Countdown to shutdown showdown

Hold on to your hats! A government shutdown is knocking on the door. All eyes are on Biden family finances as House Republicans open their impeachment inquiry. And last night’s GOP debate was spicy, even without Donald Trump.

👋 Howdy! Laura Davis here. It’s time for Thursday’s news, which may or may not have been put together while I was getting caught up on the latest Kardashian drama. Let’s go!

But first: The Taylor Swift effect is so real. ✨ After a fan posted a photo of Swift eating chicken with ketchup and "seemingly ranch" during the Kansas City Chiefs game, Heinz joined in the fun by crafting its own concoction.

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Shutdown showdown: Stay tuned

The clock is ticking. With a government shutdown all but certain at this point, millions of Americans are wondering if lawmakers will actually manage to cut a deal before 12:01 a.m. Oct. 1. While the House is scrambling, working minute by minute, hour by hour, to pass spending bills, it's not looking like they'll make the deadline. A shutdown would impact the country's largest food assistance programs, federally funded preschool, federal college grants and loans, food safety inspections, national parks and more. 👉 Where do things stand right now? Here's the latest from Washington.

• Will a shutdown affect flights? What you need to know.

• 'GOP hates Gen Z': Teens arrested after storming McCarthy’s office to protest shutdown.

GOP dives into Biden family business matters

House Republicans are holding their first impeachment inquiry hearing on Thursday, fueled by allegations President Joe Biden has financially benefited from his family's foreign business dealings. What's the issue? GOP lawmakers have long scrutinized Hunter Biden's work overseas, but they have yet to produce concrete evidence that shows the president personally benefited from those dealings. What's going on today: Republican lawmakers called three witnesses for the Thursday hearing, including a forensic accountant, and former assistant attorney general and a legal scholar. They have also vowed to subpoena Hunter Biden and Joe Biden's brother, James Biden’s, bank records as early as this week. 👉 Catch up with our live coverage.

What everyone's talking about

• Why are people still spending so much on delivery?

• Whoops! Delta CEO admits they 'probably went too far' with SkyMiles changes.

• Brooke Hogan skipped her dad Hulk Hogan's third wedding. Here's what she posted about it.

• Is your Costco membership going up? 'A question of when, not if,' CFO says.

• ‘It’s hell out here’: Why one teacher’s bold admission opened a floodgate.

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A spicy GOP debate – even with no Trump

In a spirited second GOP presidential debate, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley lashed out at their opponents on stage and even at Trump, the party's front-runner who chose to skip the event.

No candidate obviously came out on top, but DeSantis and Haley stood out as among GOP candidates as the most aggressive on the debate stage.

• DeSantis took aim at Trump early. The governor accused Biden of being “missing in action,” especially amid the looming government shutdown, the United Auto Workers strike and other challenges.

• Haley shot back at entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy after he defended his use of TikTok. Haley told Ramaswamy “TikTok is one of the most dangerous social media assets that we can have."

• Sleeping with a teacher? In a riskier approach, Mike Pence made a joke about sleeping with his wife.

• 🗣 A strike, a shutdown and ... Donald Duck? GOP debate highlights.

• ✔️ Fact check recap: Where candidates used misleading info.

Islands on alert as Philippe grows stronger

After strengthening some, Tropical Storm Philippe is forecast to move toward the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico this weekend as it drifts east of the Leeward Islands, the National Hurricane Center said Thursday morning. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and is expected to slowly weaken over the weekend, although parts of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands could see heavy rain and potential flooding. Forecasters are also keeping an eye on a tropical wave that was even further out in the Atlantic, and will most likely develop into Tropical Storm Rina over the next couple of days. 🌀 Follow the storm's path.

• Do Si Do in the Atlantic: Philippe, Rina could end up dancing around each other.

A break from the news

• 🥵 Sweating cools us down, but does it burn calories?

• 📲 Thinking about upgrading to an iPhone 15? We break it down.

• 🍂 Heads up, leaf peepers! Where to find the most colorful displays.

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hello: laura@usatoday.com. This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Government shutdown, Biden impeachment hearing, GOP debate: Thursday’s news