Fed Employees Return To Work; Brazil Dam Disaster; Sunday Mass Bombings in The Philippines

Plus, 50 years ago, California's worst oil spill turned beaches black and the nation green. [NPR] by Korva Coleman and Jill Hudson First Up [Federal employees wait in line at World Central Kitchen, a food bank and food distribution center established by celebrity chef José Andrés. The federal government is back open, but it could be several days before workers receive missed paychecks.]( Alex Edelman/AFP/Getty Images Here’s what we’re following today. Congress and the White House have three weeks to come to an agreement about border security — or else the government could shut down again. Federal workers are bracing themselves for another furlough, even as [they return to work today](. At least 60 people are dead and hundreds are missing after a catastrophic dam collapse in southeastern Brazil. Authorities are in a desperate search to reach those who are still missing from Friday’s tragedy, where the mud and sludge of iron mine waste has [swallowed part of a town](. Police have arrested a Louisiana man accused of killing five people, including his parents, his girlfriend, her father and her brother. A local sheriff called the rampage "[one of the worst domestic violence incidents I've seen]( Former prisoners of Auschwitz gathered at the former Nazi concentration camp to mark the 74th anniversary of its liberation by Soviet forces. Survivors, politicians and foreign dignitaries marked [International Holocaust Remembrance Day]( in a ceremony Sunday on the site that once housed the largest Nazi death camp. ISIS is claiming responsibility for a pair of bombings Sunday in a Roman Catholic cathedral in the southern Philippines. At least 20 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded after [the bombs exploded minutes apart during a Sunday Mass](. --------------------------------------------------------------- The Daily Good Dyslexia made Henry Winkler feel “stupid.” Now, he's a bestselling author. [Henry Winkler, who has dyslexia, has spent his life struggling to read books. ]( Christopher Polk/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images You may know Winkler as The Fonz from Happy Days or perhaps, more recently, for his Emmy-winning role as the eccentric acting coach Gene Cousineau on the HBO comedy series Barry. But the actor says his proudest accomplishment is also his least recognized body of work: his [bestselling children's book series]( Here's Hank, which follows the adventures and struggles of a dyslexic kid named Hank Zipzer. --------------------------------------------------------------- Digging Deeper A prominent Chinese human rights lawyer, held incommunicado for years, is sentenced to more jail time. [Li Wenzu, the wife of imprisoned lawyer Wang Quanzhang, reacts before an interview at her home in Beijing. Prominent Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang was sentenced on January 28 to four and a half years in prison for state subversion.]( Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images Wang Quanzhang is known for defending political activists, victims of land seizures, and the banned religious group Falun Gong. Wang was arrested in 2015 and detained in what's known as the "709 crackdown" — for July 9, the date most of them were taken — as part of a mass incarceration of legal activists. Most of the other activists have since been sentenced or released. [Wang has been unable to speak with his family or colleagues ever since](. Wang's wife, Li Wenzu, says: "I firmly refuse to recognize or accept this result." Neither do human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, which is calling for Wang's unconditional release. Chinese media were instructed not to report on the sentencing, according to China Digital Times. --------------------------------------------------------------- History Lesson How California's worst oil spill turned beaches black and the nation green. [A duck covered in a thick coating of crude oil, picked up when it lighted on waters off Carpinteria State Beach in Santa Barbara County, Calif., after the oil spill in January 1969.]( Bettmann/Getty Images Fifty years ago today, an oil well off the coast of Santa Barbara blew out, dumping thousands of barrels of crude oil onto some of California's most beautiful beaches. The incident [helped create the modern environmental movement]( and led to restrictions on offshore drilling — restrictions the Trump administration is trying to loosen. --------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Listen Got anger? Try naming it to tame it. While many people believe that how we feel and express anger is hard-wired, some scientists suggest our experience and culture help shape it. One way to get a handle on it may be to personalize it. (Listening time, 7:01) [▶ LISTEN]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Before You Go [SweetHearts will be tougher to find this Valentine's Day. The company that used to make the popular candy went out of business. Its new owners aren't ready to start making new batches yet.]( Chitose Suzuki/AP - [SweetHearts will be tougher to find this Valentine's Day](. The company that made the popular candy went out of business last May after the FDA issued several food safety violations, including "significant evidence of rodent activity" and unsanitary conditions. Yes, we're talking about rat poop. In candy-making equipment. - Denmark is planning to build a controversial Southern border-control barrier [to keep African swine fever at bay](. - Something tasty is brewing in the desert. Arizona Sake won an international award last year for being [the best sake brewed outside Japan](. - Mailing just got more expensive: [Forever Stamps]( are seeing their biggest price jump ever. --------------------------------------------------------------- What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [dailynewsletter@npr.org](mailto:dailynewsletter@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to our Daily News emails. | [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002 [NPR]