National

There's been a near boom of Noah's arks around the world. The latest is in Miami, where a group wants to create a Noah's ark theme park with rides and gardens. The man behind a 450-foot long ark in the Netherlands says his goal is to spread his faith, but he thinks the appeal of the Noah story these days is obvious: climate change.

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 fight over Mexican tuna, and whether it is truly fished using dolphin safe practices, rages on. Mexico recently won a two decade long fight to get its tuna labeled dolphin safe. The WTO this month ruled in its favor. But the U.S. still refuses to allow Mexican tuna with a dolphin safe label on store shelves. Mexico says it's had enough and is preparing to retaliate with trade sanctions on U.S. imports. Ensenada, Baja California, was once the thriving heart of the Mexican tuna industry.

President Obama says he won't negotiate with Republicans over the debt ceiling, but he's happy to talk once the government is open and the full faith and credit of the United States is assured. Experts in negotiation weigh in about the tactics and the strategy being used during the budget impasse.

President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner have had five years of fights and negotiations to learn how to work together. But today, their relationship is as sour as it's ever been. While closer ties might not solve the shutdown, the mutual suspicion and mistrust aren't helping.

As the leader of Senate Democrats, Harry Reid has been in a lot of fights — but this one may be different, in that Reid has drawn a line. After a meeting with other congressional leaders and President Obama on Wednesday, Reid said: "The one thing we made very clear ... we are locked in tight on Obamacare."

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.

From Acadia in Maine to Zion in Utah to the North Cascades in Washington, America's 401 national park areas have gates blocking entrance roads. National forest and Bureau of Land Management lands would nearly be impossible to close because there are so many access points.

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.

After a breakup, some have taken to posting intimate pictures of their ex on the Internet. California's new law punishes those who do, but some critics say the law isn't specific enough and could inhibit free speech.