Trump Eyes Funding Cuts & British Synagogue Attacked | 10.3.25

Summary

Morning Wire Podcast Summary

Episode: Trump Eyes Funding Cuts & British Synagogue Attacked
Date: October 3, 2025
Hosts: John Bickley (Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief), Georgia Howe
Key Guests: Cabot Phillips, Amanda Presto Giacomo, Dan Bishop, Giancarlo Sopo

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Overview:

This episode delivers essential updates on three major stories: the ongoing government shutdown and President Trump’s aggressive push for federal funding cuts, a deadly terrorist attack at a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur, and an analysis of the controversial new film “One Battle After Another.” The conversation is urgent, direct, and analytical, reflecting both the gravity of current news and a skeptical tone towards political narratives.

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1. Government Shutdown: Trump’s Funding Cuts

[02:11–07:25]

Key Points:

• Third Day of Government Shutdown: No movement in Congress to resolve the deadlock, requiring 60 Senate votes for the Republican-backed continuing resolution. Only three senators (two Democrats and one independent) have crossed the aisle.
• Blame Shifting: Each side blames the other; the White House is framing the shutdown as a Democratic blockade over healthcare subsidies for illegal immigrants.
• Republican Messaging: Forceful, coordinated. The administration is taking public actions—posting blame banners on federal websites and cutting, delaying, or canceling funding for projects associated with Democratic leaders.
• Trump’s Plan for Mass Layoffs: Meeting with Russ Vought (Project 2025) to identify “Democrat agencies” to cut. Initial actions included delaying an $18 billion tunnel project in NY/NJ and canceling $8 billion in green energy projects.
• Economic Impact: The White House asserts the shutdown costs the U.S. economy $15 billion in GDP weekly.

Notable Quotes:

• John Bickley, on lack of Senate movement:
  “So day three three. Do we have any movement at all?” (02:19)
• Georgia Howe, summarizing party lines:
  “Democrats John Federman and Katherine Cortez Masto along with independent Angus King, are the only members to support the measure...” (02:27)
• Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, critiquing Democrats:
  “The American people are being held hostage by Chuck Schumer’s poll numbers.” (03:36)
• Press Secretary Caroline Levitt, on Trump’s mandate:
  “President Trump ran on the promise to end taxpayer funded benefits going to illegal aliens. And tens of millions of Americans across the country voted him back to this beautiful White House to implement that promise... they [Democrats] are holding the American people hostage.” (04:31)
• Georgia Howe, on overt GOP messaging:
  “A number of federal websites also had new banners... ‘Democrats have shut down the government. Websites are not currently updated.’” (04:51)
• John Bickley, on Republican unity:
  “A unified and very forceful message from Republicans and the administration in lockstep there.” (07:19)

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2. Manchester Synagogue Terror Attack

[08:27–12:07]

Key Points:

• Attack Details: On Yom Kippur, a terrorist drove into pedestrians at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, then stabbed victims. Synagogue security prevented the attacker from entering the sanctuary.
• Casualties: Two killed, at least four injured. Attacker shot dead by police within minutes.
• Suspect Identified: 35-year-old Jihad al Shami, British citizen of Syrian descent; had a fake explosive device.
• Community Context: Manchester has the largest Jewish community outside London; antisemitism at record highs since October 7 Hamas attacks.
• UK Response: Prime Minister Starmer condemned the attack, vowed protection; faced criticism for perceived normalization of antisemitism and mass migration policies.
• Securing Jewish Institutions: Ongoing need for round-the-clock protection for Jewish buildings and schools due to daily threats.

Notable Quotes:

• Amanda Presto Giacomo, on attack prevention:
  “…the attacker was not able to get into the actual synagogue because the entrance was locked and barricaded ... this attack could have been even more deadly.” (08:42)
• Kevin, summarizing public concern:
  “Well, a very frightening situation for Jews in Manchester.” (12:02)
• John Bickley, on UK antisemitism:
  "Where dedicated specialist security is necessary because of the daily threat of anti Semitic hatred." (11:22)

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3. Film Discussion: “One Battle After Another”

[12:23–16:11]

Key Points:

• Film Overview: Based on Thomas Pynchon’s “Vineland,” the movie satirizes extreme radicals—left-wing revolutionaries vs. right-wing paramilitaries.
• Political Ambiguity: Director Paul Thomas Anderson leaves politics ambiguous but shows some sympathy for progressive characters. The film has been dubbed “Antifa Star Wars.”
• Depiction of Violence: Political violence is presented as tragic rather than glorified, though some radical leftist characters are portrayed sympathetically even after violent acts.
• Critique of Extremism: The film’s real message is about political ideologies pulling people from what matters most—such as family. Only the teenage daughter character is depicted sympathetically.

