The Takeaway: Recent Episodes

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Some 77 million Americans are personally affected in some way by the opioid epidemic, and at least 91 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. During this special episode, The Takeaway dives deep into the crisis. Here’s what you’ll find:

• An estimated 50 million people in the United States suffer from chronic pain, and as doctors struggle to figure out how to treat it, the opioid epidemic has grown in its wake. Keith Wailoo, an expert on pain and author of “Pain: A Political History, explains.

• Dr. Andrew Kolodny, co-director of opioid policy research at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, says America is in the throes of an enormous crisis of addiction, and at the heart of this crisis lies the medical industry and pharmaceutical companies. He talks about the pressure he and other doctors felt in the ‘90s to turn to prescribing opioids, arguing that many medical professionals have been duped by marketing campaigns that actually drive addiction and death.

• From the pain pills that someone is prescribed, to the heroin that can be bought on the street, where do these drugs come from and how are they made? Darren Foster, co-founder of Muck Media and a Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker who has focused on the opioid epidemic, answers.

• Kimber is a 26-year-old woman from Lynn, Massachusetts. She first used opioids for pleasure at age 13 or 14 after undergoing dental surgery, but became addicted to percocet and then heroin in her early 20s. After many tries at beating her addiction, she’s now more than 80 days clean, and tells us about what being an addict feels like, what she had to do to support her habit, and the moment she says changed her perspective.

• For some families with a loved one struggling with opioid addiction, involuntary commitment can seem like a drastic but necessary step. That’s court-mandated treatment, which forces an addict to get help. But this option doesn’t exist in some states, like New Hampshire, which is reeling from opioid overdose deaths. New Hampshire Public Radio’s Paige Sutherland, has the story of two families -- one in New Hampshire, and another nearby in Massachusetts -- who grappled with involuntary commitment to try to save an addicted child.

• Beth Kane-Davidson is the director of the Johns Hopkins Suburban Hospital addiction treatment center. She’s been treating addicts for more than 30 years. She sits down with Jessica Jeffery, an addict in recovery, and Deborah Gafner, a mother of son who died of a heroin overdose. Together, they reflect on their experiences, and the importance of confronting this epidemic head on with treatment and prevention.

From September 26-28, 2017, The Takeaway and The Harris Poll surveyed 2,261 U.S. adults ages 18 and older to gain insight into the American opioid epidemic. Here’s what we found:

• Nearly half of Americans report to have taken prescription-based opioids, and about 1 in 3 Americans (31 percent) has personally experienced opioid dependency or abuse, whether it be themselves, a friend or family member who has or is currently struggling.

• About 77 million Americans are personally affected in some way by the opioid epidemic.

• About 1 in 10 Americans (9 percent) knows someone who has died as a result of opioid addiction.

• Nearly half of Americans (47 percent) feel the opioid epidemic can affect them personally and the majority (52 percent) of Americans feel that opioid overdoses and deaths are a far bigger crisis in America than reported on by the media. 62 percent agree that police are not doctors and that he opioid crisis cannot be solved in the streets of America.

• Nearly half of Americans saying they feel prescription opioids are the same as heroin. Additionally, the majority (57 percent) of Americans feel that opioids are as big of a problem as heroin and (54 percent) feel that opioid abusers deserve to be treated the same as heroin users.

• There is still a lack of knowledge regarding opioids and heroin -- 49 percent do not know if opioids and heroin are similar or different, and 11 percent believe the two to be different.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• CBS News Correspondent David Begnaud has been reporting from Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. This week, he returned to the mainland U.S., and he sits down today with The Takeaway to reflect on his experiences from the ground.

• Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut has made gun control a priority since the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting killed 20 children in 2012. This week, he has come out in support of Senator Dianne Feinstein’s ban on bump fire stocks. Senator Murphy joins The Takeaway today to talk about how Congress can make progress on gun legislation in the wake of Sunday’s attack.

• The 2017 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded earlier today to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Nancy Soderberg, former deputy national security adviser and a former ambassador to the United Nations, joins The Takeaway to explain why ICAN unexpectedly won the prize.

• Every Friday, Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsdayand The Takeaway, drops by to review the new releases hitting the box office. This week, Rafer reviews the eagerly anticipated sci-fi sequel "Blade Runner 2049," and the drama "The Mountain Between Us," starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba.

• The movie "Blade Runner" conjures up the possibilities for artificial intelligence outside of the science fiction realm. From Watson to self-driving cars, is A.I. approaching a point in history where it can surpass human intelligence? Kate Darling, a researcher at the MIT Media Lab and self-proclaimed "Mistress of Machines," weighs in on the ethical implications of artificial intelligence.

• Lisa Loeb, who shot to fame in 1995 with her hit “Stay," is releasing a new album of covers this week, called "Lullaby Girl." She sits down with The Takeaway to talk about her legacy as a pop star and how she continues to redefine herself.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• Authorities with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) have said that 12 devices known as “bump fire stocks were found in gunman Stephen Paddock’s hotel room and used in order to allow him to fire off bullets at a much faster rate. Amber Phillips, reporter for The Fix at the Washington Post, explains why some members of Congress are calling for them to be banned. And Republican Congressman Tom Cole, who has not yet lent full support to a ban on bump stocks, joins The Takeaway to describe where he stands on the issue.
• Congressman Darren Soto, representative for Florida’s 9th district, just returned from a trip to the Puerto Rico. He returns to The Takeaway to discuss what he saw, and how Congress should respond to the destruction on the island.
• Unrest continues to simmer following Sunday’s independence referendum in Catalonia. The Catalan President says Catalonia plans to declare independence from Spain in a matter of days, and thousands of people are protesting police violence during the vote. Becquer Seguin, assistant professor of Iberian studies at Johns Hopkins University, weighs in on the path forward for Catalonia.
• In Southeast Asia, a new strain of malaria is showing resistance to commonly used antimalarial drugs. Already more than 200 million people are infected by malaria every year. Irene Koek, acting U.S, global malaria coordinator with the President’s Malaria Initiative, discusses the potential health crisis that could occur if this superbug were to spread beyond the Mekong Delta.
• As civil war rages in Yemen, the country’s cholera epidemic and food scarcity issues continue to worsen. In the midst of this humanitarian crisis, tens of thousands of public sector health workers have not been paid in about a year. Tankred Stoebe, the former president of Doctors Without Borders in Germany, recently returned from Yemen and he joins The Takeaway to discuss the situation on the ground.
• After a mass shooting, the resounding call from the public is to examine gun control. But what if mass shootings are not the best way to understand and respond to gun violence? Maggie Koerth-Baker, senior science writer for FiveThirtyEight, explains how mass shootings are different from other gun deaths in this country.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• The intersection between the NRA and country music has existed for a long time and points to the complexity of gun culture in America. Jonathan Bernstein, contributing writer for The Guardian, joins The Takeaway to look at the history of the relationship and how the NRA has used country music to extend its brand.

• In the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, there has been a significant push to privatize Puerto Rico’s electric grid, run by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA). Naomi Klein, senior correspondent for The Intercept, has been following these types of privatization efforts in the wake of disasters for years, and she joins The Takeaway to weigh in.

• While much of the media and government focus has been on Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands have also struggled to recover in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. On Monday, FEMA reported that only fifteen percent of customers on the island of St. Thomas have had their power restored, along with just ten percent of those on the island of St. Croix. Brianna Sacks has been covering the islands' recovery process for Buzzfeed News and she joins The Takeaway with the latest from the ground.

• On Wednesday, Michael Dourson will go before the Senate in his confirmation hearing to oversee the Environmental Protection Agency’s chemical safety programs. Dourson served in the EPA previously, but critics are concerned that a consulting group he founded has been paid by chemical companies consistently over the years. For more information about Dourson's career, The Takeaway speaks with Sheila Kaplan, health and science reporter for The New York Times.

• A joint investigation by WNYC, ProPublica and The New Yorker delves into questionable business practices at the Trump Soho Hotel in lower Manhattan. Ilya Marritz, WNYC business reporter, and Andrea Bernstein, special projects editor for WNYC, join The Takeaway to discuss how two of President Trump's children once narrowly avoided a felony charge.

• Drama Club is a program that teaches theater to incarcerated youth. The Takeaway visited an improv performance by the young women housed in the Rose M. Singer Center on Rikers Island and spoke with some of the women in the program about how they use theater as a release.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• The city of Las Vegas, Nevada is beginning to recover after the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history — on Sunday, a gunman killed at least 59 people and injured over 500 at a country music concert. Clark County Fire Chief Greg Cassell, and Nevada State Senator Tick Segerblom, a Democrat representing the Las Vegas area, explain how the community is coping amid the violence.

