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Republican Ken Cuccinelli had been trailing Democrat Terry McAuliffe by a few points in the polls before the partial government shutdown. But since then, McAuliffe's lead has clearly widened in a state that's home to many federal employees.

While recent polling suggests public opinion is weighing against the GOP's approach to the government shutdown, the message is very different for Republican congressmen from deeply conservative districts. The word from back home is to continue to take a hard line. That's the case in one district in the northwest corner of Georgia, which is home to Congressman Tom Graves, a leader of the defund Obamacare movement in the House who was elected in 2010.

Congressional leaders stepped up discussions with each other and the White House Friday with the goal of lifting the nation's debt ceiling and ending an 11-day government shutdown.

Melissa Block speaks with Dora Jones, director of the Cheaha Regional Head Start in Talladega, Alabama, to gauge the effect of a recent $10 million private donation to the National Head Start Association.

President Obama met this afternoon with Senate Republicans. There's no agreement yet but the parties appear to be working towards a deal to raise the federal debt limit and re-open the government.

McDonald's USA President Jeff Stratton has been criticized on social media for his videotaped response to an employee who confronted him and complained that she doesn't make enough to feed her kids. But a spokeswoman for the company says McDonald's has a long history of promoting from within.

The film, directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Tom Hanks, is based on the true story of a freighter captured by Somali pirates in 2009. NPR's Bob Mondello says it's an accomplished and surprisingly emotional thriller. (Recommended)

JP Morgan Chase reported something unusual today: a loss. The bank has been forced to set aside a huge cash reserve to cover expected fines and related legal costs. In the most recent quarter, the set-aside was so large — $9.1 billion — that it produced a net loss for the bank.

The British theoretical physicist is notoriously shy and doesn't own a cellphone. In a press conference, he said he was "rather relieved... that it's all over."

The play Fetch Clay, Make Man explores the sense of identity through the eyes of two significant figures in black history — Stepin Fetchit (Lincoln Perry) and Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali).