To the Point

Last week in Paris, 17 people were killed in terrorist attacks on a satirical magazine and a kosher grocery story.  Yesterday, some three million angry people took to the streets all over the country.  Despite that show of national unity, can France contain a backlash against Muslims…or increased anti-Semitism?  What's the potential impact on the rest of Europe?

French authorities are unraveling the details of two hostage situations, one of which led to the deaths of both suspects in the Charlie Hebdo massacre. In the other, an alleged confederate also was killed.  Some neighborhoods in Paris are locked down and all of France remains on high alert. 

As the manhunt for suspected killers continues, France is assessing the consequences of yesterday's slaughter of satirical writers and cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo. 

Pope Francis continues to shake up the Vatican — and the rest of the Roman Catholic world. We hear how the Pope from Argentina is shifting church power from Europe and the US to poor nations in the under-developed world. 

Even before Republicans chose their new leaders today, President Obama invited them to the White House on Tuesday of next week. Will GOP control of both houses mean a new era of friendship or two more years of paralysis and gridlock?

With just two years left in the White House, President Obama is promising "interesting stuff," despite Republican dominance of Capitol Hill.  Prospects include compromise when it's possible, the veto power and "executive action" when it's not.

After months of protest over high profile deaths of African Americans at the hands of police, law enforcement is pushing back with pro-police rallies across the country and a social media campaign -- BlueLivesMatter. We look at the blue backlash and where it will lead the national debate over policing and race. 

No institution is more important to the US economy -- or America's role in the world -- than public education. But no profession is more of a battlefield than public school teaching. Are teachers getting a bad rap?

Sunlight is free, and solar-power will soon be cheaper than oil, coal or natural gas — even in the United States.  We hear what that could mean for current energy industries, public utilities, government regulators and the homeowners of America. 

As childcare costs overwhelm young families, more women are staying home, and families are losing financial ground. Has the time come for federally funded daycare? Should employers step up with paid leave, flexible work hours, on-site preschool?