Kojo chats with U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), the ranking member of the House Budget Committee, about the debate over federal spending and whether Congress will avert a federal government shutdown.

On Sunday, Shanghai will open a free trade area that officials say will be a laboratory for overhauling the world's second-largest economy. The new zone is garnering lots of media attention in China, but details remain sketchy.

Even as the potential government shutdown drama remains unresolved, House Republican leaders are moving on to the next deadline: the debt ceiling. Economists say defaulting on payments could be catastrophic, but many House Republicans believe the debt ceiling is the best place to take a stand. Some even say the risk of default really isn't all that bad.

City officials are planning to remove a large homeless encampment on the outskirts of downtown. The California city, where 1 in 4 people live below the poverty line, has taken down three other large encampments in recent weeks. The moves have been controversial and displaced hundreds of people.

While D.C.'s restaurant scene is coming of age in a major way, it's also experiencing growing pains — in the form of labor shortages.

Both reports add to evidence that the U.S. economy continues to chug along. It's estimated that gross domestic product rose at a 2.5 percent annual rate in the second quarter. Meanwhile, claims for unemployment insurance remain near a six-year low.

Three former employees at the London-based brokerage have been charged by the Justice Department with participating in a criminal scheme to rig an interest rate that anchors the world's financial system. It's alleged that the three brokers from ICAP colluded with a trader at Swiss bank UBS.

The Republican Party in the past has had a close relationship with Wall Street and big business. But lately there's growing tension and disagreement as some Republicans in Congress consider a possible government shutdown. The Tea Party seems to have the strongest criticism of big business.

Homeless-services providers in Los Angeles County are gathering data on the homeless population and ranking people by vulnerability. The goal is to get the most in need into permanent housing quickly. The "housing first" approach has been used in cities nationwide, but it has its critics, even among other advocates.

After Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz ended his 21-hour-plus marathon speech at noon Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid quickly dismissed it as "a big waste of time."