Washington

Scott Gilmore: Still fighting for his border wall, the president droned through an unconvincing speech. Like his presidency, it didn’t accomplish much.

Three weeks into a government shutdown, the U.S. president will speak from the White House on Jan. 8 at 9 p.m. ET. Watch it here.

Image of the week: The U.S. veep visibly squirmed as he swore in America’s first openly bisexual senator. But he kept his sense of humour

Anne Kingston: Already, media is recycling the same gender bias seen in the 2016 U.S. election campaign — complete with Hillary Clinton

Allen Abel: The Democratic women of the 116th Congress are already a force to be reckoned with. But are they a force to banish Trump?

Allen Abel: Two years after his election, Trump is proving his personal creed that power is everything—and damn the cost to his country

Image of the week: An obligatory photo-op between the president and congressional leaders spiralled out of control—and made a visual tableau for the ages

Allen Abel: As the president’s hallucinatory world heaves and crumbles, Americans ponder what kind of country they wish to live in—and what kind of people they want to be

Former world leaders and presidents will attend Bush’s funeral today—and Brian Mulroney will deliver a eulogy. Watch it here.

Excellence, civility, intelligence, modesty: Words used to describe Bush Sr. recall what a U.S. president can be—and what the current one is not