BORDER/GOVERNMENT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “President Trump unleashed an offensive on Monday [1-7-19] to persuade Americans that a ‘humanitarian and security crisis’ on the southern border must be addressed before a government shutdown can end, announcing a prime-time address for Tuesday and a trip to the border later in the week. Vice President Mike Pence briefed reporters on the status of negotiations in a hastily arranged session, part of an orchestrated effort to sway balking Democrats who say the government should reopen while they wrangle over Mr. Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion to begin his border wall. The shutdown, heading into Day 18, has become a critical test for Mr. Trump, who campaigned as a master negotiator and deal maker but so far has achieved virtually no agreements with Democrats. Already, it is the second-longest breakdown in government funding in the nation’s history, affecting about 800,000 federal workers, many of whom will miss their first paycheck this week. The president has offered little to his Democratic adversaries to lure them to the table.”
–Michael Tackett and Nicholas Fandos, “Trump Will Make Broad-Based Public Appeal for Border Wall,” The New York Times online, January 7, 2019