The Game of Chicken Can Become Global

©iStock/Natalia Bodrova

It's the ninth day of the federal government shutdown (10/9/25).  The House is currently not in session this week.  Right now, it appears to be a game of chicken, with the way out likely coming down to who wins the messaging battle – Republicans or Democrats – and which side feels the most pressure.

As we enter another week with a lapse in federal funding, here's what we know. 

It's Not Candy Land, It's Game of Chicken

©iStock/ptasha

A day before Donald Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs are scheduled to kick in, the US president appears locked in a high-stakes game of chicken [or maybe Candy Land?], with the world's economy hanging in the balance.

Some nations labelled "worst offenders" are scrambling to make nice with the White House to end this game before it reaches a potentially devastating climax.  China, in contrast, is playing a different game, one of retaliation and resistance.

Meanwhile, Trump has pressed ahead, even as some allies – in Congress and on Wall Street – wonder if he's going too far.