Good Thursday morning. I'm Jake Sherman and welcome to your Politico Playbook Audio Briefing. Stay tuned after the show for a message from Walmart.

And I'm Anna Palmer. We are on day 20 of the government shutdown. Here's where things stand. There is an increasing recognition in the White House and among Trump's most important allies on Capitol Hill that the only way for him to get movement on his

border wall is to figure out a way to build the barrier on his own. The president has options,

national emergency, or other executive action, but it's almost time to put a nail in the coffin

with his congressional efforts. There is no deal to be had with Democrats. All available public

and private evidence tells us there's no deal to be had with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, despite what some of his aides might tell him.

The president is running up against a Democratic House that's doing exactly what it said it would do, block his wall.

He's not going to split Chuck Schumer and Pelosi, and there's no space between the two leaders on the issue.

The White House made a flawed calculation a few weeks ago.

They thought Pelosi would be ready to deal and could deliver Trump his wall once she got past her leadership election.

It was a serious misjudgment by an administration that frequently misreads the Hill and

is having a tough time reading Pelosi.

They thought she would cave on the wall, and she isn't.

Here's what's important to understand about Nancy Pelosi.

She's a slow burner type leader, not unlike Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

They don't get flustered at momentary shifts in whatever debate they are a part of.

Pelosi has set a strategy and a theory of the case, and she's going to stick with it.

Yesterday, the White House had Jared Kushner on the hill, trying to work out some sort of wall for something deal. Pelosi has said she's really not that interested in a wall trade. The White House should save Jared's time, especially today, which is his birthday. And what's with the storming out schick? Maybe it works in real estate where both parties are yearning for a deal, but yesterday on the hill, people thought it was strange behavior and the sign of a president under intense pressure with little room to maneuver. If the president does declare emergency, the house and other entities would immediately jump in and try to have the court stop the move. But it would allow Trump to claim progress, which the president is seeing none of at the moment. He could open government and say the wall is being built.

And if the court strike it down, he could blame the judiciary, something he's done before.

Here's something to consider. Republicans don't really like this emergency declaration stuff.

They think it's executive overreach and undermines congressional authority.

Also, Dems can cut the money Trump uses to build the wall in next year's appropriation cycle.

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