BREAKING NEWS

U.S. Senate session ends with no deal to end government shutdown

WASHINGTON, Dec 22 - The U.S. Senate has ended a short legislative day on Saturday and will hold its next legislative session on Thursday, as negotiators continued to search for a way to end the partial government shutdown that began just after midnight.

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate would meet in a "pro forma" session on Monday. Those sessions can last for just minutes before adjourning. As McConnell was closing the Senate, Vice President Mike Pence told reporters that negotiators were "still talking."