Arwa Gunja

It's no more changing diapers and preparing dinner for Brian St. Pierre, who went from stay-at-home dad to starting quarterback for the North Carolina Panthers this weekend. We talk with Nando Di Fino, sports reporter for the Wall Street Journal, about St. Pierre's performance on the field, and how other football teams fared over the weekend.

The Transportation Security Administration has begun more thorough pat-downs at airport security checkpoints just weeks before holidays' heavy travel season. Many passengers have already complained of inappropriate contact and others are upset with the intimacy of the search. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano explains the new search procedures and the full-body scanning machines that have been set up in airports. She and the TSA are asking passengers to be patient and cooperate.

"The vast majority of the traveling public understands that this is a safety and security measure," Napolitano said. Read a full transcript. 

We’ve been asking Takeaway listeners to tell us what about their house makes them feel like it’s a home. What signifies "home" to you? Carl Gladstone, a listener in Detroit, downloaded our new iPhone app and sent us audio of his wind chimes - the sound he says represents home to him.

At a time when citizens in Britain are bracing for sharp spending cuts, Prince William, the heir to the throne, proposed to his longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton. Many Britons hope the upcoming wedding will be a boost to the country's economy, with people in industries ranging from tourism to fashion and food retail reaping the financial benefits of the media storm. But some economists say royal weddings do not bring as much revenue they once did. We talk with Gillian Tett, a managing editor of the Financial Times, about the tourism revenue the wedding could bring in.

Today marks the third and most important day of the Hajj, an annual Islamic pilgrimage that has drawn as many as three million Muslims to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The four-day trip is arduous, packed with rituals and prayers. Most pilgrims begin planning for the trip up to six months in advance and set aside around $2,000 to make the journey. Some are encouraged to get in good physical shape, build their immune system, prepare a will, and go through counseling so they are mentally prepared.

Smokers going to buy a pack of cigarettes will soon be greeted with a warning label containing graphic images of dead bodies, blackened organs and women crying. As of 2011, the Food and Drug Administration will require cigarette packs and ads to show more detailed images of the consequences of smoking, and 36 images (pdf) (some of them fairly graphic) have been approved. But how effective will this approach be in preventing smokers from lighting up? 

As a part of his 10-day tour in Asia, President Barack Obama delivered a very personal speech at the University of Indonesia Wednesday morning. Echoing some of themes he raised in his famous speech in Cairo in 2009, Obama spoke about the need for mutual respect among Muslims and the importance of a joint effort to combat extremism. Indonesia is home to the largest population of Muslims in the world, and Muslims in Southeast Asia tend to practice a more moderate form of Islam than those farther west. Did President Obama navigate those differences in his speech? 

The American Ballet Theatre traveled to Cuba for the first time in 50 years to participate in the 22nd Havana International Ballet Festival. The last time the dance company took the stage in Cuba, Fidel Castro had just taken power. We hear music from the Karl Marx theatre and talk with Rachel Moore, the executive director of the American Ballet Theatre, about the trip.

Later this week, world leaders will gather at the G20 summit in Seoul, South Korea. The meeting comes just days after the Federal Reserve's decision to buy $600 billion worth of Treasury bonds through a process known as "quantitative easing." In response to the announcement, American stock markets reacted positively. World leaders abroad did not.

Last week, New York Times Wall Street and finance reporter Louise Story explained how the Federal Reserve's new economic recovery plan, known as "quantitative easing," works. Story explained that the process is intended to effectively lower already-low interest rates, making it cheaper for banks to borrow money. But how will this impact ordinary, middle-class Americans?

President Obama begins a lengthy trip to Asia this weekend, starting with a visit to India to talk about job creation and increasing exports. Days after Republicans had significant victories in the midterm elections, he'll arrive in Mumbai with a delegation of more than 200 businessmen and women to attend a business conference. The president may also try to make a deal with the Indian government as they revamp their military aircrafts. What kind of reception will the President and his American delegation of businessmen have there? What should their goals be? 

Sparky Anderson, beloved longtime manager for the Detroit Tigers, died yesterday. Celeste Headlee had the privilege of interviewing Anderson many times, as did Ron Cameron, long time host of the Detroit sports radio show Sports Talk. 

Republicans had major victories after Tuesday's elections, taking over control of the House and gaining several seats in the Senate. When the new Congress goes to work in Washington, D.C., the GOP will now be a mix of conservatives and Tea Party candidates.

Pennsylvania turned from blue to red, electing Republicans Pat Toomey to the Senate and Tom Corbett as governor. We talk with Renee Amoore, deputy chair of the Pennsylvania Republican State Committee, about Tuesday's election and what it means for the future of the Republican party. 

In the third election in a row where Americans threw out the party in power, Republicans won control of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, in part due to large discontent among voters who didn't want to see incumbents return to Washington. Though some races are still in play, the Republicans, with the help of Tea Party candidates, successfully captured 56 seats. The GOP also made great strides in the Senate, though Democrats will continue to hold the upper house of Congress.

Rep. John Boehner of Ohio will become the next speaker of the House. In an emotional speech last night, Boehner said that the election is a rebuke to President Obama, with Americans telling him to "change course."

On Tuesday, voters will cast their ballots, bringing mid-term election season to a close. Unless, of course, some races are too close to call. Polls show that close Senate and gubernatorial races in Nevada, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin, Alaska, Colorado, Ohio and Florida could require recounts.

It’s an anxiety-inducing thought — and could potentially leave the House and the Senate hanging in the balance while the chads (or the absentee ballots, or the broken machines) get sorted.

With a few days left until mid-term elections, we're looking at the fierce opposition that has emerged during this campaign season to President Barack Obama and the Democratic agenda. Historian Jennifer Weber, author of "Copperheads: The Rise and Fall of Lincoln’s Opponents in the North," explains how today's Tea Partiers are similar to the "Copperheads" of the 1800s that protested Lincoln and his policies during the Civil War.

Sony's Walkman forever changed the way we listen to music, making it for the first time portable. After 31 years, the company has announced they will discontinue the Walkman in Japan, effectively making them no longer available for purchase in the United States.

Americans have long moved on from the Walkman, listening to music on devices like the Discman, then simple MP3 players until the iPod came around in 2001. And in the nine years since the iPod, Apple has sold more than 100 million of those devices while in it's more than 30 years, Sony sold around 200 million Walkmans.

There have been several cases this week of public officials and public schools incorrectly describing aspects of U.S. history and civics. We talk with Mark Oglesby, a high school history teacher, about some important, yet unknown, facts from U.S. history that he believes all his students — and all Americans — should be armed with. Author Kenneth Davis also joins in.

We've been putting Takeaway listeners to the test. You can see how historically literate you are by taking this online, mini-quiz. 

This weekend, some of Hollywood’s biggest stars have movie openings. To help help guide us through the weekend’s theatre picks, including "Red," "Conviction," and "Hereafter," we speak with Kristen Meinzer, co-host of The Takeaway podcast “Movie Date.”

Columbus Day is one of only 10 federal holidays, and in most schools across the country, it's recognized as a celebration of the man who discovered America. For many Americans, Christopher Columbus is a hero.

But in recent years, educators, politicians and scholars have argued that the conventional teaching of the holiday offers a lionizing myth of Columbus, and that students should be made aware of the uglier truths that followed his arrival in the Americas.