Empty seats in the U.S. House of Representatives chamber as seen in a 2008 file photo. Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images hide caption
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Shutdown Squeezes IRS Workers Just As The Tax-Filing Season Is About To Start
Etchings on the federal courthouse in Boston acclaim a well-administered justice system, but many working in the building say that's getting harder, given the ongoing federal shutdown. Tovia Smith/NPR hide caption
With a downed power utility pole in the foreground, residents of Paradise, Calif., examine a burned-out vehicle destroyed by last year's wildfire. Noah Berger/AP hide caption
James Jackson, right, confers with his lawyer during a hearing in criminal court Wednesday in New York. Jackson pleaded guilty to killing a black man with a sword, which prosecutors described as terrorism and a hate crime. Bebeto Matthews/AP hide caption
A Highlands County Sheriff's SWAT vehicle is stationed in front of a SunTrust Bank branch, Wednesday in Sebring, Fla., where authorities say five people were killed in a shooting. Chris O'Meara/AP hide caption
House oversight committee Chairman Elijah Cummings talks with reporters at the capital. The Maryland Democrat has launched an investigation into the White House security clearance process. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption
Juan Guaidó, head of Venezuela's opposition-run congress, declares himself interim president of Venezuela during a rally against President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on Wednesda Fernando Llano/AP hide caption
Supporters of Marzieh Hashemi, an American-born anchor for Iran's state television broadcaster, demonstrated Wednesday outside the Washington, D.C., federal courthouse where Hashemi has appeared before a grand jury. Cliff Owen/AP hide caption
Yo-Yo Ma (shown here performing in Washington, D.C., last year) surprised unsuspecting Indians in Mumbai Tuesday with an impromptu roadside performance. Larry French/Getty Images for SiriusXM hide caption
A runner jogs on a treadmill at the Las Vegas Convention Center in January 2018. Ethan Miller/Getty Images hide caption
NPR's Life Kit: Tools To Help You Get It Together
A student from Covington Catholic High School stands in front of Native American Vietnam veteran Nathan Phillips in Washington, D.C. Kaya Taitano/Social Media/Reuters hide caption
Michael Cohen returned home in New York City amidst photojournalists. The former fixer for Donald Trump says he's postponing testimony at a House hearing next month. Kevin Hagen/AP hide caption
The chairman of the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service says the panel's overarching goal is to "create a universal expectation of service" in which every American is "inspired and eager to serve." Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images hide caption
Video of a school in Shanxi province, China, shows principal Zhang Pengfei leading the students in a major update of the standard calisthenics routine. Screenshot by NPR/China Xinhua News/Twitter hide caption
Frank Garcia's latest track "Pequeño Poesias" is in this week's Alt.Latino playlist. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks at the David Berg Distinguished Speakers Series, organized by the Museum of the City of New York with WNET-TV in December. Rebecca Gibian/AP hide caption
When a former patient died from a lethal combination of methadone and Benadryl, Dr. Ako Jacintho got a letter from the state medical board. Whitney Hayward/Portland Press Herald/Getty Images hide caption
Hacienda HealthCare in Phoenix where an incapacitated woman gave birth in December. On Wednesday, police announced that a suspect in the case had been arrested. Ross D. Franklin/AP hide caption
Respiratory therapist Deena Neace checks James Muncy's blood pressure and pulse during a therapy session at the New Beginnings Pulmonary Rehab Clinic in South Williamson, Ky. Muncy is one of thousands of coal miners across Appalachia who are dying of advanced black lung. Matthew Hatcher for NPR hide caption