Transcripts For CNNW CNN Newsroom With Poppy Harlow And Jim Sciutto 20181226

Under the gun and in serious jeopardy. Aids have been gathering positive Economic News and statistics so mnuchin could present that to the president so it could calm him down. But that is not working. The president is not happy with what he has been seeing. And although the president has been saying mnuchin is talented and smart, well see how long that lasts. The president blaming the slumping stock market on rising Interest Rates. What we are hearing from sources is that aids have been working to potentially secure a facetoface meeting between powell and the president. No date has been set, but that might ease tensions between them and potentially these patienmars well. The market was not relenting on his demand for a wall. Lawmakers return tomorrow. Is there any movement from the president on this . You did hear him yesterday shorten the wall from 2,000 miles the length of the border to 550 miles, seeming to be his goal. That dollar figure, 5 billion, seems like there is some movement there. But is the white house showing a willingness to deal right now . Yeah. In the last few days you had the incoming acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said the white house was prepared to back away from that. Yesterday the president said this shut down will continue until he gets funding for a border wall. He did suggest, though, that it might be easier for democrats to secure funding if he called it a fence. It was a bit of a joke the president was making there. He did also say that some new border wall installations had been commissioned. However, he didnt give any details exactly has to who has won that bid, where that new border wall was going. We have asked the white house. We have yet to get any clarity on that. One last thing the president said was that some of these federal workers who were suffering because of this shutdown, he believes that they with supportive of him in this effort to shut down the government for funding of his long promised boardrder wall. Unclear where the president was getting that. Yesterday say were saying that the shutdown is a travesty, especially coming during the holidays. Thanks very much. Joining me now, cnn Senior Correspondent manu raju. I thought i told you guys to go back to your families yesterday. Youre still here. This is a problem. Listen, there is a lot of news. Lets for a moment, if we can, talk about the president directing his ire at steve mnuchin. The president was talking about firing the chairman of the fed. Apparently, he was told he cant do that without cause, cause usually defined as legal activity, not just a disagreement about the direction of Interest Rates. Now hes focussing on mnuchin. Is he looking for a scapegoat here . It shows that no one in trumps orbit is safe. Even though the president did express confidence in mnuchin yesterday, it is no doubt what has been going on with the stock market has really robbed the president of one of his favorite talking points, which is talking about the strength of the stock market. You see that frustration boiling over. Well see what happens at this meeting between the president and the fed chairman early the next year does occur and the markets do calm. But this is something that is just really has created even more tensions in a Political Administration thats filled with crises at any moment. And think about the fact that if mnuchin and the president seem to be at cross hairs at the moment, there is other vacancies right now which will keep the senate very busy. We have an attorney general coming soon, un ambassador. And Senate Republicans dont want to add to that list of nominees they have to vet and confirm if they dont want to. You heard the president yesterday not relenting on these issues. I understand you spoke to mark meadows, who was one of those who pushed the president not to relent on the wall in the leadup to the shut down. What are you hearing . Yeah, thats right. I just spoke to him this morning. He said there has been little progress so far from what he understands and these talks that have occurred for the last several days. He has placed the blame mainly on democrats. Hes an ally of the president. He believes the democrats have not shown any willingness to negotiate. The offers have been what we have been reporting about the white house has come back under that 5 billion number. We understand that Vice President mike pence spoke with Chuck Schumer on saturday, his proposed 2. 5 billion on funding the border security. Thats much less than the president has been saying. But democrats have been insisting on 1. 3 billion. So from mark meadows perfective, he says the president is under no illusion that the white house that the democrats would accept the white houses counter offers. He says little progress so far, but more discussions between members on the democratic side, republican side. But as members come back into town, tomorrow some may come back for the session tomorrow and not much optimism as we head into the new year, but democrats will have more power to dictate the negotiations going forward. So this is basically a political game of chicken because President Trump is clearly calculating he will lose his core base supporters if he doesnt deliver on this wall promise. The democrats are calculating their fortunes are rising here and that they will lose, if they give the president a victory on this, that is not a formula for compromise. How is this resolved . That is the 64,000 question. And the president has i mean, in recent weeks, our reporting has showed that the president recognizes he will lose more leverage as soon as the Democratic House