White House tries to bypass Pelosi on shutdown talks, but moderate Democrats rebuff offer

(USA Today) – A group of moderate Democrats turned down the White House’s invitation to a luncheon Tuesday to discuss border security as the Trump administration sought to bypass House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and win support for border wall funding.

Pelosi and other Democratic leaders weren’t invited to meeting, but the speaker had given her colleagues permission to attend. None of them accepted the offer, however, and the meeting went on with only Republicans attending. Read More