Monday, September 29, 2025
Welcome back to The Daily Seat. I hope you found some breathing room this weekend — family time, football, or just unplugging. Here’s what’s shaping the week ahead.
⏰ Shutdown clock
Funding runs out tomorrow night. At 3 p.m. today, Trump meets with Schumer and Jeffries at the White House. Republicans want a seven-week stopgap, Democrats want healthcare funding included. Agencies already have lists of who gets sent home. Without a deal, the government shuts down Wednesday at 12:01 a.m.
💣 Pentagon’s missile scramble
The Pentagon is pressing defense contractors to double—or even quadruple—production of Patriots, SM-6s, and other missiles. Stockpiles are low after Ukraine and this summer’s Israel-Iran conflict. Factories are adding shifts, but scaling up will take years and billions beyond current budgets.
🌎 Venezuela drills, U.S. warships
Maduro staged nationwide military drills with more than a million civilian militia members as U.S. warships patrol the Caribbean. Washington says it’s a counter-narcotics mission. Caracas calls it invasion prep. U.S. strikes have already sunk Venezuelan boats, killing 17.
📂 Epstein files fight
Marjorie Taylor Greene is breaking with Trump, backing a bipartisan push to release the Epstein files. She says she’s “not suicidal.” Over 200 lawmakers are on board, and a House vote could come this week.
💻 Big Tech’s busy week
– OpenAI locked in billions with CoreWeave and NVIDIA.
– Musk’s xAI is suing OpenAI and Apple over trade secrets.
– Amazon agreed to a record $2.5B settlement over deceptive Prime sign-ups.
– Intel is courting Apple and TSMC after the U.S. quietly bought a 10% stake.
📊 Markets last week
Flat to down: S&P -0.35%, Nasdaq -0.7%. Energy jumped nearly 5%, utilities gained 2.3%. Communication services and materials lagged. Investors are defensive, waiting on Washington.
💸 Tariffs incoming
Starting Wednesday: new tariffs on pharmaceuticals, furniture, and trucks. Expect consumer prices to creep higher.
🎤 Culture + Sports
– Bad Bunny will headline the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show — his only U.S. performance planned for that year.
– Europe stunned the U.S. in the Ryder Cup on American soil.
– NFL Week 4: Lamar Jackson injured in a Ravens blowout loss, Giants rookie Jaxson Dart won his debut, the Eagles look unstoppable, the Bills still can’t stop the run, and Cleveland looks done with Joe Flacco.
👀 What we’re watching this week
– 3 p.m. Eastern shutdown meeting.
– Any movement from Beijing on TikTok.
– Tariffs going live after tomorrow.
– Court filings in Musk vs. OpenAI/Apple.
– Intel/CHIPS Act updates.
– Key economic data: PCE inflation and personal income.
– Pentagon contracts on missile production.
That’s today’s Daily Seat. Shutdown talks this afternoon, tariffs tomorrow, missiles in motion, markets watching. Check back tomorrow when we dive into the data-center boom and what it means for your power bill.
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