First a, few news items: Today is Labor Day, a national holiday in the USA and Canada on the first Monday of September.  Banks, Post Offices, stock markets and schools are closed.  You can still go out to eat and shop. The U.S. war with Iran has escalated. Exchanges of fire. Strait of Hormuz remains mostly closed. No peace talks have been scheduled. Oil prices remain high, as Brent Crude oil hit a recent peak of $98 earlier today. U.S. gasoline prices reached a record-high national average of $4.15/gallon for the Labor Day weekend.  The previous high was $3.82/gallong in 2012. The Russo-Ukraine War continues with battles and drone exchanges.   It has been 1,656 days since Russian invaded Ukrain on 24February2022.  4,482 days since Russia began occupying Crimeaw on February 20, 2014. While the Trump administration has made efforts to bring those countries together, they have failed. This war will continue if Russia and Ukraine can't agree of land concession...

But first, this government shutdown.  From the  New York Times  this morning: Each department identifies people critical to protecting life and property, and they keep working during a government shutdown. Think federal law enforcement officers, air traffic controllers and T.S.A. officers at airports. Not all agencies rely on appropriations for funding. That is why some government services continue uninterrupted. Mail is still delivered, and Social Security and Medicare payments continue.   Many of the people who keep the government running will be working without pay until the government reopens. Afterward, the law says, they must receive back wages . Further: Big difference about whether a federal worker is furloughed or fired ( same as layoff) . If furloughed, you WILL get back pay for those days not at work when you return.. If fired, you are fired. President Trump and Congressional members still get paid during a shutdown . This is the first stoppage since Janua...