1/ Trump called any bipartisan committee plan to avoid a government shutdown a “waste of time� if it doesn’t include a border wall. In a barrage of tweets, Trump reiterated his demands for a wall and called the debate between fencing and a wall “political games,� and insisting that “A WALL is a WALL!� He repeated his threat to declare a national emergency and transfer billions of dollars in previously allocated funds to build the wall, saying that “if there’s no wall, it doesn’t work.� (CBS News / Bloomberg / Politico) / Washignton Post)

2/ Pelosi to Trump: “There’s not going to be any wall money in the legislation.� Her comments came after Democrats detailed their border security proposal during a conference committee meeting that would provide no funds for a border wall, though it would add billions for technology and personnel. The border security measure totals nearly $22 billion for customs, border patrol, and immigration agents, includes increases in spending for scanners at ports of entry, humanitarian aid for detained migrants, and adds new aircraft to police the U.S.-Mexico border. The proposal would freeze the number of border patrol agents as well as block any future wall construction in wildlife refuges along the border. Pelosi called Trump’s suggestion of trading temporary protection for DACA recipients for a permanent border wall a “non-starter.� (NBC News)

3/ The White House is reportedly still working out the details for a potential national emergency declaration to secure Trump’s border wall if Congress doesn’t strike a deal before government funding runs out on Feb. 15th. A national emergency would enable Trump to take existing funds appropriated by Congress and use them for other purposes. The goal is to have a declaration ready to go if Trump decides to move on it, rather than scrambling to draw one up at the last minute. Trump has called the odds of a congressional deal “less than 50-50.� (Politico / The Guardian)

4/ Trump pinky-promised that he won’t intervene with the Justice Department’s decision-making process about whether to release Robert Mueller’s report on possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election. “They’ll have to make their decision within the Justice Department,� Trump said, insisting that he hasn’t spoken with acting AG Matthew Whitaker about the inquiry. Trump cautioned, however, that he “could’ve gotten involved in this. I c...