Top Items:
Vittoria Elliott / Wired:
Federal Workers Are Being Told to Blame Democrats for the Shutdown — Workers at one agency were given unhinged, partisan language to use when setting out-of-office replies. — At 9:35am on Wednesday, the first morning of the US government shutdown, employees at the Small Business Administration …
Discussion:
New York Times, The Handbasket, Mediaite and NOTUS
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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:
Common Dreams, HuffPost and Bloomberg
Gregory Svirnovskiy / Politico:
Vance says he'll talk Obamacare premiums with Schumer — but only with government open … The federal government shut down in the early morning Wednesday, raising the specter of furloughs for up to 750,000 federal employees, per the Congressional Budget Office.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Associated Press, Washington Times, NewsMax.com, CNBC, The Wrap, KFF Health News, Mediaite, Fox News and STAT
Eliot A. Cohen / The Atlantic:
Pete Hegseth Is Living the Dream — A man who retired as a major lectures hundreds of generals about the need to meet his standards. — In the end, it was mostly blither. When Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth announced a gathering of some 800 generals and admirals (with their senior enlisted advisers), rumors ran wild.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Onward and Upward
Dave Jamieson / HuffPost:
Federal Workers Receive Emails Blaming Democrats For Government Shutdown — The Trump administration is brazenly flouting ethics guidelines as it tries to pin the shutdown on the Democratic Party. — Workers at several federal agencies received an email from their leaders late Tuesday blaming Democrats …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, New Republic, Fox News, The Guardian, USA Today and Federal News Network
New York Times:
Government Shutdown: Democrats Did the Smart Thing — The U.S. government is shut down. Democrats and Republicans failed to agree on a stopgap funding bill, leading to the shutdown. The journalist Molly Jong-Fast argues that the Democrats did the smart thing by refusing to acquiesce to President Trump.
Discussion:
Sabato's Crystal Ball, Vox, Wall Street Journal, HotAir, Politico, Tangle, Washington Post, Orlando Sentinel, Colorado Public Radio, Washington Times, France 24, Fox News, NPR, Pensacola News Journal, One America News Network, LGBTQ Nation, Louder With Crowder, Townhall, New Jersey Online, Washington Blade, NewsNation, Bloomberg, Florida Politics, The Western Journal, The Atlantic, al.com, Times Now, The Guardian, Washington Examiner, Political Wire, The Gateway Pundit, NewsMax.com, The Hill, New Republic, The Daily Signal, Axios, Slate and Breitbart
Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
The Commander in Chief Is Not Okay — Trump put on a disturbing show for America's generals and admirals. — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's convocation of hundreds of generals and admirals today turned out to be, in the main, a nothingburger. Hegseth strutted and paced and lectured and hectored …
Discussion:
RUSI, To the Contrary, America, America, Raw Story, CNN and New York Times
Justin Glawe / Public Notice:
Trump attempts a major step toward dictatorship
Discussion:
Diane Ravitch's blog, Forbes and Politico
Jonathan Cohn / The Bulwark:
The Republican Shutdown Argument is a Giant Lie
Discussion:
MSNBC, New York Times, CNN and Associated Press
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
Last Thursday, September 25, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suddenly announced he was calling …
Discussion:
The Nation, The Hill, USA Today, Washington Post, MSNBC, Raw Story, Breitbart, 404 Media and The Free Press
NBC News:
Government shutdown threatens to upend Virginia's race for governor
Discussion:
The Hill, Associated Press, Washington Monthly, Fox News, The Guardian, Semafor, Blue Virginia, Bloomberg, Axios, France 24, Above the Law, UPI, Daily Mail, PBS NewsHour, Raw Story, Deadline and Washington Post
Avery Lotz / Axios:
GOP uses federal platforms to launch shutdown blame blitz
Discussion:
Politico, The Daily Caller, NewsMax.com, Salon, Forbes, New Jersey Online, Fox News, Al Jazeera, Slate, NPR, HuffPost, New Republic, The American Conservative, Althouse, The Hill, The Western Journal and Associated Press
The Atlantic:
Hundreds of Generals Try to Keep a Straight Face
Discussion:
The Hill, The UnPopulist, Vox, Air & Space Forces Magazine, New York Post, The 19th, The Dispatch, Defense One, GB News, Townhall, Blaze Media, Politico, SOFX and Slate
George Chidi / The Guardian:
Veterans react to Hegseth's ‘insulting’ address to generals and admirals
Discussion:
MeidasTouch News
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Senate defeats House-passed bill to reopen government, despite Democratic cracks
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 …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Politico:
Trump to withhold billions of dollars from Gateway tunnel and Second Ave. subway projects … A spokesperson for the Transportation Department, in a statement, blamed Democratic leaders in Congress for the shutdown and said it led to the agency furloughing civil rights staff responsible for conducting the administrative review.
