GOP/IMMIGRATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “President Trump’s legislative path to a border wall has narrowed significantly on the eve of Tuesday’s [2-5-19] State of the Union speech, and his fallback plan to circumvent Congress by declaring a state of emergency could create a major division in his own party. As he prepares to make his case to the largest national audience of the year, Mr. Trump appeared to be in an increasingly precarious position, unable to sway the wider public to his cause and unwilling, at least so far, to apply the persuasion and compromise that have gotten previous presidents out of political jams. Anxiety over the damage being inflicted on the party is growing. Last week, in a one-on-one meeting with the president, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, reportedly warned Mr. Trump that declaring a national emergency to build his wall would almost certainly spark a rebellion within his party — and a vote to overrule him. House and Senate negotiators have been moving toward a bipartisan agreement as early as Friday to keep the government funded after Feb. 15 — with or without the president’s support.”
–Glenn Thrush and Emily Cochrane, “Trump’s Options for Wall Shrink as Republicans Balk at National Emergency Declaration,” The New York Times online, February 4, 2019