Richard Arnold: US Correspondent on the Government shutdown

The White House Press Secretary's confirmed federal layoffs could happen within days thanks to the latest United States government shutdown. 

Federal funding expired yesterday after Democrats and Republicans failed to get their respective bills through the senate, furloughing thousands of government workers. 

Donald Trump is blaming the Democrats, threatening to follow through with mass layoffs in an effort to pressure them to back moves to end the shutdown. 

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that analysts are estimating approximately 750,000 federal employees will be furloughed.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
In America Richard Arnold, good morning, good morning, might take
it would not open yet, of course.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
Not us senter also taking the day off for the
holiday Jewish New Year, right, they are getting paid. However,
as the White House says, layoffs, formal layoffs and firings
of government workers will begin very soon. As now day
two of the shutdown, Government analysts to make that approximately
seven hundred and fifty thousand federal employees will be furloughed,
affecting many, many everyday folks like this woman.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
Things went up, so I'm already juggling paycheck to paycheck.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
However, the police seem to be getting nowhere. They are fingerpointing,
of course you're responsible. No, no, you're the one. Healthcare
is the dividing issue. Enrollment in Obama's affordable care markets
is more than doubled in recent times. Those subsidise costing
about twenty three billion US next year, is set to expire,
leading to sharp increases in healthcare costs for more than

(00:54):
twenty million folks, maybe two million losing coverage entirely. These
higher health costs, in some cases, could bring increases of
more than a thousand bucks you with some months, however,
there was this hot moment for Speaker Johnson, who was
being verbally targeted by Democrat Medal and Dean Here it
is the.

Speaker 3 (01:11):
President is unhinged, He is unwell.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
What do you do on your side?

Speaker 2 (01:15):
Are too? Trump is unhinged, she says, and Speaker Johnson replies,
a lot of people on your side are too. I'm
thinking that was not meant to be on tape. Meantime,
we find that Team Trump is having fun as it.
They've been running on a loop in the White House
briefing room.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
Today.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
The AI generated fake video showing Jeffries, who was black,
you know, a Mexican sombrero hat with the hat dance
music playing in the background, suggestion being that the Dems
want to give free cast for legals, which is not
the policy at all. However, Trump has put out two
fake videos currently, one with them saying in crude language
they will do anything for votes, to which Jeffreys responded,

(01:52):
it's a.

Speaker 3 (01:52):
Disgusting video and we're going to continue to make Claire
Biggotree will get you nowhere.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
So the Trump team then took that response and gave
that the Mexican had dance treatment as well.

Speaker 3 (02:03):
We are fighting to protect the healthcare of the American
people in the faith in arts passident.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
So my people may be suffering, but the country used
in the very best of hands.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
Now Laguardi is busy and these incidents continue.

Speaker 2 (02:17):
They sure do. They got lucky in this one, only
one injury. After two Delta jets crashed while taxiing at
New York Laguardium. One Delta Airlines jet was getting ready
to take off, another had just landed, and those on
board say it was moving at a decent clip when
they hit. Both planes have extensive damage. The right wing
of one jet slammed into the nose and cockpit of
the other. The wind screen of that plane was completely

(02:38):
shattered and its nose was banged up. A huge part
of the other jet's wing was torn off. On Board
passenger William Last says, they absolutely smashed into each other.

Speaker 3 (02:48):
Ah suddenly field breakst on and you use object turning
across the west side of the plane when you feel
the front of the planes kind of get dragged.

Speaker 2 (02:55):
Everyone also shot forward in the seats. He says. There
were ninety three people on board the two planes, and
the passengers were curtady taken off the aircraft right there.
On the taxiway. What comes to mind, though, is that
there has, as you indicate, been a spike of these
incidents of late. We're also in the throes, of course,
of the federal government shut down. The country's thirteen salesand
air traffic controllers are working without pay until the government

(03:18):
funding is sorted out.

Speaker 1 (03:19):
Yeah, good week, in mate, Richard Arnold state, So just
a couple of things out of America before we leave it.
Hunter Is Thompson died a number of years ago, of course,
in February in two thousand and five. They've reopened the
case at the request of his widow. There is no
suggestion that the ship They've got questions. Basically, by bringing
in an outside agency for a fresh look, we hope
to provide a definitive and transparent review that may offer

(03:41):
peace of mind to his family and the public. His
son found the body. He shot himself while he was
on the phone to his wife. Investigation found no evidence
of any foul play. Meantime, also in court, and the
bloke who's been suing Nirvana a couple of times over
has lost a second go. The bloke is He's a

(04:02):
guy called Eldon. He's now thirty four, but he's the
baby on the album cover the nineteen ninety one album
never Mind the Naked Baby. He sued them for pornography. Basically,
other than the fact that the plaintiff was nude on
the album cover. This is the judge. Nothing comes close
to bringing the image within the ambit of the child
pornography statute. It had another go another time. It was

(04:24):
at weddle at the Pasadena Aquatic Center in California, swimming
naked towards the dollar bill and a fishop very famous.
Of course. He sued the band plus Universal back in
twenty one. Lost Then Loss Now.

Speaker 2 (04:34):
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Speaker 3 (04:37):
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