takes control in january, which is why he was so dug in right now and he still is very much dug in. But the problem again with his level of support on capitol hill is that while he does have these ardent supporters, the vast majority of congressional members think a shutdown is a bad idea. And democrats know they have the political leverage. They won 40 seats in the house, and they will take charge and they provide a check on the president that they say has been lacking for the past two years. So how it is resolved, we have seen the Administration Come down in numbers a little bit. How far they come down, we will continue to see. But right now the two sides are incredibly dug in. It will be interesting to see if when the house comes back the democrats take control, they will probably pass something on a shortterm basis at least to try to keep the government open for some time. While the Senate Republicans who agreed to punt this issue to a shortterm bill, that bill is february 8th, will they go along with the House Democrats at that point or side with the president . How much pressure will they feel after being at home for a week and as people start raising concerns, giving them an earful . That will be a dynamic to match. Just to be clear, that does not include money for the wall, right . Thats something that the president and those republicans would have to basically relent on. Yeah. And that would be a way of undercutting the president. And Mitch Mcconnell has not shown willingness to do that. Yes, indeed. Thanks very much. I hope you get some time off this week. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has now been released from the hospital. This after having two cancerous nodules removed from her lung. Doctors say there is no evidence of remaining cancer in her lung or elsewhere in her body. She is now recuperating at home. Those cancerous nodules were found by chance after having a scan for broken ribs she suffered during a fall last month. A young child from guatemala has died in the custody of u. S. Border agents. An eightyearold boy picked up by his father in el paso, texas, passed away moments before christmas in a hospital in new mexico. It has prompted u. S. Customs and Border Protection to revamp its policies for caring for small children. They are still caring for hundreds, thousands of them. Much more now from el paso. Nick, i mean, still reeling, many from the death of a sevenyearold girl. Now an eightyearold boy. What are you learning . Reporter it is more tragic when you consider when this happens, minutes before midnight on Christmas Day. As we understand it, this eightyearold traveled to the United States with his father and was apprehended last week. Essentially shuffled around from Processing Center to Processing Center in the coming days or in the days after they were apprehended, i should say. It was on monday, according to this statement, that one of their agents, they say, noticed that this young boy didnt look very well. He had glossy eyes. He looked like he was sick. He was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with a common cold. But he was also diagnosed with 103 degree fever. He was kept an hour longer than initially expected but he was allowed to leave. He was given medication, but according to the facts as they have been laid out from that time line, it was around right 7 00 p. M. He started becoming nauseous and started vomiting. He eventually lost consciousness. He died at the hospital. His second time he was going to that hospital. This incident, as you mentioned jim at the top of the report, is the second time a child has died in three weeks. You remember the sevenyearold laid to rest in a touching ceremony in her native country just yesterday. It has led to some actions here according to cdp. They are effectively going to take action here. Among those actions they are taking is focussing principally on children ten years and younger on their custody. They will perhaps even get more help from the department of defense, maybe the cbc as well as the coast guard to help with those medical screenings. Also, they are going to work with ice on transportation. You know, it is hours sometimes that these migrants spend in the field when they are apprehended before they are taken through the system and processed and perhaps if they are more efficient at that time, it could lead to limiting those types of tragedies. They are in the business of Holding Thousands of people. Why specifically are hundreds of migrants being dropped off in el paso . So here we are in front of the Greyhound Bus station where this week on Christmas Day hundreds were dropped off here without warning, catching the community off guard. We did get a statement earlier in the week from ice. They didnt make specific reference to why theyre dropping off. We want to be clear, though, this isnt anything new. It is what has been happening, even under past administrations. 