To the Point

President Obama says West Africa’s Ebola epidemic threatens the entire world. Attempts at control have finally been stepped up, but they might be too little, too late. We’ll update the conditions on the ground and the challenges to come.

Recent incidents involving the National Football League have focused attention on domestic violence, including the disciplining of small children. Is spanking always a form of child abuse? Is a firm hand, administered with a loving heart, required to turn many kids into better people?

Chicken has surpassed beef as the meat of choice for most Americans. Now there’s evidence that the raising of chickens could be a risk to human health. The Reuters News Service has reported what federal regulators did not know—that major poultry farms consistently feed their flocks low levels of antibiotics.

The Obama Administration is escalating the case for going back to Iraq, this time to fight the extremist group ISIL—and not just with bombing. We’ll hear conflicting opinions about the threat, the President’s leadership, and whether Congress will get involved before the mid-term elections.

Just a few months ago, most Americans had never heard of a violent extremist group in Iraq and Syria called ISIL. Now this country is committing significant military resources to fight a growing number of fighters whose horrific violence is on full display 24/7 on your medium of choice.

Violence on the field is why millions of Americans tune in to watch the National Football League. But today, in the wake of its handling of the Ray Rice assault on his then-fiancee, the NFL is under increasing pressure to change its attitude toward violence off the field—especially violence against women.

Last night, after weeks of headlines about the lack of a plan to fight growing extremism in Iraq and Syria, President Obama said the US will lead a broad coalition to degrade and destroy the increasingly aggressive and violent terrorist force known as the Islamic State.

Three months ago, President Obama blasted Republicans and promised executive action on immigration reform, but now he says the politics have changed, and the “action” has been postponed until after November’s elections. What would “executive action” be?

The growing acceptance of same-sex marriage has created high expectations for those who come out of the closet. But that’s not always the case. Some are revealing their sexuality while they still depend on their families, which has helped to produce an epidemic of LGBT teenagers who are thrown out of their homes.

This Wednesday, President Obama will address the American public about a new offensive against the Islamic State, which has seized much of Iraq and Syria. Success may depend on alliances between strange bedfellows. We'll hear what that could mean for diplomacy, ideology and military reality in the Middle East.