• The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Gill v. Whitford on Tuesday, a key gerrymandering case that could have a huge impact on how political parties draw congressional districts. Emily Bazelon, a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, has the details.

• Several prominent Republicans signed onto an Amicus Brief in Gill v. Whitford — they're urging the court to end "extreme partisan gerrymandering." Senator Richard Lugar, who represented Indiana in the U.S. Senate from 1977 until 2013, is one member of the GOP calling on the Supreme Court to reform the system that can distort the democratic process.

• On Friday, the U.S. announced that it will pull most of its staff from the U.S. embassy in Cuba in response to “sonic attacks conducted against diplomats. On Monday, the Associated Press reported that the American spy network in Cuba was among the first group of individuals targeted. Josh Lederman, an Associated Press foreign policy reporter, has the details.

• Legendary rock musician Tom Petty died on Monday after suffering a full cardiac arrest in his home on Sunday night. The Takeaway examines his musical legacy with John Schaefer, host of WNYC's Soundcheck and New Sounds.

• For concertgoers who were in Las Vegas Sunday night, the trauma of the attack is still fresh. Jenn Salazar was in the crowd with her 14-year-old daughter. They had driven to Las Vegas with her parents from their hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. And Ruth Thompson was at concert with her boyfriend, visiting from Erie, Pennsylvania. They share their stories today on The Takeaway.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• On Sunday in Las Vegas, a gunman carried out the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, leaving nearly 60 people dead and over 500 injured. Casey Morell, a coordinating producer for Nevada Public Radio’s public affairs program "State of Nevada," explains what we know so far about the shooting. Danita Cohen, chief experience officer at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas, discusses the medical response in her city.

• Some 12 days after Hurricane Maria, residents in Puerto Rico are still dealing with widespread power outages, and long lines for food, water, and gasoline. President Donald Trump and other senior administration officials are scheduled to visit the island on Tuesday, just days after the president came under widespread scrutiny for his tweets criticizing the island and its leaders. David Begnaud, a correspondent for CBS News who has been reporting on the response efforts across the island, brings us the latest.

• Jeremy Konyndyk, former head of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance under the Obama Administration currently a senior policy fellow at the Center for Global Development, analyzes the Trump Administration's response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, and offers his suggestions for what should be done going forward.

• Hundreds were injured during Catalonia's independence referendum over the weekend, as the national police force descended on polling stations in riot gear.

• On Monday, a new term begins for the Supreme Court. The Takeaway examines the big cases to watch for with Amy Howe, co-founder of SCOTUSblog. Raphael Minder, Spain correspondent for our partners at The New York Times and author of the book “The Struggle for Catalonia," reflects on the violence during the referendum and what to expect in the wake of the vote.

• The latest novel from Igiaba Scego, a second generation Somali-Italian journalist, is "Adua," which connects her two worlds. The story, which centers on colonialism and the modern refugee crisis, traverses across 1930s Italy, 1970s Somalia, and present day Italy. She discusses her new work today on The Takeaway.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• Darren Soto is a congressman representing Florida’s 9th district, which has the densest concentration of Puerto Rican residents anywhere in the mainland United States. He’s been outspoken in calling for a faster response to the crisis in Puerto Rico, and he joins The Takeaway today to explain his concerns.

• ARRL, The National Association for Amateur Radio is sending a group of volunteer ham radio operators to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to connect disaster survivors with family members. Mike Corey, emergency preparedness manager with the ARRL, National Association for Amateur Radio, has the details.

• On Saturday, funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, otherwise known as CHIP, will expire. The issue was sidelined by Republican efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare, and some states could potentially run out of funding by December. Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for Kaiser Health News, explains.

• On Thursday the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments in a case that could deal blow to public sector unions. Adam Liptak, Supreme Court reporter for The New York Times, analyzes the case, Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

• Every Friday, Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, drops by to review the new releases hitting the box office. This week, Rafer reviews the drama "Victoria and Abdul," the action flick "American Made," and the new Netflix original, "Our Souls at Night."

• Sunday is Free Speech Day in California, to mark the anniversary of the protest that became the genesis of the Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley in 1964. Lynne Hollander Savio was part of the Free Speech Movement when she was a student at Cal. She’s also the widow of Mario Savio, one of the leaders of the movement, and she reflects on the state of free speech on colleges campuses today.
• All this week, we’ve been examining how different segments of the American population approach patriotism following the NFL protests. One way to get perspective on one’s home country, though, is to leave it. For journalist Suzy Hansen, her wake up call to what American patriotism stood for was when she began to work as a journalist in Turkey.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• On Wednesday, the Trump Administration will unveil a plan for tax reform. The plan will likely cut individual and corporate taxes, eliminate exemptions and deductions, and simplifies the filing process. Behind the scenes, former Goldman Sachs executives Gary Cohn and Steve Mnuchin have been working to pave the way for Trump’s tax plan. Kelsey Snell, Congressional reporter for The Washington Post, and Gary Rivlin, an investigative fellow at the Investigative Fund, weigh in.

• Esmeralda Santiago author of “When I Was Puerto Rican and “Conquistadora," discusses her deep connection to the island, and her desire to bring attention to the crisis in Puerto Rico, where relief has not come fast enough.

• When it comes to aiding Puerto Rico, a decades-old rule of maritime policy has emerged as a key point of contention between the Trump Administration and lawmakers. Walter Olson, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, explains.

• E.U. and U.K. negotiators have been meeting in Brussels this week for a fourth round of Brexit talks, but there hasn’t been much progress in the negotiations. Paul Copeland, an associate professor of public policy at Queen Mary University of London, has the details.

• A new investigation by ProPublica looks at how African-Americans in the south have been lured into predatory bankruptcy practices. Paul Kiel is a reporter at ProPublica who writes about consumer finance. His investigation and data analysis helps illustrate how the system of bankruptcy is failing African Americans.

• Professional athletes and even some lawmakers have continued kneeling during the national anthem as a way to protest police brutality and racial injustice. Though this is viewed as a fight for equality by some, it's seen as a sign of disrespect by others. Rich Lowry is editor of The National Review, a conservative news outlet, explains why patriotism is such a key value for President Trump's base.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• New York has the highest Puerto Rican population in the United States outside of the island territory. Nicole Acevedo, a student at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism from San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Ra Ruiz Leon, a dancer from Ponce, Puerto Rico, explains how their family has been affected by Hurricane Maria, and how they are trying to move forward.

• Andrew Cohen, senior editor of The Marshall Project, brings us the story of Dale Lambert, a Louisiana man currently serving a life sentence for second-degree murder. Lambert was convicted without a unanimous jury, and now his case is under review by the Supreme Court.

• Alabama's Republican Senate primary runoff has divided the GOP. President Donald Trump endorsed Luther Strange, who was tapped as The Pelican State's U.S. senator after Jeff Sessions stepped into the role of attorney general earlier this year. Strange was running against Roy Moore, who won the runoff on Tuesday after capturing more than 54 percent of the vote. Pat Duggins, news director for Alabama Public Radio, discusses the results.

• Yesterday, the Justice Department issued a dramatic round of indictments to the college basketball world. In total, ten people were indicted on charges of fraud and corruption, including four assistant basketball coaches and the head of sports marketing at Adidas. Fran Fraschilla, ESPN's college basketball analyst and a former head coach for St. John’s University and the University of New Mexico, joins The Takeaway to explain the recent scandal, and how it fits into the NCAA’s larger legacy of corruption.

• On Tuesday, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced that it would end a longstanding ban on women driving. The change, which is set to take effect in June 2018, was welcomed news to many, but women are still denied a variety of rights in the Kingdom.

• Patriotism is at the center of this week’s debate over kneeling protests carried out by professional athletes. Marc Leepson, a historian and author of nine books, including "Flag: An American Biography," and "What So Proudly We Hailed: Francis Scott Key, A Life," explains why Americans have such an affection for the flag, the national anthem, and other patriotic symbols and songs.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• As cleanup from Hurricane Maria continues in Puerto Rico, the territory’s already-fragile economy will be placed further under strain — the poverty rate already stands at more than 40 percent, with 10 percent unemployment. David Begnaud, a CBS News Correspondent, has been on the ground in San Juan and explains how the island is coping. Justin Vélez-Hagan, founder and executive director of the National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce, discusses the economic challenges facing the U.S. territory.

• The Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act appears to have stalled again, especially after Senator Susan Collins of Maine announced Monday that she would not support the legislation — a critical "no" vote with less than five days left to pass the bill. Jennifer Haberkorn, senior healthcare reporter for POLITICO, brings us the latest from Capitol Hill.

• Some 49 million Americans live in places where there are not enough dentists. In those areas, it’s often hard to get an appointment even if you have private insurance, and it’s even harder for people on Medicaid. When taking these factors together, America is facing a public health crisis as it relates to dental care, according to Mary Otto, author of "Teeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality, and the Struggle for Oral Health in America."

