BORDER/DEMS/GOVERNMENT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “Democratic congressional leaders called on President Trump on Tuesday [1-8-19] to reopen the federal government while they resolve differences with him over securing the southern border, in a formal response to his prime-time address from the Oval Office that they dismissed as riddled with misinformation and fear-mongering. ‘The president has chosen fear; we want to start with the facts,’ said Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, speaking from her office at the Capitol beside Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, as they delivered a joint response to the president…The dueling speeches from opposite sides of Pennsylvania Avenue unfolded at the close of Day 18 of a government shutdown over Mr. Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion for a border wall that Democrats have steadfastly opposed. The Democratic leaders’ decision to select themselves as the message bearers to counter the president underscores how a partisan power struggle in a new era of divided government is undergirding the discussions over resolving the shutdown, even as the paychecks of hundreds of thousands of federal workers and benefits for millions of Americans hang in the balance.”
–Julie Hirschfeld Davis, “Schumer and Pelosi, Responding to Trump’s Speech, Call to Reopen Government,” The New York Times online, January 8, 2019