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Trick or Treat: Congress faces ‘chamber of horrors’ as government funding deadline looms
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It was mid-July. And the House of Representatives was already done for the summer.
That’s right around the same time Halloween decorations like gigantic yard skeletons and Reese’s peanut butter and chocolate pumpkins began materializing in stores.
Those weren’t phantasms. Halloween is the next big consumer holiday on the calendar.
I mean, what would you buy to decorate for Labor Day?
But there’s a spooky alignment between July and Halloween when it comes to Congress. If you begin to see Halloween paraphernalia in July, that’s practically October in Capitol Hill terms. The reason? Congress didn’t finish its annual spending bills before the annual August recess and that means it will be a sprint to finish them by October 1, the deadline to avoid a government shutdown.
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Right around the same time that the rest of the nation starts thinking about ghosts and goblins for Halloween.
The funding deadline is enough to convert the U.S. Capitol into a chamber of horrors for the entire month of September. Congress is always dragging to complete spending measures in July. Then August comes and concerns about the spending bills vanish like a ghost. Then the appropriations bills rise like mummies out of their coffins when Congress comes back in September. The battle over averting a government shutdown is like a vampire. It sucks most other legislative activity out of Congress until there’s a deal. That’s because most Members want no part of a government shutdown. Lawmakers from both sides know that government funding is one of the most important inflection points on the political calendar.
Let’s examine where we stand with government funding.
Congress approved a stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown in March. That interim spending package funded the government through September 30, the end of the federal fiscal year. The House approved the bill. But lawmakers worried about a potential government shutdown because breaking a filibuster on the measure required 60 votes. That entailed support of some Democrats since Republicans only have 53 votes in the Senate.
U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) delivers a statement on the Israeli museum shooting that left two Israeli Embassy staffers dead after holding a press conference on the House passage of the tax and spending bill, at the U.S. Capitol on May 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
At the last minute, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced he would help Republicans crack the filibuster. Schumer didn’t vote yes on the bill itself. But the New York Democrat argued that avoiding a shutdown at that point was better than enduring one under President Trump – and Elon Musk who was then fully empowered at DOGE.
Some longtime Capitol Hill hands and Congressional observers feared the government might shutter for a lengthy period if it closed. Schumer and other Democrats asserted that the President and Musk would use that as justification for never re-opening some parts of the government since they lacked funding from Congress.
Progressives excoriated Schumer for not extracting a major concession from President Trump and Congressional Republicans which reflected Democratic values and priorities. Liberals used Schumer’s decision as justification to demand new Democratic leadership in the Senate. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., appeared to seethe at Schumer’s maneuver, sidestepping questions from reporters about the break.
White House Budget Director Russ Vought says he wants a less bipartisan appropriations process. That’s fine. But this is about the math. House Republicans must stick together to pass any spending package there. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can only lose three votes and still pass a bill without Democratic assistance. Likewise, Senate Republicans can only lose three votes there, too. But the real hurdle is the filibuster. That’s where 60 votes are necessary. And that means the GOP must lean on Democrats – assuming they’re willing to help out.
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It’s really unclear if Republicans can stick together to approve a spending package. Keep in mind that it’s almost a certainty that any spending measure must simply renew all current funding on a temporary basis. A lot of Republicans are fed up with this appropriations rut – especially since Johnson promised to do things differently once he claimed the Speaker’s gavel in October 2023. Remember that some conservatives helped bounce former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., less than two years ago because he propounded an interim spending plan.
Some Republicans are beginning to lose patience with Johnson on spending plans. But remember that most Republicans will support whatever appropriations plan the GOP brass concocts – as long as it has the blessing of President Trump.
U.S. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) (L) talks to Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz (R-FL) in the House Chamber after Gaetz voted present during the fourth day of voting for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2023 in Washington, DC. ( Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
So Vought may advocate for a more partisan process. But that won’t result in policy achievements and GOP spending priorities unless Republicans convince Democrats to play ball.
Here’s another dynamic: some members of the conservative Freedom Caucus are hinting they simply want to re-up the current levels of funding again. Yes, lawmakers approved those spending plans under President Biden and a Democratic Senate. Therefore, much of the federal government is still operating under Democratic spending blueprints. But Democrats would demand more money for the next spending round. The same with some Republicans. So voting to renew the old money – regardless of who pushed for it – is less than Congress could have spent. That’s why some Freedom Caucus members suggest this would serve as a de facto spending cut.
They’re not wrong. Federal spending is almost always on an upward trajectory. This would level things off and bend the annual spending curve for the first time in decades.
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So, if your goal is to trim funding, this may be the most plausible option under the present political circumstances.
Remember, it’s about the math.
