Top Items:
Andrew Egger / The Bulwark:
The Silence of the Generals — Well, here we go: The federal government has shut down. Senate Democrats have vowed to oppose any spending measure that doesn't restore some of the health care cuts of this summer's One Big Beautiful Bill Act; meanwhile, Republicans are refusing to negotiate point blank …
Discussion:
HuffPost, Common Dreams and Bloomberg
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Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
Last Thursday, September 25, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suddenly announced he was calling about 800 of the nation's top military generals and admirals, along with their top enlisted advisors, to meet at Marine Corps Base Quantico, in Virginia, today. Such a meeting was unprecedented …
Discussion:
MSNBC, USA Today, Politico, Washington Post, Raw Story, Breitbart, 404 Media, The Free Press, OutsideTheBeltway, The Guardian and Not the Bee
Associated Press:
Government shutdown begins as nation faces new period of uncertainty — Plunged into a government shutdown, the U.S. is confronting a fresh cycle of uncertainty after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep government programs and services running by Wednesday's deadline.
Punchbowl News:
10/1/25 ☀️ AM: … The federal government shut down at 12:01 a.m. this morning. It's the first government shutdown since 2019. … The party looking to force a policy change via a shutdown rarely gets what it wants. — We know that from the Republicans' 2013 shutdown seeking …
Marisa Kabas / The Handbasket:
Trump mandates all federal agencies send email blaming Dems for potential gov't shutdown — Workers call the partisan email “a vile slap in the face.” … As the federal government teeters on the brink of a shutdown, workers across many agencies received identical emails late Tuesday afternoon blaming Democrats for the possibility.
Discussion:
NPR, NBC News, The Guardian, Politico, The Hill, NASA Watch, Federal News Network and NOTUS
Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
The Commander in Chief Is Not Okay
Discussion:
America, America, Raw Story, New York Times, Slate, NewsMax.com and Washington Post
Hamilton Nolan / How Things Work:
Leave the Military Now — Six months ago, I wrote a piece urging soldiers to leave the United States military.
Leave the Military Now — Six months ago, I wrote a piece urging soldiers to leave the United States military.
Discussion:
Air & Space Forces Magazine
Congressman Jamie Raskin:
Navigating A Government Shutdown: One-Stop Resource Page
Navigating A Government Shutdown: One-Stop Resource Page
Discussion:
GovExec.com, Defense One and Politico
Elizabeth Elkind / Fox News:
Government shutdown begins as House GOP campaign arm heaps pressure on Dems
Government shutdown begins as House GOP campaign arm heaps pressure on Dems
Discussion:
Townhall, The Daily Caller, NRCC, NewsMax.com and The Daily Signal
Sarah K. Burris / Raw Story:
‘Disbelief’: Pentagon reporter can't find one military official who liked Hegseth's speech
‘Disbelief’: Pentagon reporter can't find one military official who liked Hegseth's speech
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Axios, Associated Press, The Borowitz Report, Louder With Crowder, The Independent and CBS News
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Democrats See No Need to Capitulate, Nor Republicans to Cut a Deal
Democrats See No Need to Capitulate, Nor Republicans to Cut a Deal
Discussion:
NBC News, The Hill, The Contrarian, RedState, Fox News, The Dispatch and Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion
Associated Press:
Government headed to a shutdown after last-ditch vote fails in Senate
Government headed to a shutdown after last-ditch vote fails in Senate
Discussion:
The Hill, New York Times, NBC News, ABC News, The White House, NPR, Washington Examiner, New Republic, NewsMax.com, Politico, Ace of Spades HQ, The Parnas Perspective, The American Conservative, Off Message, Axios, WTOP News, Pensacola News Journal, The Daily Caller, emptywheel, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Lawfare, Washington Post, Times Now, Reuters, New York Sun, GB News, STAT, The Western Journal, The Daily Signal, Breitbart, Raw Story, The Guardian, Vox, Newsweek, The Independent, Deadline, New York Post, Montana Free Press, Wall Street Journal, The Gateway Pundit, Al Jazeera, Washington Times, Fortune, ABC Columbia, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Forbes, Florida Politics, Slate, UPI, Daily Kos, FOX 11 Los Angeles, Deseret News, FOX 32 Chicago, WJBK-TV, Chicago Tribune and E&E News
Daniel Dale / CNN:
Fact check: Trump makes numerous false claims to generals and admirals, some about the military
Fact check: Trump makes numerous false claims to generals and admirals, some about the military
Discussion:
Associated Press, BY GLENN KESSLER, Mediaite, The Independent and Patterico's Pontifications
Paul Krugman:
Bulging Biceps Don't Win Modern Wars
Bulging Biceps Don't Win Modern Wars
Discussion:
RealClearPolitics, Breitbart and Substack
Steve Peoples / Associated Press:
Democrats embrace a shutdown fight in a rare moment of unity against Trump
Democrats embrace a shutdown fight in a rare moment of unity against Trump
Discussion:
Politico, NOTUS, The Federalist and The Message Box
Anvee Bhutani / Wall Street Journal:
What to Expect From the Federal Government Shutdown
What to Expect From the Federal Government Shutdown
Discussion:
GovExec.com, Axios, CBS News, Times Now, Associated Press and Representative Shontel Brown
CNN:
White House withdraws Trump's controversial nominee to lead BLS after ousting predecessor over jobs data — The White House has sent paperwork to the Senate to withdraw the nomination of E.J. Antoni as head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, three sources told CNN.
