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.

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 …

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.

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.

Pritzker compares Trump to Putin, calls for invoking 25th Amendment for suggesting military use Chicago as “training grounds”  —  After President Donald Trump on Tuesday suggested cities like Chicago should be used as “training grounds for our military,” Gov. JB Pritzker said the 25th Amendment …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Judge says Nevada US attorney's involvement in criminal cases ‘would be unlawful’ … The Nevada U.S. attorney's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.  —  U.S. attorneys are typically confirmed by the Senate, or in some cases installed by judicial appointment.

Experts now rate the U.S. as a “mixed” or “illiberal” democracy  —  Experts say political violence, Trump's attacks against non-partisan agencies and institutions, and partisan gerrymandering are their top concerns  —  The U.S. has never been a full democracy.

Madison Cawthorn aims to make political comeback, announces run for Congress  —  Cawthorn says Charlie Kirk's assassination inspired him to run  —  FIRST ON FOX: Former North Carolina Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn announced he will be running for Florida's 19th congressional seat …

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 …

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.

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 …