The meeting between congressional leadership and Individual 1 apparently didn't result in any breakthroughs that will end Trump’s partial government shutdown. In speaking to reporters after the meeting, Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the meeting "lengthy" and "sometimes contentious" and that they're at a standstill until something budges on reopening government.
For his part, Sen. Chuck Schumer gave a stark summation of the meeting. "We made a plea to the president once again .... 'Open up the government and let's continue our discussions.'" But, Schumer said, Trump is prepared to let this shutdown go on "for months or even years."
So there you go. By the way, Trump's senior team is still set to get a major pay raise next week, thanks to this shutdown. That'll look good.
Friday, Jan 4, 2019 · 7:11:50 PM +00:00
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Mark Sumner
Trump now talking about the meeting. He started in a low key fugue, saying that he had made “great progress” in his meeting with “Chuck and Nancy and … Dick Durbin was there.” But after rambling for a few minutes, he has wound himself up to full-bore crazy, talking about coyotes and describing an elaborate scenario in which human kidnappers capture women, put tapes over their mouths, then enter the United States “by making a left turn, usually it’s a left, not a right” and … Yeah.
Friday, Jan 4, 2019 · 7:18:41 PM +00:00
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Mark Sumner
The only real “news” in Trump’s statement was an initial statement that Trump was going to form some sort of group which would “work over the weekend” and would “determine what they're going to do about the border." This was followed by a statement that he “agreed with Chuck and Nancy” about ports of entry. But … this was then followed by Trump elaborate imaginary scenario about taking women across the desert in vans, complete with driving directions.