- New York 12/25/2018 by Linda Perry (WBAI)

Almost 80 percent of Americans are now living paycheck to paycheck. Never the less, the partial shutdown of the federal government which started on Friday continues at least through Thursday. That’s when the Senate reconvenes at 4 pm to work on legislation to end the shutdown. The stalemate is over Donald Trump's border wall. The White House wants funding for the border wall included in any legislation to reopen the government. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands throughout the country, including tens of thousands of New Yorkers, are going without a paycheck during the holidays. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio says, "This is a sad moment for America."  

Meanwhile, Trump has spooked the stock market with his criticism of the Federal Reserve. He tweeted, "The only problem our economy has is the Fed. They don’t have a feel for the Market, they don’t understand necessary Trade Wars or Strong Dollars or even Democrat Shutdowns over Borders ." The Dow fell 653 points in its worse day since the 1931 Great Depression in its shortened trading day on Monday. 

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