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

Political question number two, which party will control the Senate?

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

a daily look at the issues Americans care about most. There's no doubt that Republicans will still run the House after next

week's election, but control of the Senate has both parties biting their nails. With Mitt Romney

in the White House, his party would run two branches of government bolstered by a sympathetic

Supreme Court. If Barack Obama is re-elected, a Democratic Senate might be a buffer against the House

with a chance of making the court less conservative.

Razor thin, increasingly nasty campaigns are being fought out over abortion,

the role of government, party loyalty, and bipartisanship.

We'll hear about some crucial races still too close to call.

First, here's the news.

Support for To the Point comes from the members of KCRW and from the Public Radio International Program Fund.

Hello again, Warren. I'll need back with To the Point.

Poll show a nation almost evenly divided between the red and the blue, and the next

president is likely to be chosen by a narrow majority. The success or failure of an Obama

or Romney presidency could hinge on which party wins control of the Senate. We'll look at the

prospects for Democrats and Republicans in close races and the variety of factors that could

make a difference.

On reporter's notebook, instead of climate change, the president and his challenger are talking about energy independence. What does that mean in a global economy? And what are the

consequences for global warming? First, this news update, the last report for before the

presidential election shows more new jobs than had been expected in October,

...