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Wall Street Journal economics writer David Wessel's new book, Red Ink, lays out in unsparing terms the way the U.S. government spends money, who pays what in taxes, and why politicians can't seem to agree on ways to reduce the potentially catastrophic deficit.

Government troops are battling rebels for control of Syria's largest city, Aleppo. The government launched a major offensive over the weekend to retake neighborhoods held by the Free Syrian Army. Both sides appear to be preparing for a battle that could prove crucial to the outcome of the 17-month-old uprising.

With six gold medals, China is dominating the Summer Olympics so far. The host country has yet to win gold — though it has two other medals.

Jordan is preparing to shelter tens, if not hundreds, of thousands. In Iraq, Syrians who thought they would be welcomed are finding themselves locked up and prevented from visiting relatives.

Some food holidays are pure marketing, but at least this one has a bit of Olympic history behind it. Some of the first Olympians were said to have dined on cheesecakes, although they sound a bit different from cheesecakes today.

Swimming is again the big draw in the London 2012 Olympics Monday, with four gold-medal races scheduled. Olympic competitions are being held in 22 sports today — meaning there are dozens of events. Below, we list the ones we'll be keeping a close eye on.

Though officials at the U.S. embassy and military command in Kabul dispute the finding, the inspector general for Afghan reconstruction says behind-schedule projects may leave Afghans disappointed.

After German Uwe Hohn threw his javelin nearly out of the stadium in 1984, a move that spooked officials with its potential deadliness, the flying spears were changed to fly shorter. But people have been throwing sticks for 400,000 years, and some of these ancient spears might have been able to fly far farther than modern javelins.

Voter I.D. laws have been hotly debated this election season. Now, a Pennsylvania case is challenging that state's new Voter I.D. law. The Justice Department also announced that it will investigate whether the law is discriminatory. Host Michel Martin speaks with Columbia Law Professor Nathan Persily for more on the case.

Muslims across the world are fasting from dawn to dusk for the holy month of Ramadan. Weight gain and health problems related to overeating have been reported during the month, and medical professionals are warning against eating too much to break the fast. Host Michel Martin speaks to dietician Nour Zibdeh about the best ways to eat during Ramadan.