LET’S MAKE A DEAL: The Senate voted last night to fund the government and end the federal government shutdown with seven Democrats and one independent breaking the logjam. They failed to get the extension of health insurance subsidies that were the entire reason for the chaotic shutdown. The Republicans promised they would vote on the issue, which does not guarantee passage.

  The eight who broke ranks include Jean Shaheen of New Hampshire, Tim Caine of Virginia, and the sometimes contrarian John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. Shaheen said she did not believe the Democrats could have gotten any better result by holding out longer.

  The House might vote to approve the funding and re-opening tomorrow.

  Some Senate Democrats are calling for the resignation of minority leader Chuck Schumer of New York, who led the stalwart yet ultimately futile shutdown that left employees unpaid, food aid unfunded, and air travel in chaos. But Schumer said on the Senate floor Sunday, “Health care costs made a major impact on the 2025 election, and they will certainly have an even greater impact on the 2026 election.”

  The Democrats did succeed in having language in the bill that would restore the jobs of thousands of federal workers who were laid off during the shutdown and bar further reductions-in-force through Jan. 30, while guaranteeing back pay for hundreds of thousands of others who were furloughed, as required by law.

PARDON ME?: Continuing to re-write history, President Trump issued pre-emptive pardons for 77 people with possible legal exposure for attempting to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election. Among those pardoned are Trump’s first term chief of staff Mark Meadows, lawyers Jenna Ellis, Sydney Powell, and John Eastman, former adviser Boris Ephsteyn, and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

  Some of the people excused were fake electors attempting to replace the true electors.

  The pardon declaration says, “This pardon ends a grave national injustice perpetrated upon the American people following the 2020 presidential election and continues the process of national reconciliation.”

  The pardon applies to federal offenses only and none of the people pardoned are facing federal indictment.

  Giuliani is facing trial on charges of election interference in Arizona. He was disbarred in New York by a judge who said he had “baselessly attacked and undermined the integrity of this country’s electoral process.” Giuliani lost a $150 million defamation judgement to two election workers he claimed had switched votes.

  Sydney Powell and Jenna Ellis both pleaded guilty to state charges in Georgia.

VOWS: The Supreme Court yesterday declined to hear a case with the potential to overturn the decision that made same-sex marriage legal. They gave no explanation but this would appear to put the issue to rest.

  As many as 600,000 same-sex couples have married since the court made it legal in 2015.

  The case to overturn came from Kim Davis, a Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses for religious reasons. She had asked the Court to reverse a judgement requiring her to pay more than $300,000 to a male couple she denied a marriage license — and to overturn the same-sex marriage ruling.

MAIL-IN: The Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to Mississippi’s practice of counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day. A decision against Mississippi  could disrupt mail-in rules in dozens of states ahead of the 2026 elections.

  The case brought by the Republican National Committee claims that elections should be held on a single election day and counting votes past that day undermines public trust in elections.

GROUND HOLD:  With the House returning for a vote to end the government shutdown, President Trump posted an order on social media telling all air traffic controllers to get back to work. “Anyone who doesn’t will be substantially ‘docked,’” Trump wrote. “For those Air Traffic Controllers who were GREAT PATRIOTS, and didn’t take ANY TIME OFF for the ‘Democrat Shutdown Hoax,’ I will be recommending a BONUS of $10,000 per person for distinguished service to our Country.”

  Many air traffic controllers have stayed home during the shutdown, some to find paying work. FAA flight cutbacks continue with 1,177 domestic cancellations so fa this morning and 613 delays.

THE REGIME:

— Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the destruction of two more suspected drug boats in international waters off South America and the deaths of their six occupants. That brings the number killed by US forces to 76. Hegseth wrote, “Under President Trump, we are protecting the homeland and killing these cartel terrorists who wish to harm our country and its people.”

— The Food and Drug administration decided to remove the dire health warnings on the labels of hormone therapy drugs for women in menopause, instead saying that they actually have health benefits.

— President Trump yesterday asked the Supreme Court to review the $5 million judgement in which he was found to have sexually abused and defamed magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll.

  The appeal says, “Carroll waited more than 20 years to falsely accuse Donald Trump, who she politically opposes, until after he became the 45th president, when she could maximize political injury to him and profit for herself.”

 THE OBIT PAGE: NBA All-Star point guard and coach Lenny Wilkens, who dominated the court in the 1960s and ’70s before becoming the league’s second most winning coach, died at age 88. He coached the Seattle Supersonics to the NBA championship in 1979.

 Wilkens was inducted into the Hall of Fame both as a player and coach. 

THE SPIN RACK: The first major snowstorm of the year blanketed Chicago, Cleveland, and parts of Indiana. The usual roadway mayhem ensued. — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was released from prison pending appeal after serving just three weeks of a five year sentence for campaign finance violations. 

BELOW THE FOLD: Professional celebrity Kim Kardashian announced that she failed the bar exam even though she’s been lowering the bar for years.

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