To the Point

Headlines around the world are predicting that a young political protester is about to be publically beheaded and "crucified" in Saudi Arabia. Rare public criticism in Britain has outraged the Saudi Royal Family, and threatened business relations with the UK. Should recent incidents cause the US to be heard from, or would complaints fall on deaf ears?

With agreement that Syria's civil war needs a diplomatic solution, 17 nations met for seven hours last week to discuss an agenda. But Syria's Assad regime and rebel forces weren't there — and the fighting continues. Is a diplomatic solution for Syria possible?

Video of a white cop abusing a black school girl went viral this week, causing widespread outrage. Uniformed officers with deadly weapons are now part of daily life on thousands of public school campuses. They're supposed to provide security, but they’re often called on for disciplinary action. We hear about the consequences — especially for children of color.

Ten Republican presidential candidates were up against the World Series last night as well as against each other. We hear some lively exchanges and talk about the continued uncertainty for a crowded field of amateurs and political pros.

A bipartisan budget deal will keep the government open and paying its bills, but it's being denounced by the right wing of the Republican Party. We hear how business as usual has become a political liability.

We hear about President Obama's plan for generating electrical power from renewables instead of fossil — and its potential impact on global warming, air pollution and American households.  

Three weeks of unusually public drama revealed that the Roman Catholic hierarchy is sharply divided between traditionalists and reformers. Pope Francis called the meeting, asking how to reach out to gays and lesbians and to Catholics who divorce and re-marry. Now he alone, can decide what's next.

The American Cancer Society has changed its recommended age for women to start getting annual mammograms from 40 to 45. That's caused uncertainty for young women and doctors. What's worse, the risk of false positives that lead to fear and unnecessary treatments or the risk of death?

Republicans still haven't chosen a new Speaker -- the top job in Congress, but they were united today in attacking Hillary Clinton for the deaths of four diplomats in Benghazi, Libya while she was Secretary of State. 

The price of oil has dropped like a stone in the past few months, and the price of gasoline is going down along with it. While it's good news for drivers -- at least for the moment, is it a sign of long-term weakness in the oil economy?