Affects of a shutdown; health workers may strike; Maui conspiracies

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Today’s top stories

The federal government will run out of money and shut down if Congress can’t agree on a deal to fund it by the end of the day tomorrow. In an exclusive NPR interview, White House chief of staff Jeff Zients says President Biden won’t meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and it’s up to House Republicans to avert a shutdown.

Government funding runs out at the end of the day on Sept. 30, meaning many federal government services will halt until funding resumes.

Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

• When asked if he’s worried about political repercussions for the president, Zients tells NPR’s Asma Khalid that the American people will understand that a deal is a deal — referring to a debt ceiling bill Biden and McCarthy agreed on in May. On Up First, Khalid says they are focused on managing the impacts of a shutdown. 
• Here’s what will close and what will keep running in a government shutdown.

As Hollywood actors and auto workers continue to strike, another industry is on the verge of joining them. Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente workers could walk out next Wednesday if an agreement between their union and employer isn’t reached before their contracts end tomorrow.

• Kaiser Permanente is one of the biggest nonprofit health care providers in the nation, NPR’s Danielle Kaye says. Workers are asking for better benefits and pay. The union’s biggest concern is understaffing. The COVID pandemic caused an exodus of workers, exacerbating a preexisting problem. Despite hiring…