Today, Explained

Should Democrats shut it down?

Sep 15, 2025 · 25 min
0:00-25:51

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Democrats are debating whether a government shutdown is a way to push back on Trump’s authoritarian impulses or a bad idea made worse by the killing of Charlie Kirk.

This episode was produced by Miles Bryan and Danielle Hewitt with help from Avishay Artsy, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Patrick Boyd and Adriene Lilly, and hosted by Noel King.

Young men carrying a cardboard that says ''The Democrats Killed Charlie Kirk'' in Orem, Utah, near where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed. Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images.

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