.ON DECEMBER 6TH Republicans turned down President Joe Biden's ask for $106bn of funding, a lot of it to help branch Ukraine, on the basis that its own regulations to safeguard America's southerly border performed not go far good enough. A team of senators now seem to be near hitting a bipartisan offer on immigration guidelines, thought to consist of tougher policies as the price of Republican assistance. Yet it looks probably to become finished off in your house of Agents. On January 14th Mike Johnson, our home speaker, stated that meaningful border reform will have to hang around till a Republican was president. However on January 17th, after a meeting along with Mr Biden, he suggested that he might be open to a concession after all. Is one most likely?