Photo courtesy of Flickr.

As of midnight on Friday, major parts of the U.S. government are closed.

This shutdown will affect hundreds of thousands of federal employees who will go into the holiday weekend knowing that their next paycheck is on hold until the shutdown ends. Employees considered critical will still be required to work, without pay.

We explain what the shutdown means - what's shutting down, who will be affected, and what the consequences could be here.

The shutdown is a result of President Trump and some House Republicans insisting that funding for government agencies must come with $5 billion to build the president's border wall. 

We explain what else $5 billion could fund here.

For our explanation of the shutdown and why a border wall is a bad idea, look here.

Here is where the situation stands two weeks into the shutdown.

Frustrated by all this? Call your members of Congress and let them know.