The unusually secretive way the president has handled these meetings has left his own administration guessing what happened and piqued the interest of investigators.
The White House doubled its estimate of the shutdown’s drag on growth, and other economists warned a long stalemate could push the economy into a contraction.
As the White House tries to get the government functioning, President Trump invited Democrats to the White House, hoping to find cracks. They rejected his lunch date.
Senators pressed President Trump’s choice to run the Justice Department on his expansive views of executive power and how he’ll protect the special counsel.
The president’s repeatedly stated desire in private to withdraw from the alliance has raised concerns among officials who fear he may revisit the threat.
In Trump country, even some furloughed federal workers are backing the president’s wall demands, and keeping Republican senators in line as the shutdown stretches on.