***To read the full blog, please check out the complete post on NewsBusters***
With the deadline for a budget to fund the federal government fast approaching (Friday), a major sticking point in the negotiations has been President Trump’s insistence of $5 billion for a border wall. But that may have changed Tuesday after the White House signaled it was open to compromise. Despite that glimmer, ABC and NBC both used their evening broadcasts to stoke fears of a looming government shutdown and downplayed the chance for a deal.
The only broadcast network to tout the compromise was CBS Evening News via anchor Jeff Glor. “There were signs of a breakthrough today to avoid a partial government shutdown this week,” he announced. “The White House did signal a compromise on President Trump's demands for $5 billion in border wall funding.”
“Tonight, the clock is ticking in the drama growing from the White House to the Capitol, with the country staring down the possibility of a government shutdown,” declared NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt.
He suggested “families are caught in the middle. Families that could be left without paychecks before Christmas.” But that’s greatly misleading because it’s a statement designed to falsely insinuate they won’t get paid at all, when in reality we’ve seen federal workers get paid those missed wages after the shutdown ended.
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