Federal workers who have experienced previous government shutdowns say the uncertainty is always stressful. But this one already feels worse, multiple federal employees tell the Monitor, coming after months of interagency upheaval and layoffs from the Trump administration. Many feel uneasy about not only the immediate standoff – but what will happen when it ends. Also: today’s stories, including how insurgency has threatened a centuries-old perfume-making tradition in northern Nigeria, how young people have created a wave of social and political protests, and how one family discovers connection through books. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.