Discussion:
NPR, CNBC, Associated Press, Daily Kos, Raw Story, AM New York, Gothamist, Breitbart, Washington Times, Los Angeles Times and New Jersey Globe
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Matthew Haag / New York Times:
Trump Administration to Withhold $18 Billion for N.Y.C. Transit Projects
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Axios, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Gizmodo, RedState, The Western Journal, The Independent, NBC News, CBS News, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Post Millennial, NewsMax.com, Associated Press, New York Sun, New Republic, Raw Story, The National Pulse, Mediaite and New York Post
Mark Sherman / Associated Press:
Supreme Court lets Lisa Cook remain as a Federal Reserve governor for now — The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed Lisa Cook to remain as a Federal Reserve governor for now, declining to act on the Trump administration's effort to immediately remove her from the central bank.
Discussion:
New York Times, Democracy Docket, New Republic, Associated Press, CNBC, NewsNation, Washington Examiner, Politico, Roll Call, Bloomberg, Washington Post, Fox News, Axios, CBS News, Raw Story, Michigan Advance, Al Jazeera, NOTUS, ABC News, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, NPR, Quartz, Townhall, The Guardian, Daily Mail, Los Angeles Times, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, NewsMax.com, The Daily Signal, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, SCOTUSblog, Crooks and Liars and Newsweek
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President Donald J. Trump / The White House:
Assuring the Security of the State of Qatar — By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in recognition of the enduring alliance between the United States and the State of Qatar, it is hereby ordered: — Section 1. Policy.
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Eli Stokols / Politico:
Trump promises to defend Qatar in wake of Israeli missile strikes
Discussion:
Reuters, Associated Press, Washington Times and Al Jazeera
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
Vought: Mass firings will begin ‘in a day or two’ — OMB chief Russ Vought told House Republicans on a private call Wednesday that the administration will start mass reduction in force moves, or firings, of federal workers “in a day or two,” according to four people granted anonymity to describe the call.
Discussion:
New York Times
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Jesse Valentine / American Journal News:
Tumblr linked to Republican John Reid engaged with Nazi porn accounts — A pornographic blog linked to Virginia lieutenant governor candidate John Reid shared content from accounts that fetishized Nazism and sexual violence. — Reid has denied ownership of the blog, which was hosted …
Discussion:
Blue Virginia
ProPublica:
Trading on Tom Homan: Inside the Push to Cash in on the Trump Administration's Deportation Campaign — ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published. — The first time a Pennsylvania consultant …
Anastasia Tsioulcas / NPR:
Hundreds of celebrities relaunch a McCarthy-era committee to defend free speech — On Wednesday, over 550 celebrities relaunched a group first organized during the post-World War II Red Scare: the Committee for the First Amendment. Their intent is to stand up in what they call a …
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Hill, Rolling Stone, The Wrap, Deadline and Committee for the First …
Laura Esposito / The Daily Beast:
Construction on Trump's Ballroom Continues Amid Government Shutdown — PRIORITIES — Critics think the multimillion dollar White House renovation is a little out of touch. — Nothing will stop President Donald Trump's construction of a lavish new White House ballroom—not even a U.S. government shutdown.
