Politics: Congress has until midnight tomorrow to pass a spending bill and avoid a government shutdown. In the mix of issues is border security, a solution for the younger illegal immigrants known as Dreamers, and the Children’s health Insurance Program.

Democrats appear likely to let the government shut down if the deal does not include a solution for DACA, the deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. A CBS News poll says most Americans would let the young immigrants stay in the country.

Trump wants $18 billion for his border wall.

A frustrated Senate majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “I’m looking for something that President Trump supports and he’s not yet indicated what measure he’s willing to sign.”

Pink Floyd: White House Chief of Staff John Kelly told the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in a private meeting that President Trump had not been “fully informed” when he promised voters he would build a wall on the Mexican border and that he has persuaded the President it’s not necessary. It’s unusual for a Chief of Staff to contradict his  President. Trump still promises to build the wall.

This morning the president was up and contradicting Kelly, tweeting, “The Wall is the Wall, it has never changed or evolved from the first day I conceived of it.” And he promised that, “The Wall will be paid for, directly or indirectly, or through longer term reimbursement, by Mexico.”

Fitness and Freedom: In an increasingly heated debate over President Trump’s intellect, judgement, and fitness for office, Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake stood on the Senate floor yesterday and compared the President to the late Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

The senator spoke about journalism, truth, and President Trump’s lies and twisting of reality. Flake said, “‘The enemy of the people,’” was what the president of the United States called the free press in 2017.” He went on, “It is a testament to the condition of our democracy that our own president uses words infamously spoken by Josef Stalin to describe his enemies. It bears noting that so fraught with malice was the phrase ‘enemy of the people,’ that even Nikita Khrushchev forbade its use, telling the Soviet Communist Party that the phrase had been introduced by Stalin for the purpose of ‘annihilating such individuals’ who disagreed with the supreme leader.”

He said, “And, of course, the president has it precisely backward – despotism is the enemy of the people. The free press is the despot’s enemy, which makes the free press the guardian of democracy. When a figure in power reflexively calls any press that doesn’t suit him ‘fake news,’ it is that person who should be the figure of suspicion, not the press.”

Senior Arizona Sen. John McCain joined Flake, writing in The Washington Post, “Trump continues his unrelenting attacks on the integrity of American journalists and news outlets. This has provided cover for repressive regimes to follow suit. The phrase ‘fake news’ — granted legitimacy by an American president — is being used by autocrats to silence reporters, undermine political opponents, stave off media scrutiny and mislead citizens.”

Last One In: Continuing an age-old anti-immigrant argument, Attorney Gen. Jeff Sessions said on Fox News Tuesday night that “a good nation” doesn’t admit “illiterate” immigrants.

The same has been said by immigration opponents during every wave of immigration, from the Irish and Italians and now to Mexicans and Africans.

The Trump administration wants to switch to a “merit-based” immigration policy, admitting only people who are educated and clearly have skills to offer. Built on immigration, the United States has never had that policy before. Sessions said on “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” “What good does it do to bring in somebody who is illiterate in their own country, has no skills and is going to struggle in our country and not be successful? That is not what a good nation should do and we need to get away from it.”

He said, “We should evaluate them and make sure they are going to be lawful. They are not threats to us. They have the education and skills level to prosper in America. That’s good for them and good for America.”

Flag Day: North and South Korea have agreed to march together under one flag at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics next month. The two delegations will use a “unified Korea” flag that shows an undivided Korean Peninsula. They also plan to put a joint women’s hockey team on the ice. It doesn’t mean an end to North Korea’s missile development and it may actually hinder US efforts to get Kim Jong Un to give up his nuclear weapons.

Money, Money: The Dow Jones closed about 26,000 yesterday for the first time. It’s now the second longest bull market on record. What goes up always comes down.

Appl$: In a promise to spend the windfall brought by corporate tax reform, Apple says it will build a second corporate campus somewhere in the states and hire 20,000 more people. They say they are making a $350 billion commitment to the US.

The Fakies: President Trump chose yesterday to release his touted “Fake News” awards, most of which is a list of errors and oversteps that were corrected. Two were for hasty posts on social media. In some cases, journalists were punished or fired. No one says reporters don’t make mistakes. Nowhere does Trump give an example of a story that was made up or attributed to fictitious sources.

 CNN “won” four; the NY Times, two; and ABC, The Washington Post, Time and Newsweek, were each mentioned once.

His #11: “And last, but not least: “RUSSIA COLLUSION!” Russian collusion is perhaps the greatest hoax perpetrated on the American people. THERE IS NO COLLUSION!”

No recipient was named.

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