• On Monday, millions of Iraqis in Kurdish-controlled areas turned out to voted in a landmark referendum on independence. Sally Nabil, a correspondent for the BBC, weighs in.

• Mark Twain died in 1910, and since then he’s had numerous posthumous works published. The next book that will be added to that list is the children's book “The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine. Mythili Rao, a producer at The New Yorker Radio Hour, has the details.

• What does it mean to be patriotic in 2017? And do you need to be patriotic at all? We look at the intersection between patriotism, nationalism, and militarism, and how they are manifesting in this political climate, with Terrell Jermaine Starr, a staff writer The Root.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• Puerto Rico is still reeling in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. On Friday, a dam failed along the Guajataca River, causing extreme flooding, and millions remain without power. The island's delegate to Congress says the storm has set Puerto Rico back 20 to 30 years. Samantha Schmidt, a reporter for The Washington Post on the ground in San Juan, and Frances Robles, a reporter covering the Caribbean and Central America for The New York Times, bring us the latest.

• On Friday, President Donald Trump criticized NFL players who take a knee in protest during the national anthem. In response, hundreds of players took a knee or bowed during Sunday football games, and many NFL coaches and owners issued statements of solidarity with the players. Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation magazine and host of "The Edge of Sports" podcast, and Tyler Tynes, a staff writer SB Nation, discuss this collision between sports and politics.

• On Sunday, the Trump Administration updated its travel ban, just hours before it was set to expire. Five countries in the previous ban — Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia — remain under restriction, and Chad, North Korea, and Venezuela have been added to the list. Leon Fresco, an immigration attorney and former head of the Office of Immigration Litigation during the Obama administration, weighs in the ins and outs of the new ban.

• Kit Roane, a producer for the Retro Report documentary team, explores how the hijacking of an Air France plane from Tel Aviv to Entebbe, Uganda helped spawn the rise and popularity in the use of military special forces.

• Today, to mark the 35th annual Banned Book Week in America, The Takeaway sat down with cousins Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki, co-creators of, “This One Summer," to discuss the troubling experience of having their book challenged on such a wide scale.
• The right wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos had planned to hold a “Free Speech Week at the University of California, Berkeley this week. But after months of controversy and planning, the student host organization canceled the event.Takeaway Producer Isabel Angell has a history of the original Free Speech Movement in 1964.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• President Donald Trump’s speech from the United Nations General Assembly garnered the most attention this week, but there were a number of other key moments from the UNGA that many missed. Mark Leon Goldberg, editor of UN Dispatch, explains.

• Bjorn Lomborg is the president of a think tank that works with Nobel Prize-winning economists to figure out how to prioritize spending when it comes to development aid. He’s not a climate change denier, but he is critical of well-meaning climate activists, whom he says give confusing and inaccurate information about climate change, and divert precious and limited funds away from tried and tested true solutions.

• On Tuesday night, an Oklahoma City police officer fatally shot a man, Magdiel Sanchez, despite pleas from neighbors, who tried to tell the officer that he was deaf and could not hear commands to drop a metal pipe. Storme Jones, a reporter with public radio station KGOU in Oklahoma City, brings us the latest.

• A primary school collapsed during Tuesday’s earthquake in Mexico City, killing 21 children and five adults. The total death toll from the quake has risen to at least 274, and recovery efforts are underway. Maya Kroth, a freelance journalist based in Mexico City, discusses the role of civilian rescuers, and Janise E. Rodgers, chief operating officer and project manager for GeoHazards International, examines the vulnerability of schools in Latin America.

• "Transparent," the hit TV show from Amazon, returns for its fourth season on September 22nd. The Takeaway speaks with creator Jill Soloway and actresses Alexandra Billings and Trace Lysette about how the show’s depictions of gender and religion set it apart from anything else on TV. And why, three years after the show premiered, trans representation is still so lacking in Hollywood.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico on Wednesday, with early signs of damage throughout the island. Miriam Ramirez, a Puerto Rican senator from 2000 to 2004 and a physician, gives us the latest on the storm.

• As Hurricane Maria pounds Puerto Rico, victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have begun the cleanup and recovery process. Are they getting the help they need? Luis Hernandez, an anchor for Miami public radio station WLRN, and Edel Howlin, a reporter and executive producer of special projects at Houston Public Media, weigh in.

• In a last-ditch attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, Senate Republicans are hoping to muster the necessary votes to pass the Graham-Cassidy proposal. It’s got the support of at least 15 governors, including Sam Brownback of Kansas. Jeff Colyer, a medical doctor and the lieutenant governor in Kansas, discusses his support for the legislation.

• On Tuesday, Senate Republicans agreed to a $1.5 trillion tax cut over the next 10 years. The GOP says the plan will stimulate economic growth, but critics say Republicans are abandoning fiscal discipline and will add to a growing federal deficit. Kelsey Snell, a Congressional reporter for The Washington Post, explains.

• Eric Schwartz, president of Refugees International and a former U.S. assistant secretary of state for population, refugees and migration, provides a firsthand account of the Rohingya refugee crisis.

• Why aren't there more female programmers? Ellen Ullman is a novelist and essayist, and she's also a self-taught computer programmer who spent a career in the mostly male-dominated world of the early technology boom. She talks about her experience, as well as about her new book, "Life in Code: A Personal History of Technology."

• Country music band Karen and The Sorrows discuss their new album, "A Narrow Place," and how they use influences from non-country acts like Beyonce, Huey Lewis, and more to take country music to new non-narrow places.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• A 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Mexico City on Tuesday. It toppled buildings, and killed at least 200 people, and the death toll is still expected to rise.The earthquake came less than two weeks after an 8.1 magnitude quake left at least 100 dead in the country. Dudley Althaus, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal's Mexico Bureau, and Jorge Guajardo, Mexican ambassador to China from 2007 to 2013 and consul general to Mexico in Austin, Texas from 2005 to 2007, bring us the latest.

• Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on Wednesday. For Caribbean territories who are under the decree of places like the United Kingdom, France, The Netherlands and the United States, how do past colonial relationships shape the response to hurricanes? Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, author of “Island People, weighs in.

• U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy’s home state of Louisiana is among the states that stand to lose the most funding under the newly proposed healthcare bill. Susan Todd, executive director for 504HealthNet in New Orleans, has the details.

• Next week, Alabama voters will go to the polls to cast their ballots for a new senator — the seat left vacant by Attorney General Jeff Seasons. Senator Luther Strange has the support of President Donald Trump, who is expected to visit Alabama on Friday, but his opponent former Judge Roy Moore, has the support of recently departed White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon. Pat Duggins,news director for Alabama Public Radio, discusses the national implications of the race.

• In lieu of attending a four-year college, a growing segment of Americans are paying to enroll in coding boot camps, which can lead to high-paying tech jobs in as little as three months. Brett Caudill, an instructor at the DevMountain coding school in Utah, started out with only a GED before embarking upon his journey as a nascent programmer.

• A new study in the journal of Child Development finds that teenagers have much different interests and priorities than they did 40 years ago. A cumulative survey of 8.44 million U.S. teens ages 13 to 19 show that these young people are drinking less, dating less, driving less, and working less than they were in 1976. Dr. Jean Twenge, the author of the study and a psychology professor at San Diego State University, explains.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump said he wanted to vastly change America's role in the United Nations. That task has fallen to Nikki Haley. As the 2017 U.N. General Assembly kicks off, many are wondering how Ambassador Haley is doing in her role. Richard Gowan, a fellow at the Center on International Cooperation, and a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, discusses what has changed at the U.N. under Haley, and what she hopes to accomplish.

• Demonstrators turned out for the fourth day in a row in St. Louis, Missouri yesterday to rally against the acquittal of former police officer Jason Stockley on first degree murder charges in the shooting death of Anthony Smith, a 24-year-old African-American man. For details on the marches, The Takeaway turns to Amy Hunter, manager of diversity and inclusion at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. She was active in the protests in Ferguson, and has been participating in the recent rallies.

• Yet another devastating storm is pounding the Caribbean: Hurricane Maria tore through the islands of Dominica and Guadeloupe as a Category 4 storm last night, causing widespread devastation. Now, the storm is on track to make landfall in Puerto Rico. Dánica Coto, a reporter and editor for the Associated Press based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, weighs in.

• Republicans in the Senate are making one last attempt to pass a healthcare bill before September 30th, when the power to pass legislation through a party line vote in the Senate expires. The bill would end the insurance mandate, scale back Medicaid expansion, and replace tax subsidies with block grants, among other things. Lisa Mascaro, Congressional correspondent for The Los Angeles Times, weighs in.

