Stories of the Week | PBS NewsHour Podcast | PBS

President Obama has badgered Mitt Romney to release more than two years of income tax returns. Romney addressed criticism by releasing his 2011 returns, showing he paid an effective tax rate of 14.1 percent. But that didn't take taxes off the campaign trail as the candidates set out to woo older voters. Judy Woodruff reports.

As tactics to win Syria become vicious between opposition forces and the Syrian regime's military, war crimes are commonplace. But United Nations investigators report Islamist militants may be pushing anti-government fighters to radical extremes. French photojournalist Mani and Independent Television News' Jon Snow report.

Florida A&M University suspended its entire marching band when a student drum major was severely beaten and died in a hazing ritual. Ray Suarez talks to psychologist Susan Lipkins and Cornell University's Travis Apgar about what university officials can do to stop hazing and keep students safe.

Muslims have reacted violently to French cartoons and a film from the U.S. that crudely portray the Prophet Muhammad. Jeff Brown talks to University of Maryland's Shibley Telhami and Washington State University's Lawrence Pintak who say these statements from the West are being seized by Muslims for their own goals.

The Pakistani government declared a national holiday to honor the Prophet Muhammad and encourage peaceful protest. But violence quickly escalated, the brunt fueled by anti-American sentiment over continued U.S. drone strikes and an anti-Islam film that defamed the Muslim prophet. So far at least 17 have died. Jeff Brown reports.

It's a trendy street drug which is cheap, readily available and lethal. And it has dangerous and bizarre side effects including paranoia, agitation, violence and hallucinations. Judy Woodruff talk to Virginia Commonwealth University's Louis de Felice about the uptick in abuse of bath salts as a recreational drug.

The world, especially the U.S., wants cheap shrimp. For the $1 billion plus shrimping industry in Thailand, fulfilling this desire comes at the expense of workers. Special correspondent Steve Sapienza reports on the abusive working conditions in the Thai shrimping industry, including corruption, human trafficking and violence.

This September, the arctic ice cap melted the most ever recorded, with only 24 percent of the Arctic Ocean covered by ice. Ray Suarez talks to Walt Meier, a scientist at the U.S. National Ice and Snow Data Center about the new evidence and how a lack of arctic sea ice affects ocean currents and changes weather patterns.

A video released this week caught Mitt Romney calling 47 percent of voters unswayable Obama supporters who are 'victims' who don't pay any taxes. Gwen Ifill talks to Tax Policy Center's Roberton Williams and National Journal's Nancy Cook about backlash over Romney's remarks and whether his rhetoric paints an accurate picture.

When Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize for microlending in Bangladesh, he wanted to prove that the concept could work in the developed world. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on efforts to give microloans to Americans attempting to become new entrepreneurs and small business owners.

As a fledgling democracy, Libya faces many challenges, including maintaining sensitivity to religious factions who find themselves at odds with the ruling elite. Jeff Brown talks to Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Marwan Muasher, Philadelphia Inquirer's Trudy Rubin and Al-Arabiya News' Hisham Melhem for more.

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke announced the Fed's third attempt to stimulate the economy by buying up mortgage-backed securities and bonds and keep borrowing rates low. Judy Woodruff talks to David Wessel, economics editor for The Wall Street Journal, to understand why the Fed chose this course of action.

In other news Thursday, Mitt Romney broadened his critique of the White House's response to attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi and took aim at President Obama's foreign affairs record. President Obama responded by vowing to always defend American citizens and interests.

Judy Woodruff talks to McClatchy Newspapers' Nancy Youssef for a detailed account of the attacks in Libya and to freelance journalist Bel Trew who reports on the protests in Cairo. Then, Jeff Brown talks to the Los Angeles Times' Rebecca Keegan for more on the anti-Muslim film that has sparked violence in the Middle East.

Protests, some violent, broke out in Yemen, Iraq, Iran and Egypt, in continued response to an incendiary anti-Islamic U.S. video. Overnight, President Obama talked to Egypt's President Morsi about the events and Secretary of State Clinton rebuked the filmmaker, who is reportedly a California resident. Judy Woodruff reports.