Good evening, everyone. The clock is ticking, and we are now less than seven hours away from a full-scale government shutdown in America. Let’s be clear: this is not abstract politics. This shutdown will devastate millions of families, delay paychecks for service members, stall food assistance, and weaken public services across the nation.
And yet, instead of addressing this crisis, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican leaders have chosen obstruction. Today, they refused to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, deliberately blocking the 218th signature needed to force a vote on the Epstein Files. Why? Because they are terrified of transparency, terrified of accountability, and terrified of the truth coming to light.
This is not just partisan maneuvering. It is a deliberate assault on democratic norms, an attempt to bend rules and weaponize procedure to protect the powerful. What we are witnessing is not politics as usual. It is the slow, dangerous normalization of authoritarian behavior.
That’s why independent journalism matters. That’s why I will never flinch from speaking the truth, no matter how uncomfortable or inconvenient it may be. If you believe the public deserves honesty, clarity, and courage, then I ask you to stand with me. Subscribe, share, and support this work, because tonight is proof of why it is needed more than ever.
Subscribe
Here’s what you missed:
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and GOP leaders refused to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.)during a pro forma session, insisting she wait until the House returns on Oct. 7, even though Democrats noted Florida Republicans were sworn in during a similar session earlier this year. The delay prevents Grijalva from immediately signing a discharge petition on Jeffrey Epstein files, which is just one signature short of the 218 needed to bypass leadership and force a floor vote.
The petition, led by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), has support from 213 Democrats and only four Republicans — Marjorie Taylor Greene, Nancy Mace, and Lauren Boebert. Democrats blasted the move as partisan obstruction that temporarily denies constituents representation during a shutdown fight, while GOP leaders argued swearing-ins normally happen only in regular session and said the Epstein bill lacks adequate victim protections despite ongoing oversight investigations.
Trump said the government will “probably” shut down, falsely claiming Democrats want to give Medicare to undocumented immigrants, even though they are not eligible for such programs.
The Trump administration used the HUD website to blame the “radical left” for an impending government shutdown, posting a partisan red banner that critics called propaganda, while both parties continued to accuse each other of causing the crisis.
As a shutdown looms, national park staff and advocates warn the Trump administration may again keep parks open without adequate staffing—risking environmental destruction, safety crises, and deeper budget cuts—while local economies also face major financial losses.
A shutdown would furlough about 750,000 federal workers daily, disrupt agencies like Education, close parks and museums, and risk broader economic slowdown if prolonged, though essential services like Social Security, military, immigration enforcement, mail, and air traffic control would continue. I interviewed Congressman Tom Suozzi concerning the shutdown:
Government shutdown impacts: (pulled from NBC News and other sources)Military & VeteransActive-duty military and guard reserves continue working but without pay until funding is restored.No new orders are issued except for emergencies (e.g., disasters, national security).97% of Veterans Affairs employees remain, but regional offices close.Some benefits like cemetery headstones and grounds maintenance stop, and communication lines (hotlines, press responses) shut down.Air TravelAir traffic controllers (13,227 of them) keep working unpaid, maintaining flight operations.FAA halts hiring, training, and some safety inspections, creating potential long-term backlogs and delays.Aviation groups warned Congress that safety programs would be suspended, affecting efficiency and risk mitigation.Social SecurityPayments continue (mandatory spending), but fewer staff could slow new applications and services.Health & Human ServicesAbout 32,000 of 80,000 employees furloughed.Critical services (pandemic, flu, hurricane response, NIH clinical care) continue.Grants, contracts, and FOIA processing freeze.NIH halts new patient admissions unless medically necessary.Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Essential activities continue (drug recalls, outbreak response, food imports screening).New drug and device applications stop, non-urgent oversight halts.Cannot monitor new livestock feed ingredients, raising risks for meat, milk, and egg safety.Education & Student AidPell Grants and federal student loans keep flowing to 10M students.Borrowers must keep paying loans.95% of non-aid staff furloughed; new grant-making pauses.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Outbreak response continues but with reduced staff and limited guidance to states on health issues (opioids, HIV, diabetes).About one-third of CDC staff continue working.Nutritional AssistanceSNAP benefits covered for roughly one month; longer shutdowns risk funding shortages.WIC and other programs continue only “subject to funding availability.”
Military & VeteransActive-duty military and guard reserves continue working but without pay until funding is restored.No new orders are issued except for emergencies (e.g., disasters, national security).97% of Veterans Affairs employees remain, but regional offices close.Some benefits like cemetery headstones and grounds maintenance stop, and communication lines (hotlines, press responses) shut down.
