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First Read's Morning Clips: The 116th Congress begins

A roundup of the most important political news stories of the day

THE DEM AGENDA: The 116th Congress begins

Nancy Pelosi has a message for President Trump when it comes to money for his border wall: You get nothing.

And she's not ruling out moving forward with impeachment once the special counsel's report is done.

President Trump and congressional leaders on both sides seem as deadlocked as ever as the government shutdown barrels into the new year.

The Washington Post reports that the shutdown is snarling the immigration system, heightening a backlog in the courts and delaying E-Verify employment checks.

With Pelosi set to be named Speaker of the House today, The New York Times published a deep dive on her political career.

Top progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez promised to vote against new rules being offered by House Democratic leadership because the rules call for all new spending to be offset.

Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Richard Neal, the incoming Ways and Means Committee chairman, wants to convince President Trump to disclose his tax returns before requesting them himself.

And get this: Pandora has launched “The Congressional Record – 116th Edition Station” to celebrate the new Congress.

TRUMP AGENDA: Trump vs. Romney

Mitt Romney and President Trump are back at odds after Romney published a critical op-ed in The Washington Post.

The shutdown has claimed another victim: the National Zoo panda cam, which turned off on Wednesday.

President Trump's trade war has bottled up American whiskey exports.

The Trump administration's Cabinet meeting on Wednesday marked the public debut of acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, who took over after General James Mattis's resignation.

The Senate Judiciary has scheduled Attorney General nominee William Barr's confirmation hearing for later this month.

2020: Warren staffs up in Iowa

Elizabeth Warren is hiring staff in Iowa ahead of her likely bid, including top operatives who worked for Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders during their presidential bids.

Warren blasted President Trump during an interview with MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show" days after she announced she's exploring a presidential bid.

Former Bernie Sanders campaign staff claim the campaign didn't handle sexual harassment allegations correctly, as Sanders and his team seek to assure supporters and staff they've learned lessons from 2016.

Julián Castro revealed more details about his Jan. 12 event where he's expected to announce his presidential bid.

Terry McCauliffe penned a new op-ed in The Washington Post where he calls on Democrats to take a more pragmatic approach ahead of 2020.

States like Nebraska, Minnesota and Colorado are planning to ditch caucuses for primaries in the 2020 Democratic primary, a move that changes the strategy for candidates looking to win those states.

As Democrats continue to dance around possible presidential bids, The Hill explains why if you create an "exploratory committee," you're running, at least in the eyes of federal law.