Malala Yousafzai and USA TODAY Books reporter Clare Mulroy.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic drives past Golden State Warriors guard Will Richard on Tuesday.

Happy mid-week! I'm Nicole Fallert. Trying to keep as calm as these cat rescuers.

Quick look at Wednesday's news:

  • The government shutdown just hit a milestone.
  • Immigration enforcement targeted NYC street vendors.
  • U.S. cane sugar shortages squeeze a new Coke rollout.

Is the shutdown hurting the economy?

The government shutdown continues Wednesday, making it the second longest at 22 days, trailing the 35-day shutdown in 2017 during President Donald Trump's first term in office. And there's no end in sight: Democrats and Republicans in Congress remain locked in a bitter stalemate. The shutdown has placed 750,000 federal workers on furlough, forced air traffic controllers and other essential workers to work without pay and closed national parks, federal offices and museums. Still, much of the government’s economic machinery keeps running. But some forecasters warn the current shutdown could do more economic damage than some previous instances.

Federal agents descend on NYC in immigration raid

Masked agents on foot cuffed people Tuesday afternoon along Canal Street, a popular Manhattan tourist hub in the Chinatown neighborhood.

Protests ensued in the area. Traffic halted as agents took people into custody while bystanders recorded events on their phones.

  • It's unclear how many people were taken into custody. Dozens of agents swarmed the area along with a military vehicle, Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, told USA TODAY, saying agents used batons and mace on demonstrators. Homeland Security officials said the raid "focused on criminal activity relating to selling counterfeit goods."
  • More from NYC: With early voting starting this weekend, NYC's mayoral candidates are ramping up for the second and final debate scheduled for Wednesday.

More news to know now

  • Hegseth clamped down on how the military communicates with Congress.
  • JD Vance is trying to salvage a shaky Hamas ceasefire.
  • La Niña is making for wild winter weather.
  • Some books removed for "wokeness" will be returned to libraries.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Your Coca-Cola is different

Coca-Cola has begun rolling out its new cane sugar soda after Trump publicly pushed the company to move away from using high-fructose corn syrup earlier this year. The Atlanta-headquartered company has begun introducing 12-ounce single-serve glass bottles of its classic soda made with U.S. cane sugar in "select U.S. markets," it confirmed in an email to USA TODAY. But supply chain challenges are limiting the rollout.

Is the peanut-free table gone for good?

New research is hopeful: Peanut allergies are on the decline. A new study shows we may be on the way to eliminating the peanut allergies that have been problematic — and even deadly — for decades. The research shows youth peanut allergy rates dropped in the years following 2017 guidance that suggested introducing peanut into infants' diets as a means of allergy prevention. The takeaway: Expose your baby to peanut products around 4 to 6 months to curb allergies.

Today's talkers

  • Did the Jimmy Kimmel suspension hurt Disney+ subscriptions?
  • This Hadid sister just got married.
  • "Throning" is a heartbreaking new dating trend.
  • The Springsteen biopic "Deliver Me From Nowhere" has more soul than swagger.

Yes, Malala smoked weed in college

'I know that my story has been out there in media in the public for a very long time, and some people still read the old story of a 15-year-old girl being shot by the Taliban, and she's defined as brave and resilient and all of that. But I want the true story to be out there.'

~ Malala Yousafzai told USA TODAY she's reintroducing herself again at the age of 28 in her new memoir, “Finding My Way." Recently, she visited USA TODAY's New York studios, cracking jokes about toxic boys and memes of her on TikTok.

Photo of the day: Luka's look

Luka Dončić began his first full season Tuesday night with the Los Angeles Lakers in the opener against the Golden State Warriors. And he’s making us all feel out of shape.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Daily Briefing: Second-longest shutdown ever

Reporting by Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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