A House-passed stopgap bill that would avoid a government shutdown fizzled out in the Senate on Friday, leaving Congress fewer than two hours to find a solution before a midnight deadline. The measure appeared to fail in a procedural vote that was still open in the Senate at 11 p.m. ET. Five Democrats — Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Doug Jones of Alabama and Claire McCaskill of Missouri — had backed it, though their votes could change. Four Republicans — Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Jeff Flake of Arizona, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah — ... (full story)