The United States appears closer to ending the longest government shutdown in its history, after a group of moderate senators broke ranks and voted late Sunday to advance a short-term spending bill to fund most federal agencies through January. The 60–40 Senate vote signalled the first real bipartisan movement since the shutdown began, marking a potential breakthrough in the deadlock that has paralysed the country for weeks. But the deal — while a relief for millions of Americans — is no guarantee of peace. It still needs to clear both chambers of Congress and be signed by President Donald Trump, who has not yet said whether he supports it. And it leaves unresolved the political fault line that caused the shutdown in the first place: the Democrats’ demand to extend Affordable Care Act (

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