SLOW MOTION WITHDRAWAL: After the Pentagon’s Friday morning announcement about the start of U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria, the Department of Defense that night issued a statement conceding that no troops have actually left yet.

HAPPENING TODAY — FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CLOSED: After parts of the Washington D.C. area received more than a foot of snow yesterday, the Office of Personnel Management decided last night to close government offices in the nation’s capital. “FEDERAL OFFICES in the Washington, DC area are CLOSED,” said a statement on the OPM site. “Emergency employees and telework employees continue to work.”

SHUTDOWN DAY 24: Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s most reliable supporters in Congress and an unofficial adviser, said on “Fox News Sunday” he’s urging the president to reopen the government as a last-ditch effort to reach a deal with Democrats over the $5.7 billion he wants for border barrier.

“Before he pulls the plug on the legislative option, and I think we are almost there, I would urge them to open up the government for a short period of time, like three weeks before he pulls the plug, see if we can get a deal,” the South Carolina Republican said. “If we can’t at the end of three weeks, all bets are off, see if he can do it by himself through the emergency powers. That’s my recommendation.’

But Graham remains pessimistic that Democrats will give Trump anything for the wall and says he would support a state of emergency declaration to reprogram military constructions funds to build border barriers. “I think the legislative path is just about shut off because Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the House, said, ‘Even if you open up the government, I will give you $1 for the wall.’  As long as that’s the case, we are never going to get a legislative package no matter what the Senate does.”

MORE TROOPS TO THE BORDER: Meanwhile The Associated Press reports the Pentagon is finalizing plans to send hundreds of additional active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border for several more months to support the Department of Homeland Security.

The troops would install another 160 miles of concertina wire in Arizona and California and the plan likely would extend the military’s border mission through the end of September, said the AP quoting officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet approved.

‘MOST INSULTING THING … EVER’: Trump reacted with disgust to a New York Times report Friday headlined “F.B.I. opened inquiry into whether Trump was secretly working on behalf of Russia.”

In a Saturday phone interview, Fox News Channel host Jeanine Pirro put the question to the president point blank, “So, I’m going to ask you, are you now or have you ever worked for Russia, Mr. President? “

“I think it’s the most insulting thing I’ve ever been asked. I think it’s the most insulting article I’ve ever had written,” Trump replied, without actually giving a yes or no answer. “And if you read the article, you’d see that they found absolutely nothing.”

On CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Secretary of State Pompeo dismissed the report as “silly.” “The idea that’s contained in the New York Times story that President Trump was a threat to American national security is silly on its face and not worthy of a response,” he said.

The Times report said that in the days after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey in May 2017, “law enforcement officials became so concerned by the president’s behavior that they began investigating whether he had been working on behalf of Russia against American interests.” But nine paragraphs into the story it also noted, “No evidence has emerged publicly that Mr. Trump was secretly in contact with or took direction from Russian government officials.”

“I fired James Comey. I call him ‘Lying James Comey’ because he was a terrible liar, and he did a terrible job as the FBI director,” Trump said on the “Justice with Judge Jeanine” show. “Look at what happened with Hillary Clinton and the e-mails and the Hillary Clinton investigation, one of the biggest screw-ups that anybody’s ever seen as an investigation.”

“I’ve been tougher on Russia than anybody else, any other — probably any other president period, but certainly the last three or four presidents, modern-day presidents. Nobody’s been as tough as I have from any standpoint,” Trump added.

TRUMP’S REALLY PRIVATE PUTIN MEETING: On Saturday, The Washington Post reported on Trump’s “the extraordinary lengths” to conceal details of his conversations with Russian President Vladi­mir Putin. The Post reported on at least one occasion Trump took the notes of his own interpreter and instructed the linguist not to discuss what had transpired with other administration officials.

Asked by Jeanine Pirro on Fox, “Why not release the conversation that you had with President Putin in Helsinki, along with some other stuff?” Trump insisted it was no big deal

“Well, Jeanine, I would, I don’t with care,” he said. “I mean, I had a conversation like every president does. You sit with the president of various countries. I do it with all countries. We had a great conversation. We were talking about Israel and securing Israel and lots of other things. And it was a great conversation. I’m not keeping anything under wraps, I couldn’t care less.”

