US Domestic News: Shutdowns, Legal Battles, and Industry Setbacks

A comprehensive wrap-up of current U.S. domestic news briefs highlighting: federal workers' unpaid status during the government shutdown, potential pardons by Trump, and developments in rural airline subsidies. Other stories include fires at Ford and Dow plants, legal changes at the CIA, and recent verdicts impacting Harvard and Google.

In ongoing domestic developments, hundreds of thousands of federal workers remain uncertain about compensation during the ongoing government shutdown without assurance from the White House, according to Axios. This comes after the Senate again failed to pass bills funding federal agencies.

President Trump has hinted at possibly pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell, raising eyebrows amid her conviction with Jeffrey Epstein. Meanwhile, subsidies for rural airline services face expiration amidst the shutdown, according to the Transportation Department.

On the industrial forefront, fires at Novelis and Dow plants threaten prolonged disruptions for Ford and other manufacturers. Meanwhile, the CIA's Deputy Director Michael Ellis has controversially appointed himself as the agency's general counsel. In other news, Harvard University faces lawsuits over a grim misconduct scandal.