Discussion:
NewsMax.com
G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:
Experts now rate the U.S. as a “mixed” or “illiberal” democracy — The U.S. has never been a full democracy. By this I mean mainly that for most of our country's history, full voting and civil rights have been reserved for only a subset of the American people: only in 1920 did women gain the right to vote …
Discussion:
Bright Line Watch
Steve Benen / MSNBC:
E.J. Antoni's failed nomination makes the White House look even more incompetent — It's not often that Senate Republicans muster the courage to tell Donald Trump and his team, “Whoa, hold on, we can't go that far.” — As a rule, the process surrounding Donald Trump's nominees is relatively efficient.
Discussion:
NBC News, The Friends of the Bureau …, Associated Press, Straight Arrow News, Washington Post, The Guardian, New York Post, New York Times, NPR, CNN, Axios, The Forward, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo, UPI, Mediaite, HuffPost, Quartz, Fox Business, Washington Times, CBS News, Washington Examiner, The Hill, IJR, LGBTQ Nation, Bloomberg, NewsMax.com, The Gateway Pundit, Wall Street Journal, Politico and Raw Story
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 …
Discussion:
Oregonian
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 …
Stephen Neukam / Axios:
Scoop: Colin Allred raises $4.1 million for Texas Senate bid — Texas Democrat Colin Allred raised more than $4.1 million since launching his campaign for Senate in July, Axios has learned. … - Allred, a former three-term congressman, raised the money through more than 100,000 contributions during the third fundraising quarter.
Discussion:
New York Times, The Hill, The Barbed Wire and Washington Examiner
Paul Krugman:
Bulging Biceps Don't Win Modern Wars — Hegseth's speech was vile. It was also stupid. — 1,110 — A Ukrainian drone operator — Why did Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary — he may call himself secretary of war, but Congress has not, in fact, voted to change his department's name …
Discussion:
RealClearPolitics, Substack, Breitbart and RedState
Kori Schake / Foreign Policy:
Trump's Speech to Generals Was Incitement to Violence Against Americans — Military leaders' quiet professionalism offers hope amid a maelstrom. — Yesterday morning, U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth behaved reprehensibly.
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, New York Times and Raw Story
Alana Goodman / The Washington Free Beacon:
‘It Was a Fatal Right-Wing Terrorist Incident’: AI Chatbot Giants Claim Charlie Kirk's Killer Was Right-Wing but Say Left-Wing Violence Is ‘Exceptionally Rare’ — The major AI platforms—which have emerged as significant American news sources—describe Charlie Kirk's assassination as motivated by …
Discussion:
RedState and Just Security
Tressie McMillan Cottom / New York Times:
This Is Not Free Speech — I learned that Charlie Kirk was dead by seeing a video of his assassination on social media. It is an unfortunate sign of our times, when “If it bleeds it leads” has been replaced with “Monetize misery.” I hate it. I also hated the feelings of the next few days …
Warner Todd Huston / Breitbart:
Creator of Netflix Trans Children's Cartoon ‘Dead End Paranormal Park’ Under Fire for Smearing Charlie Kirk as a ‘Nazi’ — The creator of a Netflix cartoon series aimed at children, that includes a transgender storyline, smeared Charlie Kirk and called the conservative activist a “Nazi” in an expletive-laden rant of social media.
Discussion:
Variety, PinkNews, Times Now and Blaze Media
Patrick Svitek / Washington Post:
Madison Cawthorn, ousted from House in 2022, tries comeback in Florida — The Republican will run for Florida's 19th Congressional District, where a seat is open because Rep. Byron Donalds (R) is seeking the state's governorship. — Former congressman Madison Cawthorn (R-North Carolina) …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Fox News, Roll Call, Mediaite, Daily Kos, NewsMax.com, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Daily Caller News Foundation and Florida Politics
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
New High Say Supreme Court Is Too Conservative — Story Highlights — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Forty-three percent of Americans think the current Supreme Court is too conservative. Though that proportion is not meaningfully different from 2022-2024 readings, it is the highest Gallup has measured by one percentage point.
Slate:
There's a New Lawsuit Against “Kavanaugh Stops.” It's Absolutely Devastating. — Gregory Bovino, the officer in charge of roving immigration enforcement in American cities, admitted this week that his agents arrest people based on “how they look.” Asked by a WBEZ reporter to elaborate …
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