Shutdown solution seems unlikely before Dems take House

A statue of Benjamin Franklin is seen in an empty corridor outside the Senate at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018, during a partial government shutdown. Chances look slim for ending the partial government shutdown any time soon. Lawmakers are away from Washington for the holidays and have been told they will get 24 hours’ notice before having to return for a vote. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON — It’s looking increasingly like the partial government shutdown will be handed off to a divided government to solve in the new year — the first big confrontation between President Donald Trump and Democrats — as agreement eludes Washington in the waning days of the Republican monopoly on power.