Parents of students killed when schools collapsed in May's southwest Chinese earthquake say local officials have offered them payments to keep quiet about shoddily constructed schools.

The Hamdan trial continues in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Yesterday, U.S. Military prosecutors played an interrogation video of former Osama bin Laden driver Salim Hamdan in which he denied any connections to al-Qaida. Hamdan asked to leave the courtroom as video playback began.

In 30 years, as Baby Boomers retire, there will be as many people over 80 as there are under 5. And there's another disturbing trend: The number of students entering geriatric medicine is dropping. As America ages, who takes care of the grandparents?

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama speaks in the heart of downtown Berlin, the city that was once the symbol of the Cold War divide. The Takeaway talks to Berliner Bjoern Kolle for a look at how the city has changed and how it views America’s presidential race.

With Barack Obama abroad you’d think that would mean more media attention at home for John McCain. But that’s not how things have worked out. What does exactly does John McCain have to do to get a little media lovin’ this week?

American presidents Kennedy, Reagan and Clinton all addressed Berliners during dramatic moments of struggle and change. Now, a presumptive presidential nominee is using Berlin as a backdrop for his campaign. After meeting with leaders in Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and the West Bank, Obama hits the European continent amidst a frenzy of Obama-mania. How will Obama play later today in the new Berlin? And is it a political gamble to campaign on this grand political stage?

Guest: Eric Schmitt, The New York Times

Today in Berlin, Barack Obama meets with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Walter Steinmeier. He's also holding the only major public event of his trip at the Victory Tower (with room for an audience of tens of thousands). So what's gotten into Germans? And why are German citizens and top officials making time for a presidential candidate?

Thanks to advances in medicine we are living longer than ever, but society has been slow to adapt to this extended and unprecedented lifespan. When writer Jane Gross found herself having to care for her aging and ailing mother the experience was overwhelming. She was in uncharted territory, making critical financial, residential and medical decisions for her mother. Jane Gross has turned these experiences into a valuable resource. Her blog, The New Old Age, addresses the intergenerational challenges of growing old in 21st century America.

Starbucks seem to be everywhere, but for some communities, getting one means your town has "made it." That’s why, when the company announced the closing 5 percent of its stores across the nation earlier this month, some cried out, “Save our Starbucks!” The Takeaway talks with Chicago Tribune restaurant critic Phil Vettel about the campaign to keep them open.

Ironman and Batman. Both are summer box-office heroes but neither is a woman. With the arrival of The X-Files’ Special Agent Dana Scully to the big screen Friday, that's set to change. Scully reminds us there are female protagonists who aren’t interested in Manolo Blahniks.

American presidents Kennedy, Reagan and Clinton all addressed Berliners during dramatic moments of struggle and change. Now, a presumptive presidential nominee is using Berlin as a backdrop for his campaign. After meeting with leaders in Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and the West Bank, Obama hits the European continent amidst a frenzy of Obama-mania. How will Obama play later today in the new Berlin? And is it a political gamble to campaign on this grand political stage?

Guest: Helen Fawkes, BBC correspondent, in Belgrade, Serbia