200 were dropped off here without warning. Volunteers gave them food and water, and there was no plan on where they would be housed. Those migrants were housed temporarily on busses, and there was an expectation at least initially earlier in the week this could happen today. The congresswomanelect saying hundreds more could be dropped off on wednesday. No doubt about it it is packed inside. It could be even worse if this continues to happen, jim. We know you will stay on this story. Still to come, President Trump ordered a big draw down of u. S. Troops. But what will it mean for the ongoing war against terrorism. Plus, all eyes on robert mueller. Will his long anticipated report ring in the new year . The greatest wish of all is one that brings us together. The final days of wish list are here. Sign and drive off in a new lincoln with zero down, zero due at signing, and a complimentary first months payment. Only at your lincoln dealer. Our because of smoking. Ital. But we still had to have a cigarette. Had to. But then, we were like. What are we doing . The nicodermcq patch helps prevent your urge to smoke all day. Nicodermcq. You know why, we know how. Its a revolution in sleep. The new sleep number 360 smart bed is on sale now during our lowest prices of the season. It senses your movement, and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. It can even warm your feet to help you fall asleep faster. So you wake up ready to make your resolutions, reality. And now, the queen sleep number 360 c4 smart bed is only 1299. Ranked 1 in Customer Satisfaction with mattresses by j. D. Power. Plus, 24month financing on all beds. Ends new years day. Sleep number. Proven, quality sleep. Tap one little bumper and up go your rates. What good is having insurance if you get punished for using it . News flash nobodys perfect. For drivers with accident forgiveness, Liberty Mutual wont raise your rates due to your first accident. Switch and you could save 782 on home and auto insurance. Call for a free quote today. Liberty mutual insurance. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. The kremlin is now recommending that the Syrian Government take over territory soon to be vacated by u. S. Forces there. As you know, President Trump ordered a complete withdrawal of americas 2,000 troops in syria, claiming that isis is defeated or decimated or perhaps someone elses problem. David, thanks for joining us this morning. Thanks for having me. I suppose we shouldnt be surprised by this. In fact, that serves their interests. Now we have the kremlin saying that assad, their ally, should move in the territory thats being abandoned by u. S. Forces there. We shouldnt be surprised, should we . No. And this is essentially the victory that, you know, Vladimir Putin has pushed for desicisive in syria. It is a complete reversal of the american policy outlined several weeks ago to keep u. S. Troops in syria to counter iran, russia and most importantly to battle whats left of isis. Yeah. And its interesting. I spoke to a Senior Administration official yesterday who told me that just in the last weeks, john bolton, the National Security adviser for the president had instructed u. S. Officials to go around the region and said the u. S. Would stay there until iran left. A flip even in the span of days and weeks. Just before christmas, you posted a very sharp story about how donald trump, and this is the headline, donald trump thinks the war on terror is over or does donald trump think the war on terror is over. You say he is betting that it is. Explain what you think. So i think that since 2001, two president s, president george h. W. Bush and barack obama, were very careful about being tough on terrorism. Aside from the horrible human cost for an american president , any major attack on the United States since 9 11 is a real political list. If another attack occurs, that president would be attacked by opponents for being weak on terrorism. Pulling out of syria is taking a major risk. Then hes cut the number of troops in afghanistan. In both countries, trump is betting that there will not be a subsequent attack here in the United States. And its again, no president has done this for 17 years, so it is a major risk, i think, on President Trumps part. And the fact is President Trump claimed isis, wrongly claimed, that it was isis was defeated. Isis is still present in syria. Alqaeda is still present in afghanistan there. How does the president reconcile those facts with a policy of withdrawal here . Or is he just making a political judgment that he needs, quote, unquote, a win by bringing the troops home . He has prompted his supporters he would bring troops back and get us out of these foreign wars. We will have security without having to make any sacrifice. Thats the real question. Intelligence officials tell me the president , when he hears information he doesnt agree wi wi with, such as that north korea is still building a nuclear weapon, he sort of dismiss it. It is unclear. Hes made this decision. Well see what happens over time, but there is a clear risk, particularly of an Islamic State attack on the United States. Or when the president dism s dismisses that russia interfered in the election, repeatedly dismissing the best judgment of the u. S. Intelligence committee. I wish you and your family the best during these holidays. Thank you. Well, the dow opens in just minutes. What will investors do after that massive sell off on Christmas Eve . We will be right there on the floor. Shield℠ annuities from Brighthouse Financial allow you to take advantage of Growth Opportunities with a level of protection in down markets. So you can be less concerned about your retirement savings. Talk with your advisor about shield℠ annuities from Brighthouse Financial, established by metlife. But one blows them all out of the water. Hydro boost from neutrogena®. With hyaluronic acid to plump skin cells so it bounces back. Neutrogena® todays Senior Living communities have never been better, with amazing amenities like movie theaters, exercise rooms and swimming pools, public cafes, bars and bistros even pet care services. And theres never been an easier way to get great advice. A place for mom is a free service that pairs you with a local advisor to help you sort through your options and find a perfect place. A place for mom. You know your family we know Senior Living. Together well make the right choice. Theres no place likargh e im trying. Yippiekiyay. Mom. The