Stories of the Week | PBS NewsHour Podcast | PBS

An oasis of calm during the Arab Spring, the sands are shifting in Saudi Arabia. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Karen Elliot House says this Middle Eastern country is fragile, especially as demographics change. Judy Woodruff talks to House about her new book, "On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religion, Fault Lines and Future."

When the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle was losing money for the first time in its history, CEO Dr. Gary Kaplan turned to an unlikely place for help: giant automaker Toyota. Health correspondent Betty Ann Bowser reports on the hospital's success in lowering costs and improving health outcomes.

Four alternative candidates to Mitt Romney and President Obama -- Gary Johnson, Jill Stein, Virgil Goode and Rocky Anderson -- met in Chicago for a third party debate to discuss everything from halting the war on drugs to reducing military spending to curbing the influence of money in politics. Kwame Holman reports.

Sales of new homes are up this fall, but a third of U.S. homeowners are underwater with their mortgages, and swing states have some of the highest foreclosure rates. Jeffrey Brown talks to The Opportunity Agenda's James Carr and Cato Institute's Mark Calabria for why housing hasn't been discussed in the presidential campaigns.

The outcome in extremely tight senate races in states like Connecticut, Arizona, Indiana and North Dakota could determine who controls the Senate and the president's agenda come January. Gwen Ifill talks to Roll Call's Shira Toeplitz and The Rothenberg Political Report's Nathan Gonzales for more on just what's on the line.

The days on the campaign trail have gotten busier. President Obama traveled to Iowa, Colorado, California and Nevada in a single day, while his challenger Mitt Romney visiting Nevada and Iowa to make his case to the last undecided voters. Jeffrey Brown reports on the stepped-up pace in the last 13 days till the election.

Student debt is outpacing credit card debt. With unemployment high for young people, 10 percent of graduates have defaulted on loans within two years of graduation. Judy Woodruff talks American Council on Education's Terry Hartle and Cato Institute's Neal McCluskey about what President Obama and Mitt Romney propose as solutions.

The 2013 America's Cup, an international sailing competition, will be held in San Francisco Bay next September. Hosting the race is all about economics, but with global financial decline San Francisco may not reap the hoped for $1.4 billion in revenue or 9,000 promised jobs. Spencer Michels reports.

The Philippines have become increasingly vulnerable to human traffickers, who lure women of all ages and circumstances into prostitution and other forms of forced labor. Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on how Cecilia Oebanda's Visayan Forum Foundation has worked with law enforcement to prevent more women from falling prey.

During the presidential debate at Hofstra University, Mitt Romney called President Obama's trade policy weak and China "a currency manipulator". Kenneth Lieberthal of the Brookings Institution and Forbes.com's Gordon Chang talk with Jeffrey Brown about contrasting approaches to U.S.-China geopolitical issues and trade relations.

Ray Suarez examines charges and counter-charges made during the second presidential debate held at Hofstra University, including disagreements on approaches to addressing the consulate attack in Benghazi, whether gas prices can measure the success of energy policy, and which candidates' tax policies would balance the budget.

Mitt Romney flew to Virginia and President Obama to Iowa, but distance didn't stop attacks between the two the day after the second presidential debate. Gwen Ifill reports on the presidential candidates' campaign stops. Judy Woodruff gets analysis from the Washington Post's Karen Tumulty and The Associated Press' Julie Pace.

NewsHour gets post-debate analysis from political analysts in the studio and in Hempstead, N.Y., at the conclusion of the 2nd presidential debate. President Obama's style starkly contrasted his performance in the first debate, voters were turned off by the candidates' interrupting , and women voters targeted in many responses.

With Mitt Romney and President Obama tied in the polls leading up to the 2nd presidential debate, the candidates were both on offense while answering questions from uncommitted voters from Long Island, N.Y. They addressed questions ranging from U.S. response to Libya and energy policy to immigration reform and women's rights.

Post-debate, NewsHour Political analysts Marks Shields and David Brooks go in-depth on their take of the candidates performance, including the gaffes, the body language and the responses from Joe Biden and Paul Ryan on issues ranging from the attacks on Libya to how their Catholic faith informs their views on abortion.