Julie Roginsky , a Democrat, and Mike DuHaime, a Republican, are consultants who have worked on opposite teams for their entire careers yet have remained friends. Here, they discuss the week’s political events with Star-Ledger editor Enrique Lavín .

Q: Authoritarian watch: New York Times columnist Ezra Klein made a case for a government shutdown , which Congress faces if lawmakers cannot pass a budget by Sept. 30. While acknowledging there will be short-term economic pain, he argues that Democrats should not help pass a spending bill that would fund Trump’s “autocratic agenda.” His belief is the federal government is being weaponized to hound Trump’s enemies, enrich Trump and his friends and entrench authoritarian control over American institutions. Help us unpack th

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