BORDER/GOVERNMENT/NANCY PELOSI/ROBERT MUELLER/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/WALL: “Before President Donald Trump finished speaking from the Rose Garden, putting a temporary end to the five-week government shutdown, a running group text between several of his former aides lit up with complaints…Bewildered by his decision to accept a deal without funding for a wall on the southern border — not even the ‘down payment’ the White House had requested a day earlier — some of his most loyal supporters fretted that Trump was in danger of losing his fervent base that has fueled his presidency. It didn’t help that special counsel Robert Mueller had just released more details about the Trump campaign’s alleged attempts to secretly talk with WikiLeaks during the election. It all left Trump staring at a tough road ahead. Having staked his nascent 2020 reelection messaging to the wall fight, Trump now can’t claim victory as Democrats start entering the field. After stumbling in his first bout with Pelosi, Trump must now face an invigorated Democratic-led House keen to investigate the White House. And following Mueller’s reveal of more evidence that Trump’s 2016 team tried to gather intel about hacked Democratic emails, Trump will have to fend off increasing calls for impeachment.”
–Anita Kumar and Gabby Orr, “‘All for nothing’: Trump’s wall retreat bewilders allies,” Politico, January 25, 2019 8:12 pm