gifts have been open. The food has been eaten. Now it is time to head back home. But for the millions of people traveling today, Severe Weather is making the commute treacherous. Jennifer gray is here. Were talking about lots of snow for some parts of the country, severe storms in others. Tell us what you are seeing out there. Jim, this is mainly impacting the countrys midsection, but it is going to cause craziness across the airports from coast to coast with snow up to the north, rain to the south. We have that severe storm, as you mentioned. We could see blizzard conditions as well. And you can see those winter storm warnings stretch all the way from southern colorado up to the planes, the upper midwest. We are talking about major snow totals anywhere up to a foot to a foot and a half of snow across this entire area. We will see bigtime airport delays. And thats going to triple across the rest of the country. Doesnt end there. Extending down to the south, we have a rain threat. The Severe Weather threat is very real across much of texas, the possibility of isolated tornadoes. You can see this rain getting its act together. We go through tomorrow. So airports arent going to get any better tomorrow, especially across the south and well also have lingering snow showers in the north tomorrow as well. This is through friday. You can see four to six inches of rain across much of east texas, two to four across the deep south, one to two across much of the rest of the south. So it is going to be a big, big mess, unfortunately, jim, for a lot of people trying to travel home, not only from the airport but the roads as well. Thats rough news. Thanks very much. Always good to know where it is happening. We are moments away from the opening bell on wall street. So far markets on track for the worst december since, youre hearing this right, the great depression. President trump is now looking for someone to blame. The treasury secretarys job could now be in serious jeopardy, adding that mnuchin is under the gun. Christine romans is with us, as is Business Correspondent alison at the new york stock exchange. Alison, first looking at the markets here, how are they responding to the president s attacks on his treasury secretary, et cetera . Well, the initial response is what we saw on monday where we saw that massive plunge in the dow. We saw that more than 2 move in the s p 500 that helps it move into bear market territory. Thats a 20 or more drop that is certainly identified as detectable in the market. The question is will some of that downside seep back into the market because the reality is Political Risk is a part of the trade now. It is a part of the play book here on wall street. Im talking about President Trumps tweet and the administrations move. Calling up all those ceos and asking if they had enough liquidity. We know the president likes to find scapegoats. The fact is the market is falling for a whole host of reasons out of the control of the treasury secretary. Whats happening . Well, it is interesting because the president says the only thing wrong with the market is the fed. Thats just not true. The fed is raising Interest Rates, of course, and no president likes it when the president is raising Interest Rates because that can cool economic growth, and thats exactly what its designed to do. But you also have growth in china slow. And you have growth in germany that is slowing. If you look at oil prices, they are down substantially. Maybe that is a proxy for an idea that the whole globe will grow more slowly. The president s attacks on the fed do not inspire confidence. People around him have been saying we need to stop these attacks on the fed. They are even working to get the fed chief and the president together in a room to maybe try to talk things through here so the fed chief can tell the president clearly where they are going here. For investors, the s p down more than 15 , the nasdaq down. That is a devastating movement for just one month. We dont know if the bull market is officially over. If you have a close today below 2,344, that would spell the end of the longest bull market in history. That is quite a moment. We know you will be there. Thanks very much. Special counsel robert muell muellers investigation brought President Trump a great deal of stress. What happens when the pressure becomes more intense when democrats take over the house next month . Heartburn and gas . Fight both fast tums chewy bites with gas relief all in one relief of heartburn and gas tum tum tum tums tums chewy bites with gas relief some big changes ahead for the over sight of the president at the start of the new year. The democrats of course seizing control of the house one week from tomorrow, ending republican control of a whole host of investigations, many involving russia. On the special counsels side of things, this is where we stand with Robert Muellers probe as 2018 winds down. Four prison sentences, one conviction at trial, seven guilty pleas, three dozen defendants charged, many of them russians directly involved with interference in the elections. Joined now by cnn justice correspondent and former federal prosecutor. We have heard the president repeat a line thats become a favorite of his to dismiss all oversight after his administration as president ial harassment. But in terms of the progress of these investigations, it is going to be a very different position now with Democrats Holding the chairmanships of key committees. Absolutely, jim. There is going to be a landslide of investigations that can potentially open up from the newly controlled Democratic House. I think it will be like a full employment act for d. C. White collar lawyers. The mueller