These are challenging days for Democrats ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Their party has yet to land on a clear message or a leading messenger, leaving the president-elect mostly unchallenged,

This week’s events were a preview of the perils of governing that face Trump and Republicans in Congress, despite their narrow majorities.

Republican lawmakers say Congress’s near brush with a government shutdown shows that House Republicans do not have a functional majority, giving them a bad feeling about how difficult it will be to pass President-elect Trump’s agenda in 2025.

PHOENIX (AP) — Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal that the United States “foolishly” ceded to its Central American ally, contending that shippers are charged “ridiculous” fees to pass through the vital transportation channel linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

President-elect Donald Trump urged Panama to lower Panama Canal fees during a speech on Dec. 22 and suggested his administration might seek to regain control of the canal.