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SHUTDOWN FOR THE COUNT
Donald Trump and top Democrats are trolling each other online as the government barrels toward its first shutdown in six years.
As the minutes pass by, it’s looking more and more likely that the government will shut down starting at midnight. You’d think that such a dire prospect — the government unable to spend money as public services come to a standstill — might make President Donald Trump sweat. Instead, he’s hurling insults. “The Democrats are deranged,” he complained to Politico.
Behind the bluster, Trump seems deeply frustrated. After a fruitless meeting with Democratic leaders last night, he posted an expletive-filled deepfake video of those same leaders. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries shot back, posting a photo [ [link removed] ] of Trump with the late child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also went into ad hominem attack mode: “If you think your shutdown is a joke, it just proves what we all know: You can’t negotiate. You can only throw tantrums.”
Yeah… things seem to be going nowhere fast. Trump called a shutdown “probably likely” this afternoon.
This standoff isn’t just about scoring political points. There’s a real issue at stake: healthcare. Democrats have made clear that they won’t fund the government at current levels unless Republicans extend subsidies that help millions of Americans afford healthcare under the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. Those subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year. For once, Dems are using a shutdown to fight for an issue they want, in a reversal of the usual dynamic.
Shutdowns don’t normally impact the economy too much. But this time, there could be more severe consequences.
During shutdowns, federal employees not deemed essential are furloughed. Typically, they all get back pay, although contractors may not. This time, Trump is threatening another round of mass firings and even agency program rollbacks in the event of a shutdown: “We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible by them, like cutting vast numbers of people out … cutting programs that they like,” he said today.
The job market is already in trouble. Axing large numbers of American jobs permanently could make matters significantly worse, economists warn [ [link removed] ]. Other economists acknowledge that the job market could suffer, but say they think the economic impact is likely to be “relatively mild.”
The shutdown would still affect people in other ways: Airlines could slow flights [ [link removed] ], close to the holiday season. Millions of seniors could lose access [ [link removed] ] to telehealth services. Social Security payments would continue [ [link removed] ], but customer service and other key functions could be paused. The release of key economic data could be delayed [ [link removed] ], creating uncertainty in financial markets. Even California’s wildfire prevention efforts could take a hit [ [link removed] ] amid wildfire season.
Will Americans really blame Democrats for the shutdown, like Trump claims? Polls say they won’t [ [link removed] ] — but Trump seems prepared to find out for himself.
FOR PETE’S SAKE
What happens when you hire a former “Fox & Friends Weekend” host to run the military? He calls hundreds of generals and admirals together so he can fat-shame them, while trying to push women out of military service completely.
That was the major takeaway from so-called Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s highly-anticipated meeting with top military brass this morning. Last week, he summoned hundreds of senior military leaders from around the world to Quantico, Virginia, for an urgent meeting, without explanation. Could it mean war? Are there new threats to the United States?
Nope! Hegseth just wanted to mock them.
“Frankly, it’s tiring to look out at combat formations … and see fat troops. Likewise, it’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon,” said Hegseth, a former infantry soldier addressing the nation’s top military brass.
Hegseth announced that he’s raising fitness requirements to male benchmarks only. In the secretary’s mind, that’s not discrimination.
“This is not about preventing women from serving,” said Hegseth, who once said that women shouldn’t serve in combat roles. “But when it comes to any job that requires physical power to perform in combat, those physical standards must be high and gender neutral. If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is. If that means women don’t qualify for some combat jobs, so be it.” Very classy, Mr. Secretary!
Hegseth’s speech was so self-promoting and weird, that some saw it as a sign he’s gearing up to run for president himself in 2028 [ [link removed] ].
But if Hegseth’s remarks to the military were ridiculous, Donald Trump’s were ominous when he took the stage next.
Trump discussed his intention to increase the use of the military in big, blue American cities. “I told Pete [Hegseth] we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military National Guard,” Trump said.
