Suspect in manicurist’s death waives extradition to Nevada Shutdown still tug of will Trump issues angry denial of Russia ties
President won’t budge, builds political wall with Democrats
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump closed the door Monday on a Republican proposal to end the longest government shutdown in
U.S. history as Congress appears no closer to crafting a compromise that lawmakers and the White House could accept.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., urged Trump over the weekend to reopen the government for three weeks while negotiators continued to seek common ground and reach a deal that could provide funding for the president’s demand for a border wall.
Trump slammed the door on that idea, saying he did not want a delay, only a deal, as he blamed Democrats for failing to
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump flatly denied that he ever worked for Russia against U.S. interests on Monday and called the allegation “a whole big fat hoax.”
The denial follows a New York Times report that said federal justice officials “became so concerned by the president’s behavior” after he fired FBI Director James Comey in May 2017 that they began investigating “whether he had been working on behalf of Russia against American interests.“
The story acknowl-
negotiate in good faith.
“The Democrats have to do something,” Trump told reporters at the White House before leaving for New Orleans to give a speech to a national farm group.
“They now control the House. Let’s see if they can lead. I don’t know that they can lead, but we’re going to soon find out,” Trump said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, responding to Trump on Twitter said Republicans started the “Trump shutdown” and Democrats are trying to end it.
The House passed spending bills last week to open up federal departments that have been shuttered since Dec. 22. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell, R-KY., has said he would not bring any legislation to the floor without an agreement by the president to sign it into law.
Pelosi put the blame squarely on Trump for keeping the government shut down over his wall demands.
“It’s time for you to stop standing in the way of re-opening the government. Let the Senate vote!” Pelosi said on the social media platform.
Shutdown now 24 days old
The shutdown hit day 24 on Monday with 800,000 federal workers idle or working without pay. Nevada lawmakers spent the week talking with those feeling the pinch of the shutdown, including Transportation Security Administration employees working without paychecks at Mccarran International Airport in Las Vegas.
Trump forced the shutdown in December after refusing to sign a stopgap bill to keep unfunded departments open until Feb. 8. Trump demanded $5.7 billion inserted into the Homeland Security spending bill for construction of a border wall, a campaign pledge that he claimed Mexico would finance.
Since then, Trump has had tumultuous meetings with Democratic leaders in the White House, who have rejected his border wall. The Senate has included $1.3 billion in its Homeland Security spending bill for fences and technology at the border.
Pelosi, D-calif., has rejected more funding for a wall, calling it immoral and ineffective.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to declare a national emergency at the border, and bypass Congress to find unspent money in military construction and disaster accounts to begin wall construction. A declaration would likely draw a legal challenge on constitutional grounds.
Although Trump is blaming Democrats for the shutdown, a recent Abc-washington Post poll showed 53 percent of people blamed Trump and congressional Republicans for the shutdown, 29 percent blamed Democrats and 13 percent had no opinion. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
There are roughly 3,500 federal workers in Nevada furloughed or