While the world is still reeling from last week’s attacks on Mumbai, questions remain as to who and why. With many fingers pointing to a Pakistan-based terrorist group, tensions in the region are running high as Pakistan and India fire off accusations and denials and rumors flow freely across the borders. The nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars and had many skirmishes in the past, but so far their ceasefire has held in the wake of the attacks.

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They're back--and this time they didn't travel by private jet. The CEOs of the Big Three car companies are on Capitol Hill today, once again making their case to Congress for a twenty-five-billion-dollar bailout. Ford CEO Alan Mulally actually made the 9 hour drive from Detroit to DC, presumably in a Ford vehicle. Bill Vlasic, Detroit Bureau Chief for the New York Times, explains to The Takeaway how the executives are likely to approach lawmakers this time around.

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In the Takeaway’s continuing series on underemployment, we take a look at how having to shift to part time work can affect health insurance coverage. As more and more companies cut worker hours, who will cover the medical bills?

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Zimbabweans have long been entering South Africa to escape their country's economic decline. Now they're fleeing a cholera epidemic. South African resources are being stretched to the limit as health workers try to contain the disease. In Musina, fifteen minutes from the border, tents have been set up in the grounds of the local hospital to treat patients. Many of the Zimbabweans coming into South Africa do so illegally by swimming the Limpopo river. Officials have confirmed that tests carried out on the river have found it to be polluted. But South Africa is not turning away anyone who is sick. Sarah Jacobs from Save The Children discusses the situation.

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The occupation at Bangkok International Airport has turned into a victory rally. The anti-government protesters who have held it for over a week believe they have won. A court ruling means that the Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has to step down and the ruling party will be dissolved. But the celebrations may be premature. The government says it will elect a new leader and transfer it's members to a new political party, there won't be an election. And neither will there be immediate relief for stranded passengers. The protesters at the airport say they'll only leave if the new Prime Minister meets their approval.

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Hurricane Ike tore through the city of Galveston two-and-a-half months ago, devastating homes, schools and infrastructure. Hurricane season ended on Sunday and the nation's attention has shifted elsewhere. But Galveston residents are still grappling with the remnants of Ike. The Takeaway talks with Harvey Rice, a Galveston-based reporter for the Houston Chronicle, and his wife veterinarian Jackie Cole.

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The Arab-Israeli conflict has plagued U.S. presidents for decades. As he assumes the highest office in the nation, President-elect Barack Obama will have to grapple with tough questions about how the U.S. can best engage in a peace process in the region. John Hockenberry speaks with Aaron David Miller, a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

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President-elect Obama has pledged to step up the fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan. He has already committed to send thousands more U-S troops to the country. But military experts warn that in some ways it’s a tougher war than the one in Iraq and Mr. Obama might be staking the reputation of his new national security team on a quagmire. This morning we’re joined by New York Times military correspondent, Michael Gordon.

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Last week's terrorist attack on Mumbai was unsettling partially exposed the vulnerability of one of the worlds largest growing cities. Could the violent acts could actually strengthen counter-terrorism strategies the US? The Takeaway explores this with Paul Cruickshank. Cruickshank says that it may be more difficult to pull off this type of attack in the United States because we are protected by geography and demography. The American Muslim community is resistant to Al Qaeda's ideology and two oceans separate us from South East Asia. That said, the soft targets in the United States are just as vulnerable as anywhere around the world.

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The political aftermath of the attacks on Mumbai has involved a lot of finger-pointing from India to Pakistan. With what appears to be clear evidence of the Pakistani origins of the gunmen, many in India are simply outraged at the protestations of innocence by Pakistani politicians. The only gunman known to have survived is said to have come from Pakistan. Journalist Shaheen Shebai joins the Takeaway to examine the story.

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If you thought the election was long over, you haven’t been to Georgia lately. For a look at how national politics is playing out in the final round of the election, we turn to Georgia Public Broadcast’s Susanna Capelouto.

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An American president's economic advisers are arguably the most influential group of financial policymakers in the world. So why is that team so often free of high-regarded economists? "Freakonomics" co-author Stephen Dubner joins the program.

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