The election battle between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Tea Party favorite Sharron Angle is being called the most important election race in the country. So who won their first and only debate Thursday night? Political pundits are saying that neither won decisively, but Jon Ralston of the Las Vegas Sun wrote that Reid lost the debate because Angle "looked relatively credible, appearing not to be the Wicked Witch of the West... and scoring many more rhetorical points." We speak with Christian Science Monitor reporter Gail Chaddock about the debate and the week in politics.

There's a lot of talk about the Volt, the new extended-range electric car Chevrolet officially launched this week, but it may not be as electric as you think. Nissan's battery powered offering, the Leaf, will roll out soon as well, and Toyota is doing everything it can to recover from its 9 million safety recalls last year. Buick is making a comeback in the U.S., Ford gives its aging Lincoln brand a facelift, and the new Kia and Hyundai models may surprise some people. We speak to Paul Eisenstein, publisher of the automotive news website TheDetroitBureau.com.

As political campaigns across the country reach a fever-pitch, many candidates are hoping to make their mark by hitting their competition with negative ads. We focus in on Massachusetts' 4th Congressional District race, which is offering a refreshing alternative. Democrat Barney Frank, who has a national profile thanks to his role in revamping the financial industry, is facing a strong challenge from Republican Sean Bielat, a Marine reservist. As Here & Now's Fred Thys reports, there have been sharp words between the two candidates, but it hasn't gotten nasty.

Mahmoud Amadinejad is wrapping up a controversial visit to Lebanon. The trip has become a show of strength by Hezbollah, the militant Shiite group that get's millions of dollars a year from Iran, and fought a brutal war against Israel in 2006. The BBC's Wyre Davies reports.

It's down to the Final Four! No, it's not yet time for Mach Madness, but there are just four teams left vying for the World Series. We speak with Bill Littlefield, host of NPR's Only A Game, about baseball's league championship series.

Children's book author and illustrator Jan Brett is known for re-imagining classic stories like "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" or "The Gingerbread Man" into vivid new tales. She finds inspiration by traveling the world, searching for new settings and unusual characters that she can plop into those traditional stories. And she prides herself on maintaining authenticity by adapting the dress, wildlife, and even the flora of a region into her books. Her latest story, "The 3 Little Dassies," is her take on "The 3 Little Pigs," inspired by a trip to Namibia, where she came across the small desert animals that find shelter in stone homes. Here & Now's Kevin Sullivan catches up with Brett on her cross-country bus tour to talk about her new book and how she stays competitive in a market where picture book sales are on the decline.

• The Cars, "Since I Held You"
• The Cars, "Drive"
• Western Sunrise, "Baoka and the Flaming Geckos"
• Natalie MacMaster, "Bela's Tune"