Senate talks show signs of progress as government shutdown grinds into 2nd month

There has been a noticeable shift in the Senate over the last week, with lawmakers on either side of the aisle talking more about how to get out of the government shutdown.But it’s not blanket optimism and neither side is ready to announce that an off-ramp to the 31-day shutdown has been finalized. And ultimately, how well the bipartisan talks are going depends on who you ask.Republican and Democrat rank-and-file members, particularly members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, have started talking more as the week has progressed. There are talks of extending the House-passed continuing re