Stories of the Week | PBS NewsHour Podcast | PBS

Jeffrey Brown talks to Charles Laughlin of the University of Virginia and Xiao Qiang at the University of California, Berkeley about prolific writer and Nobel Laureate Mo Yan, whose detractors cite a cozy relationship with Chinese state media and a savviness about staying away from topics sensitive to the Communist government.

Despite a 1990 global treaty illegalizing the sale of elephant tusks, religious faiths across Asia value ivory and are willing to pay for it. In China, demand has been met with the construction of major factories to process and produce religious icons. Hari Sreenivasan talks to National Geographic reporter Bryan Christy.

While the Romney-Ryan ticket gained momentum in the last debate, Obama-Biden still has a narrow lead. The pressure is now on Rep. Paul Ryan and Vice President Joe Biden as they go head-to-head in the 2012 VP debate. Judy Woodruff talks to NewsHour political analysts Mark Shields and David Brooks about what to expect.

In a report by the USADA, cyclist Lance Armstrong is characterized as leader of a sophisticated team doping operation. The first established paper trail documenting allegations and evidence against him includes the testimony of teammates and large payments made by wire. Ray Suarez talks to Bill Strickland of Bicycling magazine.

While some Pakistanis protested and military leaders condemned the attack on the teenage activist, many conservative religious figures were conspicuously silent. Judy Woodruff talks to NewsHour special correspondent Saima Mohsin from Islamabad about the way average citizens have stood up in anger against the extremist actions.

Jefferson County, Colo., is comprised of one-third Democrats, one-third Republicans, and those who have yet to decide whether they will vote for Mitt Romney or President Obama. As one of the most populous purple counties in Colorado, both candidates have become repeat visitors, hoping to swing some votes. Gwen Ifill reports.

The House Oversight Committee examined the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, at a hearing where several State Department staff and former members of the security team in Libya testified. Judy Woodruff reports.

In other news Wednesday, new polls show that President Obama still leads in Ohio. Following the first presidential debate, the gap between the two candidates narrowed, energizing both campaigns' efforts to win over the last undecided voters before Election Day.

The U.S. Supreme Court took up a case on whether race should be considered in college applications. Gwen Ifill talks to National Law Journal's Marcia Coyle who explains the arguments. Ray Suarez talks to NAACP's Debo Adegbile and the Century Foundation's Richard Kahlenberg about potential implications for public institutions.

Ray Suarez visits Orlando, Fla., to talk to voters -- some decided, some undecided -- directly following the first presidential debate. Were the candidates convincing? Did the voters hear what they hoped to from either side? They discuss jobs, President Obama's consistency, Mitt Romney's softer side, and the role of government.

Though instant polling numbers showed Mitt Romney winning the first presidential debate by a factor of two to one, President Obama charged Romney of misrepresenting his own positions on jobs and taxes. Judy Woodruff reports on their debate performances, as well as reactions to their opponent the day after.

Judy Woodruff, Gwen Ifill and Christina Bellantoni discuss the candidates' performances in the first debate with NewsHour's political analysts David Brooks and Mark Shields. For Shields and Brooks, the most interesting part of the debate were the topics the candidates did not bring up and the comments that went unchallenged.

In the first presidential debate, held in Denver, Colo., and moderated by NewsHour's Jim Lehrer, Gov. Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama presented their cases primarily on domestic policy issues, including tax cuts or increases, job creation, education improvements and health care reform.

In his new book, "Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates, from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain," NewsHour Executive Editor Jim Lehrer looks back at more than 40 years of televised political debates in America. Jeffrey Brown and Lehrer discuss his unique front-row seat to history as a 10-time presidential debate moderator.

Did the Pope's former butler act alone? And how has the Vatican reacted to the revelation that someone so close to the Pope stole documents? Jeffrey Brown talks to Reuters' Vatican reporter Naomi O'Leary about motivations and fallout surrounding the case.