• “Funny isn’t in the job description for the president of the United States, but it’s a trait that helps U.S. leaders connect with voters. President Barack Obama’s comedic timing became something of a signature during his eight years in office, and many of the laughs the president got can be attributed to David Litt. In a new memoir called “Thanks, Obama: My Hopey, Changey White House Years, Litt shares the importance of humor in political messaging, and recalls the first joke he wrote that the president said aloud.

• Amanda Gorman was named the inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate back in April. Currently a sophomore at Harvard University, this past weekend she read a poem at the “Social Good Summit" in New York, which is funded by the United Nations Foundation. She shares some of her poetry and discusses her mission for her newly created role.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• The United Nations General Assembly is holding its annual meeting in New York this week. All eyes are on President Donald Trump, who will address the group of world leaders for the first time on Tuesday. Nicholas Burns, a former ambassador to NATO and under secretary of state, explains what you should expect.

• The U.S. is the biggest financial contributor to the United Nations. Earlier this year, the Trump Administration proposed cuts for U.N. aid programs and peacekeeping operations overseas, something that's concerning countries that are in the throes of crisis, like the Democratic Republic of Congo. Here to weigh in is Herman “Hank Cohen, a former ambassador to Senegal and the Gambia under President Jimmy Carter, and a former assistant secretary of state for African affairs under President George H.W. Bush.

• On September 24th, voters in Germany head to the polls for federal elections. The parliamentary vote is considered something of a referendum on Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is running for a fourth term. Constanze Stelzenmüller, Robert Bosch senior fellow with the Center on the U.S. and Europe at the Brookings Institution, discusses the issues at hand.

• Federal prosecutors in Brazil have opened an investigation into the reported massacre of 10 members of a previously uncontacted tribe. Sarah Shenker,senior campaigner with Survival International, a global indigenous rights group, was in Brazil working with indigenous groups this summer. She joins The Takeaway to discuss the alleged massacre and what it could mean for indigenous groups in Brazil going forward.

• Vermont Public Radio has found that 89 percent of gun deaths between 2011 and 2016 were suicides, and 30 percent of those suicides were committed by veterans. Vermont Public Radio’s Taylor Dobbs walks us through the project, and reflects on the unique challenges Vermont faces when it comes to preventing gun deaths.

• In Wilmington, Delaware, young people between ages 12 and 17 are more likely to be shot than any other city in the U.S. Yasser Payne is a professor at the University of Delaware who studied Wilmington’s gun problem for year. He discusses how the violence grew over the years, and what it has done to the city's social fabric.
• A new exhibit by the artist Kara Walker opens in New York City this month. Rebecca Carroll, editor of special projects for WNYC, and writer Ashley C. Ford react to the exhibit, and discuss some of the history and criticism of Walker's work, who is the youngest recipient of the MacArthur “genius grant.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• Sunday is Constitution Day, the 230th anniversary of the ratification of the Constitution. Georgetown Law Professor Louis Michael Seidman argues it’s time to leave the Constitution behind.

• The first episode of the new 10-part documentary series from Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, "The Vietnam War," premiers on Sunday, and it aims to challenge previous perceptions about the conflict. Thanh Tan, host of the podcast Second Wave, says her family fled Vietnam during the war. She discusses her own understanding of the war, and how it changed after seeing the documentary.

• Today, the Cassini spacecraft ended its mission with a "grand finale" by plunging into Saturn’s atmosphere. The spacecraft spent 13 years zipping around Saturn and its many moons, teaching us much more about the gas giant and its satellites. For a deeper look at Cassini, The Takeaway turns to Emily Rice, an astrophysicist and researcher at the American Museum of Natural History.

• Every Friday, Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, drops by to review the new films hitting the box office. This week, Rafer discusses the action flick "American Assassin," the drama "First They Killed My Father," and the mystery-thriller "Mother!"

• For those who study birds, the 9/11 Tribute in Light provides an ample laboratory to examine how birds are affected by light pollution. Andrew Farnsworth and his team with the Cornell Ornithology Lab quantified how many birds were on site, what species were there, where they were coming from, and how their behavior changed. It's all an attempt to understand how birds are adapting to an environment that is increasingly dominated by humans.

• A week after Hurricane Irma hit Florida, we check in with Florida Keys Reporter Nancy Klingener. She did not evacuate the Keys, and explains how her family is holding up and what her community is facing in order to rebuild.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• Storms like Hurricane Irma don't discriminate when they make landfall, but the country’s most vulnerable often fare the worst amid a natural disaster. Joan Flocks, the director of social policy for the Center for Governmental Responsibility at the University of Florida School of Law, says socio-economic divides become more apparent after disasters strike.

• New data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that that the middle class is on the rise in America. Is it time to celebrate? Some say, not so fast. Heather Long, economics correspondent for The Washington Post, explains.

• It’s being called an "ethnic cleansing" campaign propped up by "modern day concentration camps" — the plight of the Rohingya Muslim minority community of Myanmar has escalated in recent weeks. Nicholas Kristof is an author and columnist for The New York Times who visited Myanmar in 2015 to report on the situation. He joins The Takeaway to discuss the crisis.

• For the past year, San Diego, California has been in the midst of a major Hepatitis A outbreak. The city has responded with a street washing program, but more cases are expected to be reported. David Alvarez is a council member representing District 8 in San Diego, and he joins The Takeaway to weigh in on the city’s response to the outbreak.

• On Monday, state lawmakers in California reached an agreement on legislation that will make California a so-called “sanctuary state. Marisa Lagos, a political reporter for public radio station KQED, discusses the implications of the bill, who supports it, and who is protected (and who isn't) under the law.

• Last week, Massachusetts District Attorney Marian Ryan said there will be no new trial for Victor Rosario, who had been imprisoned for 32 years for setting a fire that killed eight people. He was waiting for prosecutors to decide if his case would be retried after his conviction was overturned in 2014. Rosario shares his story today on The Takeaway.

• Antibalas is a Brooklyn-based Afro-beat band that models itself after Fela Kuti and Eddie Palmieri. They are out with a new album this Friday. Duke Amayo, the band's lead singer percussionist, and musician and founder Martine Perna,dropped by the studio to talk about their music and its meaning in this moment.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• Some members of Congress are hopeful that there is still an opportunity to fix the Affordable Care Act. We look at what’s on the table and what lawmakers may be able to realistically achieve with Jeffrey Young, a senior reporter at HuffPost.

• Today, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders will introduce a “Medicare-for-all bill, and at number of Democratic senators have announced their intent to co-sponsor the legislation, including Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon. He discusses the bill today on The Takeaway.

• Yesterday, the Republican mayor of Miami told The Takeaway that the country needs to wake up to the realities of climate change. We examine the historical relationship between Republicans and climate change with Bob Inglis, a former congressman from South Carolina and founder of RepublicEN.

• A new study shows that microscopic plastic fibers are more prevalent in drinking water than anyone previously imagined. The United States is most at risk — of 33 tap water samples examined from across America, 94 percent tested positive for the presence of plastic fibers. Kartik Chandran, a professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia University, has the details.

• Over the past year, the military has cut their band budgets by around 40 percent. The 323rd Army Band in San Antonio, Texas is one of five bands slated to be shut down by 2019. Carson Frame, Texas Public Radio's military and veterans' issues reporter, has the story.

• Photojournalist Finbarr O’Reilly and retired Marine Corps sergeant Thomas “TJ Brennan met in Afghanistan in 2010. Their new book,“Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War, depicts the complex relationship between military members and journalists. This week, they sat down with The Takeaway to discuss how the dangers of war brought them together.

• When it comes to dealing with the catastrophic effects of natural disasters, why do we continually fail to learn from the lessons of past events? Scott Knowles, a disaster historian and professor of history at Drexel University, argues that historians must be part of the public debate regarding disasters and extreme weather events.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• Ronald Sanders, Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to the United States, gives us the details on the damage from Hurricane Irma on the island of Barbuda, which has been totally decimated. Dr. Eugene "Doc" Petersen, a native of St. Croix of the U.S. Virgin Islands, a radio host, singer, guitarist, percussionist, and retired veterinarian, explains how his community is coping.

• It’s wildfire season, and for the past month or so, more than two dozen wildfires have been burning across several states in the American West. These intense fires threaten watersheds in the forests and ultimately drinking water for millions of people out West. Here to explain is Tom Martin, president and CEO of the American Forest Foundation.

• Two weeks after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Houston, Texas, the city's refineries and plants released more than 4 million pounds of airborne admissions. Luke Metzger, the director of Environment Texas, an environmental advocacy group, says this raises a number of concerns.

• The Retro Report documentary team returns this week with a look at the evolving fight over women’s bodies, from breaking sexual taboos in the '70s to the hit series "The Handmaid's Tale" today. Bonnie Bertram, a producer for Retro Report, weighs in.