Discussion:
Associated Press, HuffPost, Forbes, Axios, Mediaite, Quartz, Washington Examiner, The Hill, The Daily Caller, IJR, LGBTQ Nation, Raw Story and The Gateway Pundit
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New York Times:
White House Withdraws Nomination of E.J. Antoni, Trump's Pick to Lead BLS — E.J. Antoni, a conservative economist, had faced bipartisan criticism as President Trump's nominee to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics. — The White House has withdrawn the nomination of E.J. Antoni …
Discussion:
Quartz, The Independent, Bloomberg and NewsMax.com
Wall Street Journal:
White House Withdraws Nominee to Lead Bureau of Labor Statistics
Discussion:
NBC News, Washington Post, Washington Times, CBS News, Fox Business, Politico and WTOP News
Steve Benen / MSNBC:
E.J. Antoni's failed nomination makes the White House look even more incompetent
E.J. Antoni's failed nomination makes the White House look even more incompetent
Discussion:
UPI
Avery Lotz / Axios:
Unions sue Trump admin over mass layoff plan during government shutdown … - The government shut down after the Senate failed to pass a funding measure Tuesday. … - The lawsuit names the Office of Management and Budget and its director, Russell Vought, and the Office of Personnel Management …
Discussion:
The Hill and New York Post
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NPR:
Federal agencies are rehiring workers and spending more after DOGE's push to cut — The so-called Department of Government Efficiency effort has failed to deliver on its outsized promises to cut costs and increase efficiency, NPR's latest analysis of federal data finds.
Discussion:
New York Times, Raw Story and Boston.com
Faith Wardwell / Politico:
Labor unions sue OMB, OPM for ‘unlawful’ threats of mass layoffs ahead of shutdown
Labor unions sue OMB, OPM for ‘unlawful’ threats of mass layoffs ahead of shutdown
Discussion:
Townhall, The Hill, Mediaite, American Prospect and Roll Call
Zachary Basu / Axios:
Trump's MAGA-fied military prepares for “war from within” — More than 800 top military brass sat quietly Tuesday as President Trump declared a new “war from within” — fixated on an American battlefield he claimed to be more dangerous than any foreign war zone.
