1/ House Democrats approved a series of spending bills to reopen the federal government without Trump’s border wall money, but the legislative spending package is expected to be dead on arrival in the Senate where Mitch McConnell has vowed to not “waste its time� with proposals that Trump will veto. Congressional Republicans called the effort pointless political theater. (CNN / CNBC / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / USA Today)

2/ Trump is reportedly considering declaring a national emergency in order to use $4 billion in Department of Defense funds to build his wall. The move would sidestep Congress if he doesn’t get money for his border wall. During his press conference, Trump acknowledged that he was considering using national emergency powers to get the wall built “for the security of our country.� He likened it to “the military version of eminent domain,� which is not a real thing. [This story is developing…] (ABC News / Washington Post / NBC News)

3/ Trump threatened to keep the government partially shutdown for “months or even years� following what Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi described as a “lengthy� and “sometimes contentious� meeting at the White House. Trump, however, characterized it as a “very, very productive meeting,� during a Rose Garden press conference. “I think we’ve come a long way� as he defended the shutdown, adding: “I’m very proud of doing what I’m doing. I don’t call it a shutdown. I call it doing what you have to do.� The shutdown, which entered its 14th day, has left about 800,000 workers without pay, limited several federal agencies, and slowed the court system. (New York Times / Washington Post)

4/ Hundreds of senior Trump administration officials are scheduled to receive a $10,000 raise tomorrow as some 800,000 federal employees are currently unpaid due to the partial government shutdown. (Washington Post / CNN)

5/ Shortly after being sworn in, freshman Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib told supporters: “We’re gonna go in there and we’re going to impeach the motherfucker.� House Democratic leaders immediately tried to quell the impeachment talk, saying they should wait for Robert Mueller to file a report on his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign. Republicans, meanwhile, seized on the comments, saying it’s proof...

1/ Trump and congressional leaders failed to resolve the partial government shutdown that’s now stretched into its 13th day. The meeting was billed as a a “border security briefing,� but turned into Trump asking Department of Homeland Security officials to “make a plea� for his $5 billion border wall with Trump rejecting an offer from Democrats to reopen the government, because he “would look foolish if I did that.� Nancy Pelosi, meanwhile, reaffirmed her refusal to accommodate Trump’s border wall demand, saying: “How many more times can we say no? Nothing for the wall.� Sen. Lindsay Graham, meanwhile, has been pressuring Trump to hold firm as well. “If he gives in now, that’s the end of 2019 in terms of him being an effective president,� Graham said. “That’s the probably the end of his presidency.� (The Guardian / New York Times / CNN / NBC News)

Mitch McConnell: The Senate will not consider the House Democrat bills to end the government shutdown if they don’t include Trump’s demand for a $5 billion border wall. “The Senate will not waste its time considering a Democratic bill which cannot pass this chamber and which the president will not sign.� (Reuters)

Trump falsely accused Democrats of shutting down the government in order to take the presidency in 2020. He went on to praise “all of the achievements of ‘Trump.’� (Politico)

Trump put a large “Game of Thrones� poster of himself on the table in front of him during a cabinet meeting with the words “SANCTIONS ARE COMING NOVEMBER 4� across the middle. Nobody in the meeting talked about the poster and the White House did not respond to questions about it. (New York Times / Washington Post)

Trump issued an executive order freezing federal workers’ pay for 2019, after initially announcing a 2.1% across-the-board pay raise that was set to take effect in January. (CNN)

2/ The House of Representatives elected Rep. Nancy Pelosi as speaker for a second time. The 116th Congress convened with Democrats taking control of the House and Republicans maintaining control of the Senate. (Wall Street Journal / New York Times / Washington Post)

1/ As the shutdown stretches into its 12th day – and a day before Democrats take control of the house – Trump invited congressional leaders to the White House for a briefing on border security. It’s the first time Trump has sat down with top congressional leaders of both parties since the shutdown started. Homeland Security officials will brief the top two leaders of each party from both the Senate and the House. “Border Security and the Wall ‘thing’ and Shutdown,� Trump tweeted, “is not where Nancy Pelosi wanted to start her tenure as Speaker! Let’s make a deal?� (Washington Post / The Guardian / New York Times / Politico)

2/ House Democrats plan to vote on a bipartisan package of six Senate spending bills to reopen the government, as well as a stopgap measure to reopen the Department of Homeland Security at its current funding levels until February 8. The temporary funding measure would include the current $1.3 billion in border security money, which can be used for fencing and repairs of the current barriers. The move, however, lacks support from Senate Republicans and Trump. (CNN / NBC News)

