The U.S. is inching toward the longest government shutdown in American history. NBC News’ Brian Cheung explains how shutdowns impact the U.S. economy. | NBC News

80 years ago, Sinatra defined what being American really means. Frank Sinatra spoke about what it means to be American in the 1945 short film, “The House I Live In.” He called out the kind of thinking that says someone doesn’t belong because of their religion, where they come from, or how they worship. Sinatra lays it out simply: our blood is the same, people are people, and hating someone for being different doesn’t make sense. He points out that America is made up of all kinds of people, all k

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