To the Point

Just months away from primary voting in the next presidential election, the voting rights of blacks and Latinos are the subject of charges and counter-charges.

With Democrats and Republicans now agreed that the war on crime got tougher than it needed to be, senior senators of both parties are proposing reforms in a rare moment of bipartisanship.

The war in Syria is more complicated than ever. On the third day of Russian airstrikes, the US and Russia are aiming at different targets while trying to make sure their planes don't run into each other. As the violence increases, diplomatic conflict is escalating and President Putin has President Obama on the defensive, at least for the moment. We try to connect the dots.

On its 50th anniversary, we look at the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965, which has changed the face of America. A nation dominated by white people from Europe has become a real ethnic melting pot — with lasting consequences — social, economic and political.

Russian planes struck targets in western Syria today with almost no warning to the United States. Although both countries are opposed to ISIS, Russia's strikes appear to be aimed at helping Bashar al-Assad. Are Russian airstrikes a challenge to the United States?

With the resignation of House Speaker John Boehner, it appears that federal agencies will stay in business—at least for the moment.  But Republicans are divided among themselves, and the fight over Planned Parenthood threatens a possible government shutdown. 

UN headquarters is providing "the greatest geopolitical show on Earth," according to one reporter, as the world body celebrates its 70th anniversary with speeches by heads of state from all over the world. When the UN was founded in 1945, the focus was on the US and the Soviet Union. Today, it's on the US and Russia. While much has changed, much remains the same. 

Yesterday, Pope Francis made history on Capitol Hill -- at John Boehner's invitation. Today, Boehner is making history of a different kind. He'll resign at the end of October to avoid what he calls the “irreparable damage” of “leadership turmoil” among House Republicans. We ask if a government shutdown over Planned Parenthood is more -- or less – likely and what this means for Tea Party power in Congress.  

As the first Vicar of Christ to address a joint meeting of Congress today, Pope Francis delivered challenges to both political parties. In addition to abortion and global warming, he also addressed the death penalty and the arms trade. We hear excerpts of his historic speech and sample reactions.

The biggest flood of refugees since World War II has divided the European Union against itself, with Western countries agreeing to accept proportional quotas while four members of the former Warsaw Pact are refusing to go along.