• The Marshall Project takes us to Craighead County, Arkansas, where a private probation company called The Justice Network has had an exclusive deal with the county to manage and enforce its probationary needs for two decades. Andrew Cohen, senior editor for The Marshall Project, says there are perverse incentives that keep these companies in business.

• In Florida, the state with the most to lose from rising sea levels, the realities of climate change often don't match up with how the state's Republican leadership treats the issue. Mayor Tomás Regalado, a Republican who has been mayor of Miami since 2009, discusses how climate change is addressed in the state.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• After first making landfall in the Florida Keys early Sunday, Hurricane Irma is still battering the Sunshine State. The storm has been downgraded to a Category 1 force, but millions are still without power, and flooding is still a concern. Tim Padgett, the Americas editor for public radio station WLRN in Miami, and Ben Kirtman, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, bring us the latest on the storm.

• The U.S. Department of Labor investigated 77 Los Angeles garment factories and found that workers are paid as little as $4.00 an hour sewing clothes for Forever 21, Ross Dress for Less, and TJ Maxx. Legal loopholes allow these companies to operate under sweatshop conditions. David Weil, a former administrator for the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, explains.

• A massive earthquake struck off the southern coast of Mexico last week — it was the strongest quake to hit the area in a century. Almost 100 people have been found dead so far. Paulina Villegas, a reporter for our partners at The New York Times covering Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, explains how the nation is recovering.

• In July, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Justice Department no longer views workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity to be covered by federal law. What workplace protections currently exists for LGBTQ Americans? Chai Feldblum, a commissioner at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, answers.

• Even after "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was repealed in 2011, being out in the military was and can still be a challenge. Kathy Tu, host of the LGBTQ podcast Nancy from WNYC Studios, brings us the inside story of the first gay pride event at The Pentagon.

• Esperanza Spalding’s new album "Exposure" is available for pre-order now via Concord Records, but she won’t begin composing, arranging, or recording the music it until she steps into the studio tomorrow at 9:00 AM Pacific time. At that point, she will create the album over a 77 hour period, broadcasting every second of the creative process to a global audience live on Facebook. She joins The Takeaway to discuss her new project.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• As Hurricane Irma approaches the Sunshine State, evacuations are underway in the Florida Keys. The low lying islands, which are about six feet above sea level, only have one road in and out, and a storm surge could be catastrophic if people do not leave. Nancy Klingener, WLRN Florida Keys reporter, weighs in.

• Roads and properties in Miami Beach, Florida could be underwater with just three feet of sea level rise, which may happen by 2050. But emergency managers say fool-proof plans are fiction, and Hurricane Irma’s impact can upend the playbook. Philip Stoddard, mayor of South Miami, explains.

• Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson is co-leading a lawsuit with 15 other attorneys general challenging President Donald Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, alleging that the president’s action is unconstitutional and illegal. Attorney General Ferguson joins The Takeaway to discuss the suit.

• Melissa Locker, culture reporter for TIME, The Guardian, and The Takeaway, delivers a preview of the fall television lineup, including "The Deuce" with James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal; "Law & Order: The Menendez Murders" with Edie Falco; "Dynasty" on the CW, and Mindhunter on Netflix.

• Every Friday, Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, drops by to review the new films hitting the box office. This week he reviews the re-make of the Stephen King horror film "IT," and a romantic comedy starring Reese Witherspoon, "Home Again."

• Credit reporting agency Equifax announced Thursday that the personal information of 143 million U.S. consumers was exposed through a cybersecurity breach. Kim Zetter, a journalist who covers cybersecurity for WIRED, The Washington Post, and The Intercept, has the details on the attack.

• On Wednesday, New York City announced that all public schools will offer free lunch to its 1.1 million students. Could this program serve as a model for schools around the country? New York City Council Member Ben Kallos, who represents New Yorkers in the Upper West Side and Roosevelt Island, joins The Takeaway to talk about the importance of ensuring that every student receives lunch at school.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• Hurricane Irma is being called the most powerful storm to threaten the Atlantic in years. As it approached the U.S. Wednesday, parts of Florida began evacuating residents, and Puerto Rico and portions of the Caribbean faced winds of 185 miles per hour. Dánica Coto, a reporter and editor for the Associated Press based in San Juan, and Tim Padgett, Americas editor for Miami public radio station WLRN, bring us the latest.

• Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating possible collusion between the Trump presidential campaign and the Russian government, is teaming up with the IRS and the New York state attorney general. Betsy Woodruff, political reporter for The Daily Beast, joins The Takeaway to analyze the significance of this development.

• The U.S. Open tennis tournament is now down to its final four in Queens, New York, and this year on the women’s side, you’ll only find Americans among the contenders. It’s also the first time three African-American women will compete in the semi-finals. Lindsay Gibbs, sports reporter at Think Progress, explains.

• A new report from HEROES, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of those living with HIV in the rural south, found that HIV-related mortality rates in rural regions of Louisiana were 1.6 times higher than metropolitan regions of the state. Linda Meredith, the director of research and development at HEROES, says most risk factors are compounded in rural areas.

• In many states across the country, one can be charged with a felony for not disclosing their HIV status. However, recent studies show that, when individuals are properly treated, HIV transmissions from sexual encounters can range from zero to 1.56 percent. Catherine Hanssens, founder of the Center for HIV Law Policy, examines the criminalization of HIV in America.

• With flood waters from Hurricane Harvey still lingering in parts of Texas and Louisiana, residents and officials in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are grappling with the onslaught of Hurricane Irma. All of this has left the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stretched to its limits. Elizabeth Zimmerman, former associate administrator for FEMA’s office of response and recovery, looks at the logistical and funding challenges facing the agency.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• In the wake of the Trump Administration's new announcement, many DACA recipients have struggled to comprehend what the future holds, or whether or not they'll be permitted to live, work, or study freely in the United States. Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, the director of the Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at Penn State, joins The Takeaway to answer questions from DACA recipients.

• Following North Korea's sixth nuclear test this past Sunday, North Korea’s ambassador to the U.N. said on Monday that the US will “continue to receive more gift packages. To understand the latest from North Korea, we turn to one of the only journalist who has gone undercover in the country: Suki Kim, contributing editor for The New Republic.

• As tensions continue to rise between North Korea and the United States, Japan is on high alert. Anna Fifield, Tokyo bureau chief for The Washington Post, discusses the perspective from Japan.

• Hurricane Irma made landfall in Puerto Rico today. The Category 5 storm is hitting the U.S. territory with 185 mile per hour winds. While residents of the island have experienced major storms in the past, there are concerns about recovering in the hurricane’s aftermath, particularly as Puerto Rico’s economic crisis drags on. Dánica Coto, a reporter and editor for the Associated Press based in San Juan, explains.

• On Wednesday, opening statements will be made in the trial of New Jersey Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, who faces 12 corruption-related counts, including six counts of bribery. It’s the first time in 36 years that a sitting senator is facing a federal bribery trial. Nancy Solomon, managing editor for New Jersey Public Radio and WNYC, has the details.

• In a new novel out this week, author Salman Rushdie wades into presidential politics in a story that begins on the day of President Barack Obama’s inauguration. He joins The Takeaway to discuss his latest work, "The Golden House," which tells the story of one immigrant who leaves behind a dark past in India to remake himself in the U.S.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• The White House announced today that it would rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, which covers about 800,000 undocumented youth. Camille Mackler, the director of Immigration Legal Policy at the New York Immigration Coalition, has the latest.

• Ciriac Alvarez is one of DACA grantees worried about the program's fate. An immigration rights activist and college graduate, she came to the United States from Mexico when she was five years old and has called Utah home for 17 years. She shares her concerns with The Takeaway.

• Tensions continue to escalate after North Korea carried out on Sunday its most powerful nuclear test to date. The U.N. Security Council called an emergency meeting Monday to address the latest escalation and to urge stronger measures against North Korea. Daryl Kimball, the executive director of the Arms Control Association, joins The Takeaway to discuss the news.

• The House and Senate are returning from recess with some pressing items to resolve, including decisions about raising the debt ceiling and sending relief funds to Houston in the wake of Hurrican Harvey. Mike DeBonis, who covers Congress and national politics for The Washington Post, discusses the checklist that Congress must tackle in coming weeks.

• In the past week, nearly 50,000 Rohingya Muslims have been on the run from violence in Myanmar, and nearly 20,000 of them are trapped in a no man's land between Myanmar and Bangladesh. Debra Eisenman, the executive director of the Asia Society Policy Institute, describes the recent surge in violence.

