Were There Any Winners In The Government Shutdown?
What A Day
What A Day
4.8 • 166 Ratings
🗓️ 17 November 2025
⏱️ 22 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The longest government shutdown in American history ended last week, thanks to 8 Senate Democrats giving up the fight to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies. The infighting between Democrats hasn't stopped since. But what if Democrats' caving was actually a good thing? Tim Miller of the Bulwark joins the show to discuss how the Democrats may be in a prime strategic position as Republicans deal with scandals, skyrocketing costs of living and healthcare, and several MAGA faithful turning on Trump.
And in headlines: President Trump sends federal agents to Charlotte, North Carolina, as part of his ongoing immigration crackdown, Marjorie Taylor Greene continues feuding with Trump, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announces a new gas deal with Greece.
Show Notes:
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It's Monday, November 17th. I'm Jane Koston, and this is what a day. |
| 0:06.4 | The show that had some questions for a dog in Shillington, Pennsylvania, who appears to have |
| 0:10.6 | accidentally shot its owner in the back last week when his owner put a shotgun on a bed while cleaning it. |
| 0:17.3 | Or maybe not so accidentally. |
| 0:20.3 | According to police, quote, |
| 0:21.7 | it looks like it was an accident, |
| 0:23.7 | but it's still being investigated. |
| 0:25.7 | Is anyone listening to the show a dog attorney? |
| 0:35.1 | On today's show, Charlotte, North Carolina, is the Trump administration's latest target in the crackdown on illegal immigration. |
| 0:41.7 | And President Donald Trump makes his breakup with Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green public. |
| 0:47.3 | But let's start with the Democratic Party. |
| 0:50.7 | The longest government shutdown in American history ended on Wednesday after eight Senate Democrats agreed to a budget package. |
| 0:57.0 | And the infighting between Democrats who wanted to keep fighting for extended Affordable Care Act subsidies and Democrats who wanted to end the shutdown hasn't stopped since. |
| 1:05.0 | And much of the blame for the end of the shutdown, as in Democrats caving, has landed on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. |
| 1:11.9 | Here's Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy discussing Schumer with ABC's Jonathan Carl on Sunday. |
| 1:17.6 | Chuck Schumer's taken a lot of heat for this. Do you still have confidence in him as the Democratic leader? |
| 1:22.4 | And do you think he will still be the Democratic leader after the midterms? |
| 1:30.3 | Well, we can't continue to operate like this in the Democratic Senate. This is not the first time that a small group of Democrats have crossed over |
| 1:34.3 | to support Republican measures that give Donald Trump more power. |
| 1:39.3 | So I've been candid with him and with my colleagues that Democrats are going to lose this democracy |
| 1:45.3 | if we continue to allow Republicans to cleave off 10 or 12 or 15 of us. |
| 1:51.5 | So we've got some hard conversations as a caucus moving forward. |
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