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Hello, friends. And happy fall! It’s my favorite season of the year. I’m excited to see the colors change and for the air to get cold.

We are nearing the government shutdown deadline and it’s never seemed more certain in recent memory that a shutdown will in fact happen. Things can change, and five days is an eternity on Capitol Hill — but I’ve rarely seen both sides so adamant about not moving a muscle.

More on that later, but first I want to dive into some interesting developments from last week that I think were underreported — or the potential consequences, at least.

— Cami Mondeaux

The Big Idea: Should lawmakers be punished for

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