• Last week, it was reported that Hurricane Harvey was a 1-in-1,000-year flood event. Adam Sobel, the director of Columbia University’s Initiative on Extreme Weather and Climate and the author of “Storm Surge, says that the 1-in-1,000-year statistic is misleading, and that even though we can’t say for sure, hurricanes like Harvey provide important teaching moments for a country that often misses the point about climate change.

• Americans near and far have donated their time and money to helping victims of Hurricane Harvey. Halfway around the world, South Asians suffered their own environmental catastrophe as monsoons swept the region. Does the experience of a natural disaster at home make us more empathetic to a crisis abroad? Stephanie Preston, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, weighs in.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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Happy Labor Day from The Takeaway. In this special episode, we’re exploring the economy, and the ways society can prepare the people of today for the labor needs of tomorrow. Here’s what you’ll find in this holiday show:

• On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump promised to fix the economy. Harry Holzer, a professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown and a Nonresident Senior Fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution, evaluates the state of the American economy as Trump’s tenure crosses the eight month mark. Matt Olson, a truck driver delivering goods to dairy farms all across Wisconsin and Minnesota, also shares his perspective on the U.S. labor market.

• How are traditional systems of education preparing workers to access the jobs of today and tomorrow? Alison Kadlec, senior vice president and director of higher education and workforce programs at the non-profit research organization Public Agenda, weighs in.

• In 2015, there were nearly 5 million young people between the ages of 16 and 24 who were neither in school nor working. Clive Belfield, a professor of economics at Queens College, and Kate Kingery, deputy director of community transformation at County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, say communities with greater numbers of these so-called “disconnected youths tend to have higher levels of unemployment, teen births, and child poverty.

• In the city of Chicago, there are about 60,000 disconnected youths. Through a private-public partnership called Thrive Chicago, the Windy City is connecting 10,000 of these young adults with jobs, internships, or mentorship programs. Brandis Friedman, who covers education with WTTW's Chicago Tonight, explains how Thrive Chicago is working.

• According to a 2011 Pew poll, 57 percent of Americans say the higher education system in the United States fails to provide students with good value for the money. Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich explores “alternative paths to reaching the middle class that don’t involve a traditional four year college education.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• From a natural disaster like Hurricane Harvey, to an unexpected broken bone, are you financially prepared for an emergency? For a look at financial preparedness among American families, The Takeaway turns to Jonathan Morduch, co-author of "The Financial Diaries: How American Families Cope in a World of Uncertainty," Courtney Collins, lead reporter on KERA’s One Crisis Away project, and John Gerzema, CEO of Harris Insights & Analytics.

• It's been 40 years since Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg released "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, examines the cultural impact of Spielberg’s seminal sci-fi film about three people who believe in the existence of alien life.

• On Wednesday, the annual Hajj pilgrimage began for nearly 2 million Muslims from around the world. But this year, the Hajj is even more beset by political strife than in the past, as Qatar remains in a bitter dispute with Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities have also reportedly placed restrictions on Syrian citizens looking to take part in the spiritual event. Dilshad Ali, editor of the Muslim Channel at Patheos.com, explains.

• With so many changes to the American economy over the past several decades, the conventional wisdom on how to gain access to the middle class doesn't always seem to be panning out. Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich analyzes how we define the middle class in 2017, and better ways to think about viable “alternative paths to reaching that point.

• It’s been almost a week since Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas. Vernon Loeb, managing editor of the Houston Chronicle, has been on the front lines of the storm from the beginning. Amanda K. Edwards, a native Houstonian and current Houston City Council Member-at-Large, has been out on the streets across the district checking in on how people are doing. They examine Harvey's devastation, and what it has done to a city that has been pushed to its breaking point.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• Congressman Joaquin Castro represents the 20th district in Texas, and joins the program to discuss political leadership in the state in the face of Harvey, the ways Washington can support the Lone Star State during this time, and what Texans need to know about disputing weather-related property claims during this difficult time.

• Harvey will delay the start of the school year for many students in the greater Houston area, but the destruction in some areas is so severe there are questions about whether they'll be able to open at all in the coming weeks and months. Suzanne Ransleben, executive director for the Aransas County ISD Education Foundation, looks at the challenges facing students, teachers, and parents.

• On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis put a temporary freeze on President Trump’s ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, pending further research. But the freeze has caused more confusion about the ban and whether Mattis’ move was in lock step with Trump’s vision for the policy. Shawn Snow, a reporter Military Times and Marine Corps veteran, explains.

• President Trump made a pitch for tax reform during a speech in Springfield, Missouri on Wednesday. It was his first presidential speech specifically-focused on tax policy. Richard Rubin, U.S. tax policy reporter for The Wall Street Journal in Washington, unpacks the president's address.

• Amazon purchased Whole Foods for $13.7 billion back in June, and this week the company dropped prices at the country’s biggest premium grocer by 43 percent. We look ahead to how this partnership will affect consumers and their access to affordable groceries, with Brittain Ladd, a strategy consultant who previously worked for Amazon on its grocery business.

• Access to food is becoming an issue in Houston, where supplies are limited or running out at shelters and grocery stores that are still open. Katherine Blunt, business reporter with the Houston Chronicle, weighs in.

• Insurance experts say that approximately 80 percent of Hurricane Harvey victims do not have flood insurance, which is typically purchased by homeowners with federally-backed mortgages living in Special Flood Hazard Areas. Carolyn Kousky, director of policy research and engagement at the Wharton Risk Center at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses how flood insurance works, and why so few Houstonians have it.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• As floodwaters remain high in Houston, The Takeaway explores the health risks that people face both during and after a storm of such magnitude with Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Houston's Baylor College of Medicine.

• Tropical Storm Harvey has made landfall in the state of Louisiana, nearly 12 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina. Some parts of the state have already received 15 inches of rain. Sue Lincoln, news director at WRKF in Baton Rouge, looks at how The Pelican State is coping.

• Early Tuesday, North Korea fired a provocative missile over Japan. It's being called the most serious missile test launched to date by the North Koreans. Joshua Pollack, senior research associate at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and an editor of the Nonproliferation Review, explains.

• It’s monsoon season, and the death toll from floods across India, Bangladesh, and Nepal has climbed above 1,200, and millions of people across these three countries have been displaced. Annie Gowen, India bureau chief for The Washington Post, brings us the latest.

• A Texas bill to ban so-called "sanctuary cities" goes into effect this Friday. Several Texas cities and counties have filed a lawsuit questioning the bill's constitutionality, and are seeking a preliminary injunction from a judge while the case makes its way through court. Julián Aguilar, border and immigration reporter for the Texas Tribune, has the details.

• Last week, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer announced the city was joining a lawsuit filed by San Francisco that challenges the Department of Justice's crackdown on so-called "sanctuary cities." Feuer explains why his city is joining the suit.

• What age is the right age for children to begin school? We continue our look at early childhood education with a conversation about timing and what kids should know when they enter a school setting with Suzanne Bouffard, a child development specialist and author of "The Most Important Year: Pre-Kindergarten and the Future of Our Children."

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• Across Texas and Louisiana, flood waters from Hurricane Harvey continue to rise. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says that as many as 30,000 people may ultimately need shelter after the storm. The Takeaway hears from a number of Houston residents —including Bennette Teer, Clifford Krauss, Pastor Candy O'Meara, Miriam Camero, and Gerald Eckert — about how they're coping and helping the community.

• On Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Trump Administration’s plans to lift a partial ban on military equipment used by local police departments. Dr. Cedric Alexander, deputy mayor of Rochester, New York, and a former member of President Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing, analyzes the rule change, and what it could mean for local communities.

• On Monday, Republican Governor Bruce Rauner of Illinois signed a bill known as The Trust Act into law. The bill prohibits law enforcement From detaining illegal immigrants solely on their immigration status. Odette Yousef, a reporter for Chicago public radio station WBEZ, has the details.

• While Donald Trump was campaigning to become president, a business associate sought out commercial interests for him in Russia, according to reports from The Washington Post and The New York Times. Washington Post National Reporter Rosalind Helderman discusses the latest revelations about the proposed real estate deal in Moscow, which never materialized.

• Across the country, about 1.5 million or 40 percent of 4-year-olds are enrolled in some form of publicly-funded early education program. Those numbers have been increasing steadily in recent years, but the question of who gets access all depends on what state and city you live in. Abbie Lieberman, a policy analyst on the Early & Elementary Education Policy team at New America, explains.

• Even before Hurricane Harvey hit, an investigation by The Texas Tribune and ProPublica found that Houston was a “sitting duck for the next big hurricane. Why weren't these warnings heeded? Phil Bedient, an engineering professor at Rice University and co-director of the Storm Surge Prediction, Education, and Evacuation from Disasters Center, answers.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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Coming up on today's show:

• Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas this weekend. At least eight people have died from the storm, and thousands are facing devastation as catastrophic flooding continues to to batter the Houston area. Rachel Osier Lindley, statewide coordinating editor for the Texas Station Collaborative, and Art Acevedo, chief of police in Houston, Texas, join The Takeaway with the latest.

