This episode is brought to you by Vanta.

Security and compliance done wrong is a headache.

Done right, you build trust and grow faster.

That's Vanta.

For startups, Vanta acts as your first security hire,

using AI to get you compliant fast.

For enterprises, it's your AI-powered hub for compliance,

risk and automating workflows.

From startups like Cursor to enterprises

like Snowflake, top companies choose Vantor, do security and compliance right. Get started today at

vanta.com. It's the media buzz meter with Howard Kurtz. By the time you hear these words, we could be in the middle of a government shutdown.

We could be approaching a government shutdown.

We could be talking about all the pain and suffering that is inflicted on people who, through no fault of their own,

aren't getting paid because they've been furloughed under a government shutdown.

I've lived through so many of these things.

You know, next week is Christmas.

Everybody wants to get out of town.

And yet, here we are. And I don't want to make any definitive judgments, but I will fill you in on

what's happening. I mean, look, I get it all ordinarily. The back and forth in details of congressional maneuvering is enough to put most people to sleep.

And yet, in this case, we seem to be staggering into either an unhealthy compromise or no compromise at all.

Let's just dive in here.

First, I'll say, look, for those that you don't have to deal with this, have a great

...