Moreover, Republicans have only approved a pittance of the funding cuts demanded by DOGE. Congress passed a bill to slash $9 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and foreign aid. That’s not a lot. And Republicans could barely approve that bill. How they rescind other funding remains to be seen. However, Republicans could greenlight all the old money – and then promise budget hawks they will attempt to claw back other tranches of spending through future recissions packages later in the fall or winter.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, arrives to speak to members of the media at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, July 17, 2025. Republicans are set to succeed in their decades-long quest to end federal funding for public broadcasting after the Senate passed a $9 billion package of cuts derived from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency effort. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
But Democrats won’t go for that. They’d view that as Republicans dropping a Hershey’s bar in their trick or treat bag – and then exchanging it for a rock.
It’s unclear if Democrats have explored soaping the Republicans’ windows at the Capitol this fall if Republicans attempt that gambit. But this could be a chance to find out.
That brings us to the conundrum facing Schumer. One might question how the politics have changed since March – although President Trump and Musk are no longer in league with one another. But progressives will expect Schumer to demand a king’s ransom in exchange for Democratic votes breaking a filibuster.
In other words, both Johnson and Schumer face decisions of frightening proportions very soon.
It may seem as though October 1 is a long way down the calendar. It’s not. To ignore how complicated this may become is the legislative equivalent of whistling past the graveyard.
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This is going to become a rather spooky fall when it comes to funding the government.
Makes you want to just sit in the corner, pull a blanket up over your head and devour a bag of Halloween candy.
republicans,budget,democrats,politics,congress,mike johnson,donald trump
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‘Kamala is brat’: Harris reveals how scripted her failed 2024 campaign was with star-studded events
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It took 27 drafts and coaching from «Barbie» director Greta Gerwig to perfect former Vice President Kamala Harris’ National Democratic Convention speech, Harris revealed in her book «107 Days.»
Harris’ book has pulled back the curtain on her short-lived presidential campaign, unveiling the celebrity cast of characters who boosted her campaign in public and behind the scenes.
«At 5:29 p.m., staff alerted me that the British singer-songwriter Charli XCX had posted: Kamala is brat. Brat was the title of her latest album and identified me with her brand: edgy, imperfect, confident, embracing. From then on, our rebranded Kamala HQ social media site was awash in her signature color, lime green, and posts supporting us used that color,» Harris wrote in her book, detailing the night former President Joe Biden suspended his reelection campaign.
As well as Charli XCX’s signature chartreuse filling Harris’ timeline, her presidential campaign quickly gained traction online as videos of Harris set to songs like Chappell Roan’s «Femininomenon» circulated on TikTok. But social media wasn’t the only medium Harris was honing in on, revealing in her new book that an Oscar-nominated director coached her through DNC speech prep.
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Former Vice President Kamala Harris released her book «107 Days» about her short-lived presidential campaign on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«I did twenty-seven drafts of my convention speech. I knew what was riding on it,» Harris said in her book.
Harris admitted that Gerwig, the «Little Women» and «Barbie» director, helped her rehearse. «When you speak about your family, see their faces,» Harris recalled that Gerwig had advised.
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The former vice president also admitted to working with a professional voice coach.
«She was very serious about her job, but she wanted me to stand there and emit animal noises,» Harris said, explaining that she enlisted her team to join her in making «weird hums, grunts, and trills» to prepare for the DNC speech.
Musical artist Beyonce, right, and former Vice President Kamala Harris, left, embrace on stage during a campaign rally on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Annie Mulligan)
In the book, Harris said delegates at the convention wore T-shirts paying homage to her career or dissing President Donald Trump, and she said merchandise referencing Charli XCX’s «Kamala is brat» message was everywhere.
Weeks later with just a few days until Election Day, when Harris appeared on a podcast episode of «The Checkup with Doctor Mike,» Harris lamented that she was «ambushed by an unscheduled in-depth interview, with no notice, at the end of a nineteen-hour day.»
Harris said her team «knew I insisted on being well prepped, to inquire into the style of the show, the nature of the interviews the host did, the areas of likely questioning.» She said her team failed to give her a «briefing sheet so I could knock it out of the park.»
«What the f— was that?» the Democratic nominee said she asked her staff after the interview, while Grammy-winning artist Cardi B was delivering an introductory speech for Harris at a rally in Wisconsin.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris is seen as a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on July 31, 2025. (Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)
During Harris’ first rally in Atlanta after Biden dropped out of the race, she said Megan The Stallion was selected as the opener and Quavo as the introductory speaker as a way to «liven up» her solo campaign, «broaden the cultural appeal, and bring more creativity and fun.»
«There was a question about whether I should have any celebrities at my rallies,» Harris recalled in the book. «Did it seem too California, too Hollywood?»
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Harris recognized Taylor Swift’s «thoughtful endorsement» on Instagram the night of her debate against Trump, when the «Eras Tour» star called herself a «Childless Cat Lady» in a nod to comments by Vice President JD Vance.