Trump tried to convince people on Twitter that the Obamas had a 10-foot wall built around their family home in D.C. as a way of justifying why the U.S. should build a wall along the southern border with Mexico. Trump tweeted: “I agree, totally necessary for their safety and security. The U.S. needs the same thing, slightly larger version!� According to a neighbor (and all of the available photos of the residence), “There’s a fence that goes along the front of the house, but it’s the same as the other neighbors have.� Another neighbor said the house is “100 percent visible from the street.� (Washington Post / Rolling Stone)

John Kelly: Trump abandoned the idea of “a solid concrete wall early on in the administration.� The outgoing chief of staff added that “the president still says ‘wall,’� but he often means a “‘barrier’ or ‘fencing,’ now he’s tended toward steel slats.� Trump responded to Kelly’s comments on Twitter, saying that the idea of an all-concrete border “WAS NEVER ABANDONED,� asserting that the Border Patrol experts “prefer a Wall that is see through.� (Los Angeles Times /

1/ A partial shutdown is assured after House lawmakers left the Capitol for the night without passing a budget agreement. Funding for several key government agencies will lapse at midnight. Despite the Senate narrowly passing a procedural vote to begin debate on the House funding bill. That vote passed 48-47, with Mike Pence breaking the tie. Senators have also been told to go home. They were told they will have at least 24 hours notice before any vote. If the government shuts down, the Treasury and the departments of Agriculture, Homeland Security, Interior, State, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Commerce, and Justice will close, more than 420,000 people will work without pay, and another 380,000 workers will be furloughed. (Washington Post / New York Times / Associated Press / CNBC / NBC News / Politico / Reuters / Wall Street Journal)

Senators being told to head home for the night, and that they won't be called back unless there's an honest-to-goodness deal... and with 24 hour notice.

That means a partial government shutdown tonight.

Two Dem senators tell me they’ve been told no more votes tonight, and that they will get 24 hours notice before the next vote in the Senate. So that’s it. Shutdown.

2/ The House of Representatives passed a stopgap measure funding measure that includes $5.7 billion in border wall funding after Trump threatened to veto the Senate-passed stopgap spending bill. The bill passed on a near-party-line vote of 217 to 185. Democrats, however, have the Senate votes to block any bill that includes funding for Trump’s wall, while Trump says he’ll veto any bill that doesn’t. (NBC News / Washington Post)

3/ Trump warned of a “shutdown today� that will last “a very long time� if his wall isn’t funded. Trump tried to blame it on a “Democrat Shutdown� despite last week ta...

1/ “At this moment,� Trump won’t sign the Senate-passed funding measure that would avoid a partial government shutdown if it doesn’t include his border wall money, Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. Paul Ryan added that Trump has “concerns for border security.� Trump previously told Democrats he would be “proud� to shut down the government if they refused to give him $5 billion for his border wall. Democrats held firm and GOP leaders were forced to instead pursue a short-term spending bill that would avoid a shutdown, which the Senate unanimously passed Wednesday night to fund federal agencies through February 8th. The Senate-passed bill does not include funding for Trump’s wall. Hours after the Senate passed its bill, House Republicans revolted over concerns that they were punting the border wall fight to next year, when Democrats take control of the House. Trump’s opposition dramatically increases the chances of a government shutdown starting Friday night. (Politico / CNN / Washington Post / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / NBC News)

A Florida man started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to pay for Trump’s border wall. The campaign has raised over $5.5 million in the three days since it started, with an overall goal of $1 billion. Brian Kolfage believes that if the 63 million Americans who voted for Trump donated $80 each, they would be able to raise the $5 billion Trump is asking Congress for. (Politico)

Fox & Friends called Trump’s defeat on border wall funding “a stunning turn of events.� (Daily Beast)

2/ Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker declined to recuse himself from the Russia investigation despite a Justice Department ethics official advising him to step aside out of an “abundance of caution.� The ethics official said that while a recusal was “a close call,� there was no actual legal conflict of interest that would require Whitaker to recuse himself. Members of Congress are concerned about Whitaker’s previous criticism of Robert Mueller’s investigation. (CNN / ABC News / Politico)

3/ Trump’s pick for attorney general criticized Mueller’s obstruction of justice investigation in an unsolicited memo he sent to the Justice Department in June. William Barr said “Mueller’s obstruction theory is fatally misconceived,� claiming that Trump’s interactions with James Comey would not constitute obstruction of justice, because Trump was using his “complete authority to start or stop a law enforcement proceeding.� If confirmed as attorney general, Barr would oversee Mueller’s work. (<...

