SHUTDOWN – AT 11:53 A.M. ET:  The federal government is shutting down, after the Senate failed to pass a continuing resolution that would have kept it going for a time.  As Johnny Carson used to ask, "Notice the difference?"

The White House is hard at work, and effectively so, putting the blame on the Democrats, which is correct.  The Democrats do care more about illegal immigrants than about the troops and emergency-service personnel who will not be paid during the shutdown.  From CNBC: 

A House-passed stopgap bill that would avoid a government shutdown fizzled out in the Senate late Friday night, leaving Congress negotiating frantically as the midnight deadline to fund the government passed.

The measure failed in a procedural vote by a 50 to 49 margin. Five Democrats — Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Doug Jones of Alabama and Claire McCaskill of Missouri — had backed it. Four Republicans — Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Jeff Flake of Arizona, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah — opposed it. So did Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for procedural reasons.

As nearly all Democrats and some Republicans opposed the measure that failed to work its way through Congress on Friday, lawmakers saw government funding lapse, at least temporarily. The proposal that failed in the Senate would have funded the government through Feb. 16 and reauthorized the popular Children's Health Insurance Program for six years.

As the vote remained open into early Saturday morning, several bipartisan senators appeared to confer about a way forward. McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer then walked off the Senate floor together, only to return and continue talks with other senators. Numerous senators crowded around Schumer as the clock hit midnight.

COMMENT:  Early signs are that, surprisingly, many in the media are going along with the idea that the Democrats are mostly to blame.  If that thought grows, it could put a big dent in Democratic dreams for the 2018 midterms.

This is a day-by-day story.  I wouldn't be shocked if some agreement were reached early in the week to keep the government going, especially if the Dems realize they're losing.

January 20,  2018