Trump also indicated that he would fire military leaders if he doesn’t like them. “If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room,” Trump said. “Of course, there goes your rank, there goes your future.”
Can you hear that? It’s military morale going through the roof.
WHAT ELSE?
A federal judge delivered a remarkable rebuke [ [link removed] ] of the Trump administration’s actions, describing its attempt to deport pro-Palestinian activists on college campuses as a “full-throated assault on the First Amendment.” Judge William G. Young, a Reagan appointee, also raised broader concerns about the president: “I fear President Trump believes the American people are so divided that today they will not stand up, fight for, and defend our most precious constitutional values so long as they are lulled into thinking their own personal interests are not affected. Is he correct?” That’s what you call a benchslap [ [link removed] ]!
Donald Trump announced a deal with Pfizer [ [link removed] ] to voluntarily lower drug prices “at heavily discounted prices anywhere between 50 percent and even 100 percent.” As a result, Pfizer won’t face pharmaceutical-related tariffs for three years, as long as it keeps investing in U.S. manufacturing. (Sounds like mob tactics, yet again!) Because Trump needs his name on everything, the White House is also reportedly planning [ [link removed] ] to unveil a drug-purchasing website named “TrumpRx.”
FBI Director Kash Patel gave New Zealand officials [ [link removed] ] bizarre gifts on a recent trip to the country: 3D-printed pistols that don’t work. What’s more, such weapons are illegal under local gun laws, so the pistols had to be destroyed. Um… it’s the thought that counts???
YouTube agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle [ [link removed] ] a lawsuit with Donald Trump over the video-sharing platform ban on his account following the January 6 riot. Some of that money will go toward building that ridiculous White House ballroom.
Trump’s cuts to USAID caused lifesaving drugs [ [link removed] ] to arrive late or become stranded, leading to the death of people who needed the drugs, according to a Washington Post investigation. The outlet documented the tragic case of one 5-year-old girl in the Democratic Republic of Congo who developed malaria. She died less than a week after symptoms began — despite the aid being only seven miles away in a distribution warehouse.
Light at the End of the Email…
Pop star Bad Bunny said he did “a hundred pull ups” [ [link removed] ] after rapper Jay Z called him with news that he had been chosen to perform at the Super Bowl, because he was so excited. “I’m really excited for my friends, my family, Puerto Rico — all the Latino people around the world,” he said in a recent interview. “I’m excited about my culture, not just for me.”
Late night host Jimmy Kimmel received a massive [ [link removed] ] show of support from fans when he returned to Brooklyn to tape a show last night, his first appearance in his hometown since being suspended and reinstated by ABC. “Kimmel Stays! Trump Must Go!” read one banner outside the venue where he recorded the show. Another attendee put it this way: “We’re here to celebrate freedom of speech. And we can say whatever the hell we want.”
One of PBS’s most popular shows ever, “Reading Rainbow,” [ [link removed] ] is returning with new episodes starting this Saturday. The show, which encourages kids to read, will also have a new host (Mychal the Librarian) and celebrity appearances (including Chrissy Teigen, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Gabrielle Union).
Smartphones be damned! [ [link removed] ] Some parents are returning to landlines, in an effort to shield their children (temporarily) from being glued to their phone screens. In one instance, parents noticed that their kids are setting up playdates on their own and building a stronger sense of community. The kids are gonna be alright!!!
Nepal chose a 2-year-old girl as the new living goddess [ [link removed] ] who will be worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists. “She was just my daughter yesterday, but today she is a goddess,” her father said. Yeah… no pressure, little lady! You’re gonna do great.
The first large-scale solar power plant in Yemen [ [link removed] ] is helping the country’s electricity shortages, caused by a lack of fuel and war that has damaged infrastructure.
A second “Simpsons” movie is scheduled [ [link removed] ] for release in 2027, two decades after the last one was dropped. Few details were released… aside from a cryptic social media post showing a yellow cartoon hand gripping the show’s classic strawberry frosted donut, underneath the phrase, “Homer’s coming back for seconds.”
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