Discussion:
Common Dreams, Washington Post, NPR, Daily Kos, New York Post, The Parnas Perspective and MSNBC
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Justin Glawe / Public Notice:
Trump attempts a major step toward dictatorship — PN is supported by paid subscribers. Become one ⬇️ — 🫡 Subscribe to PN 🫡 — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday delivered a speech to the nation's top generals and admirals that laid out his plans …
Discussion:
HuffPost, Diane Ravitch's blog, Forbes and Politico
Valentina di Donato / The Daily Register:
Pope Leo XIV Wades Into Durbin Debate — The number of bishops who have condemned Cardinal Cupich's decision to honor Durbin with a ‘lifetime achievement award’ has risen to 10, including two bishops emeritus. — Pope Leo XIV responded to controversy over the Chicago cardinal's plans …
Discussion:
Townhall, LifeNews.com, NewsMax.com, The Hill and America Magazine
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Shia Kapos / Politico:
Pope Leo speaks up on Dick Durbin's behalf amid abortion rift
Pope Leo speaks up on Dick Durbin's behalf amid abortion rift
Discussion:
Washington Post, State Journal Register, Scripps News, Chicago Sun Times, LifeNews.com and Fox News
Oliver Darcy / Status:
WaPo's Ad Chief Wavers … Those departures have drawn the most public attention, but an equally consequential matter has been unfolding on the business side. The task of selling advertising, already a challenge in today's digital media economy dominated by Meta and Google …
Discussion:
New York Post, more at Mediagazer »
Catherine Bouris / The Daily Beast:
Mike Johnson Caught Trashing Trump's Vulgar AI Video — TROUBLE IN PARADISE — The House Speaker was spotted discussing the president's bizarre video with a Democratic colleague. — House Speaker Mike Johnson was recorded criticizing a bizarre AI-generated video posted by President Donald Trump …
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Aaron Pellish / Politico:
Trump posts another deepfake video mocking Jeffries
Trump posts another deepfake video mocking Jeffries
Discussion:
The Hill, HuffPost, USA Today, Metro.co.uk, The Gateway Pundit, The Verge, Mediaite, Associated Press, Raw Story, twitchy.com, Axios, Ars Technica, MSNBC, Straight Arrow News, Not the Bee, Truthout and Techdirt, more at Mediagazer »
Michael R. Sisak / Associated Press:
Federal agents grab and shove journalists outside NYC immigration court, sending one to hospital — Federal agents grabbed and shoved journalists in a hallway outside a New York City immigration court on Tuesday, sending one to the hospital in the latest clash between authorities enforcing …
Discussion:
Reuters, Newsweek, AM New York and Mediaite
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Noah Lanard / Mother Jones:
A Reagan-Appointed Judge Just Wrote a Blistering Anti-Trump Decision — Federal judge William G. Young attacked the president's crackdown on civil liberties as un-American. — On Tuesday, William G. Young—a federal district court judge in Massachusetts and a Reagan appointee …
Discussion:
HuffPost, Talking Points Memo, CNN, New York Sun, Fox News, Esquire, MSNBC, The Intercept, The Hill, All Rise News, Washington Times, CBS News and Defending Rights & Dissent
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Greg Ryan / Bloomberg:
Boston Mayor's Blowout Victory Jolts CEOs Seeking New Direction — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is coasting to reelection after her main opponent quit the race, giving her a commanding mandate that's putting city business leaders on edge. — The progressive Democrat defeated Josh Kraft …
Jack Dunn / Variety:
Jimmy Fallon Plans to ‘Keep My Head Down’ and Avoid Politics on ‘The Tonight Show’: ‘We Hit Both Sides Equally’ — Jimmy Fallon plans to keep “The Tonight Show” out of politics. — During a recent interview with CNBC's “Squawk on the Street,” the late-night frontman said his show has …
Discussion:
New Jersey Online, IJR, Deadline, Mediaite, New York Times, Rolling Stone, Newsbusters, The Western Journal and RedState
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Trump's Rage at Zohran Just Backfired in a Surprisingly Revealing Way — The Democrats who are capturing media and public attention right now all share something in common. They are openly and urgently leveling with the American people about a singular basic reality: President Trump …
Joseph Cox / 404 Media:
ICE to Buy Tool that Tracks Locations of Hundreds of Millions of Phones Every Day — Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has bought access to a surveillance tool that is updated every day with billions of pieces of location data from hundreds of millions of mobile phones, according to ICE documents reviewed by 404 Media.
Josh Moody / Inside Higher Ed:
Spending Soars, Rankings Fall at New College of Florida — Student outcomes and rankings are slipping at the liberal arts college while spending is up. Critics believe the college is at risk of implosion, and some are calling for privatization. — More than two years into a conservative takeover …
Jamelle Bouie / New York Times:
Trump Has No Mandate to Destroy America — Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election with 49.8 percent of the national popular vote — compared with 48.3 percent for Vice President Kamala Harris — and 312 electoral votes to Harris's 226. Overall, looking at the 20 presidential elections since …
Sasha Rogelberg / Fortune:
Leaked texts on Scott Bessent's phone suggest the White House got played bailing out Argentina—and U.S. soybean farmers are the casualties — The White House's plan to aid Argentina appears to have backfired. — According to a photo of a private text on the phone of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent …
