After Republicans refuse to negotiate with Democrats on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, the government shuts down. Dan and Alex Wagner, Pod Save America's newest contributor, discuss what Democrats will need to do to hold the line; Project 2025 architect Russ Vought's attacks on blue states and federal employees; and the Democratic-Republican messaging fight that's devolved into an AI-fueled meme war. Then, the two break down Trump's threats — and Hegseth's grievances — at an unprecedented meeting of the military's top brass, Trump's new political demands for universities, and some much-needed good news about free speech, Fed Chair Lisa Cook, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS GRAZA: https://www.graza.co CODE: CROOKED HIYA: https://www.hiyahealth.com/CROOKED WILD ALASKAN COMPANY: http://www.wildalaskan.com/CROOKED ZBIOTICS: https://www.zbiotics.com/CROOKED code: CROOKED CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 1:02 Government Shutdown Has No End in Sight 21:20 Ad Break 24:32 Trump and Russ Vought Target Blue States in Govt Cuts 36:25 The Shutdown Messaging War 51:15 Ad Break 54:40 Trump’s Racist AI Videos 01:00:29 Pete Hegseth and Trump’s Speeches to the Military 01:07:27 Trump Targets Universities for Reform 01:12:33 Some Rare Good News of Courts Pushing Back on Trump 01:17:15 The Pope is Still Woke! Join this channel to get access to perks like ad-free episodes and exclusive videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKRoXz3hHAu2XL_k3Ef4vJQ/join Get tickets to CROOKED CON November 6-7 in Washington, D.C at crookedcon.com Subscribe to our channel! https://www.youtube.com/crookedmedia?sub_confirmation=1 Photos courtesy of AP Photo Archive Crooked believes that we need a better conversation about politics, culture, and the world around us—one that doesn’t just focus on what’s broken, but what we can do to fix it. At a time when it’s increasingly easy to feel cynical or hopeless, former Obama staffers Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor have created a place where people can have sane conversations that inform, entertain, and inspire action. In 2017 they started Crooked with Pod Save America—a no-bullshit conversation about politics. Since then, we continue to add shows, voices, and opportunities for activism, because it’s up to all of us to do our part to build a better world. That’s it. End of mission. Learn more about Crooked at http://www.crooked.com Follow the pod on Twitter https://twitter.com/podsaveamerica Follow Crooked on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CrookedMedia/ Follow Crooked on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/