Link to full morning briefing
Mike Allen with  Noah Bressner orchestrating. Copy edited by Bryan McBournie.

1 big thing: Media vs. reporting

This week’s epic fight over funding the government captures the power — and flaws — of the new information ecosystem, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write in a “Behind the Curtain” column.

• Why it matters: Elon Musk and his followers on X proved they dominate the Republican media industrial complex — using a digital revolt to kill a spending bill, and open the door to a government shutdown. That revolt was powered by some false information, tweeted with total self-certainty.

“We aren’t just the media here now. We are also the government,” Donald Trump Jr. tweeted yesterday to his 13 million followers.

• MAGA’s online army now can assess “information rapidly & pressure our representatives to act in a manner that actually represents what we want,” Don Jr. added. “They can’t hide and do the bidding of swamp oligarchs anymore.”

?️ The big picture: This reality highlights the difference between media (what people consume) and reporting (a set of standards for pursuing fact-based information). In the new world order, media and reporting are tossed together with a mix of truth, opinion, and nonsense.

2. ?️ Scoop: Kara Swisher’s long-shot Post bid

3. ?️ GOP rage erupts in House

4. ⏱️ Charted: Longest shutdowns

5. ? Most concentrated stock market ever

6. Deportations hit 10-year high

7. ?️ New podcast beats Rogan

8. ? 1 food thing: Wine-style water menu