The US Capitol seen in Washington, DC on Thursday. Eric Lee/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The air is turning blue over the Capitol Dome. And the government is more shut than ever.

Washington woke Thursday to a whiff of rare hope that behind-the-scenes efforts were accelerating in the Senate to end a federal shutdown now imposing severe pain on millions of Americans.

But the day ended with senators skipping town for the weekend — to join members of the House not seen inside the Beltway for so long it’s hard to remember what they look like.

What’s so galling is that both Republicans and Democrats insist they are keeping faith with their duties — taking care of the American people — but that the other side is willing to drive ordinary citizens to the brink of hunger or sickness.

Senate Demo

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