DEMS/GOVERNMENT/HOUSE OF REPS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “Democrats in the House offered a border security plan on Wednesday [1-30-19] that would not provide a penny for Donald Trump’s border wall, ignoring — for now — an early-morning warning from the president that they’d be ‘wasting their time’ if they don’t come up with wall money. The Democratic offer is just a starting point in House-Senate talks on border security funding that kicked off in a basement room in the Capitol. A top Democrat acknowledged that “everything is on the table,” including the border barriers demanded by Trump. Lawmakers on both sides flashed signs of flexibility, eager to demonstrate willingness to compromise in hopes of resolving the standoff with Trump that sparked the just-ended 35-day partial government shutdown. The high-stakes talks are taking place against the backdrop of another possible shutdown in mid-February — an outcome Trump’s GOP allies in the Senate are especially eager to avoid. But while Trump’s rhetoric has cooled, he’s proven to be an unpredictable force in the shutdown debate, often veering back to his original demands for the wall.”
–Associated Press, “Dems Make Opening Offer, With No Money for Trump’s Wall,” The New York Times online, January 29, 2019