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VIDEO: Today's Headline News from Associated Press

SHUTDOWN IMPACT: TOURISTS, HOMEBUYERS HIT QUICKLY

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A government shutdown would have far-reaching consequences for some, but minimal impact on others.

 

Mail would be delivered. Social Security and Medicare benefits would continue to flow.

 

But vacationers would be turned away from national parks and Smithsonian museums. Low-to-moderate income borrowers and first-time homebuyers seeking government-backed mortgages could face delays.

 

A look at how services would or would not be affected if Congress fails to reach an agreement averting a government shutdown at midnight Monday.

 

FOOD ASSISTANCE

 

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, could shut down. The program provides supplemental food, health care referrals and nutrition education for pregnant women, mothers and their children.

 

School lunches and breakfasts would continue to be served, and food stamps, known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, would continue to be distributed. But several smaller feeding programs would not have the money to operate.

 

AIR TRAVEL

 

Federal air traffic controllers would remain on the job and airport screeners would keep funneling passengers through security checkpoints. Federal inspectors would continue enforcing safety rules.

 

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

 

The State Department would continue processing foreign applications for visas and U.S. applications for passports, since fees are collected to finance those services. Embassies and consulates overseas would continue to provide services to American citizens.

 

BENEFIT PAYMENTS

 

Social Security and Medicare benefits would keep coming, but there could be delays in processing new disability applications. Unemployment benefits would still go out.

 

MAIL

 

Deliveries would continue as usual because the U.S. Postal Service receives no tax dollars for day-to-day operations. It relies on income from stamps and other postal fees to keep running.

 

Click to read full story.

 

US-IRAN: BREAKTHROUGH AFTER DECADES OF SILENCE

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was ending his visit to the United States and inching through New York's notorious traffic when the call came from President Barack Obama in the Oval Office.

 

Fifteen minutes later, the two say goodbye in each other's language, and a generation-long rift between the U.S. and Iran was that much closer to being bridged.

 

Iranians awoke Saturday to learn about the groundbreaking conversation, the first in more than three decades between leaders of the two countries.

 

They pledged to resolve concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions, which have isolated Iranians from the rest of the world and led to crippling economic penalties.

 

Upon his arrival in Tehran on Saturday, Rouhani was met by both cheering supporters and opposition hardliners who tried to block his motorcade.

 

Several dozen protesters shouted "Death to America" and at least one reportedly hurled a shoe, a gesture of contempt. Supporters greeted Rouhani with cheers and placards praising his peace efforts.

 

The focus now turns to negotiations among foreign ministers and other officials from the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany. The group wants Iran to present a more detailed proposal before or at the next round of negotiations, scheduled in Geneva on Oct. 15-16, according to an Obama administration official.