From KCRW in Santa Monica and PRI, Public Radio International, this is To the Point.

A third week of government shutdown, three days till default.

Hello again, I'm Arminolny, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues Americans care about most. Global confidence in America was in question today as party leaders struggled to reopen the government and pay its bills. If the U.S. runs out of money on Thursday, it'll be the first default by a major country since Nazi Germany in 1933. Meantime, the Republican Party has hit new lows in public opinion, with a substantial number

of GOP House members saying they don't care.

We'll get a progress report on a crisis that could lead to fundamental shifts in American

politics and in this country's role in the world.

Today's talking point, America's first industrial hemp crop since the 1950s.

First, here's the news.

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Hello again, Warren, I on only back with To the

point. The federal government is entering a third week of shutdown in three days. It might default on

its debt. How did we get here? Where are we going? We'll try to answer those questions.

Today's talking point. It may still be illegal under federal law, but Colorado farmers are

beginning to harvest hemp commercially. That's the non-intoxicating

cousin of marijuana. First is news update. The prospect of an American default on Thursday has

rattled the global economy. Here's International Monetary Fund Manager Christine Lagarde yesterday

on NBC's Meet the Press. If there is that degree of disruption, that lack of certainty, that lack of trust in the

U.S. signature, it would mean massive disruption the world over, and we would be at risk of

...