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Nationwide, many cash-strapped cities have raided funds intended for retirees or have chronically underfunded their pension systems. But despite a budget crunch, Milwaukee's fund has consistently ranked among the nation's top pension programs. Even so, some changes lie ahead for city workers.

To understand House Speaker John Boehner's role in the government shutdown, you have to understand the 30 or so House Republican hard-liners and his relationship with them. Because Republicans have a relatively slim majority in the House, the 30 have more power than their numbers would make it seem.

City officials say what's been a "generous" hotel program has to end, and they sent displaced families a letter saying they have to move out by Friday. But others say the city could have done more to help the storm's neediest victims stay out of homeless shelters.

A team of eight people overseeing the critical foodborne illness tracking database PulseNet has been reduced to three. And a CDC division chief says that a multistate outbreak would push the remaining staff beyond their capacity.

The Golden Dawn Party, which holds seats in parliament, uses Nazi symbols and threatens people who don't agree with its brand of nationalism. Officials say it's a criminal gang: Party leaders have been arrested on charges including murder. But supporters say they're being persecuted for their beliefs.

Twitter gave potential investors the first peek at its financials as the company heads toward its keenly anticipated initial public offering. Twitter plans to raise $1 billion in its IPO and will trade under the ticker symbol TWTR. While Twitter has quickly transformed the way people communicate and comment on events it has yet to establish itself as a business. Twitter's revenue was $317 million in 2012. But the company still lost nearly $80 million.

Officials say the military mastermind who drove the French and the Americans out of Vietnam, died at a Hanoi hospital at 102. He was the country's last famous communist revolutionary.

The U.S. has provided more than $1.5 billion to Syria since the war began more than two years ago. Virtually all of it is has been spent on humanitarian aid and social programs, though that gets much less attention than the relatively small amount that goes to the Syrian rebels.

For her new film, the actress submitted to a singularly intense shooting regimen to achieve the movie's weightless visuals. She talked with NPR's Melissa Block about the filming process, which kept her alone inside a box for long stretches, listening to strange music and sounds.

It's been 20 years since the Battle of Mogadishu, a mission gone wrong that cost 18 American lives. The operation and its aftermath left an opening for extremists, says journalist Mark Bowden, and made the U.S. more cautious about sending troops into foreign conflicts. Would the operation go differently today?