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America's intelligence community has said the global economic crisis is now the top threat to the nation's security. The downturn could produce political instability and damage the ties that hold countries together. Countries might even be tempted to engage in financial warfare, officials say.

New governments in Tunisia and Egypt are starting the process of rebuilding their economies. Some scholars argue that religious customs have held back Arab economies. But John Cassidy of the New Yorker says bad governance and colonialism, not religion, are to blame.

How might the uprisings in Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, Bahrain and Egypt affect global politics? And, what role should the United States play in shaping the future of the Middle East and North Africa? We discuss the latest news on the political unrest in Libya and its surrounding countries.

Many voters who say they have not yet made up their minds in the election say the debates will be key in helping them decide between Barack Obama and John McCain. In Indiana, a state that some recent polls indicate may now be in play, a group of undecided voters gathered Friday night to watch the debate.

I just flew in from out of town, and boy, are my arms tired.

Trina's Post

Deborah Borza, mother of United Flight 93 passenger Deora Bodley, is one of the thousands of people to visit the field where the plane crashed on Sept. 11, 2001. But Borza has become a regular at the Shanksville, Pa., site.

The Sept. 11 commission finds "no credible evidence" that Iraq was involved in the 2001 terrorist attacks, although al Qaeda did approach Saddam Hussein about a collaboration. Members of the Bush administration have insisted that Hussein had ties to Osama bin Laden. The panel is holding its final two days of hearings in Washington. Hear NPR's Ron Elving.

The booming Emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi are still filled with the sound of construction, but there are signs the vaunted Gulf economy isn't as financially bulletproof as some had predicted. Analysts say oil-producing Gulf states will not be able to ignore the global downturn.

Pakistani troops continue to battle with al Qaeda and tribal leaders along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistani officials say they believe a top deputy of Osama bin Laden, Egyptian-born Ayman al-Zawahiri, is trapped there. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and New York Times reporter David Rohde.