Freedom Caucus fights over funding bill and the best time to exercise: Morning Rundown

Some Freedom Caucus members are fighting a funding bill drafted by their group’s leaders. A debris field is found in the search for a missing F-35 stealth fighter jet. Plus, new research suggests the best time to exercise.

Here’s what to know today.

Far-right Republicans’ funding bill criticized by fellow ultraconservatives

A short-term government funding bill drafted by leaders of the far-right Freedom Caucus was at risk of falling apart less than a day after it was released, as some rank-and-file ultraconservatives voiced their opposition to the measure. 

The deal would fund the government until Oct. 31, impose an 8% cut to domestic programs and include a swath of restrictive immigration policies. Even if the bill did pass the House, it likely would be shot down by the Senate. 

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But the bill might not even make it that far. Lawmakers such as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz, Dan Bishop and Eli Crane want to hold the red line and have said they will not pass a bill that stops short of their demands.

The irony of the backlash isn’t lost on mainstream Republicans, who have repeatedly watched the far-right Freedom Caucus try to impose its will through implausible demands and by shooting down compromises. Some are increasingly worried about a government shutdown if Congress does not pass a bill by the end of the month.

 UAW president threatens next round of plant closures

The United Auto Workers union president appears ready to make good on the union’s plan to increase work stoppages if negotiations with Detroit automakers don’t make “serious progress” by noon Friday. “We’re not waiting around, and we’re not messing around,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in a new video. By Friday, the strike with the “Big Three” — GM, Ford and Stellantis — will have been going for a week.

Stellanis’ most recent contract proposal shows that the company could close as many as 18 U.S. facilities as part of the agreement, likely affecting thousands of union members. But the company also envisions a more “modernized” parts and distribution network. 

YouTube demonetizes Russell Brand’s channel after allegations

YouTube has blocked Russell Brand from making money off its platform in the wake of sexual assault allegations against the comedian and actor. “If a creator’s off-platform behavior harms our users, employees or ecosystem, we take action to protect the community,” YouTube said.

Brand has developed a major following on his YouTube channel in recent years, amassing more than 6.61 million subscribers with videos cultivating a persona as a “wellness” influencer and sharing conspiracy theories. His skepticism of the media won him right-wing fans, including Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson, who are now boosting viral conspiracy theories about allegations against the actor. 

Diplomats expelled after Canada accuses India of an assassination on its soil

Canada and India are embroiled in a spiraling clash over Ottawa’s accusation that New Delhi may have been behind the killing of a Sikh activist in Canada, with both sides expelling senior diplomats as India rejected the allegation as “absurd.”

Yesterday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian government agents of involvement in the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, whom India had branded a “terrorist” over his advocacy of an independent Sikh state. Nijjar, 45, was shot and killed in June outside a Sikh cultural center in a suburb of Vancouver.

Decades after repeated miscarriages, stillbirths at a U.S. Marine Corps base, women fight for justice

In one of the largest water contamination cases in U.S. history, up to 1 million people who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune from 1953 to 1987 may have been exposed to a drinking water supply contaminated with chemicals that have been linked to severe health problems, including cancers and birth defects, federal health officials said. Women at the sprawling U.S. Marine Corps training facility in North Carolina quietly suffered repeated miscarriages, stillbirths and other defects during that time period, but many said their losses were often dismissed.

Today, as they continue seeking justice under a new law meant to expedite litigation, their cases have fallen under intense scrutiny, which has left many women feeling as dismissed as they felt decades ago. Read the full special report here.

Today’s Talker: The best time of day to work out may be…

… in the morning, according to a new study, which found that people who work out earlier in the day tend to have lower BMIs. Researchers surveyed more than 5,200 adults and found common characteristics among many of the people who fit in a workout in the morning. While scientists say this study alone doesn’t rule definitively that morning workouts are the best, there are good reasons to hit the ground running early and often.

Politics in Brief

Senate dress code: Republicans ridiculed Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s loosening of the dress code. Among the critiques: “Terrible,” “not a big fan,” “it stinks” and one lawmaker who joked she’ll “wear a bikini.” 

Florida politics: Rep. Matt Gaetz is widely expected to run for Florida governor in 2026, but he said his “only political focus right now” is getting Donald Trump re-elected.

2024 election: Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said he regrets taking the Covid vaccine. His wife, a surgeon, does not.

Staff Pick: An age-old argument

A Black woman’s recent social media post about being hit in the face with a brick drew reaction from women and men alike who thought her story was a hoax. Such a reaction, reporters Claretta Bellamy and Uwa Ede-Osifo point out, taps into a decades-long pattern of backlash hurled at Black women. While reading this story, one quote from Roda Osman — the woman at the center of what social media users are now calling “brickgate” — really stuck out to me: “The goal posts will never be met.” — Elizabeth Robinson, newsletter editor

In Case You Missed It 

• Debris was found in the search for a missing F-35 stealth fighter jet, as officials now probe what happened in the ‘mishap’ that caused its pilot to eject. 
• Two models were found dead in their downtown Los Angeles apartments days apart. One is being investigated as a homicide.
• A Utah author on trial for her husband’s murder after she allegedly spiked a Moscow mule with a fatal dose of fentanyl is now accused of telling her brother to “testify falsely.”
• The Writers Guild of America is expected to resume talks with Hollywood studios tomorrow, more than four months after writers went on strike.
• Attorneys for an Indiana man charged with killing two teens contend that their client had nothing to do with the crimes and that the girls died as part of a white nationalist group’s ritual sacrifice.
• Michigan State University has moved to fire head football coach Mel Tucker as the school weighs sexual harassment allegations against him.

Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

We’re less than a month out from Amazon’s second Prime Day event of the year, and leading up to the sale, the retailer is rolling out discounts. Check out some of the best early deals across categories like tech, home and fitness.

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