Holiday-season gridlock in DC brings partial federal closure

WASHINGTON — Christmas-season gridlock descended on the nation's capital Saturday like an unwelcomed present just before the holiday as America's elected leaders partially closed down the government over their inability to compromise on money for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.Congressional Democrats are refusing to accede to President Donald Trump's demands for $5 billion to start erecting his long-promised barrier, and the stalemate is a chaotic coda for Republicans in the waning da