CNN 2011-04-12（在线收听）

Hi, I'm Carl Azuz and this is CNN Student News, where Fridays are awesome! But you already knew that. Your 10 minutes of commercial-free headlines start right now!

First up, government shutdown. That term is dominating conversations around the U.S. Capitol right now. Quick recap on the background: The U.S. government does not have a budget in place. It needs one to keep running. If Congress can't pass a deal -- or an extension -- by midnight tonight, parts of the government will shut down. We produced this show on Thursday evening, and at that time, there was no deal. Congressional leaders met with the president earlier in the day at the White House. They were expecting to head back for more meetings later Thursday night.

We've talked a little bit this week about what might be affected if the government shuts down. You can check out our archives at CNNStudentNews.com to review that. If this happens -- and again, that is an if -- wouldn't be the first time. Between 1977 and 1980, there were six shutdowns. Nine more between 1981 and 1996. They've been as short as three days, as long as 21 days. Again, the deadline to make a deal is midnight tonight, so you'll want to check out CNN.com for the latest details.