A young humpback whale came ashore at Cape Hatteras National Seashore on Wednesday and died overnight, according to seashore officials.

While attention the past two weeks has focused on Washington and when the National Park System might reopen in full, searchers doggedly continued their efforts to find a hiker who went missing in Craters of the Moon National Monument last month.

A smug, biting, and sarcastic roster of Republicans bashed National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis during a hearing Wednesday into how the Park Service handled the closure of the park system in the wake of the federal government's partial shutdown.

Many feel the national parks are being used by both parties as "political pawns" during the government shutdown. If that's the case, is the temporary reopening of several major parks likely to shorten or lengthen the shutdown?