• President Trump pardoned former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Friday. Arpaio is infamous for targeting Latinos during undocumented immigration sweeps. January Contreras served as an assistant attorney general in the Obama Administration and is currently running for attorney general in the state of Arizona. She joins The Takeaway to discuss the impact Arpaio's tenure had on Latinos in her state, and the signal being sent by his pardon.

• Despite not having a new center to locate homeless persons, the city of Atlanta is closing its last so-called "shelter of last resort" in the city, which take in anyone, with almost no exceptions. Chuck Steffen, chair of the Board of Directors of the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless, joins The Takeaway to explain the real root of the problem when it comes to homeless populations.

• The Takeaway has been presenting conversations about race and identity through our original series "Uncomfortable Truths: Confronting Racism in America." Today we hear from Lakshmi Iyer and Brandy Stein. Brandy is the birth mother of two white children, who Lakshmi, an Indian-American, adopted. They now have an open adoption, yet they rarely have talked about race. They have that difficult conversation today on The Takeaway.

• The National Weather Service issued a dire warning about Hurricane Harvey this weekend, saying "this event is unprecedented and all impacts are unknown and beyond anything experienced." Louis Uccellini is leading the agency as Director of the National Weather Service. He explains why this weather event is so unprecedented.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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Coming up on today's show:

• Since 2000, some 71 communities have tried to secede from their school districts. It’s a modern day perpetuation of school segregation, in which communities, arguing for better local control, instead create schools divided by race and class. Erika Wilson, Reed Ivey distinguished professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and David Pickler, the last chairman of the old Shelby County Board of Education, weigh in.

• An academic paper released this week definitively finds that Exxon acknowledged man-made climate change internally, but worked to misinform people publicly. Geoffrey Supran, a post doctoral fellow at Harvard University who co-authored this academic study, discusses his findings.

• A year ago, former 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick started kneeling during the national anthem to protest the treatment of black people in the U.S. The 49ers didn’t renew Kaepernick’s contract this year, and no other NFL team picked him up as a free agent. But if the NFL was hoping the protests would stop, they were very wrong. Dave Zirin, Sports Editor for The Nation magazine and host of "The Edge of Sports" podcast, explains.

• Tomorrow night, world boxing champion Floyd Mayweather steps out of retirement to face off with mixed martial arts superstar Connor MacGregor in a highly-touted boxing match in Las Vegas. The lead up to the fight was preceded by a four city trash talking tour, where the two fighters threw verbal jabs laced with profanity, and homophobic and racist comments. Kelefa Sanneh, a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine, analyzes the tension ahead of the match.

• Earlier this week, a judge in Texas ruled against a voter ID law, and the state's attorney general says he plans to appeal the ruling. Stephen Vladeck, a professor of Law at the University of Texas at Austin, explains what's next for the fight over voter IDs in the Lone Star State, and what it says about voting laws around the country.

• In the U.S. Capitol, there are three times as many statues of Confederate soldiers and politicians as there are statues of African-Americans. Vivien Green Fryd, a professor at Vanderbilt University and author of "Art and Empire: The Politics of Ethnicity in the United States Capitol, 1815-1865," discusses how the intersection of art, politics, and identity in the U.S. Capitol.

This episode is hosted by Indira Lakshmanan.

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• The Washington Post has been tracking false or misleading claims made by President Trump since he took office seven months ago. The tally now stands at 1,057. We look back at some of the biggest misstatements or outright lies he has made, and how they’ve played to the American public with Glenn Kessler, a Washington Post reporter and author of “The Fact Checker Column.

• Many believe Tasers are a non-lethal alternative for police officers who are responding to combative situations. But new research from Reuters exposes the hidden dangers of Tasers. Peter Eisler, national affairs correspondent at Reuters, explains.

• On Wednesday, a Saudi-led airstrike in Yemen killed at least 40 people. Saudi-led forces have been fighting the Houthi rebels since 2015 in Yemen’s civil war. The conflict has killed an estimated 10,000 civilians so far. Saudi Arabia is the largest buyer of U.S. weapons, and Congress just approved a $500 million weapons deal with the nation in June. Ryan Goodman, former special counsel for the Department of Defense, discusses the U.S. role in the conflict.

• Military families move regularly, and that means military spouses often struggle to hold steady jobs. According to reporting by the American Homefront Project, half of all military spouses are either unemployed or underemployed. Sarah Harris, a reporter for North Country Public Radio and a contributor to The American Homefront Project, explains.

• The debate over Confederate monuments and symbols rages on. Fitz Brundage, history department chair at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and and author of "The Southern Past: A Clash of Race and Memory," has studied how these statues came to be, and their political and cultural intent. He says that there are four distinct periods of Confederate statue making, and remembrance.

• How does K-12 education fit into the fight over how the U.S. remembers its history? An examination of American education shows that history curriculums vary greatly, especially when it comes to the Civil War. Kevin Levin, a historian who writes extensively about the Civil War and is a former high school teacher in Charlottesville, Virginia, explains.

This episode is hosted by Indira Lakshmanan.

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• On Tuesday night, President Trump held a campaign-style rally in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. In an angry address, the president blamed the news media for deepening divisions within the country, and decried undocumented immigration and called for tougher trade deals. After the rally, which drew thousands of protesters, police used tear gas to disperse crowds. Jimmy Jenkins, a senior field correspondent for KJZZ in Phoenix, was at the rally last night and brings us the details on the event.

• Even as the GOP appears to grow increasingly frustrated with the Trump presidency, the Republican National Committee continues to surpass the Democrats in fundraising in 2017. Ryan Williams, a GOP strategist and a former spokesman for Mitt Romney's presidential campaigns, explains why the party is succeeding with donors as the president continues to face mounting criticism and anger.

• On Monday, the Secret Service released a statement saying that it only has enough money to operate through the end of September unless Congress intervenes. Already, the current Secret Service director admitted that the agency can no longer pay hundreds of agents. James Mottola, a Secret Service agent between 1988 and 2014, weighs in.

• This week, the United Nations Children's Fund reported that Boko Haram has already used four times as many child suicide bombers as they used in all of 2016, a startling uptick in an organization that is increasingly normalizing the use of children in conflict. John Campbell, the Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, examines Boko Haram's strategy.

• On Wednesday, voters will go to the polls in Angola to elect a new president for the first time in 38 years. The nation is one of the biggest oil producers on the continent. Zenaida Machado, Angola and Mozambique researcher at the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch Africa, analyzes the race and what it may mean for Angola and the continent.

• For the roughly five million young Americans who find themselves both unemployed and not in school, those living in rural communities face a unique set of challenges. Michelle Phares, program manager at YouthBuild North Central, and William Gartmann, a current YouthBuild student, discuss their efforts to engage young people across four rural counties in West Virginia.

• Forty years ago, NASA launched the Voyager missions: Two space probes, sent into space on August 20th, and September 5th, 1977. In honor of their four-decade journey, a new documentary about the intrepid probes called "The Farthest: Voyager in Space" airs on PBS tonight. Carolyn Porco, a planetary scientist who started working on the Voyager mission in 1983, is featured in tonight’s documentary and discusses the decades-long work of the Voyager mission today on The Takeaway.

This episode is hosted by Ray Suarez.

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• In an address to the nation, President Trump announced he would be sending more American troops to fight in Afghanistan, the longest military conflict the U.S. has ever been involved in. For a look at what's next, The Takeaway turns to General Dan Bolger, who led the training of Afghan forces from 2011 to 2013, and Carlotta Gall, senior foreign correspondent for The New York Times.

• House Speaker Paul Ryan held a televised town hall on Monday. He faced some heat from constituents over the repeal of Obamacare, and carefully criticized President Trump's response to the events in Charlottesville. Chuck Quirmbach, a reporter for Wisconsin Public Radio, unpacks the town hall meeting.

• Chile was one of the few countries where abortion was illegal without exception, but yesterday, the Chilean Constitutional Tribunal ruled that abortion can be allowed in cases where the mother's life is in danger, when the fetus is nonviable, or in cases of rape. For details, The Takeaway turns to Pascale Bonnefoy, who has been reporting on abortion in Chile for The New York Times and is a professor of journalism at the University of Chile.

• Ten U.S. sailors went missing after a Navy destroyer collided with an oil tanker off the coast of Singapore on Monday, and the U.S. Pacific Fleet announced Tuesday that some their remains were found in the flooded compartments of the U.S.S. John S. McCain. This is the second naval accident in two months. For a look at what went wrong, The Takeaway turns to Sam Tangredi, a professor of national, naval, and maritime strategy at the Center for Naval Warfare Studies at the U.S. Naval War College.

