Andrea Bernstein was in St. Louis for the vice-presidential debates last night, and helps unpack what the two candidates said.

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You can point your finger at many causes for the country's current financial woes, but here's one you may not have heard. During a routine meeting back in April of 2004, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission voted for something that at the time seemed of little significance. The five largest investment banks asked for an exception to a long-standing rule that put limits on their risky investments, allowing computer generated models to determine financial risk. New York Times reporter Stephen Labaton explains the commission's decision and its implications.

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The year was 1968, and political unrest was proliferating around the world. As Mexico City was preparing to host the Olympic Games, a political demonstration turned into a bloodbath. London Evening News sports reporter Bob Trevor was in Mexico covering the Games, but found himself in the middle of a very different story.

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U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill has returned to South Korea today after three days of talks in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. He was there to try to break the deadlock in the faltering negotiations aimed at persuading North Korea to give up its atomic weapons program.

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Fred Barbash moderates The Arena, Politico's daily debate with policy makers and opinion shapers. Barbash tells The Takeaway what they said about last night's vice-presidential debate.

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Two journalists with experience covering Governor Sarah Palin, R-Alaska, and Senator Joe Biden, D-Del., give a post-game analysis of last night's sole vice-presidential debate.

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As the White House and Congressional leaders maneuver to drum up support for a $700 billion economic bailout package, several Republican and Democratic lawmakers have said they're prepared to switch their votes. But New York Times reporter David Herszenhorn tells us that others are still agonizing over today's vote amid a continuing deluge of calls from angry constituents.

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In 2004, Muslim comics Preacher Moss and Azhar Usman formed "Allah Made Me Funny," a comedy tour based around the American-Muslim experience. Friday, an independent movie based on the tour opens for a one-week run in theaters across the country.

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Just weeks ago, Palin Syrah was a modestly popular organic Chilean wine that went for about $13 a bottle. Then came the Republican National Convention, and the announcement that a very popular Alaska Governor named Sarah Palin was John McCain’s pick for running mate. And Palin Syrah was suddenly not-so-popular. The Takeaway talks to Chris Tavelli — the owner of Yield Wine Bar in San Francisco.

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As the nation remains focused on the Wall Street bailout plan, The Takeaway checks in with New York Times political reporters Jeff Zeleny and Elisabeth Bumiller to talk about what we've missed from the Obama and McCain campaigns.

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