Overworked and understaffed: Kaiser workers are on the brink of a nationwide strike More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers at hundreds of U.S. facilities could go on strike for three days starting Wednesday, in the largest health care strike in the county’s history. Read more on NPR

From Trump’s nickname to Commander Biden’s bad behavior, can you beat the news quiz? This week’s GOP debate was overshadowed by who wasn’t there, while the White House was roiled by more bad behavior from a four-legged inhabitant. Were you paying attention? Read more on NPR

She received chemo in two states. Why did it cost so much more in Alaska? A breast cancer patient who received similar treatments in two states saw significant differences in cost, illuminating how care in remote areas can come with a stiffer price tag. Read more on NPR

What closes and what keeps running in a federal government shutdown A government shutdown is looming but not every federal office will close completely. Some critical services will continue as employees work without pay. Read more on NPR

Marcos says the Philippines will defend its waters against Chinese aggression The president says he doesn’t want trouble, but says Manila will staunchly defend its waters after its coast guard removed a floating barrier China placed at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. Read more on NPR

The White House chief of staff says it’s on House Republicans to avert a shutdown Jeff Zients has been getting the White House prepared for the first government shutdown of the Biden administration. Here’s what the chief of staff told NPR about it. Read more on NPR

The Academy is replacing Hattie McDaniel’s Oscar that has been missing for 50 years McDaniel, the first Black person to win an Academy Award, donated her Oscar to Howard University before her death. But the plaque mysteriously went missing, likely sometime around the 1960s or 1970s. Read more on NPR