Remember in college when you had three huge projects due on the same day? Democrats are feeling that same stress this week as they try to turn President Biden’s signature economic proposals into law.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants Democrats to pass two huge packages: 1) the roughly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and 2) the $3.5 trillion spending bill that would inject an unprecedented amount of federal dollars into the social safety net, climate change mitigation, and education.

On top of all that, Congress will need to fund the federal government past Thursday at midnight in order to avoid a partial government shutdown.

The stakes are high. As they eye the midterm elections coming up next year, Democrats want to be able to show voters they can get things done and make a positive difference in Americans’ lives.

Breaking it down

Here’s where the three projects stand right now.

The infrastructure bill: This package would provide $600 billion in fresh funding to upgrade the country’s aging roads, bridges, transit, electric grid, and broadband networks. It’s already passed the Senate with support from Republicans, but more progressive Democrats want to prioritize the social spending bill. Still, Pelosi is bullish: “Let me just say that we're going to pass the bill this week,” she said yesterday.

The social and environment spending bill: This one’s the biggest lightning rod. Many Democrats think this package will be transformative in cutting both poverty and carbon emissions, but Republicans (and some centrist Dems) are balking at the $3.5 trillion price tag. Expect the total cost to come down as Democrats seek a compromise.

The government shutdown: Because we can all agree it would be silly to shut down government operations during a pandemic, lawmakers say they could pass a short-term spending patch with bipartisan support to keep the lights on.

Bottom line: These wild next few days in DC could make or break Biden’s domestic agenda.

Speaking of deadlines, another big one looms: New York is requiring employees in all hospitals and nursing homes to have received at least one shot of a Covid-19 vaccine as of today.

While they're supportive of the requirement, officials are warning that the mandate could lead to staff shortages at hospitals and other health care facilities.

• The largest health care provider in the state, Northwell Health, predicts it’ll have to fire thousands of employees who refuse to get vaccinated, per the NYT.
• Buffalo’s Erie County Medical Center will suspend elective in-patient surgeries if it needs to fire hundreds of workers.

To help alleviate potential shortages, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a plan on Saturday that includes calling in medically trained National Guard personnel.

This is not just a New York issue: The Biden administration wants to make sure every person working in health care is vaccinated, and a federal vax mandate for health care employees could begin as soon as next month. Officials across the US, particularly in rural areas, are concerned they’ll lose staff.

Angela Merkel not leading Germany is like someone other than Mike Krzyzewski coaching Duke basketball, but that’s what’s going to happen after Germans voted in federal elections yesterday.

Merkel, currently the longest-serving head of state in Europe, didn’t seek reelection after 16 years as chancellor.

Her legacy: Merkel is credited with steering Europe’s largest economy—and really the entire continent—through a number of emergencies, including the 2008 financial meltdown, the 2015 migrant crisis, and the coronavirus pandemic.

Whoever ends up succeeding Merkel, and it’s not clear yet who that is, will face increased pressure to confront climate change, a central issue in yesterday’s elections. Protestors rallied in Germany ahead of the vote to pressure the government to do more to limit emissions. Merkel’s Germany has fallen short of its goals to reduce its carbon footprint, and remains a top-10 polluting country in the world.

Looking ahead...Merkel will remain in charge as German lawmakers tussle to form a new government, which could take months.

Stat: Marvel’s Shang-Chi has become the top-grossing movie at the North American box office this year, bringing in nearly $187 million, according to Comscore. In second place is another Marvel blockbuster—Black Widow.

Quote: “Within a year I think we will be able to come back to normal life.”

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on ABC yesterday that we’ll get back to leading our normal lives (whatever that means anymore) in the not-too-distant future, but added that we’ll likely need yearly Covid shots.

Read: Lab-grown meat is supposed to be inevitable. The science tells a different story. (The Counter)

We kind of cannibalized this section with the top story, but here’s what else you should look out for.

Economic officials speak: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Fed Chair Jerome Powell will testify before Congress on Tuesday and Thursday about the country’s policy response to the pandemic.

Q4 begins: The final quarter of the year will start on Friday, Oct. 1.

Everything else:

• A holiday near and dear to our hearts, National Coffee Day, is on Wednesday.
• Jon Stewart makes his return to television with a show on Apple TV+ on Thursday.
• The Many Saints of Newark, which chronicles the early life of Tony Soprano, debuts Friday.
• Walt Disney World turns 50 on Friday.

Three career tips: 1) The 10 commandments of salary negotiation 2) why “hustling” may not help you in life and 3) the surprising power of daily rituals

Dive back into the week:

• Shallow dive: Social media can be good (read the first reply)
• Medium dive: A novel investment strategy
• Deep dive: Inside the CIA's secret war plans against WikiLeaks
• Cannonball: The legend of the “Skoilet”
• Bonus: A hype Retail Brew event tomorrow all about CPG marketing

It’s no surprise that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the top movie franchise by global box office receipts.

Can you name the other nine franchises in the top 10?

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