Episode description

For the past few weeks, Democrats and Republicans were closing in on a game-changing deal to secure the U.S.-Mexico border: a bipartisan compromise that’s unheard-of in contemporary Washington.

Karoun Demirjian, who covers Congress for The Times, explains why that deal is now falling apart.

Guest: Karoun Demirjian, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Divided Republicans coalesced behind a bit of legislative extortion: No Ukraine aid without a border crackdown. Then they split over how large a price to demand, imperiling both initiatives.
• Republicans and Democrats have agreed to try to reduce the number of migrants granted parole to stay in the United States, but cementing the compromise will take money and persuasion on both sides.

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