Ethnic Haitians living in the Dominican Republic are lashing out at the government's decision to strip them of Dominican citizenship. They say it's just another example of the ugly racial tension on the island shared by the two nations. Host Michel Martin speaks with Maria Cardona, Alicia Anabel Santos and Laura Martinez about this week's hot topics in the beauty shop.

The shutdown and debt-ceiling fights appear to be merging... the hardline conservatives driving the House GOP leadership believe they are winning... It's Colorado Springs, not the Washington, DC area, with the largest percentage of its workforce receiving federal paychecks.

Cuba has been sending doctors abroad for decades to work throughout Latin America and as far away as Africa. So it's not surprising Brazil turned to Cuba when it wanted to import thousands of badly needed doctors. But Brazil's medical establishment objects and wants to block the program.

Nigeria's president is urging his countrymen to overcome their religious and ethnic divisions to avoid the fate of Syria. His comments followed a massacre at a school over the weekend that the government blames on a militant Islamic group. Renee Montagne talks to Tomi Oladipo, of the BBC, about the threat the group poses to Nigerian society.

Dawn Dekle has made a career out of running schools in conflict zones. She is the newest president of the American University of Iraq. Previously, she was provost of the American University of Afghanistan. Renee Montagne talks to Dekle about her unique work.

The allegations have shaken people in Nairobi, who just a week ago were hailing the soldiers as heroes after Islamic militants stormed an upscale mall and killed dozens. President Uhuru Kenyatta has vowed to set up a commission to look into lapses in intelligence and security, and to investigate the accusations.

The number of people who leave their countries to work abroad is soaring, according to the United Nations, which is meeting on the subject this week. More than 200 million people now live and work outside their country of origin, up from 150 million a decade ago.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is urging the United Nations to keep up the pressure on Iran and not be fooled by the soothing talk of the new Iranian president — whom Netanyahu describes as a wolf in sheep's clothing. The Israeli leader says there must be pressure for diplomacy to work and he told the U.N. General Assembly that Israel will stand alone, if necessary, to keep Iran from developing a nuclear bomb.

Beni Suef is a microcosm of Egypt. The Nile Valley city south of Cairo is divided and everyone is on edge. Christians worry about attacks by Islamists. Muslim Brotherhood members are in hiding or at least keeping quiet as the military fills the streets. Charities that took money from the Brotherhood no longer acknowledge it, worried they'll be shut down and some companies owned by Brotherhood members are quickly selling to new investors to make sure they don't get raided or shut down.

Stressful events in midlife, like the death of a spouse or loss of a job, increased the risk of dementia for women in old age, according to a Swedish study. The researchers couldn't say whether some women's habits, such as regular exercise, lowered the risk from stress.