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The Chicago teachers' strike came to an end this week. Host Scott Simon speaks with Education Secretary Arne Duncan about the resolution.

NPR's Ari Shapiro joins host Scott Simon to preview a pair of pieces he's reported for next week on the political ad wars. He talks about the unprecedented number of ads, the money and how it feels in one community: Colorado Springs.

The campaign still has a chance to brush off recent stumbles, according to political strategist Steve Schmidt. He says Mitt Romney's team needs to refocus and make its case more effectively, with the upcoming debates as a key platform.

Using three keystrokes to suggest a smile may not be a great scientific advance, but the emoticon has been simple, useful and enduring.

With Terraplane, the guitarist transforms from New York avant-garde aesthete to down-and-dirty Chicago bluesman. In an interview with NPR's Jacki Lyden, Sharp remembers Chicago blues guitarist Hubert Sumlin and his "pearls of blue wisdom."

Actor Michael Peña could watch Woody Allen's Broadway Danny Rose a million times. "You know, you get into the world of what it means to be a comic," he says.

A reminder from weekends on All Things Considered guest host Jacki Lyden that Round 9 of Three-Minute Fiction is still open for submissions. Our judge, Brad Meltzer, is looking for an original short story that revolves around a U.S. president — fictional or real — in under 600 words. Listeners can submit their story online at www.npr.org/threeminutefiction. The deadline for submissions is Sunday, September 23, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

In a move to perhaps change the topic after a turbulent few weeks, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney released his 2011 tax returns. But the move has not silenced his critics. With just 45 days until Election Day, weekends on All Things Considered guest host Jacki Lyden speaks with NPR's White House Correspondent Ari Shapiro about the candidate's next steps. Lyden also checks in with Walter Shapiro who says Romney's video-taped comments at a Miami fundraiser may be his Dukakis-tank moment, and also with republican strategist Ed Rogers of the Washington Post about Romney's possible comeback moment.

McDonald's already offers menu items that cater to local tastes in India. But this month, the fast-food chain said it was going a step further by announcing a plan to open its first vegetarian-only restaurants in the country.

The number of overweight and obese children is rising. Many of those kids struggle to manage medical conditions at school, but they also face practical challenges, like frequent bathroom breaks and difficulty moving between classes. Obesity can also take a toll on kids' emotional health — and their test scores.