What's Happening

Politics

Democrats Are Betting Big, But Will It Pay Off?

What’s going on: Democratic lawmakers have heard the message loud and clear. Their base wants them to get tougher with Republicans. Now, they’re stepping up, but the stakes couldn’t be higher as the government shutdown enters its second day. After months of infighting, Dems are uniting around health care — betting they can win a funding showdown over insurance premiums and Medicaid cuts. Another key difference from earlier this year: Minority Leaders Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) even hammered out a game plan before the fight began — rare for a party known for messy internal battles. 

What it means: Every gamble comes with risk. Both parties are waiting for the other to blink, and the fallout — economic and political — could decide who pays the price. Many Democrats argue that giving in (again) would kill their leverage in future fights. Meanwhile, the GOP is blasting Dems on government websites, the president is threatening to fire federal workers as soon as this week, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is planning to hold daily votes to crank up the pressure. Friendly reminder: The midterms are next year, and Democrats know their odds of flipping the Senate could hinge on how voters judge this shutdown fight.

Related: What’s Happening to That Federal Data You Pay For? (Axios)

Health

IVF's New Lab Partner

What's going on: Researchers and startups are using artificial intelligence and robotics to automate one of the trickiest parts of in-vitro fertilization (IVF): making embryos. The experimental tech in Mexico City — a robotic system named Aura — has already helped produce at least 20 babies, and companies are racing to scale it. Since the first IVF birth in 1978, 13 million babies have been born through the process. But despite decades of progress, it remains a highly precise, manual task. A trained embryologist has to pick the best sperm from a petri dish and inject it into an egg that’s a fraction of the size of a poppy seed. The process is famously delicate (one reason why IVF works, at best, only half the time). The new push is to replace human variability with consistent, automated precision.

What it means: The tech borrows from the same kinds of software that power self-driving cars or scan for early signs of breast cancer. In theory, it could boost success rates, lower costs, and democratize IVF. Of course, it’s still early days for the trials, and none of the companies experimenting with this tech have approval from US regulators. But with one in six people of reproductive age facing infertility — and a single IVF cycle costing as much as $30,000 — experts and investors see potential in automation. And for would-be parents, it could offer a greater chance of building a family.

Related: The Rise in Patient-Powered Health Care Is Impossible To Ignore (WSJ)

Work

Loyalty's Been Demoted on the Org Chart

What's going on: That lucite paperweight thanking you for 10 years of service? It might be the most acknowledgment your loyalty gets. AT&T CEO John Stankey recently told employees in an email that the company had “shifted away” from loyalty-based employment deals, Business Insider reports. While some CEOs have long felt this way, it’s considered rare to see it stated so publicly — and so bluntly. And in the AI era, workers notice. They blame executives for chasing short-term profits while wondering if they’re going to be replaced. Guess that whole “we’re a family” thing only applied when the metrics looked good.

What it means: Even as company loyalty dries up, hustle culture refuses to die. Plenty of workers still put in the hours — as if effort alone could buy job security — and give more while companies give less (it’s giving “I can fix him” energy). Still, the expectation that loyalty goes both ways has been eroding for decades. Some workers are quicker to job-hop and stack paychecks. Loyalty isn’t dead, but it has definitely been dropped from the company Slack.

Related: They Found Love in a Hopeless Job Market… on LinkedIn (PS)