Active-duty military and guard reserves continue working but without pay until funding is restored.
No new orders are issued except for emergencies (e.g., disasters, national security).
97% of Veterans Affairs employees remain, but regional offices close.
Some benefits like cemetery headstones and grounds maintenance stop, and communication lines (hotlines, press responses) shut down.
Air TravelAir traffic controllers (13,227 of them) keep working unpaid, maintaining flight operations.FAA halts hiring, training, and some safety inspections, creating potential long-term backlogs and delays.Aviation groups warned Congress that safety programs would be suspended, affecting efficiency and risk mitigation.
Air traffic controllers (13,227 of them) keep working unpaid, maintaining flight operations.
FAA halts hiring, training, and some safety inspections, creating potential long-term backlogs and delays.
Aviation groups warned Congress that safety programs would be suspended, affecting efficiency and risk mitigation.
Social SecurityPayments continue (mandatory spending), but fewer staff could slow new applications and services.
Payments continue (mandatory spending), but fewer staff could slow new applications and services.
Health & Human ServicesAbout 32,000 of 80,000 employees furloughed.Critical services (pandemic, flu, hurricane response, NIH clinical care) continue.Grants, contracts, and FOIA processing freeze.NIH halts new patient admissions unless medically necessary.
About 32,000 of 80,000 employees furloughed.
Critical services (pandemic, flu, hurricane response, NIH clinical care) continue.
Grants, contracts, and FOIA processing freeze.
NIH halts new patient admissions unless medically necessary.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Essential activities continue (drug recalls, outbreak response, food imports screening).New drug and device applications stop, non-urgent oversight halts.Cannot monitor new livestock feed ingredients, raising risks for meat, milk, and egg safety.
Essential activities continue (drug recalls, outbreak response, food imports screening).
New drug and device applications stop, non-urgent oversight halts.
Cannot monitor new livestock feed ingredients, raising risks for meat, milk, and egg safety.
Education & Student AidPell Grants and federal student loans keep flowing to 10M students.Borrowers must keep paying loans.95% of non-aid staff furloughed; new grant-making pauses.
Pell Grants and federal student loans keep flowing to 10M students.
Borrowers must keep paying loans.
95% of non-aid staff furloughed; new grant-making pauses.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Outbreak response continues but with reduced staff and limited guidance to states on health issues (opioids, HIV, diabetes).About one-third of CDC staff continue working.
Outbreak response continues but with reduced staff and limited guidance to states on health issues (opioids, HIV, diabetes).
About one-third of CDC staff continue working.
Nutritional AssistanceSNAP benefits covered for roughly one month; longer shutdowns risk funding shortages.WIC and other programs continue only “subject to funding availability.”
SNAP benefits covered for roughly one month; longer shutdowns risk funding shortages.
WIC and other programs continue only “subject to funding availability.”
Just hours before the fiscal year ended, a federal judge in Rhode Island blocked the Trump administration from diverting $233 million in FEMA funds away from eight Democratic-led states, ordering the money be preserved past the midnight deadline.
A federal judge ruled the Trump administration’s arrests and deportations of pro-Palestinian noncitizen students and faculty violated the First Amendment, affirming that lawful noncitizens have the same free speech rights as U.S. citizens.
Trump announced a deal with Pfizer to cap U.S. prices for new medications at the lowest rate paid abroad, extending the guarantee to Medicare and Medicaid, framing it as a major step against global price gouging.
Federal prosecutors urged a judge to sentence Sean “Diddy” Combs to over 11 years in prison for transporting women for prostitution, citing his violence, lack of remorse, and victims’ testimonies, while his defense sought a much lighter sentence of about 14 months with time served.
An NBC News report found over 400 pregnancy-related prosecutions in 16 states since Roe v. Wade was overturned, mostly targeting women for substance use during pregnancy, with Alabama leading the cases; advocates warn these laws reflect growing fetal personhood efforts and criminalize addiction instead of treating it as a public health issue.
Des Moines schools superintendent Ian Roberts resigned while detained by ICE over a 2024 deportation order, with his lawyers seeking to reopen the case after Roberts believed it had been resolved; the Guyana-born educator faces allegations of living and working illegally in the U.S. despite years of public service.
A norovirus outbreak aboard Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas sickened more than 70 passengers and one crew member on a 13-day cruise from San Diego to Miami, prompting CDC monitoring, enhanced cleaning, and isolation measures.
Nicole Kidman has filed for divorce from Keith Urban after 19 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences and seeking primary custody of their two daughters.
See you in the morning.
— Aaron
