Stories of the Week | PBS NewsHour Podcast | PBS

Most of the world is polio-free, but not in Pakistan, where setbacks have hampered efforts to eradicate the virus. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on how health workers are working to reverse perceptions created by religious extremists and fight public indifference.

Some veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have returned home to face another battle: addiction to narcotic painkillers prescribed by their doctors. Aaron Glantz of the Center for Investigative Reporting takes a look at whether these wounded warriors are being overmedicated with prescription opiates.

The Treasury Department warned in a report that if the government defaults on its obligations later in October, the economic impact could be widespread and even provoke another financial crisis. Annie Lowrey of The New York Times joins Judy Woodruff to explain the debt ceiling and potential consequences.

On the third day of the government shutdown, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said his party would only be open to legislative negotiation once the House GOP passes a clean funding bill. Congressional correspondent Kwame Holman reports. Gwen Ifill talks to Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., about his stance on ending the stalemate.

When a car hit the barricades at the White House, police confronted the female driver before she began a high-speed chase up Constitution Avenue. Their pursuit ended on Capitol Hill with gunshots fired by authorities. Gwen Ifill talks to Todd Zwillich of Public Radio International and WNYC about the dramatic and deadly incident.

What if an unintended consequence of the feminist movement was to make women feel inadequate? Barnard College president Debora Spar argues the expectation that women can "have it all" actually sets them up for failure. Jeffrey Brown talks to Spar about her new book, "Wonder Women: Sex, Power, and the Quest for Perfection."

Unlike other online commerce businesses, Silk Road offered sales of illegal drugs, fake IDs and even hitmen. How were buyers and sellers able to remain anonymous? Ray Suarez talks to Glenn Chapman of Agence France-Presse about how this widely known online drug market was able to evade law enforcement for so long.

Lopsided gender ratios in some regions of India have led to a "marriage squeeze" -- high demand for brides -- forcing many underage women to leave their lives behind to wed older men in far away regions. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on the socio-economic factors at play.

After day two of the government shutdown, some industries, like tourism, have already taken a hit. How might the effects spill over into other sectors of the economy and the markets? Judy Woodruff looks to Diane Swonk of Mesirow Financial and Mark Zandi of Moody's Analytics for analysis and predictions.

President Barack Obama called leaders of the House and Senate to the White House to discuss the stalemate keeping the government shutdown. House GOP members forged ahead with various bills to re-open parts of the government, but Democrats dismissed that approach. Congressional correspondent Kwame Holman reports.

Correspondent Rick Karr explores proposed legislation to allow undocumented students to benefit from in-state tuition rates at state colleges and universities in New Jersey. Cynthia Cruz, an undocumented immigrant, tells her story.

Sarah Kliff of the Washington Post clarifies how, exactly, Americans' healthcare will be affected as a result of provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act going into effect on October 1, 2013.

NewsHour Political Editor Christina Bellantoni talks to Hari Sreenivasan about what's currently happening behind the scenes in Washington and what we can expect from both sides in the battle over the possible government shutdown.

Is economic prosperity the future of peace between the Palestinians and Israel? A multimillionaire Palestinian-American businessman thinks so. He's raised $1 billion to build Rawabi, a brand-new Palestinian city on the West Bank with the hope that it will create prosperity and that peace will follow.

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and Ramesh Ponnuru, senior editor at The National Review, join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week's top news, including the standoff in Congress over a federal spending bill, consequences of a government shutdown, warming U.S. relations with Iran's president and a UN breakthrough on Syria.