1/ Newly obtained document show Trump signed a letter of intent to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, contradicting Rudy Giuliani’s claim that the document was never signed. The signed letter is dated Oct. 28, 2015. Trump Jr. testified on Sept. 7, 2017 that his father had signed a letter of intent for the Moscow project, which Michael Cohen worked on, but he knew “very little� about it. Cohen also told congressional committees investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election that Trump had signed the letter. On Sunday, Giuliani claimed: “It was a real estate project. There was a letter of intent to go forward, but no one signed it.� During the 2016 campaign, Trump did not disclose that the Trump Organization explored the business deal with Russia. Instead, he repeatedly claimed he had “nothing to do with Russia.� Read the signed letter of intent. (CNN)

2/ Giuliani conceded that “of course� Trump signed the “bullshit� letter of intent to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. “I don’t think I said nobody signed it,� Giuliani claimed, despite telling CNN on Sunday that “no one signed� the letter. The deal would have given Trump’s company $4 million upfront, plus a percentage on all sales, as well as marketing and design oversight. The hotel would have also named the spa after Ivanka Trump. (New York Daily News)

3/ Mitch McConnell introduced a stopgap spending bill to keep the government running into February, which does not include the money Trump wants for his border wall. Both chambers are expected to pass the measure by Friday’s midnight deadline, and avoid a partial shutdown. The White House has not publicly confirmed Trump will sign the measure. (Politico / The Guardian /

1/ Trump will close his foundation and give away its remaining $1.7 million in assets amid a lawsuit accusing the Trump, Ivanka, Eric, and Trump Jr. of illegally using the foundation for personal and political gain. New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood accused the foundation of “a shocking pattern of illegality,� which included “unlawful coordination with the Trump presidential campaign� that was “willful and repeated.� Trump used the charity’s money to pay legal settlements for his private business, to purchase a $10,000 portrait of Trump that was displayed at one of his golf clubs, and to make a prohibited political donation. The attorney general’s office is seeking for the Trump Foundation to pay $2.8 million in restitution. (Bloomberg / Washington Post / New York Times)

2/ Michael Flynn agreed to delay his sentencing after U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan told Trump’s former national security adviser “you sold your country out,� and because of that, “I cannot assure you, if you proceed today, you will not receive a sentence of incarceration.� Robert Mueller recommended that Flynn serve no jail time for his crimes because of the “substantial help� he provided to the special counsel and other investigations. Flynn was supposed to be sentenced today for lying to the FBI and acting as an unregistered agent for Turkey. The judge also asked the special counsel’s office whether Flynn could be charged with “treason� after he acted as “an unregistered agent of a foreign country, while serving as the national security adviser to the president of the United States.� Flynn’s sentencing has been delayed until March 13th and will allow him to continue cooperating with the Russia investigation. Sullivan’s last words to the court were: “Happy holidays.� (New York Times / CNN / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / BuzzFeed News)

Mueller released a memo from 2017 that summarizes Michael Flynn’s contemporaneous interview with the FBI. The interview was the catalyst that led to the high-profile case against Trump’s former national security adviser and felon. According to the memo, Flynn lied during the interview about his contact with then-Russian ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 presidential transition period. The memo includes clear examples of Flynn lying and claiming that he never made any policy requests of Russia as FBI agents prod him to provide fuller descriptions of his calls. (CNN)

Flynn Intel Group co-founder Bijan Rafiekian, also known as Bijan Kian, pleaded not guilty after being charged with conspiracy and acting as an agent of a foreign government. (...

1/ The Russian disinformation and influence campaign during the 2016 presidential election was more far-reaching than originally understood, according to the findings of two independent groups of researchers tasked by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee. The report found that “active and ongoing interference operations remain on several platforms,� including one campaign to support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and influence opinions on the Syrian Civil War. The Internet Research Agency created social media accounts under fake names and spread its messages across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, Tumblr, Pinterest, Vine and Google+, and other platforms. As attention was focused on Facebook and Twitter in 2017, the Russians shifted much of their activity to Instagram. The Internet Research Agency is owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin, an ally of Putin’s. Prigozhin and a dozen Internet Research Agency employees were indicted last February as part of Robert Mueller’s investigation. In particular, the campaigns urged the African-American community “to boycott the election and focus on other issues instead,� while messaging to conservative and right-wing voters “patriotic and anti-immigrant slogans� designed to “elicit outrage […] about liberal appeasement of ‘others’ at the expense of U.S. citizens, and [to] encourage them to vote for Trump.� The report concludes: “What is clear is that all of the messaging clearly sought to benefit the Republican Party — and specifically Donald Trump.� (New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / Bloomberg)

