Democrats reject Trump invitation to negotiate without Pelosi

Freshman and centrist Democrats rejected an invitation Tuesday to negotiate with the White House, despite receiving House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s blessing to attend such a meeting, the AP reports.

The big picture: The invitation was the White House's attempt to appeal to Democrats who are facing pressure in districts carried by President Trump in 2016. It's now Day 25 of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, and — as the AP notes — the White House has discovered "the limits of trying to bypass Speaker Nancy Pelosi in shutdown negotiations." If the impasse is not resolved by next week, the House has said it will cancel its scheduled recess.