wednesday night came just hours after the House passed the measure on a mostly party-line vote of 222-209. The Senate had already passed the measure Monday. The shutdown magnified partisan divisions in Washington as Trump took unprecedented unilateral actions to pressure Democrats into relenting on their demands.

The Federal Aviation Administration’s unprecedented order to scale back flights nationwide because of the record-long government shutdown has taken effect, with some passengers trying to figure out backup travel plans. Airlines scrambled to adjust their schedules and began canceling flights Thursday in anticipation of the FAA’s official order, while travelers with plans for the weekend and beyond waited nervously to learn if their flights would take off as scheduled. Airlines also planned cancellations into the weekend, directing passengers to check apps to learn their flight status. The 40 airports selected by the FAA span more than two dozen states.

President Donald Trump is hosting leaders of five Central Asian countries at the White House. He's intensifying 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 held an evening summit Thursday. The meeting comes the heels of Trump managing at least a temporary thaw with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on differences over the export of rare earth elements. That was a key point of friction in their trade negotiations. Washington is now looking for new ways to circumvent China on critical minerals.