Notable Quotes:

• Giancarlo Sopo, on the film’s theme:
  “...antifa Star Wars, as a friend told me, where the politics and the radicalism is kind of used as a vehicle to tell a father daughter story.” (13:33)
• John Bickley, questioning the film’s portrayal:
  “Does it gloss over or even glorify violence?” (14:02)
• Giancarlo Sopo, on character sympathy:
  “I don’t think anyone is portrayed here sympathetically in the film, to be candid with you, with the exception of the teenage girl.” (15:24)
• Kevin, closing with personal touch:
  “Every year I try to watch the movies that are anticipated to win Best Picture, so I will definitely add this to my list.” (16:03)

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Key Timestamps

• Government Shutdown Analysis: 02:11–07:25
• Manchester Synagogue Attack: 08:27–12:07
• Film Critique: 12:23–16:11

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Takeaways

• The government shutdown has escalated into a direct confrontation, with Trump leveraging agency cuts and mass layoffs, while Republicans and the administration maintain a unified, high-pressure messaging campaign.
• The Manchester synagogue attack underlines rising antisemitic violence in the UK and ongoing tensions around migration and political rhetoric.
• The new film “One Battle After Another” is deeply political but ultimately attempts to critique all forms of ideological extremism, using family ties as its moral anchor.

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This summary covers all substantive content in the episode and omits all introductory, advertising, and closing segments.

Transcript

[John Bickley]

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[Georgia Howe]

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[John Bickley]

It's day three of the government shutdown and there's still no end in sight.

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

Well, there could be firings and that's their fault.

[Georgia Howe]

And it could also be other things.

[Kevin]

President Trump meets with budget officials to discuss which Democrat agencies to cut amid the deadlock.

[John Bickley]

I'm Daily Wire Executive editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, October 3rd. This is Morning Wire.

[Kevin]

Multiple Jewish worshippers are murdered and more severely wounded in a terrorist attack on a synagogue in Manchester, England.

[John Bickley]

On Yom Kippur, the holiest day for the Jewish community. A vile individual committed a terrorist attack. Plus, does Hollywood's hottest new movie glorify left wing violence?

[Georgia Howe]

Welcome to the world, Bob.

[Kevin]

Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.

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[Kevin]

The government shutdown enters its third day as the blame game continues and President Trump gears up for mass layoffs of federal employees.

[John Bickley]

Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips is here to break it all down for us. Hey, Cabot. So day three three. Do we have any movement at all?

[Georgia Howe]

No, we don't, John. So remember, in order to end this shutdown, 60 senators must vote yes on the Republicans continuing resolution. At the moment, there are only three members who've crossed party lines. Democrats John Federman and Katherine Cortez Masto along with independent Angus King, are the only members to support the measure. So that leaves Majority Leader John Th searching for at least five more votes on the left. He'll make another run at it on the floor today, but by all accounts, it's expected to once again fail. Thune says that he has had some productive backchannel conversations with Democrats, specifically the moderate ones who have expressed some willingness to budge if they get assurances on health care subsidies being added or at least debated more substantively in the future when the full budget's passed. But those members again are facing enormous pressure from their left wing base to stand firm to that point. The White House put out a post reminding Americans that under President Biden, Democrats voted 13 separate times to pass continuing resolutions very similar to the one that's being debated right now. They argue that Democrats are allowing the federal government to essentially be held hostage by the far left base who was furious by their going along with Trump's big beautiful bill, or at least not stopping it completely. Here's Treasury Secretary Scott Besant making that point yesterday. Chuck Schumer did the right thing in the spring and led the Senate to a clean cr. What's changed since then? Is it it's his poll numbers? Ocasio Cortez, because she's nipping at his heels. The American people are being held hostage by Chuck Schumer's poll numbers. Now, as we've discussed, the White House is doing everything in their power to make this shutdown solely focused on Democrats and their insistence to add funding for health care for illegal immigrants. They say the Democratic proposal would result in about $200 billion in taxpayer funding over the next decade going for again health care for illegal immigrants, primarily through Medicaid and mandatory emergency care. They argue the American people elected Donald Trump on a promise to do away with those policies and that by fighting to keep them, they're blocking the will of the people. Here's press Secretary Caroline Levitt making that point.

