In Egypt thousands of people have converged on Cairo's Tahrir Square to mark the first anniversary of "Friday of Rage," a key day in the popular uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak. A year ago Mubarak's security forces fired on protesters who streamed into the square, killing and wounding hundreds. The day ended with a collapse of Mubarak's much-hated security forces. 

In what historians said was the largest demonstration by women in generations, thousands of Egyptian women marched Tuesday against their treatment by security forces. The fifth day of protests in Tahrir Square was sparked by footage of soldiers savagely beating a woman and tearing off her clothes at demonstrations over the weekend. Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces expressed regret over the incident, though suggested it was isolated. On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke out against the Egyptian military's treatment of women, calling it "shocking."

Egyptian security forces attempted to clear protesters from Cairo's Tahrir Square in a predawn raid on Tuesday — the second in as many days — as clashes between demonstrators and police entered their fifth day. Thirteen people have been killed in the protests since the second round of parliamentary elections began on Friday. On Sunday, the United Nations and the U.S. State Department condemned the violence. Gen. Adel Emara of Egypt's ruling military council denied using violence against the protesters on Monday.

The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party is expected to win a decisive majority of seats in Parliament in Egypt's first democratic elections since Hosni Mubarak was forced out of power. The mainstream Islamist group claimed about 40 percent of the vote. But the ultraconservative Salafi party is expected to win around 25 percent, giving Islamist groups control of roughly 65 percent of Parliament. Liberal parties, which touched off the revolution, were too disorganized and divided to make a strong showing at the polls. 

The lead up to the election has been less than promising: Sunday marked the ninth straight day of protests against military rule in Egypt. At least 41 protesters have been killed and more than 2,000 wounded. However, these events haven't stopped a record number of voters from queuing up well before polls opened this morning. This will be the country's first parliamentary election since former President Hosni Mubarak was ousted.

Demonstrations erupted in Cairo on Monday night as activists demanded the release of a jailed blogger and the end to military trials for civilians. The blogger, Alaa Abd El Fattah, criticized the Egyptian military's response to an October 9 protest that ended in violence and the death of 28 protesters, most of them Coptic Christians. He also referred to the army controlling Egypt as "Mubarak's military." Fattah is being accused of inciting violence.

The manhunt for Moammar Gadhafi continues and Libyan rebels continue to clash with loyalist forces. Libyan rebels are offering a $2 million bounty for Moammar Gadhafi, as they move to take full control of Libya. But remember why the US and NATO went into Libya. The mandate was humanitarian; the goal to protect Libyan civilians. They couldn't have reached this point, without aid from the U.S. and NATO, whose forces were originally in Libya for humanitarian purposes, to protect civilians. Is their situation the same now?

Over the weekend, Libyan rebel forces took key positions near the capital of Tripoli, and last night they flooded into the capital and battled with loyalists to Col. Moammar Gadhafi. Rebels captured two of Gadhafi's sons, including Seif al-Islam, the assumed heir-apparent, while civilians celebrated in the streets over what may be the end of Gadhafi's 42 years in power of Libya. Meanwhile, in the United States, candidates who hope to capture the Republican presidential nomination continue to duke it out over who would lead the country best, and President Obama is preparing his jobs plan, which he'll unveil in a speech next month.

Yesterday the Obama administration called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down. It was the administration's strongest statement since the Syrian uprising began. "For the sake of the Syrian people, the time has come for [Assad] to step aside and leave this transition to Syrians themselves," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said. The U.S. is united with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and a host of European nations in pushing Assad to step down, and that international coalition may prove strong enough in the long term to force the Syrian leader out. How loudly will the American government's words echo, as Assad struggles to hold on to power?

Stocks plummeted yesterday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling more than 400 points and Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index closing down 53.24 points, at 1,140.65. The day was just the latest in a series of wild swings in financial markets in recent weeks. What's causing the severe fluctuations? We're taking a look at how "robot traders" — computers that are programmed to automatically buy or sell stocks based on a set of criteria — affect the markets. Could market woes be tied not to human worry, but to machine worry?

In India, a 74-year-old activist is on a hunger strike to protest government corruption. The activist, Anna Hazare, has drawn comparisons to Mohandas Ghandi. He is currently in jail, but may be leaving later today after more than 10,000 people marched peacefully through New Delhi yesterday, rallying on his behalf. Could this be the start of an Arab Spring in India?

The twelve-member joint Congressional "super committee" that has been tasked with creating a deficit reduction plan that both Republicans and Democrats can stomach — by Thanksgiving, no less — has a tough path ahead. It's a goal that seemed impossible for President Obama and Congressional leaders to achieve, just last month. Can the committee succeed where others failed?

With a state motto like "Live Free or Die," you might expect that New Hampshire has a fair number of independent voters. That’s what prompted Anna Sale — reporter for It’s a Free Country, the politics website of our co-producer WNYC — to report from there. Sale has been on the road speaking to independent voters across the country, in an attempt to gauge which direction this large and crucial demographic is leaning as we approach the 2012 presidential election. She’s spent the last few days in New Hampshire, focusing on how Republicans and Democrats are attempting to capture the independent vote there.

When the bombing and shooting first broke out in Norway last Friday, no one knew the source of the attacks, but a small group of anti-Islamic bloggers in the U.S. were quick to blame Muslim extremists. In the end, a manifesto that Anders Behring Breivik — the man accused of carrying out the killing spree — posted online confirmed that he was not Muslim, but the opposite: an anti-Muslim extremist.

On Tuesday morning, Rupert and James Murdoch and former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks testified in front of Parliament, and the world was watching. The questioning was the subject of widespread media coverage, and not just in the U.K. where the newspaper was sold. Here in the U.S., journalists have covered each dramatic development of the phone hacking scandal.

Late last month, President Obama gave a speech laying out his plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan. "Even as there are dark days ahead in Afghanistan, the light of a secure peace can be seen in the distance. These long wars will come to a responsible end," Obama said. 

News broke yesterday that British tabloid News of the World hacked into the cell phone of a teenage girl who disappeared in 2002 and was later found dead. The girl's family believed her to be alive, in part because a private investigator hired by the tabloid was deleting the victim's voicemails. News of the World is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., and the outrage generated by the hacking scandal may affect people very close to the media mogul, and ultimately even Murdoch himself.

There were reports yesterday from Hama in Syria that government troops had fatally shot at least six protestors demonstrating against President Bashar al-Assad and his regime. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton responded last week to the ongoing violence, saying that the country's transition to democracy was becoming more urgent. 

We've been asking listeners to tell us: What does the phrase 'My America' means to you? Mary Joe Mercer from the Osage Nation Reservation in Oklahoma, told us about the Native Americans that have called this country home for thousands of years. On the Fourth of July, Mercer joins us to give us another perspective on what 'America' means.

Robert Gates will step down as Secretary of Defense this week, with Leon Panetta taking over. Panetta will have a lot on his plate, starting with the start of U.S. troops withdrawing from Afghanistan later this week. Noel King, managing producer for The Takeaway, looks at what obstacles are in store for Panetta as he begins his reign as Defense Secretary. 

President Obama will meet with Congressional leaders to try and come to an agreement on raising the debt ceiling, or face going into default. Charlie Herman, business and economics editor for The Takeaway and WNYC, looks at the economic effects this on-going debate could have if a conclusion is not reached soon.