>> Thompson: FOR MORE ON THE

SHUTDOWN, "WASHINGTON POST"

REPORTER DAMIAN PALETTA JOINS US

NOW FROM WASHINGTON, D.C.

SO, DAMIEN, YOU'VE BEEN KEEPING

YOUR EYE ON ALL THE DEVELOPMENTS

IN WASHINGTON TODAY.

CAN YOU JUST TELL US WHAT ALL

HAS HAPPENED AND WHERE DO WE

STAND NOW?

>> SURE, I MEAN, I THINK THINGS

HAVE GONE FROM BAD TO WORSE.

WE SAW PRESIDENT TRUMP HAVE

LUNCH TODAY WITH SOME HARD-LINE

CONSERVATIVES AT THE WHITE

HOUSE, PEOPLE THAT REALLY

SUPPORT HIS, YOU KNOW, PUSH TO

DEMAND MONEY FOR THE BORDER

WALL.

CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS WERE ON

CAPITOL HILL, BUT THEY MADE NO

REAL PROGRESS, EITHER.

IN FACT, THE SENATE HAS

ADJOURNED UNTIL TWO DAYS AFTER

CHRISTMAS.

A NUMBER OF FEDERAL AGENCIES

WILL BE CLOSED.

WE'VE ALREADY SEEN, YOU KNOW,

DOZENS OF NATIONAL PARKS CLOSE

TODAY.

AND 380,000 FEDERAL WORKERS, NOT

TO MENTION ALL THE CONTRACTORS

AND OTHERS, WILL BE SENT HOME

WITHOUT PAY BEGINNING WEDNESDAY.

>> Thompson: YOU MENTIONED THAT

THE SENATE'S ADJOURNED UNTIL THE

27th, BUT, I MEAN, HOW LIKELY IS

IT THAT WE'LL ACTUALLY SEE THIS

GET RESOLVED THEN?

OR, I MEAN, DO YOU THINK THAT

THIS MIGHT JUST CONTINUE UNTIL

THE DEMOCRATS TAKE OVER THE

HOUSE IN JANUARY?

>> IT'S INCREASINGLY STARTING TO

LOOK LIKE THAT.

I MEAN, ONCE YOU GET TO THE

27th, YOU'RE ABOUT A WEEK

AWAY FROM DEMOCRATS TAKING

CONTROL OF THE HOUSE OF

REPRESENTATIVES.

DEMOCRATS FEEL LIKE THEY'RE ON

VERY SOLID GROUND HERE IN THIS

IMPASSE BECAUSE PRESIDENT TRUMP

SAID LAST WEEK THAT HE WOULD OWN

THE SHUTDOWN.

HE WOULD BE PROUD TO SHUT DOWN

THE GOVERNMENT.

THE REPUBLICANS HAVE KIND OF

CHANGED THEIR POSITION MULTIPLE

TIMES LEADING INTO THE SHUTDOWN,

SO NANCY PELOSI IN THE HOUSE AND

CHUCK SCHUMER IN THE SENATE, YOU

KNOW, HAVE BEEN ABLE TO UNIFY

THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY TO HOLD

FIRM AND OPPOSE ANY MONEY FOR

THE WALL.

SO, THE DEMOCRATS FEEL LIKE

THEY'RE IN GOOD POSITION, AND

THEY CAN MAYBE WAIT THIS OUT

ANOTHER WEEK.

>> Thompson: DO YOU THINK THAT

ALL OF THIS POLITICAL JOCKEYING

IS KIND OF FORESHADOWING WHAT

WE'RE GOING TO SEE WHEN THE NEW

CONGRESS COMES INTO SESSION?

>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

I THINK BOTH SIDES ARE KIND OF

FEELING EACH OTHER OUT, AND

NEITHER SIDE WANTS TO GIVE IN.

NANCY PELOSI, WHO'S GOING TO BE

THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE IN

JANUARY, YOU KNOW, NEEDED TO

PROVE TO HER MEMBERS, ESPECIALLY

HER NEW MEMBERS, THE NEW

DEMOCRATS WHO WERE JUST ELECTED,

THAT SHE CAN STAND UP TO

PRESIDENT TRUMP AND, YOU KNOW,

REALLY HOLD THE LINE.

SIMILARLY FOR CHUCK SCHUMER, WHO

WILL REMAIN THE SENATE MINORITY

LEADER BUT WHO HAS A LOT OF

POWER BECAUSE DEMOCRATS CAN

BLOCK LEGISLATION IN THE SENATE.

SO, WITH THEM WORKING TOGETHER,

THEY REALLY, FOR THE FIRST TIME,

ACT AS A BIG CHECK ON PRESIDENT

TRUMP'S AUTHORITY.

PRESIDENT TRUMP, ON THE OTHER

HAND, FEELS LIKE HE HAS TO, YOU

KNOW, TAKE A TOUGH POSITION OR

DEMOCRATS WILL TRY TO

ESSENTIALLY TAKE AWAY ALL OF HIS

POWER.

SO, THERE'S A REAL, YOU KNOW,

SHOWDOWN HAPPENING HERE, AND IT

COULD DRAG ON FOR QUITE A WHILE.

>> Thompson: SO, FOR THE NEXT

FEW DAYS, WHEN THE GOVERNMENT IS

DEFINITELY GOING TO BE SHUT

DOWN, WHAT KINDS OF THINGS ARE

WE GOING TO SEE?

HOW IS IT GOING TO AFFECT

PEOPLE?

>> WE SAW MANY, MANY NATIONAL

PARKS TODAY WERE CLOSED.

THE GATEWAY ARCH IN ST. LOUIS,

WHERE I'M ORIGINALLY FROM, WAS

CLOSED.

MANY OTHER PARKS CLOSED THEIR

DOORS AROUND THE COUNTRY.

EVEN IN PUERTO RICO, THEY WERE

CLOSED.

THAT'S, OBVIOUSLY, INCONVENIENT

AND HURTS A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO

HAVE BUSINESSES MAYBE CONNECTED

TO THOSE NATIONAL PARKS.

I THINK WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY,

WE'RE GOING TO START SEEING THE

REAL IMPACT ON A LOT OF FEDERAL

WORKERS, LIKE I MENTIONED.

380,000 FEDERAL WORKERS WILL BE

SENT HOME INDEFINITELY WITHOUT

PAY.

ANOTHER 400,000 WORKERS WILL

CONTINUE TO GO TO THEIR JOBS,

BUT THEY WILL NOT BE PAID UNTIL

THIS IS RESOLVED.

IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN

MIND THIS IS JUST, YOU KNOW, A

HANDFUL.

MULTIPLE FEDERAL AGENCIES, BUT

NOT ALL FEDERAL AGENCIES WILL BE

IMPACTED.

THE PENTAGON IS NOT IMPACTED,

BUT THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND

SECURITY IS IMPACTED.

SO, IT COULD HAVE KIND OF AN

UNEVEN IMPACT, BUT IT WILL

DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, BE FELT BY

MANY PEOPLE.

>> Thompson: ALL RIGHT, DAMIEN

PALETTA OF THE "WASHINGTON

POST."

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING

US.

>> MY PLEASURE, THANK YOU.