I have spent the past few days sequestered with a crack team of political pros — actually, curled into a fetal ball, clutching a fading 1980 John Anderson poster — to gird myself for the vital first debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney.

So many questions lingered:

Would Romney offer to wager Obama $10,000 on who wins the race?

Would Obama tell Romney, "You're taxable enough, Mitt"?

Mitt Romney may have given his campaign something of a reset with his performance in the first debate against President Obama.

He appeared more comfortable on stage than the incumbent, and was able at least to lay the groundwork for a message of bipartisanship that could appeal to remaining undecided voters.

In their first of three debates, President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney "traded barbs" and stretched some facts, say the nonpartisan watchdogs at PolitiFact.com.

Similarly, the researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center's FactCheck.org found examples of truth-stretching by both men.

Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy hasn't said much since his comments against same-sex marriage led to shows of support by some and protests by others over the summer.

Is gender inequity the biggest issue of our time? Around the world, it’s not unusual for young girls from poor families to be kept out of school. In India, the mortality rate for girls under age five is 50 percent higher than it is for boys. Pulitzer Prize–winning author of “Half the Sky” Sheryl WuDunn talked with us earlier this year about education, poverty, maternal mortality, sex trafficking and gender inequality, and what can be done to help.

FOUND Magazine creator and This American Life contributor Davy Rothbart joins us to talk about 10 years of FOUND and his new collection of essays, "My Heart Is An Idiot." Then, Marcie Sillman speaks with choreographer Amy O’Neal about her new solo performance at Velocity Dance Center.