Overview

• The president shared an AI music video on Truth Social portraying OMB Director Russell Vought as the Grim Reaper, with revised lyrics to “Don’t Fear the Reaper” and a credit to the Dilley 300 Meme Team.
• Hours after the post, Vought said $2.1 billion for Chicago transit projects was being withheld, following earlier pauses that included roughly $18 billion for New York transportation initiatives.
• White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said layoffs are likely to number in the thousands and described the videos as the president “having a little fun.”
• Legal scholars and some Republicans cautioned that only Congress can abolish or defund federal agencies, warning that aggressive executive moves carry legal and political risks.
• The partial shutdown entered its third day with no clear path to a deal in Congress as partisan attacks escalated over the use of AI memes and targeted funding pauses.