President Trump has not issued an order to the Pentagon directing U.S. troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan, White House National Security Council spokesperson Garrett Marquis told Bloomberg.
The backdrop: Multiplenewsoutlets, citing defense and administration officials, reported that Trump had ordered about half of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to be withdrawn the same week he announced the U.S. would withdraw from Syria. On Sunday, theU.S. commander of international forces in Afghanistan, Gen. Scott Miller, told Voice of America that he hadn't received any such orders.
The impact of the government shutdown will continue to grow as members of Congress remain unable to reach a compromise over funding for President Trump's border wall.
The state of play: Exactly one week since the shutdown began, it doesn't seem likely that the government will reopen anytime soon, with neither the Senate nor the House scheduled to hold votes until at least Monday. Democrats will take control of the House on Jan. 3, leaving even less leverage for Trump to get the funding he has demanded.
North Carolina's elections board dissolved Friday without certifying the results of the state's 9th congressional race, which has been marred by allegations that a contractor for Republican Mark Harris committed election fraud to help him defeat his Democratic opponent Dan McCready, the New York Times reports.
The big picture: The board disbanded as a result of an unrelated court order that ruled its structure was unconstitutional.
The 8-year-old Guatemalan boy who died on Christmas Eve while in U.S. custody tested positive for influenza B, the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator said, per USA Today.
Details: Felipe Gómez Alonzo and his father had been detained for a few days when a border agent "noticed Felipe was coughing and had 'glossy eyes,'" USA Today reports. He was then sent to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a cold and fever, and observed for 90 minutes by U.S. Customs and Border Protection before being released on Monday afternoon. Hours later, he returned to the hospital for nausea and vomiting, and later died. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen plans to travel to El Paso, Texas, on Friday to observe CBP's medical screen process.
A significant percentage of Latino voters are sticking with the Republican party and continuing to support President Trump despite his rhetoric on immigration and policies like family separation at the southern border, the AP reports.
The bottom line: About one third of Latino voters voted for Republicans in November's midterms, similar to the number that voted for President Trump in 2016. Rev. Sam Rodriguez, one of Trump's spiritual advisers, told the AP it all comes down to religious beliefs. He said Latinos continue to support Trump "[b]ecause of the Democratic Party's obsession with abortion. It's life and religious liberty and everything else follows."
In a stringoftweets on Thursday evening, President Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen emphatically denied an unconfirmed report from McClatchy that claims signals from his cell phone were detected around Prague, Czech Republic, during summer 2016.
"I hear #Prague #CzechRepublic is beautiful in the summertime. I wouldn’t know as I have never been. #Mueller knows everything!"
Why it matters: The infamous Steele dossier, a document that describes alleged coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, claims that Cohen secretly met with Kremlin officials in Prague at that time. Cohen has continuously denied ever having traveled to Prague — famously tweeting a photo of his passport in early 2017 — and continues to do so even after providing extensive cooperation to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) advised House members Thursday that a vote on a short-term spending bill to end the partial government shutdown is not expected to be held this week, pending any Senate action.
Why it matters: It appears likely that the partial government shutdown will continue at least until next week — and perhaps into 2019. The newly elected Democratic-led House is set to take office on Jan. 3.
Michelle Obama unseated Hillary Clinton as the most admired woman in the U.S., claiming the title alongside her husband, former President Barack Obama, who has remained the most admired man for 11 straight years, according to Gallup's annual poll.
The big picture: Clinton held the title of most admired woman for 17 consecutive years, but this year was surpassed by both Obama and Oprah Winfrey. President Trump came in second place for the fourth year in a row, marking only the 13th time — and Trump's second — that a sitting president didn't top the list since its inception in 1946.
Incoming House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said on Wednesday that Democrats plan to investigate the deaths of 8-year-old migrant Felipe Gomez Alonzo and 7-year-old Jakelin Caal in Customs and Border Patrol custody once Democrats take control of the House next month.
Why it matters: Felipe had been held in detention long past CBP's stated limit of 72 hours, and Jakelin was held in a center without running water, AP reports. But Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen blamed the deaths on "a system that prevents parents who bring their children on a dangerous illegal journey from facing consequences for their actions." Another House Democrat from Texas, Rep. Henry Cuellar, told AP the U.S. should examine funding more detention alternatives, like ankle bracelets.
