The chairman of President Donald Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers said Wednesday the United States could post no economic growth in the first quarter if the federal government does not reopen. “If [the shutdown] extended for the whole quarter, and given the fact that the first quarter tends to be low because of residual seasonality, then you could end up with a number very close to zero in the first quarter,” Kevin Hassett told CNN. Asked whether GDP growth could hit zero in the quarter, Hassett said “Yes, we could.” “But then again, the second-quarter number would be humongous if the government reopened. It ... (full story)