What seemed unlikely has happened: On Sunday, the Bush Administration took control of mortgage heavyweights Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in an effort to stabilize the housing market and U.S. economy.

Cuban television is showing images of the storm surge from Hurricane Ike washing over coastal homes in eastern Cuba. The storm has crashed ashore with 120 mile-per-hour winds. It's on a course that could take it straight into Havana before heading into the Gulf of Mexico. Emilio San Pedro is The BBC World's Services America's editor; he spoke with us from Miami, where he'd been up all night tracking the storm...

Europe is still reverberating from the Georgian conflict as French President Nicolas Sarkozy prepares to visit Russia this week. Edward Lucas from the Economist tells us why we should be careful with the language we use to describe the tensions between Russia and the West. It’s not the old Cold War; it’s a New Cold … What?

Forget Red State - Blue State politics. But don't forget that all politics is local. The Christian Science Monitor's Patchwork Nation project is redefining political geography based on social and economic data, and in the process is clarifying the issues that will matter to Americans come November. Project leader Dante Chinni returns to The Takeaway to talk about another Patchwork Nation community, "Evangelical Epicenters."

A recent study suggests that the kind of music we prefer may have less to do with taste ( or lack thereof) and more to do with our personalities. For example, being a fan of opera could indicate that you are a gentle soul, with high self esteem and a creative bent. Other genres have other implications, as Professor North has researched.

As concerns over US oil consumption continues to rise – and heat up, on the campaign trail – Americans are looking to alternative energy sources to power our homes, our cars, and our lifestyles. Wind turbines have been heavily promoted in good-looking television ads, but the prospect of having turbines next door has made some people concerned about the noise and disruption. Today marks the last day for public comment on putting turbines far offshore, on the outer continental shelf.

Asian markets rallied today [Monday] on news of the U.S. government bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But Peter Stein, Hong Kong bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, says Asia may be overreacting--there are still big problems with the housing market and the U.S. economy...He also wonders how the U.S. will continue to advocate liberalization of markets in Asia while practicing such a massive intervention at home.

Congress is back in session today, wrapping up the summer holiday and both of the parties conventions. Capitol News Connections Todd Zwillich talks to John Hockenberry about what Congress has to get done in this upcoming appreciated three week session.

The California state legislature is late in approving the state’s latest budget — as of today, 70 days late. Typically, this would be a minor bureaucratic matter confined to partisan squabbling in Sacramento. But Julie Small, state Capitol reporter for KPCC radio, says the delay is now having human costs, with community colleges and hospitals feeling a pinch.

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson described mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as “interwoven into our financial system.” The government’s takeover of the two giants will have very real effects on mortgage holders, mortgage seekers, and taxpayers.

We know the housing market has seen better days, but what if you’re selling homes in a housing market right in the middle of hurricane country? The residents of the Florida Keys are being evacuated in anticipation of Hurricane Ike, as the storm heads across Cuba. This left us wondering: do people still want to buy homes in a region so vulnerable to the elements? Lizette Miller is a realtor in Islamorada, Florida and she spoke with us about the best way to sell a house in a hurricane.

On September 10th Charles Dean Hood will die by lethal injection — or not. He’s already received five stays of execution, which is not unusual for death row. What is unusual is why: there are credible allegations that the judge who presided over Hood’s trial was, during the trial, having an affair with the prosecutor who handled the case against Hood. For the latest developments we spoke with Michael Hall, Senior Editor of Texas Monthly. He’s been corresponding with Hood since 2002.

Forecasters expected Hurricane Ike to weaken a little as it roared across Cuba, and it has. As of 0800 Monday, Ike has become a Category 2 storm, with top winds of 105 miles per hour. “Weaken” is relative term, however — a storm surge washed over homes in Cuba last night as Ike slammed into the island’s eastern coast.

Stock markets around the world continue to react enthusiastically to the news of Washington's takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Banks are doing especially well. Markets in Britain, France and Germany are up at least three percent.

For the third day, the planes and shops are grounded at Boeing, where 27,000 machinists walked off the job in Washington, Oregon, and Kansas. It's the second major strike for the company in three years. It all happened over the weekend where last minute talks failed to bring an agreement on three-year contract negotiations.