Government shutdown becomes longest in US history
Majority Leader John Thune, the Senate's top Republican, said his "gut" told him that a possible breakthrough might be on the horizon.
Democrats and Republicans have remained gridlocked for weeks without any signs of a compromise - though some glimmers of hope are beginning to show.
The shutdown, which began 1 October, was prompted by the inability of Congress to agree to a new funding deal. It has left government workers without paycheque and millions of Americans without essential services.
The US government shutdown has entered it
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