rhinoplasty, the humble nose job.

It's one of the most common facial plastic surgeries performed today.

But it's been around for over 2,000 years.

If you're wondering, why on earth would doctors thousands of years ago need to reconstruct noses?

That's a great question.

And on NPR Shortwave podcast, we dive into that answer.

Listen to the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm.

The Trump administration says it sent layoff notices to more than 4,000 federal workers.

It filed papers last night in response to a lawsuit brought by labor unions

representing government workers. Meanwhile, the government shutdown is now in its 11th day,

with no apparent movement to resolve the impasse. NPR's Ron Elving reports. People are feeling

at airports, in farm country, wherever people do business with the government in any way or depend on it in any way,

Republicans had hoped those people would blame the Democrats and put pressure on them.

Some do and some have.

But polls show more people are blaming the president and his party.

So can there be an end in sight?

Yes, when both sides are willing to talk seriously about the coming cuts to health care. NPR's Ron Elving. The president of the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology has written a letter telling the Trump administration

it won't be signing on to what the White House calls a compact to get preferential treatment for federal funding.

NPR's Alyssa Nadwarnie reports.

The letter from MIT President Sally Cornbluth says,

...