The Diane Rehm Show

New polls showed President Barack Obama ahead in several key swing states with just six weeks to go until the election. Mixed economic news this week with reports showing higher consumer confidence but weaker GDP growth. And the NFL reached a tentative agreement with its referee union. Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post, Lisa Lerer of Bloomberg News and Michael Hirsh of National Journal join guest host Susan Page for analysis of the week's top national news stories.

The Federal Reserve announced a new, open-ended round of bond buying to stimulate economic growth. President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney sparred over the Obama administration's handling of the attacks in Libya and Egypt. And vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan returned to the House to vote on a six-month, stopgap spending bill to keep the government operating. Jonathan Allen of Politico, Jackie Calmes of The New York Times and Michael Scherer of TIME magazine join Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories.

ECB President Mario Draghi unveiled details of a new bond-buying plan aimed at easing the eurozone's debt crisis. The new U.N. and Arab League envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, said searching for a solution in the country was like "standing in front of a brick wall." And Secretary Hillary Clinton continued a six-nation trip through the Asia-Pacific region where she faced harsh criticism from China's state media. James Kitfield of National Journal, Elise Labott of CNN and Tom Gjelten of NPR join Diane for analysis of the week's top international news stories.