investigation, you know, the greatest damage holding aside the question of what the report may or may not say is that it has been a genesis for all of these other lines of inquiry unearthing so much damaging information about the president s behavior, about his businesses, about the potential links to his family members. Thats really the big problem for him that is continuing to grow. There is the Southern District spinoff, the d. C. Spinoff, the new York Attorney general spinoff. All of that adds up to an amazing amount of bad news closing in on him. Of many developments last week, it is hard for folks at home to keep up. It is hard for us to keep up sometimes. With cnns reporting that this president upgraded math chew whitaker for not protecting him from federal prosecutors in new york who obtained a guilty plea from Michael Cohen on a host of criminal activity here, what do we know about what influence the president has over his attorney general to try to restrict these investigations. With the Southern District of new york, those federal prosecutors there, they proceeded and did their jobs. Do we know yet if the presidnt has been able to successfully push for a constraining of this investigation . All indications are no, that we know of. We know that he did lash out at acting attorney general Matt Whitaker in the days following cohens guilty plea, in the days following the revelation about what cohen told prosecutors. But the Justice Department has come out defending matthew whitaker. Of course we got that news he was not going to recuse himself from over seeing the special couns counsels russia investigation. In that, the department of justice sent that letter to paul ryan and nancy pelosi saying that matthew whitaker, though he did talk about the special counsels probe in a derogatory manner before he came to the Justice Department as chief of staff for jeff sessions, they say he hasnt made any comments about the special counsels investigation, that he has talked about what an upstanding probe it is. All indications are even though the president seems to be trying to put the pressure on matthew whitaker, it does seem like the acting attorney general has taken a step back. Although, he will not be recusing himself from overseeing the probe. All signs are that hes still letting it play out. Of course well see what happens when a report is eventually released from robert mueller, how much of that is released, if any. You know, if the white house exerts total executive privilege and decides not to release any of it. Thats really when Matt Whitaker could come into play if william barr isnt in before them. We could have a revolt in congress, marchly lparticularl house side. William barr also criticized the probe last year writing that the obstruction of justice by the president , quote, fatality misconceived. I want to play you comments by r Rod Rosenstein responding to that. First have a listen and then lets talk about it. This is Rod Rosenstein just a few days ago. Lots of people offer opinions to the department of justice, but they dont influence our own decisionmaking. We have very experienced lawyers and obviously our decisions are informed by our knowledge of the actual facts of the case, which mr. Barr didnt have. Any i didnt share any confidential information with mr. Barr. And that memo had no impact on our investigation. So in there, listen to those points. We have very experienced lawyers. We are informed by our knowledge of the actual facts in this case, which mr. Barr didnt have. Is he messaging that once barr seeing those actual facts, if he were to be confirmed as ag that he would know this investigation has turned up important things . I think he is. And i think also from an institutional point of view, rosenstein is laying the foundation for barr to be able to back off those opinions so there could be a reconciliation of his role as attorney general. I think its interesting because to me barr as well as whitaker, the only reason they have been put there is because theyre expected to do the work of trumps bidding in terms of anything negative being quashed. Barr has already been ag. Thats why theyre being put there. Of course, with both men, you may see both the political realities. Barr has been a former attorney general. Ultimately, the weight of the institution may come back on his shoulders and he may hesitate to act in such an overtly political manner. Thanks very much to both of you. 2018 became the year of the social media activist. Our look at the top trending stories of the year. This is not a bed. Its a revolution in sleep. The new sleep number 360 smart bed is on sale now during our lowest prices of the season. It senses your movement, and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. It can even warm your feet to help you fall asleep faster. So you wake up ready to make your resolutions, reality. And now, the queen sleep number 360 c4 smart bed is only 1299. Ranked 1 in Customer Satisfaction with mattresses by j. D. Power. Plus, 24month financing on all beds. Ends new years day. Sleep number. Proven, quality sleep. Looking to lose weight this year . Try fdaapproved alli®. For every 5 lbs you lose, alli® can help you lose two to three more by preventing about 25 of the fat you eat from being absorbed. For the only fdaapproved otc weight loss aid, try alli®. Todays Senior Living communities have never been better, with amazing amenities like movie theaters, exercise rooms and swimming pools, public cafes, bars and bistros even pet care services. And theres never been an easier way to get great advice. A place for mom is a free service that pairs you with a local advisor to help you sort through your options and find a perfect place. A place for mom. You know your family we know Senior Living. Together well make the right choice. 