Listen on the go! A daily podcast of Wall Street Breakfast will be available by 8:00 a.m. on Seeking Alpha, iTunes, Spotify.Getty ImagesWhat are the chances of a government shutdown ahead of the Oct. 1 deadline? Also name the most non-essential service that has you worried...Take the survey here and share your thoughts in the WSB comments section.Welcome back from the weekend! Here is the latest in trending:Last one: Wedbush is dropping its coverage of GameStop (GME), leaving the retailer without a Wall Street rating as it continues to defy traditional analysis. See SA and Quant ratings here.Rollout: Walmart (WMT), the nation's biggest private employer, is preparing for sweeping workforce changes, with CEO Doug McMillon saying that AI will alter "virtually every job."Production hike: OPEC and its partners are expected to raise oil output again next month as part of their ongoing effort to recapture market share.A gathering today at the White House will attempt to hash out partisan differences to avert a looming government shutdown set for 12:01 AM ET on Wednesday. Democrats are pushing for an extension of Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year and want a rollback of Medicaid cuts that were passed in the "Big Beautiful Bill." Republicans, who hold majorities in Congress (but still need Democratic votes in the Senate), are emphasizing the debt and deficit, though the party could face a bigger fight this time around compared to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's support for a GOP spending bill back in March.Who will be impacted? Hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be furloughed if additional funding cannot be approved, while the SEC will operate with minimal market oversight. There can also be delays on Social Security payments, small business loans, and clinical trials for medical treatments, while exporters won't be able to get licenses. For investors, a shutdown could postpone economic data releases, which have become all the more important in the current "data-dependent" environment.The first delay could come on Friday, when the closely watched non-farm payrolls report for September is due to be published. If a shutdown continues, it could affect upcoming inflation readings, complicating the Federal Reserve's meeting on interest rates at the end of October. The White House has also threatened mass firings if the government shuts down, with the Office of Management and Budget instructing federal agencies to prepare reduction-in-force notices that could go beyond the DOGE cuts instituted earlier this year.What about stocks? "Historical data shows most shutdowns have a modest market impact," writes SA Analyst Danil Kolyako. "Currently, the S&P 500 trades near all-time highs and the VIX remains low, making markets vulnerable to sudden volatility spikes if a shutdown occurs. Despite heightened political tension, any shutdown-driven market weakness should be viewed as a buying opportunity, supported by historical post-shutdown recoveries."Here's the latest Seeking Alpha analysisI Could Build My Entire Retirement Around These 4 StocksMicron: Don't Repeat The Same Mistakes AgainAlphabet: The Universal EdgeOne Of The Best 11% Yields To Buy Today: Fidus InvestmentNebius Vs. Palantir: At >100x Sales, Which AI Stock Is The Better Buy?What else is happening...Wall Street eyes new leaders beyond Magnificent Seven.Jared Kushner could join EA's (EA) $50B leveraged buyout.These TV station owners are reinstating Jimmy Kimmel's show.SEC's Atkins is fast-tracking a proposal to end quarterly reporting.DOJ: Trump's firing of Fed's Cook won't trigger market turmoil.ByteDance (BDNCE) expected to play big role in TikTok USA.iRobot's (IRBT) co-founder issues warning on humanoid robots.American farmers will need government aid - Senator Thune.Iran sanctions reinstated 10 years after JCPOA nuclear deal.SA Asks: What's the most attractive cloud stock right now?Today's MarketsIn Asia, Japan -0.7%. Hong Kong +1.9%. China +0.9%. India -0.1%.In Europe, at midday, London +0.6%. Paris +0.1%. Frankfurt +0.2%.Futures at 7:00, Dow +0.4%. S&P +0.6%. Nasdaq +0.7%. Crude -2% to $64.44. Gold +1% to $3,846.20. Bitcoin +2.4% to $112,070.Ten-year Treasury Yield -3 bps to 4.15%.On The CalendarCompanies reporting today include Carnival Corporation (CCL) and Vail Resorts (MTN).See the full earnings calendar on Seeking Alpha, as well as today's economic calendar.