In today’s newsletter: Congress is back in Washington after a monthlong recess, with the government shutdown deadline top of the agenda. And China is in the final stages of preparation for a military parade that will draw attention for its list of attendees and display of weaponry.

Here’s what to know today.

A shutdown fight and Epstein drama await as Congress returns to Washington

Congress returns from a month-long recess today to a litany of issues, including a government shutdown deadline, impending votes to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominees and a renewed clash over the Jeffrey Epstein files.

The White House notified lawmakers Friday it had plans to slash $4.9 billion in federal funding using “pocket recission” — a contested tactic that allows the president to cancel funding in a small window of time, preventing Congress from weighing in and approving the decision.

While lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have condemned its use, there’s equal contention brewing over a massive fallout at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Several resignations following the firing of former agency leader Susan Monarez have driven some Republicans to push Trump’s nominees for sub-Cabinets through using a so-called “nuclear option.”

As well as addressing the staffing holes in one of the nation’s largest health agencies, pressure has been building to release the Epstein files. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., plan to hold a news conference this week featuring survivors of Epstein’s sexual abuse. In July, the pair rolled out legislation to force the Justice Department to release the files, but both lawmakers say the administration isn’t moving fast enough.

Read the full story here.

China to stage a ‘show of force’ with grand military parade

China is planning a spectacular show of force with a grand military parade on Wednesday, attended by the leaders of Russia and North Korea. The highly choreographed “Victory Day” marks the 80th anniversary of Imperial Japan’s surrender at the close of World War II. In a key show of support for China and unity against the United States, it will be the first time that Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin have gathered at the same venue.

Leaders from the United States and other Western governments have declined to attend, partly because of the presence of Putin.

The parade comes amid heightened military tensions in the region as China clashes with neighbors in the South China Sea and the U.S. and its allies brace for potential conflict over Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that Beijing claims as its territory.

The event will involve more than 100 aircraft, hundreds and ground armaments and some equipment being revealed for the first time, according to the Chinese government. Many military observers will be eyeing the parade for any new intercontinental ballistic missiles and drones.

This will be China’s first military parade since 2019 and its third under Xi.

Read the full story here.

Read All About It

• Trump said he plans to award Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, just two days after the former New York City mayor was injured in a car accident.

• Over 1,000 people died in a treacherous landslide that leveled a village in western Sudan.

• Piotr Szczerek, the CEO of a paving company, apologized after he was seen on a viral video taking a hat signed by tennis player Kamil Majchrzak from a child during the U.S. Open.

• An evidentiary hearing for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland father wrongfully deported to El Salvador, is expected on Oct. 6 as the legal battle over his status in the U.S. continues.

• A football player at the U.S. Military Academy and his father pulled a man out of a burning vehicle in a life-saving effort after witnessing the aftermath of a car crash.

Staff Pick: Giving AI back the human touch

First, we were told artificial intelligence was coming for everyone’s jobs, and then came data to support the trend of AI replacements in certain sectors. Now we are learning what many critics have often said: There’s just no replacement for the human touch. It was fascinating to read from Angela Yang’s reporting the sort of cyclic period we’ve found ourselves in, from investing in AI to it make things faster, quicker and easier. We’re nearly back at square one in some instances, hiring humans to correct the small but salient mistakes automated assistants make. Rather than moving towards a world of full replacement of processes, the story challenges us to think more critically about how AI and humans can — and should — work symbiotically.

— Kaylah Jackson, platforms editor

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Kaylah Jackson

Kaylah Jackson is a platforms editor for NBC News, based in Los Angeles.