Ted Cruz: Obstruction as Opportunity The Senator from Texas is proud of antagonizing even Republican colleagues -- whatever they might call him. Ted Cruz has filibustered and even shut down the government to demonstrate his refusal to compromise what he calls conservative ideals. We hear about his record in Washington and how he got there.

From High School to the Campaign Trail: Islamophobia in America Social media exploded this week when a Muslim-American kid who brought a home-made clock to school was arrested on suspicion of building a bomb . Ahmed Mohamed was interrogated by five police officers, handcuffed, arrested and taken away. The hashtag I Stand with Ahmed  went viral, and the 14-year old was invited to Silicon Valley, MIT and the White House . But Muslim-Americans say it's nothing new, and yesterday Donald Trump failed to repudiate a questioner who called Muslims America's "problem." Fourteen years after September 11, are Muslim citizens still the victims of an "us versus them" mentality that's all too familiar?

Border Crisis Scrambles the Politics of Immigration House Speaker John Boehner said today that Republicans will introduce legislation making it easer to deport Central American children.  The goal is to pass it before leaving Washington for the August recess.  Meantime, the Obama White House is hinting that the President plans some kind of executive action.  Laura Meckler writes about politics and immigration for the Wall Street Journal…

Day Three of the Government Shutdown On Day Three of the government shutdown, moderate Republicans are showing signs of anger at Tea-Party colleagues who are adamant about using the government shutdown to accomplish their goals. We’ll hear where they come from and what they want.

Abortion: The Law Is Clear but the War Rages On Same-sex marriage may be off the front burner, but abortion is hotter than ever in many legislatures and on Capitol Hill. Roe v. Wade is "settled law" in the United States, and polls show widespread support for a woman's right to choose an abortion. But the anti-abortion movement is gaining momentum. Republicans in Congress have passed strict new limits. In Ohio, mandatory ultrasounds are part of the budget so they'll be harder to overturn. Despite the last-minute Democratic filibuster in Texas, Republicans are likely to get tough new measures as soon as next week. Democrats call it a "war against women," and predict a backlash. We look at the political fallout and the medical consequences for women and their doctors.

Campaign Wizard Karl Rove’s Epic Failure Karl Rove raised hundreds of millions of dollars this year, mostly from rich Republicans, promising to take back the White House and Senate.  It didn't work, and Rove had a hard time facing reality on election night. When Fox News called Ohio for President Obama, Rove — on set as a commentator — refused to believe it. A camera followed Anchorwoman Megyn Kelly into a room full of number crunchers who said there was not doubt. In the conversation that followed, Rove cautioned that "It's just in terms of public perception, it looks a little odd to be making a call." Wayne Slater is senior political writer for the Dallas Morning News and co-author of Bush's Brain : How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush Presidential.

Romney's Campaign Strategy Takes a Turn The Romney campaign has been subject to regular sniping from Republican insiders, but new reports have very tangible personnel shakeups being considered . We hear more from our regular Red State-Blue State guests, Wayne Slater of the Dallas Morning News and Carla Marinucci of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Can the Republicans Weather More than One Storm? To the Point is in Tampa this week, where Tropical Storm Isaac has forced the Republican National Convention to wait a day before getting down to business tomorrow. Yesterday, former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee addressed the Faith and Freedom Coalition with other religious conservatives. Today the Convention will be gaveled to order by Party Chairman Reince Priebus and then immediately recessed until tomorrow. The GOP faces some heavy political weather, with Ron Paul refusing to get on board and social issues clouding the focus on the economy. As the carefully choreographed TV show has now shrunk to just three days, convention planers are struggling to coordinate their messages. With polls still showing a virtual dead heat, this is the last major chance for the Republicans to get a leg up on President Obama before the televised debates. We hear from outside the arena and from inside the Convention Center. Can Mitt Romney heal his party's divisions? Is Paul Ryan making a difference? (In addition to our guests, we hear the voices of Mike Huckabee, Ron Paul, Chathryn Walters and others.)