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Across the country, hospitals that serve the neediest patients are struggling — nowhere more so than in New York, where a handful of hospitals are on the brink of closing. It's not clear if the Affordable Care Act will help these hospitals and hundreds of others like them across the country get out of the red.

Melissa Block talks to Jon Jarvis, director of the National Park Service, about the government shutdown's effect on parks across the country.

A Senate hearing on surveillance raised alarms about the impact of the federal government shutdown on intelligence gathering. Intelligence chiefs said 70 percent of civilian workers at their agencies are being furloughed, and said they could not guarantee the US is safe during the shutdown.

As threatened, Russia has lodged piracy charges against four environmental activists and a freelance British videographer for their parts in a Sept. 18 protest at an offshore oil rig in the Russian Arctic. Those charged were among 30 people who were detained aboard the Greenpeace vessel "Arctic Sunrise" after two activists tried to climb aboard the rig.

Houston's Mission Control is still talking to the astronauts circling the globe in the International Space Station. But most other phone lines are down, and NASA says the shutdown could deter launches of other spacecraft and slow repair work on the Hubble Space Telescope if something goes wrong.

Since most fish contain some amount of mercury, public health officials suggest that pregnant women limit their intake to 12 ounces a week. But fresh research suggests current recommendations may be too cautious, and that fish may not be a huge source of mercury for expecting moms. Still, some doctors remain cautious.

Tom Clancy built his fascination with military hardware and history into a best-selling career writing thrillers — beginning in 1984 with The Hunt for Red October. His books were turned into Hollywood blockbusters and popular video games. NPR's Lynn Neary has a remembrance of Clancy, who died this week at 66.

Former Vice President Walter Mondale and a former Alabama Supreme Court justice are among those pressing for a bipartisan commission to improve legal services to the poor.

The Washington, D.C., university, which is arguably the country's most prominent historically black institution of higher education, has been buffeted by a tough economy and dissent among its leadership.

Furloughed workers? Deserted national parks? OK, that's a problem. But here's a little silver lining to the crisis: Displaced tourists are turning to other attractions, restaurants are turning hungry government workers into customers, and ironic T-shirts about the crisis are flying off the racks.