2018 was filled was stories and social movement that caught fire online. The top trending stories in our eight in 2018 series. 2018 was the year of the social media activist. People across the country speaking out about sexual assault, gun violence and racism. Activism forproved it is a for to be reckoned with. Here is our top eight trending stories of the year. A group of women in the Film Industry revealed times up. A sequel to last years me too reckoning. We are doing what we can with our voices and our solidarity. We are standing with women everywhere saying time is up, enough is enough. The group created a Legal Defense fund to support women who encounter sexual assault, harassment or inequality in the workplace, especially those outside the Entertainment Industry who lack resources. Now that we have joined as one voice, it feels like empowerment to those women who never had it. Number seven. Do you hear yanny or laurel. A computerized recording divided the internet again. It says laurel. Hold on. Yanny. No. It seemed everyone had an opinion from law enforcement. What we have determined right now is that the audio sound that you have been hearing is actually the name laurel. To capitol hill. It is laurel and not yanny. All right . Come on. How many laurel fans here . In the end, science called a winner. If you heard laurel, you are pe correct. It doesnt take much to break the internet. The amazing but in the span of 30 seconds, his selfless act of bravery captivated the world. He scaled a four Story Building in paris with his bare hands to save a childs life. For his heroism french president Emmanuel Macron granted him citizenship. Number five, a deep sigh of relief after 38 agonizing minutes. With Nuclear Tensions between north korea and the United States running high, people in hawaii got this text. Ballistic missile test. This is not a drill. An Emergency Alert had panicked families seeking shelter. Within 12 minutes it was tweeted that this was a false alarm. There was no word from the governor. What happened today was totally unacceptable. It took 38 minutes for the Emergency Alert system to declare a false alarm. Number four, a different kind of activism rocked the internet when dozens of viral videos. Barbecue becky, these women gaut meme treatment after they called police on black people doing every day things in public places. Starbucks got a social media scorn. Starbucks later apologized and launched employee antibias training. Professor Christine Ford publically recounting her alleged sexual assault. I thought brett was going to kill me. She accused kavanaugh kpf of assaulting her when they were teenagers. President trump mocked fords testimony during a campaign rally. How did you get home . I dont remember. I is the place . I dont remember. How many years ago was it . I dont know. In a series of tweets trump claimed if the attack alleged was as bad as she says charges would have been immediately filed. The hashtags started trending as hundreds of thousands of women took to social media to express their solidarity. And using the hashtag why i didnt report countless more. Number two, in parkland, florida the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School turned the worst day of their lives into a political movement. What we need more is action. Students created the never again movement to prevent gun violence and help organize the march for our lives in washington, d. C. Which became the most tweeted about movement of all of 2018. More than 2. 5 million was made for march for our lives. Even president Barack Obamas tweet about the march became the second mostliked tweet of the year. Number one, never before has a president used social media quite like this communicating directly with more than his 57 million followers, from antagonistic tweets about World Leaders and political foes to trafficking in half truths, at real donald trump helped set the tone. Whether he is blasting what he calls the rigged witch hunt of the mueller investigation, calling the media fake news or heaping praise on allies and supporters, the president tweeted and retweeted more than 3,000 times in 2018 and is the most tweeted about political figure of the year. Make America Great again. Theres no place like home argh im trying. Yippiekiyay. Mom. Whats your favorite Christmas Gift this year . This is a Christmas Gift that so many people are talking about. Brady singer got a 4 million signing bonus when he was drafted this year. He sent his parents a letter thanking them for everything and telling them that he had paid off all their debts as a gift for christmas. Food and all of those gator aides that i drank is much more than i could ever give you. There is something i want to give to you. I am paying off the loan from the bank. Also, i paid off all your debt, as well. Now instead of trying to save money every weekend to replace the savings account you drained, you can spend it on yourselves. That is just quite a moment. His letter ended, your giving hearts helped to shape my tiny dream into a reality. If you wanted something good to think about this year, this christmas, just think about that m that. Its the day after christmas. Im jim sciutto in washington. A day before lawmakers come back to close out the 115th congress, republican ally of the president reports little progress towards fully funding the government. The partial shutdown is in the fifth day with neither side showing any sign of budging on funding for the president s desired wall on the mexico border. The markets open again after the worst Christmas Eve in history. A source tells cnn