The impacts of a government shutdown begin to take effect. Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth turn a military meeting into a political event. And A-list comedians face criticism over a Saudi Arabian festival.
Here’s what to know today.
Government shuts down after no deal is reached
The government shut down last night, and the blame game started before the clock struck midnight. In the final hours, the two parties traded insults rather than serious proposals. It’s unclear where they go from here.
Republicans argued that Democrats could have averted a shutdown by voting for the House-passed continuing resolution, which would fund the government at current levels through Nov. 21. Democrats said they were trying to stave off a looming “health care crisis.”
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Democrats wanted any continuing resolution to include an extension of Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year. They also pushed for a roll back of some of the cuts and changes to Medicaid that were enacted in President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”
It’s the first government shutdown since 2018, in Trump’s first term, which was the longest ever at 34 days, lasting into early 2019.
The impacts of a shutdown will be felt by many. None of the millions of federal workers will be paid, and the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that it would lead to the furloughs of about 750,000 federal employees.
Military service members will not be paid during a shutdown, either. The White House has also threatened to fire federal workers in a shutdown.
Read the full story.
More on the shutdown:
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries blamed “erratic and unhinged” behavior from Trump for the standoff. Follow live updates.
Federal employees who will be impacted received a memo informing them of possible furloughs, along with a partisan accusation that Democrats in Congress were to blame.
Two unions have filed suit against the Trump administration over its plans to fire federal workers during the shutdown.
Here’s what happens when the government shuts down.
Members of Congress will still get paid during the government shutdown.
National parks will remain partially open, according to an Interior Department contingency plan.
Hegseth’s mysterious military meeting turns political
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s unusual meeting summoned hundreds of senior officers on short notice, pulling them from their posts around the world to Quantico, Virginia. The meeting ended up not as a showcase of major changes to the military but a recitation of familiar talking points from Hegseth and Trump.
Trump talked about the successes he believes he’s had in sending the military into American cities and using “dangerous cities as training grounds for our military National Guard.”
The mystery surrounding the event had fueled concerns that Hegseth might test the officers’ loyalty or that any resignations could stem from his announcements. While neither of those things happened, Trump and Hegseth turned it into a political event, even if the audience didn’t go along.
Read the full story.
More politics news:
The White House withdrew the nomination of E.J. Antoni to be the next commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A federal judge criticized the White House’s crackdown on free speech as he ruled in favor of foreign students the government has targeted for their support of Palestinian rights.
The Trump administration’s case against former FBI Director James Comey should be a warning sign to Americans, 42 retired judges wrote in an open letter.
Pfizer and Trump strike a deal
The Trump administration has reached a deal with Pfizer for it to voluntarily sell its drugs at lower prices to Medicaid patients.
As part of the deal, Trump said, Pfizer will sell some of its drugs on a new “direct to consumer” website called “TrumpRx.” Trump said the website would be operated by the federal government but offered few details about how the program would work.
The deal Pfizer cut with the White House will give the company a three-year grace period on Trump’s planned tariffs on pharmaceuticals made abroad, which are expected to take effect today.
Read the full story.
Read All About It
The judge in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ criminal case rejected the hip-hop mogul’s request to toss out his prostitution-related conviction, setting the stage for his sentencing.
A search for the motive in the Michigan church shooting is focusing on the gunman’s erratic behavior.
Character.AI said it has removed Disney characters from its chatbot platform.
The Big 12 Conference announced a $50,000 fine for the University of Colorado after fans yelled anti-Mormon chants directed at BYU.
“Reading Rainbow,” a show that previously aired on PBS and was hosted by LeVar Burton, is returning nearly two decades after it ended its original run.
Staff Pick: No laughing matter
Big-name comedians who accepted invites to perform at a state-sponsored comedy festival in Saudi Arabia are facing backlash from fans and fellow comics who expressed concern over the country’s controversial human rights record.
Human Rights Watch also criticized the festival and called on the performers “to publicly urge Saudi authorities to free unjustly detained Saudi dissidents, journalists, and human rights activists.”
We explored the range of reactions from comedians in the industry, some of whom claim they rejected their own invite to the Riyadh Comedy Festival as a matter of integrity.
– Angela Yang, trending reporter
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