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A partial federal shutdown has prompted angry debate nationwide. Sen. Michael Bennet, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, tells Steve Inskeep that on the budget impasse issue, "The divide between Democrats and Republicans is less than the divide that exists in the Republican Party."

Laura and John Arnold of Houston have pledged up to $10 million to keep the Head Start program running in six states. The preschool program for children from low-income families abruptly closed in some areas last Friday because of a lack of funding.

The partial government shutdown has forced the Pentagon to delay payments to the families of troops killed while serving in the U.S. military. Normally these families would receive a $100,000 payment three days after the death of member of the Armed Forces. More than 20 have died since the shutdown began. A private, non-profit group called the Fisher House Foundation will pay the death benefits during the shutdown.

The Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company says the new Spam flavoring is meat free. Good news for any Spam loving vegetarians out there. President Richard Schnitzler said Spam has a cult following in Hawaii.

On Three Chords and the Truth, James King picks from the canon of country music to rearrange its songs as bluegrass. Alan Jackson has recorded his first collection of bluegrass music.

Visual artist Carrie Mae Weems has been celebrated for her art and activism for decades, and now she can add a MacArthur "genius" grant to her collection. In a conversation with NPR's Michel Martin, Weems discusses life, love and turning 60.

According to a recent study, more than half of the Mississippians who file for bankruptcy do so because they cannot pay their medical bills. Clarion Ledger reporter Jerry Mitchell tells host Michel Martin what's causing such devastating costs.

Republican Ken Cuccinelli had been trailing Democrat Terry McAuliffe by a few points in the polls before the partial government shutdown. But since then, McAuliffe's lead has clearly widened in a state that's home to many federal employees.

Some Michigan seniors may be going hungry thanks to the government shutdown. In western Kent County alone, more than 1,300 low-income seniors depend on a government surplus food program. But the USDA has announced that the program is hold until further notice.

All the news we couldn't fit anywhere else.