[Kevin]

President Trump ran on the promise to end taxpayer funded benefits going to illegal aliens. And tens of millions of Americans across the country voted him back to this beautiful White House to implement that promise and he did. And now Democrats want to undo it. And they are holding our country hostage. They are holding the American people hostage.

[Georgia Howe]

Now the White House says that this shutdown will cost the US economy about $15 billion in GDP every week that it drags on. And again, they want to make sure Democrats get the blame. And to give you an idea of how confident they are that that's going to happen, The White House posted news clip after news clip all week long describing National Guardsmen now going unpaid food assistance for low income single mothers drying up, et cetera. A number of federal websites also had new banners on Thursday. The official DOJ website, for example, read, quote, democrats have shut down the government. Websites are not currently updated. And then the Department of Housing and Urban Development's banner went even further saying, quote, the radical left in Congress shut down the government. HUD will use available resources to help Americans in need. So clearly the administration is not shying away from this shutdown. They want people to know it is happening.

[John Bickley]

All right, so they're not exactly being subtle about this. What about this move to layoff federal employees? What's the latest on that?

[Georgia Howe]

Yeah, Trump again is targeting non essential federal employees for termination as part of his broader government efficiency efforts. He posted Thursday that he, quote, had a meeting today with Russ Vogt, he of Project 2025 fame, to determine which of the many Democrat agencies, most of which are a political scam, he recommends to be cut. I can't believe the radical left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity. So you can see Trump almost excited by this opportunity. On Wednesday, Vote began making some of those cuts, withholding $18 billion for a tunnel project in New York and New Jersey that was again being spearheaded by Democrats like Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries. Vote also moved to cancel $8 billion worth of green energy products that were previously awarded to blue states. For more on that effort, we spoke with Dan Bishop, Deputy Director of the omb. There are opportunities that this situation unlocks, and they are, and they go in a lot of different directions. And you know, I will say that folks on the Hill have had suggestions that we look into that are productive as well. So, yes, the rifts are imminent, as the director has said, exactly where they will be and how deep. All those things are under consideration and the President will make the decisions. And then there's sort of the man of the hour right now, Republican Majority Leader John Thune. He had a message to Democrats about these ongoing cuts from OMB saying, quote, we don't control what he's going to do, he being Trump, so essentially telling Democrats if you want the cuts to stop and the shutdown.

[John Bickley]

All right, so a unified and very forceful message from Republicans and the administration in lockstep there. Kevin, thanks for reporting.

[Georgia Howe]

Absolutely.

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[John Bickley]

A knife wielding man targeted a synagogue in England on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

[Kevin]

Here to discuss is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presto Giacomo. So Amanda, a horrifying event in Manchester, England. What do we know so far about this attack?

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

Yeah, well, first of all, we know that this has been deemed a terrorist attack by the UK's counterterrorism police. This was very obviously a targeted attack. As far as timeline goes, we know that authorities first received calls at around 9:30am local time about a man driving his vehicle into pedestrians outside of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. The suspect then got out of his vehicle and began stabbing people around him. Authorities have confirmed that two people have been killed and at least four others were injured. The suspect himself was shot and killed by police about seven or eight minutes after authorities were first called. And you know, as John mentioned, this attack took place on Yom Kippur, a very holy day for the Jewish people. There were a large number of people inside the synagogue worshiping at the time of the attack. They were about a half hour into service. Now, the attacker was not able to get into the actual synagogue because the entrance was locked and barricaded. When the suspect got out of his vehicle, he immediately encountered synagogue security and other members who stopped him. Suffice to say, this attack could have been even more deadly.

[Kevin]

Now there have also been reports that the suspect was strapped with explosives. Has that been confirmed?

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

So the suspect does appear to have something strapped to his vest. In photos, investigators said this appeared to be an explosive device, but authorities later said that that device was not viable.

[Kevin]

Now, investigators were quick to say this is being investigated as a terror incident. What do we know so far about the suspect?

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

Authorities made clear very early on that they knew who the suspect was, but for hours they refused to release his name. They cited safety reason. We've since learned that the suspect's name is Jihad al Shami, a 35 year old British citizen who's of Syrian descent. Two arrests have also been made in connection to the attack and the investigation is being led by specialized counterterrorism teams. There are about 30,000 Jewish people who reside in Manchester, outside of London. It's home to the largest Jewish community in the country. Anti Semitic attacks in the UK have hit record levels after the October 7 attack by Hamas and Israel. And in just the first half of this year, there have been more than 1500 reported incidents.

