Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly. This is day 41 of the government shutdown, but for the first time since it began, Congress is a step closer to ending it. Eight members of the Senate Democratic Caucus voted with Republicans yesterday to advance an agreement to reopen the government.
They did so without a guaranteed extension of federal health care subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. That's been the key demand of Democratic lawmakers since the shutdown began.
Chapter 2: What progress has been made on the government shutdown?
Here's Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
I'm hopeful that we can finally bring the shutdown to an end. I don't need to go over all the reasons why it's imperative that we get the government open as soon as possible. From the truly precarious situation we are in with regard to air travel to the fact that our staffs have been working without pay for a full 40 days now, all of us, Republicans and Democrats,
who support this bill know that the time to act is now.
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois was among the Democrats who broke ranks with others in his party's leadership. He called on Thune to keep his promise to hold a Senate vote to extend the expiring health care subsidies by mid-December. It's not clear how soon the Senate and House could give final approval to the measure to end the shutdown.
The government shutdown resulted in thousands of airline flight cancellations and delays over the weekend. The FAA continues to reduce flight capacity at 40 major airports across the U.S. because of air traffic control staffing shortages. NPR's Joe Hernandez has more from Philadelphia.
Juliet Montefusco was flying from Philadelphia to Florida to meet up with her sister and other family members. Her flight was on time, but she said one part of her family got delayed for hours, including five kids.
First time on a plane, first time on a big vacation, first time to Disney, and they had to wait in the terminal for like five hours the other day, which sucks, right, for a bunch of kids that have never been on a plane.
Transportation officials say air travel headaches could get even worse as Thanksgiving approaches. Joe Hernandez, NPR News, Philadelphia.
Some employees at a NASA facility in Maryland are describing conditions there as organized chaos amid a change in culture. NPR's Katie Riddle has more.
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