What Democrats gained from the shutdown, and could lose by giving in

Democrats in Congress managed to stand firm against U.S. President Donald Trump long enough to force the lengthiest federal government shutdown in the country's history.

But now that a handful of Democratic senators have agreed to a deal that would end the shutdown, the party risks throwing away some of the political advantage they've gained over the past six weeks.

Polls consistently showed the Democrats winning the public opinion showdown over the shutdown. Solid majorities of voters were telling pollsters they blamed the Republicans in Congress or Trump himself more than the Democrats for what was happening.

Those same polls also suggested most voters were on-side with the Democrats on the issue at the crux of the standoff in Congress: the looming expiration of health insurance