CNN political commentator Van Jones shared his ‘concern’ about Democrats amid the government shutdown on ‘Real Time’ Friday.

New York Times columnist David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart of MSNBC join Geoff Bennett to discuss the week in politics, including the government shutdown showing no signs of ending quickly, President Trump taking the opportunity to further dismantle the federal government and Pete Hegseth's vision for the U.

Other Western democracies experience polarization and political turmoil, too, yet do not experience government shutdowns like the U.S.

Republican and Democrat lawmakers are now, for the most part, locked in a blame game, as each side is holding the other responsible for the government shutdown that has transpired. Here’s how some lawmakers across the political parties are reacting to the shutdown:

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, a newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

The Trump administration forged ahead with plans to conduct mass layoffs, as the fiscal standoff appeared to intensify.

About 750,000 federal employees are furloughed during the shutdown, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Plus, Andrew Cuomo says he doesn't want Trump's support as he tries to close his polling gap with Zohran Mamdani in New York City.

Fewer say they frequently get news about science and technology (32%), business and finance (32%), sports (27%) and entertainment (19%).