HERE WE GO AGAIN: The battle lines are drawn, both sides are dug in, and the only predictable outcome is that should the federal government be forced to partially shut down tonight because of congressional inaction, each side will blame the other for putting politics ahead of the nation and the military.

A WIN IS STILL A LOSS: At the Pentagon yesterday, President Trump said he was there to support the military in the face of a possible government shutdown. “But if for any reason it shuts down, the worst thing is what happens to our military,” Trump said on the steps of the River Entrance. “We don’t want that to happen, because we’ve just about — just about never needed our military more than now.”