The Wall: President Trump told The NY Timesyesterday that congressional negotiations over his border wall are “a waste of time” and he’s ready to take action on his own. Without saying it directly, he told the Times publisher and two of its reporters that, …

Vortex:“Neither snow nor rain,” but nobody said anything about a polar vortex. For the second day the US Postal Service has stopped delivering mail in six midwestern states because it’s so freakin’ cold. Offices and schools have closed. In Chicago …

The Upside Down: It’s 38 below this morning in Thief River Falls, North Dakota. The polar vortex has dipped as far south as Springfield, Ill., where’s it’s minus 14. Bad Axe, Mich., -7; Chicago, -20; Rochester, NY, 10; New York, 21; …

 Bad Cell Connection:The Justice Department announced criminal charges against the Chinese telecom firm Huawei and its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, accusing the company of stealing trade secrets, obstructing justice and evading economic sanctions against Iran. Meng is the executive …

Fifty-Fifty: President Trump said yesterday the chances of congressional negotiators reaching a deal to end his border wall standoff are “less than 50-50.” As 800,000 furloughed federal workers return to paid work, Trump told The Wall Street Journalthat he doesn’t think the …

The Countdown: Congress and the President have until Feb. 15thto work out a deal on border security before the government might close again or the President declares a national emergency.  His presidency, and ability to get re-elected, are at stake.   This …

Biggest Loser: With flight delays rippling through the understaffed air travel system and thousands of unpaid Internal Revenue employees skipping work, President Trump yesterday declared victory in the face of defeat and announced the re-opening of the federal government after its …

Get me Roger Stone: The FBI deployed a SWAT team early this morning to arrest President Trump’s friend and adviser Roger Stone. Heavily armed agents at dawn filtered across Stone’s front lawn in Ft. Lauderdale and pounded on the front door …

House of Cards: After a confrontation yesterday with Speaker Nancy Pelosi about delivering the State of the Union message in the House chambers, President Trump said he will wait until the government shutdown is over. He huffed that, “The State of the …

Russell Baker: The great former NY Timescolumnist Russell Baker has died at age 93. Starting in 1962, Baker wrote his gently funny and irreverent “Observer” column for 36 years.   Baker and syndicated columnist Art Buchwald were the best known newspaper humorists of their …