BULLETIN:  It's midnight, but we'll still consider this part of Friday's report.  The government has partially shut down.   As Johnny Carson used to ask, notice the difference?

The yappers are still yapping, and it's highly unlikely you'll feel any real change from earlier today, when the government was still functioning, which may be an exaggeration of its actual state.  From Fox: 

Funding for a slew of federal agencies lapsed at midnight after Congress and the White House failed to pass a spending package amid a bruising fight over border wall funding.

The missed deadline means nine of 15 Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies will close just as the Christmas break begins. But it does not mean the whole federal government is affected: Only about a quarter of the government is actually shutting down.

Congress had been facing a Friday deadline to fund a portion of the government or risk the partial shutdown. But even though negotiations continue, lawmakers left the Capitol on Friday without a deal to fund the government by midnight’s deadline.

Over the last few weeks, Republicans and Democrats had been at a standstill over the president’s demands for $5 billion to fund the border wall.

COMMENT:  If you sent holiday cards or gifts through the mail, not to worry.  The Post Office, which is independently funded, will continue to operate.

We get bits and pieces of the "negotiations" presumably underway.  Yawn.  If something important happens, we'll let you know.  There are some brave souls hinting that a deal could be reached this weekend, but the president is now so invested in getting funding for his border wall, that he really cannot give much.  He is trying to turn the "crisis" to his advantage by saying he's fighting for America's security, and the Dems are opposing him.  It might work.  Don't underestimate Trump's political instincts.

December 21, 2018