It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy. We think of it as a mini-magazine in your inbox.
AS THE SHUTDOWN ROLLS ON, 3 OTHER THINGS TO WATCH
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews
Correspondent
As we seek more clarity on both murky situations, we want to ensure that other major stories are not missed. Here are three things we are watching closely at this moment.
Prices
Inflation was one of Trump’s key campaign issues in 2024, when he promised to bring prices down on Day 1.
But the most recent Consumer Price Index report, the most-cited measure of inflation, detailed key costs going up in August, showing food prices jumped 0.5 percent from the previous month, while gasoline sprung up 1.9 percent.
Americans are seeing real-world effects from this, including at least one grocery chain installing digital price tags that it can raise (or lower) in seconds.
The Trump administration had initially planned to hold back on releasing any more inflation data (or any other economic data) during the shutdown.
But the September inflation figures, scheduled to be released Oct. 24, are critical. They set the cost-of-living adjustment for those receiving Social Security benefits. Afterward, as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics itself wrote, “No other releases will be rescheduled or produced until the resumption of regular government services.”
That only adds to the attention and potential importance of this gauge of economic pain. And it adds to potential decisions by the Federal Reserve on whether to decrease interest rates.
Tariffs
Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters
A subset of the prices discussion will be our close watch on the effects of the latest and ongoing Trump tariffs.
Stock markets in the United States and China have experienced whiplash in the past two days, following Trump’s threat Friday to issue a “massive increase” in tariffs on Chinese products.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent calmed some nerves in America on Monday by saying the situation had “substantially de-escalated.” But markets still tumbled in Asia.
The threat of higher tariffs hovers even as actual, new tariffs went into place today: with rates ranging from 10 to 50% on imported lumber and wood products and furniture.
This, as soybean and other farmers grow increasingly concerned about Chinese retaliatory boycotts of their products.
After months of tariffs, this feels like the time to closely observe if effects rise more clearly to the surface.
Ukraine
Following Trump’s initial success in brokering an initial ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, we want to see how the president handles another complex conflict: Ukraine.
This Friday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky returns to Washington. We are watching to see if the president’s success last week in the Middle East increases his drive and ability to find a way out in Eastern Europe.
THE NEWS HOUR IS TURNING 50. 1 VIEWER SHARES HER STORY
A brief look at how PBS News Hour has evolved since its first broadcast in 1975. This video was originally made in 2015. Video by Justin Scuiletti/PBS News
By Joshua Barajas
Senior Editor, Digital
Before the daily presence of the internet, Annie Feighery’s window to the world outside her small, rural New Mexico town was the PBS News Hour.
Feighery’s high school civics teacher, Dave Berggren, assigned his students to watch the program, then known as The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, at home every Friday. He especially wanted the class to focus on the commentary section of that night’s program, which gave space to two different viewpoints on the week’s biggest news.
That “exposure to the outside world and seeing that understanding of our government and politics, it was a big influence on my life,” she said.
What’s known today as the News Hour debuted almost 50 years ago as The Robert MacNeil Report. To mark our anniversary, which is fast approaching Oct. 20, PBS News is speaking with several longtime watchers of the program to learn how the show, and later its work online and across social media, has shaped their lives.
Feighery and a handful of other students were later selected for an annual trip to Washington, D.C., which further cemented her curiosity around politics and how government worked. The trip was a milestone. It happened during the first inauguration of former President Bill Clinton. She also flew and took the metro by herself for the first time.
Annie Feighery (top row, right) and the group of students from her New Mexico high school chosen for a 1993 class trip to Washington, D.C. Photo by Dave Berggren via Facebook
“A lot of amazing things happened that came together to seal an interest in government as a big part of my life and it started with the broader understanding of just the News Hour,” said Feighery, now the head of an organization that works in international humanitarian aid.
Are you a longtime watcher, listener or fan of the PBS News Hour? As the show marks its 50th anniversary next week, we want to hear how the program has affected your life. Share your story here.
THIS WEEK’S TRIVIA QUESTION
House Speaker Mike Johnson responded to questions Monday about the ongoing shutdown. Watch the clip in the player above.
By Joshua Barajas
Senior Editor, Digital
About two weeks into the government shutdown, House Speaker Mike Johnson signaled that the U.S. is “barreling toward” one of the longest shutdowns in American history.
The longest shutdown — 35 days — occurred during President Donald Trump’s first term. While Trump’s first administration holds the record for the lengthiest shutdown in history, another president had more total funding gaps under his watch.
Our question: Which president has overseen the most funding gaps and shutdowns?
Send your answers to [email protected] or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shoutout next week.
Last week, we asked: Which group of workers went on strike in New York, leading to one of the largest walkouts of federal employees and a National Guard deployment?
The answer: Postal workers. Starting in New York, postal workers fed up with working conditions and a lack of wage increases went on a nationwide strike in 1970. The collective action prompted President Richard Nixon to call on the National Guard and other military personnel to address the crisis, including having the troops sort the mail and deliver it in bulk.
Congratulations to our winners: Brenda Radford and George Aridas!
Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.
PBS News depends on the support of individuals who believe in the importance of independent, balanced and in-depth reporting on the most important domestic and international issues of the day. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to ensure our vital reporting continues to thrive. Thank you.
