President Trump’s schedule (EST):

11:30 AM:  Signs an anti-human trafficking bill, H.R.2200;

12:00 PM:  Daily intelligence briefing;

1:00 PM:  Attends the Senate Republican policy luncheon, S-207, The Capitol; and

3:00 PM: Meets with congressional leaders in the White House Situation Room.

Speaker Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Schumer will hold an 11 AM press conference.  Reiterating their demands before their 3 PM White House meeting with President Trump is hardly a sign of compromise on ending the shutdown.

Transcripts of last nights addresses:  President Trump (fact sheet); Speaker Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Schumer.

“U.S.-China Trade Talks Conclude on Optimistic Note.”  This morning’s Bloomberg article led with:

China and the U.S. wrapped up three days of trade talks and are reportedly coordinating how to characterize the results publicly as officials from both nations expressed optimism that progress had been made.

People familiar with the discussions said positions were closer on areas including energy and agriculture but further apart on harder issues. As of 8:25 p.m. in Beijing, neither the Chinese side nor the Americans had released a statement — a possible sign of message coordination as the U.S. delegation returned to Washington.

Stocks rose across Asia and Europe, and equity futures indicated an increase in the U.S. on Wednesday, on signs the world’s two largest economies are trying to resolve their trade war.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said a one-day extension in talks showed both sides are serious about the talks. Some disagreements remain on structural issues and they need to be addressed when more senior negotiators meet later on, according to Chinese officials involved in the discussions who asked not to be identified.

The editor-in-chief of the Global Times, a state-run Chinese newspaper known for its nationalist leanings, said on Twitter around 4 p.m. in Beijing that he’d heard the two sides were still consulting on the wording of coordinated statements.

China and the U.S. plan to release a message on trade talks at the same time Thursday morning in Beijing, he said later in another tweet. The talks, though arduous, were conducted in a pleasant and candid atmosphere, he said.