The Trump administration puts furloughed workers back pay in doubt as shutdown pain spreads across America.

Plus, American soybean farmers are in panic mode as China skills back its purchases.

And there's a new place the ultra-rich are calling home.

Milan had the reputation among Italians of being very functional, a bit gloomy, but Milan has sort of transformed.

People now actually want to go to Milan because they like the lifestyle that Milan has to offer.

It's Wednesday, October 8th.

I'm Caitlin McCabe for The Wall Street Journal,

and here's the AM edition of What's News.

The top headlines and business stories moving your world today.

The federal government is officially now one week into its shutdown,

and signs of strain are starting to ripple across the U.S.

Fresh uncertainty has emerged as to whether furloughed employees will receive back pay once the government reopens,

after the Trump administration floated the idea of denying it in a new memo yesterday.

The memo, prepared by the Office of Management and Budget, asserts that the administration

isn't obligated to pay furloughed employees under a 2019 law that was designed to guarantee back

pay after a shutdown ends. President Trump himself signed the law during his first term,

but seemed to backtrack yesterday when asked if such workers should be paid.

I would say it depends on who we're talking about. I can tell you this. The Democrats have put

a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy, but it really depends on who you're talking about.

But for the most part, we're going to take care of our people. There are some people that really

don't deserve to be taken care of,

and we'll take care of them in a different way. The threat to federal workers' pay comes as lawmakers

...