2/ Rudy Giuliani suggested that Mueller’s investigation is “done� and all that’s left is to investigate are “parking tickets and jaywalking.� However, when asked if Roger Stone ever gave Trump a “heads-up� about the WikiLeaks publication of emails concerning Hillary Clinton and the DNC, Giuliani responded: “No, he didn’t, no.� After a moment of silence, Giuliani softened his response: “I don’t believe so. But again, if Roger Stone gave anybody a heads-up about WikiLeaks’ leaks, that’s not a crime. It would be like giving him a heads-up that the Times is going to print something. One the — the crime, this is why this thing is so weird, strange. The crime is conspiracy to hack; collusion is not a crime; it doesn’t exist.� (ABC News)

1/ Federal prosecutors are investigating whether Trump’s inaugural committee and a pro-Trump super PAC received illegal donations from individuals from Middle Eastern nations who were hoping to buy influence over U.S. policy. The inquiry focuses on whether people from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates used straw donors to disguise their donations to the two Trump funds. Foreign contributions to federal campaigns, political action committees, and inaugural funds are illegal. The inaugural committee was headed by Thomas Barrack, and Paul Manafort, who was Trump’s campaign chairman at the time, believed that Barrack could help raise funds for the super PAC, Rebuilding America Now, which could collect unlimited amounts of money. Barrack said that Manafort viewed the super PAC as an arm of the campaign, despite laws meant to prevent coordination. The committee raised $23 million on Trump’s behalf. (New York Times / Wall Street Journal)

📌 Day 693: Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating whether Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee misspent the $107 million it raised and whether some of the donors gave money in exchange for access to the incoming Trump administration, policy concessions, or to influence administration positions. The committee said in its tax documents that it spent $77 million on conferences, conventions and meetings, $4 million on ticketing, $9 million on travel, $4.5 million on salaries and wages, and other expenses. Nearly a quarter of the money was paid to a firm led by a friend of Melania Trump that was formed 45 days before the inauguration. (Wall Street Journal)

📌 Day 389: Trump’s inaugural committee won’t reveal what it’s doing with tens of millions of dollars it pledged to charity last year. The committee raised about $107 million, but only spent about half of it. The rest, it said, would go to charity. (Daily Beast)

📌 Day 392: Trump’s inaugural committee paid nearly $26 million to an event planning firm started by Melania’s adviser and longtime friend Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. The firm was created in December 2016 – 45 days before the inauguration. Trump’s inauguration committee raised $107 million and paid to WIS Media Partners $25.8 million. (New York Times / Wall Street Journal)

📌 Day 404: Melania Trump parted ways with her senior adviser and friend, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, after news surfaced that Wolkoff’s firm had received $26 million to plan Trump’s inauguration and surrounding events in January 2017. Wolkoff was terminated last week because the Trumps were unhappy with the news reports about the contract. (New York Times)

2/ ...

1/ Maria Butina pleaded guilty to conspiring to act as a foreign agent of the Kremlin and influence U.S. politics from 2015 until her arrest in July. Butina tried to establish “unofficial lines of communication� with influential Americans in the NRA and in the Republican Party “under direction of� a former Russian senator and deputy governor of Russia’s central bank, who matches the description of sanctioned Russian central banker Alexander Torshin. Butina is also expected to provide evidence against Paul Erickson, who helped her with what she called her “Diplomacy Project.� Butina faces up to five years in prison but is expected to only serve six months based on “the sentencing guidelines cited as part of the plea agreement.� (Washington Post / CNN / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Politico) / NBC News)

2/ Trump claimed he “never directed Michael Cohen to break the law� and said he isn’t responsible for any crimes because he acted on the “advice of counsel� and his former lawyer is “supposed to know the law.� Trump also questioned whether any campaign finance violations even occurred, saying “Cohen was guilty on many charges unrelated to me […] which were not criminal and of which he probably was not guilty even on a civil basis.� Trump suggested that Cohen pleaded guilty to the charges in order to “embarrass� him and to get a reduced prison term. Cohen pleaded guilty in August to violating campaign finance law when he made hush money payments ahead of the 2016 election to Stormy Daniels and arranged a similar pay-off to Karen McDougal at the direction of then-candidate Trump, which were intended to sway the election. (New York Times / Washington Post / The Guardian / Politico / CNN / NBC News)

🚨 CONFIRMED: Trump was the “other member of the campaign� in the room when Cohen and National Enquirer publisher David Pecker discussed ways Pecker could “help deal with negative stories about that presidential candidate’s relationships with women.� In August 2015, Trump and Cohen met with Pecker in his Trump Tower office and asked how he could help the campaign. Pecker offered to use the National Enquirer to buy the silence of women if they tried to publicize alleged sexual encounters with Trump. (Wall Street Journal /