WHY SO CHUMMY? Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., pressed the issue in an interview on ABC. “There’s so many questions raised. Why is he so chummy with Vladimir Putin?” Durbin asked on “This Week.” Durbin added, “This man who is a former KGB agent, never been a friend to the United States, invaded our allies, threatens us around the world, and tries his damnedest to undermine our elections, why is this President Trump’s best buddy? I don’t get it.”

Durbin continued, “And when he takes the interpreter’s notes and wants to destroy them so no one can see what was said in the written transcript, you know it raises serious questions about the relationship between this president and Putin.”

Trump’s defenders saw the matter differently.

“This is not a traditional president,” Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” The Wisconsin Republican said of Trump, “He has unorthodox means. But he is president of the United States. It’s pretty much up to him in terms of who he wants to read into his conversations with world leaders. That’s just the basic fact.”

IRAN ATTACK OPTIONS: Then on Sunday The Wall Street Journal reported that following a mortar attack near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad last year, the National Security Council asked the Pentagon for options for a military strike against Iran.

In September three mortar shells apparently fired by a Shiite militia group, aligned with Tehran, landed in an abandoned lot in the Iraqi capital’s Green Zone. There were no casualties, but it was enough to prompt national security adviser John Bolton to request from the Pentagon a plan to take action against Iran, as well as Syria and Iraq, sources told the Journal.

“The Pentagon complied with the NSC’s request to develop options for striking Iran, the officials said. But it isn’t clear if the proposals were provided to the White House, whether Mr. Trump knew of the request or whether serious plans for a U.S. strike against Iran took shape at that time,” the Journal said.

POMPEO, MBS, AND KHASHOGGI: Secretary of State Pompeo said he will would raise the subject of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi when he meets today with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, the next stop in his Mideast trip. Pompeo arrived in Saudi Arabia today.

“I’ll say what we have said consistently. America’s position both privately and publicly is the same. This was an outrageous act, an unacceptable murder. Those who were responsible will be held accountable by the United States of America,” Pompeo said in an interview on CBS. “We’re determined to do that. We’re determined to get at the facts just as quickly and as comprehensively as we can.”

“And then we’ll talk about all the important things we do with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and all the support they provide to keep Americans in Kansas and Colorado and California and in Washington, D.C., safe.”

NAVY SEAL MAKES HISTORY: Navy SEAL Force Master Chief Derrick Walters has been named the next fleet master chief of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa — becoming the first member of the naval special operations selected to serve as one of four fleet master chiefs in the entire service. Walters’ selection is particularly notable because only about 1 percent of Navy personnel are part of the exclusive Navy SEALs. Adm. James Foggo, Naval Forces Europe and Africa commander, said in a statement Friday that Walters is a “proven leader who brings a tremendous and very unique wealth of experience.” Walters, a master chief petty officer, is slated to succeed Fleet Master Chief Raymond Kemp in the spring at the Navy’s Sixth Fleet based in Naples, Italy.

THE RUNDOWN

AP: Top US Navy officer to visit China amid heightened tensions

Army Times: Here’s how the Army acquisition chief plans to equip soldiers for the next war  

Army Times: Here’s when the Army will pick three companies to build the M16/M4 and SAW replacements for soldiers and Marines

Defense One: Russia’s Special Operators Are Getting Futuristic Mini-Subs

The National Interest: Japan Accelerates Its Defense Buildup

Navy Times: Worse than you thought: inside the secret Fitzgerald probe the Navy doesn’t want you to read

Politico: Pentagon recruits rejected scientist for massive pollution fight

Reuters: U.S.-backed Syrian force – Islamic State in its ‘final moments’

Space Daily: Lockheed tapped for Onyx exoskeleton development, demonstrations

Stars and Stripes: Military looking to cut or delay construction projects for possible wall funds

Washington Post: ‘They screwed this whole thing up’: Inside the attempt to derail Trump’s erratic Syria withdrawal

Washington Times: Syrian Government Looks To Ramp Up Talks With Embattled Kurds

Washington Times: China’s moon landing boosts Trump’s Space Force

We Are The Mighty: Why the Army should consider bringing back the Pathfinders