With funding set to lapse in just hours, Brendan Buck and Annalyse Keller discuss if a deal can be reached to avoid a government shutdown – and if not, how leaders will get out of one. Then they are joined by Seven Letter partner Mike Ricci, a top adviser to two GOP speakers, for a trip down memory lane as they revisit the 2013 government shutdown. What was the strategy going into and during the fight? When did things start going off the rails? And what lessons does that experience offer Democrats?

Hosts: Brendan Buck and Annalyse Keller

Guest: Mike Ricci

Audio Producer: Benji Englander

Video Producer: Regina Anderson

Articles Discussed:

AP: Congressional leaders leave White House meeting without deal to avoid government shutdown

NYT: How Congressional Leaders Are Positioning Themselves in the Shutdown Fight

Politico: Johnson urges GOP unity as shutdown deadline nears

WaPo: White House begins plan for mass firings if there’s a government shutdown

WaPo: Government shutdowns high on drama, but low on long-term political impact

AP: A look at previous government shutdowns and how they ended

Republicans and Democrats are gearing up for a shutdown and neither side appears ready to blink. Hosts Brendan Buck and Annalyse Keller are joined by HuffPost senior reporter Igor Bobic to break down the stalemate. They discuss the strange timeline, compare this debate to past shutdown fights, and question Senator Schumer’s endgame. Plus, will the GOP come to regret changing Senate rules? And will Congress conduct oversight of the FCC in the wake of the Jimmy Kimmel situation?

Hosts: Brendan Buck and Annalyse Keller

Guest: Igor Bobic, HuffPost

Producer: Benji Englander

Articles Discussed:

Punchbowl: Both sides dig in as shutdown looms

Politico: Tables turn for Democrats as they use shutdown for leverage

Reuters: Democratic leaders in US Congress demand meeting with Trump as government shutdown looms

Politico: Thune mocks Schumer’s shutdown stance: He ‘knows where my office is’

NBC News: Senate Republicans poke holes in the filibuster despite vowing to protect it

HuffPost: GOP Senators Criticize FCC's Threats Against ABC And Jimmy Kimmel

After many close calls, is this the time Congress actually shuts down the government? With just two weeks left until funding runs out, Brendan Buck and Annalyse Keller discuss the state-of-play. Can Speaker Johnson wrangle enough votes again? Will soaring tensions in the Senate scuttle any deal? They also talk about the murder of Charlie Kirk and its impact on the security needs for Members of Congress. Then, Joel Payne – the Chief Communications Officer at MoveOn – joins the show to offer the Democrat perspective on the shutdown fight and share his advice for the path forward for the party.

Hosts: Brendan Buck and Annalyse Keller

Gust: Joel Payne, MoveOn

Audio Producer: Benji Englander

Video Producer: Regina Anderson

Articles Discussed:

Punchbowl: Congress is barreling toward a shutdown

The Hill: House GOP eyes stopgap into November to avert shutdown

POLITICO: Trump to GOP: Vote yes on the ‘clean’ CR

AP: Schumer warns of a shutdown if Republicans don’t accept Democrats’ health care demands

CNN: White House requests $58 million in security funding from Congress following Kirk assassination

NBC News: Senate Republicans trigger 'nuclear option,' changing rules to speed up Trump nominees

POLITICO: MoveOn demands Schumer and Jeffries ‘hold the line’ on health care in shutdown fight