Throughout Harris’ 107-day campaign, she was endorsed by countless celebrities, many who campaigned for her against Trump, including Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, Eminem, Bruce Springsteen, Lizzo, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Stephen Curry and Billie Eilish, to name a few.
kamala harris,joe biden,elections,democratic party,biden pushed out
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Amenaza mafiosa en plena misa: le entregaron una bala a un sacerdote que lucha contra el crimen organizado
El domingo, la tensión en Caivano, un municipio de la provincia de Nápoles golpeado por la criminalidad, subió a un nuevo nivel. En plena misa, el sacerdote Maurizio Patriciello—conocido por su enfrentamiento abierto contra la mafia—recibió una bala de calibre 9×21 envuelta en un pañuelo mientras oficiaba la comunión en la parroquia de San Pablo Apóstol.
La escena fue tan impactante como simbólica: un hombre mayor y conocido en el ambiente delictivo local, se acercó al altar y le entregó el paquete al cura, que lo recibió “atónito”, según dijo la periodista antimafia Marilena Natale, quien presenció la escena, al diario La Repubblica.
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“Fui a misa porque estoy preocupada por el sacerdote últimamente”, contó Natale. “Reconocí al suegro del jefe Ciccarelli en el penúltimo banco y comencé a filmar porque lo vi agitado y con anteojos de sol, que nunca se quitaba”, explicó sobre el hombre que entregó el paquete, Vittorio De Luca, de 75 años.
“Al ver la reacción del cura, le pedí que me diera el paquete. Cuando descubrí la bala, hice que lo detuvieran mis guardias de seguridad y los de Don Maurizio”, comentó la mujer, que luego entregó la bala a las autoridades.
El mafioso que entregó la bala fue identificado como Vittorio De Luca. (Foto: gentileza La Repubblica).
Un mensaje mafioso en medio de la iglesia
La amenaza no llegó de la nada. La noche anterior, Patriciello había denunciado en redes sociales que se escucharon dos disparos cerca de su parroquia. En ese mismo mensaje, el sacerdote destacó los avances recientes en la lucha contra el crimen organizado: “En Caivano y alrededores, la mafia organizada—bien arraigada desde hace años—ha recibido, en estos últimos meses, un golpe durísimo. El comercio de la malditísima droga ha disminuido a la vista. Los jefes de los clanes, casi todos en prisión. El gobierno actual se está comprometiendo como nunca antes. A pesar de un trabajo nunca visto antes, los delincuentes intentan llenar los vacíos dejados por los detenidos”, escribió en Facebook.
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Antes de la misa, el cura también se dirigió a los jóvenes de la zona con un pedido desesperado: “Chicos, en nombre de Dios, ¡deténganse! Disfruten de su juventud. El camino que han tomado es un callejón sin salida. Siempre termina o en la cárcel o en el cementerio”.
Caivano, una ciudad marcada por la violencia y el abandono
El ataque al sacerdote se dio en un contexto de máxima tensión. En 2023, Caivano fue noticia nacional por un caso de violación que conmocionó a Italia: dos primas de 13 años fueron agredidas por un grupo de seis adolescentes. Ese episodio derivó en la aprobación del llamado ‘Decreto Caivano’, un paquete de medidas impulsado por el Gobierno de Giorgia Meloni para combatir la delincuencia juvenil.
El respaldo del Gobierno y la condena de Meloni
La primera ministra Giorgia Meloni no tardó en reaccionar. El domingo, calificó el hecho como “inaceptable” y expresó su solidaridad con el sacerdote, a quien había visitado en la localidad el año anterior. “Un gesto vil y criminal, cometido en el lugar y momento más sagrado, que no intimidará a quienes, como don Patriciello, representan coraje y dedicación a favor de la comunidad y la legalidad. Al lado de don Patriciello y de todos aquellos que no se doblegan ante la criminalidad. El Estado está con ustedes, y nunca daremos un paso atrás”, escribió la mandataria en su cuenta de X.
Por su parte, el ministro del Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, se comunicó telefónicamente con el sacerdote, le transmitió su apoyo y confirmó que se reforzarán las medidas de protección para él.
El Prefecto de Nápoles, Michele di Bari, declaró este lunes que “se están reforzando algunas medidas en relación con Don Patriciello, la iglesia y otros lugares simbólicos, porque en este contexto creemos que proteger a Don Patriciello es esencial para continuar la lucha contra la delincuencia en esa zona”.
Un símbolo de resistencia en la lucha contra la mafia
El episodio dejó en claro que la batalla contra la mafia en el sur de Italia está lejos de terminar. Maurizio Patriciello se convirtió en un símbolo de resistencia y coraje en una región donde la violencia y la impunidad parecen no dar tregua. La amenaza mafiosa, esta vez, llegó hasta el altar, pero el mensaje del sacerdote y el respaldo de la comunidad muestran que la pelea sigue más viva que nunca.
Italia, Nápoles, mafia
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