Today’s economic data is painting a mixed picture of the consumer, but most of Wall Street remains positive on GDP growth for the year. We’ll debate what it means for the Fed’s path forward. Plus, Klarna is poaching Walmart from its rival Affirm to become the retailer’s exclusive provider of Buy Now Pay Later loans. And the author of “Moneyball” and “The Big Short” joins us in a First on CNBC interview to discuss his new book, “Who is Government?”

We’re less than 36 hours away from a potential government shutdown, and Senate Democrats seem to be uniting against the House bill. We have the latest from Capitol Hill. Plus, Intel is flirting with its best day since 2020 after hiring a permanent CEO, who Wall Street’s #1 analyst says can drive a turnaround. And DOGE’s cuts to the federal government are having a direct impact on defense and education companies. Our analyst has some names to avoid, and some to consider ahead of more potential layoffs.