[Kevin]

Now, less than two weeks ago, Prime Minister Keir Starmer appeared to side with Palestinians in the Gaza conflict. He stated that the UK would recognize a Palestinian state. That was upsetting to many of his Jewish constituents. How is he responding to this attack?

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

Yeah, Starmer called the attack absolutely shocking and he said he's going to do everything he can to keep the Jewish community safe.

[Georgia Howe]

Britain is also a country where Jewish buildings, synagogues, even schools require round the.

[John Bickley]

Clock protection where dedicated specialist security is necessary because of the daily threat of anti Semitic hatred.

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

After Starmer made those remarks, a violent protest broke out on Downing street outside of his office. The crowd has been described as pro Palestinian and anti Israeli and a number of arrests were made. Alternatively, there's been a lot of criticism of Starmer and, you know, the British authorities more generally for letting antisemitism become so normalized and for allowing mass migration without any assimilation. Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that, you know, they expect more than words from Starmer.

[Kevin]

Well, a very frightening situation for Jews in Manchester. Amanda, thanks for reporting.

[Amanda Presto Giacomo]

You're welcome.

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[Kevin]

Joining us to discuss the new film One Battle After Another is National Review contributor Giancarlo Sopo. Giancarlo, thanks for coming on.

[Giancarlo Sopo]

Great to be with you guys.

[Kevin]

So this film is getting a ton of buzz. I want to ask you first, what is this film about?

[Giancarlo Sopo]

So I think to understand one battle after another, you have to understand the book that it's based on and it's Thomas Pynchon's Vineland. So essentially it's a story about a bunch of radicals who have gotten burned out, have attempted to attack government installations and institutions using violence. So it's a satire. Right? So you got radicals on one side and then on the right you're gonna have a bunch of racist autocratic thugs essentially coming after them who are part of this paramilitary organization that is also tied, by the way, to a secret society of races called the Christmas Adventures Club.

[Kevin]

The way you're describing it, we have left wing radicals up against right wing authoritarian radicals. It sounds like it's somewhat on the nose politically. Do you get the sense that it is trying to give a message for today or do you think it's just maybe some unfortunate timing that it happened to come out right now?

[Giancarlo Sopo]

Well, I think that's one of the cool things about Paul Thomas Anderson is that he's a very talented filmmaker. So he knows how to make a film that's going to have some ambiguity. I think the film's political sympathies are obviously with the progressive left. At the same time, though, I wouldn't necessarily call it a political movie. I would look at it more as antifa Star wars, as a friend told me, where the politics and the radicalism is kind of used as a vehicle to tell a father daughter story.

[John Bickley]

Do you feel like this actually soft pedals violence? Because I know it's basically a Weather Underground group that he was a part of. Correct. Where they were actually breaking people out of ice detention facilities. Does it gloss over or even glorify violence?

[Giancarlo Sopo]

I think it shows political violence as tragic. However, the one political aspect of the movie that I had the most problem with is that one of the lead characters, a woman by the name of Perfidia Beverly Hills. So again, all these characters are very on the nose. There's a guy called Stephen Lockjaw. Okay, so Perfidia Beverly Hills. As they are holding up a bank, she shoots and kills a security officer. She doesn't do it with joy. She actually does it with a great deal of anguish. But even after that fact, the film, it's ambiguous enough where he can get away with it, but it does still kind of paint her in a sympathetic light as the things that she has to do afterward kind of mirrors some of these radicals who killed people in the 60s and 70s and then went into exile in Cuba. She kind of follows a similar trajectory.

[John Bickley]

Is there any sympathy at all for people considered on the right in the film? Like, do you see any sympathetic elements? Do you get a sense of that? Or is it the sympathies lie with the father and the daughter?

[Giancarlo Sopo]

Yeah. The thing with the movie is that no one's really in the center right or really the center left or even. Or much less the middle. It follows a set of extremists on both sides. And what the story is telling you on the political side is that these ideologies are pulling people away from what matters most to them in life, which should be their own children. There are very clear passages in the film that communicate that. I don't think anyone is portrayed here sympathetically in the film, to be candid with you, with the exception of the teenage girl. What's interesting is that DiCaprio, in some of these interviews that he's been doing promoting the film, does say that he sees the film as a critique of both the left and the right.

[Kevin]

Well, every year I try to watch the movies that are anticipated to win Best Picture, so I will definitely add this to my list. Giancarlo, thanks so much for coming on.

[Giancarlo Sopo]

It's a pleasure to be here.

[John Bickley]

Thanks for waking up with us. And if you're watching on YouTube, don't forget to like and subscribe. We'll be back this evening with more news you need to know.