As of Wednesday night, it looked like a path was emerging whereby Senate Democrats would abandon plans to filibuster the House-passed spending bill (known as a CR, for “continuing resolution”) needed to keep the government from shutting down midnight on Friday.

A federal judge ordered the federal government to rehire thousands of employees dismissed from six agencies, saying the Trump administration’s justification for firing the probationary workers had been a “sham.

Senate Democrats are prepared to vote Friday to keep the government open, with not much to show for it. Why it matters: The outcome will spark the fury of many Democrats and the grassroots of the party,