U.S. President Donald Trump said he’ll be making a “major announcement” on the government shutdown and the southern border on Saturday afternoon as the standstill over his border wall continues into its fifth week. Democrats are now proposing hundreds of millions of dollars for new immigration judges and improvements to ports of entry from Mexico but nothing for the wall, a House aide said, as the party begins fleshing out its vision of improving border security.
After days of bitter clashes between Mr. Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, it was unclear if the twin developments represented serious steps toward resolving the nasty partisan fight or posturing.
A new deal?
Mr. Trump was expected to propose the outlines of a new deal that the administration believes could potentially pave the way to an end to the shutdown, according to a source. The move represents the first major overture by the President since January 8, when he delivered an Oval Office address making the public case for his border wall.
Democrats have said they will not negotiate until the government reopens.
