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

Ebola is spreading. Can it be contained?

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

A daily look at the issues. Americans care about most. Almost 700 people have

died. More than a thousand have been infected in the worst epidemic since the Ebola virus was

discovered in 1976. So far, it's confined to three West African countries with weak institutions

making it spread political as much as biological. We'll hear about a horrific disease with no cure and widespread

fear not just of Ebola, but also of Western doctors and their unfamiliar procedures.

U.S. officials say it can be controlled if it ever gets here, but the epidemic is a massive

challenge to global protection of public health. Today's talking point is the fast food industry

on the path to unionization.

First, here's the news.

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at KCRW.com. Support for To the Point comes from the members of KCRW and from the Public Radio

International Program Fund. Hello again. I'm Armin Alney, back with To the Point. Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia lack education, solid infrastructure, or government institutions. That's made it hugely difficult to keep the biggest outbreak of Ebola from spreading. Is a deadly disease with no cure spinning out of control. We'll hear about that.

Today's talking point, a new ruling says the McDonald's Corporation is responsible for working conditions at all its individual franchises.

We'll hear how that could disrupt long-time practices in the fast food industry and possibly lead to unionization.

First, this news update, a stunning report from the U.S. Commerce Department after many months of dismal news about the economy.

Growth from April through June is estimated at 4%.

That's enough to make economists upbeat.

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