From the New York Times, I'm Michael Barbarale. This is a Daily.

Today, President Trump seemed poised to avoid a government shutdown

and carry his fight for a border wall into 2019 with a Democratic-controlled house.

So what happened?

And, Jim Mattis has resigned as Secretary of Defense.

It's Friday, December 21st.

Jonathan, it is 4.42 on Thursday afternoon.

Are we again facing a government shutdown?

We are. I came into work this morning thinking that

it was going to be unpalatable, but the House Republicans were going to take up the Senate past bill

that would have kept the government funded past Friday and punted it to February.

And everyone would jump in their airplanes and leave Washington,

and we would be on our way to winter break, and we're not.

By my count, Jonathan, this would be our third government shutdown in a year.

In a year. And each one of them seems to center around the president,

Chuck Schumer, and Nancy Pelosi arguing about a wall.

In immigration, yes.

Jonathan Weissman is Deputy Washington Editor of the Times.

Remember, the last one was over the Democrats insisting on some kind of protection

for the dreamers, and that one actually went poorly for the Democrats.

The Democrats pretty much capitulated and lost on that one.

So how did we get here all over again?

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