• One in eight American young people are both unemployed and out of school. But one Philadelphia school is making strides. YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter Schools director of student life Akeem Akbar joins a recent graduate, Chalisha Clemens, to talk about the work being done to unearth the potential of their city's youth.

• "Rabbit: The Autobiography of Ms. Pat" is the first book from Patricia Williams, who has appeared on Comedy Central and NBC's Last Comic Standing, among numerous other programs and podcasts. The book provides some raw insight into her personal story overcoming poverty, violence, childhood pregnancy, and imprisonment and how she turned her experiences into material for her comedy career.

This episode is hosted by Ray Suarez.

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• Total solar eclipse day is here! The Takeaway checks in with Jason Kendall, an adjunct professor of astronomy at William Paterson University, who was stationed along the path of totality in Wyoming.

• On Friday, Steve Bannon was dismissed from his role as chief White House strategist by the chief of staff, John Kelly. Hours after the dismissal was announced, Bannon had returned to his position as executive chairman of Breitbart News, the conservative outlet that Bannon himself has called a “platform for the alt-right. Eliana Johnson is a national political reporter for Politico, and she joins The Takeaway to discuss what to expect now that Bannon is out of the Trump administration.

• This past weekend, we said good-bye to two comedic icons: Dick Gregory, the pioneering African American comedian and civil rights activist, passed away on Saturday in Washington, D.C., at the age of 84, and comedian and filmmaker Jerry Lewis died on Sunday in Las Vegas, at 91. Roy Wood Jr.,correspondent for The Daily Show and the new host of Comedy Central's “This Is Not Happening, discusses the legacy of both men and the role of comedy at this moment in time.

• Last week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 214 into law, banning Texas insurers from covering abortions in general plans. Now, even in cases of rape, incest, or when the fetus is not viable, a woman would have to buy a supplemental plan in order to have the procedure covered. Democrats are firing back at what they decry as a "rape insurance" policy. State Democratic Representative Donna Howard joins The Takeaway to discuss.

• Last week a federal court ruled that two congressional districts in Texas violated the Constitution and Voting Rights Act. The two invalidated districts were redrawn after the 2010 census, which showed a surge of growth in communities of color. With the 2018 elections around the corner, the clock is ticking to get this case handled. Alexa Ura, the demographics reporter for The Texas Tribune, has the story.

• Recent news that suggests the U.S. economy is nearing full employment obscures the fact that a large segment of society is still left behind: young people ages 16-24, who are both out of school and unemployed. The nonprofit YouthBuild is dedicated to providing an education and vocational training to those who are often called "disconnected youth" or "opportunity youth." John Valverde is the CEO of YouthBuild USA and joins The Takeaway to talk about the organization's continuing work.

• The new POV documentary "Tribal Justice," premiering tonight on PBS, looks at two Native American women who are reforming the criminal justice system by restoring their communities rather than punishing offenders: Abby Abinanti, chief judge of the Yurok Tribal Court and the first Native American woman admitted to the State Bar of California, and Claudette White, chief judge of the Quechan Tribal Court in the Southern California desert. Judge White discusses her work and her personal experience with the criminal justice system.

This episode is hosted by Ray Suarez.

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• After the violence on display last weekend at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, The Takeaway has a look at the news stories that helped frame the media coverage of where the nation stands after such a pivotal week. Susan Page, Washington Bureau Chief for USA Today, and New York Daily News columnist Shaun King join the discussion.

• On Thursday afternoon, a terrorist attack struck Barcelona, when a van drove into pedestrians walking along Las Ramblas, a popular tourist boulevard. At least 13 died and scores of others were injured. And early Friday morning, police fatally shot five attackers in Cambrils, a coastal town 70 miles south of Barcelona, after the assailants drove a car into pedestrians, killing at least one and injuring several others. Fiona Govan,editor for The Local, Spain, joins The Takeaway with updates from the ground.

• After the violence in Charlottesville over the weekend, professional black athletes like LeBron James took to social media to speak out. Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation magazine and host of The Edge of Sports podcast, says black athletes have long shouldered the burden of speaking out against racism, and it’s time for white athletes to stand up as well.

• It's Friday, and that means movie reviews Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, drops by to discuss Steven Soderbergh's heist film, "Lucky Logan," and the comedic drama "Patti Cake$."

• Under the stewardship of President Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar has continued to make strides toward its goal of democratizing what’s long been a military dictatorship. But persistent persecution from the military has made life unbearable for the 1.5 million Rohingya, Myanmar's largest Muslim minority. Tun Khin, the president of the Burmese Rohingya Organization UK, and Dan Sullivan, senior advocate for human rights at Refugees International, have the story.

• On Monday, August 21, 2017 a strip of the country will experience several moments of darkness as the moon passes between the Earth and the sun in a total solar eclipse. While the exact time and path of an eclipse is completely predictable, it still can be an unnerving experience, says John Dvorak, author of “Mask of The Sun: The Science, History, and Forgotten Lore of Eclipses.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• Antifa, short for “anti-fascist, is a loosely-organized, wide amalgamation of leftist activists whose expressed purpose is to stand up against white supremacy and Nazism. Peter Beinart, a contributing editor for The Atlantic who has reported extensively on antifa, provides a short history of the movement, and what role it may have had in Charlottesville.

• On Wednesday, President Donald Trump disbanded his Manufacturing Council and Strategy and Policy Forum after several business leaders resigned, due to the president’s handling of the situation in Charlottesville. Sheelah Kolhatkar, a staff writer at The New Yorker, explains.

• Recent reports from aid groups show that hundreds of migrants, many of them traveling from the Horn of Africa to Yemen, have been thrown overboard by smugglers, a devastating development in what is already on track to be the deadliest year on record for migrant crossings. William Lacy Swing, director general of the International Organization for Migration, weighs in.

• There are hundreds of people missing, and hundreds more dead in Sierra Leone, after massive mudslides decimated the capital city of Freetown. The city is close to sea level and has a poor drainage system, and deforestation has exacerbated the consequences of flooding and mudslides, according to Jaime Yaya Barry, a researcher for the West and Central Africa bureaus of The New York Times.

• Amnesty International reports that there have been dozens of police killings of suspected drug dealers in Indonesia, leading some to fear that a policy in the Philippines could be spreading to neighboring countries. Phelim Kine, deputy director of the Asia division at Human Rights Watch, reflects on the violence.

• This year, the Labor Department is taking G Farms in El Mirage, Arizona, to court over accusations that it has underpaid and inadequately housed some of its workers who are here on temporary visas known as H2As. For a look at the suit, The Takeaway turns to Philip Martin of the Migration Policy Institute.

• Indie rock band Spoon, formed in 1993 by lead singer and guitarist Britt Daniel and drummer Jim Eno, are currently on tour promoting their ninth studio album, "Hot Thoughts." Daniel discusses the group's work and creative process today on The Takeaway.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• During a tense press conference on Tuesday, President Donald Trump walked back his comments condemning the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia this weekend, saying that counter-protesters demonstrating against neo-Nazis and white supremacists were also to blame. His comments stunned and angered many Democrats and Republicans, including Congressman Leonard Lance (R-NJ). He weighs in today on The Takeaway, along with Trump supporters Kenneth Lanci and Kevin Lonie.

• On Wednesday, trade negotiators representing Canada, the United States, and Mexico will meet in Washington to begin the process of renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Matt Gold, an adjunct professor of law at Fordham University and a former deputy assistant U.S. trade representative for North America, explains what you should expect.

• We take a closer look at who has gained and lost from NAFTA, particularly in the area of agriculture, with Karen Hansen-Kuhn, director of Trade and Global Governance at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.

• On Monday, a California-based web hosting provider, DreamHost, revealed that the Department of Justice issued a warrant seeking access to "all information available" about a website that facilitated Inauguration Day protests. Opponents, including DreamHost, say this request for 1.3 million web IP addresses is a violation of the Constitution. Nuala O’Connor, president and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology, has the details.

• Overnight, Confederate monuments in the city of Baltimore were quietly removed, following violence that broke out in neighboring Virginia. As more cities plan statue removals, Vann Newkirk, a writer for The Atlantic, discusses the significance of these monuments, and their removals.

• Harry Leslie Smith, a veteran of World War II, recalls the warning signs of war decades ago when he was a young teenager, and says the same “omens of doom are rearing their head today.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• The Southern Poverty Law Center has been documenting hate groups in the U.S. for decades. From 2015 to 2016, the organization saw a rise in the number of those groups operating in the U.S. Heidi Beirich, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project, which tracks far right groups in the U.S., joins The Takeaway to break down the state of white supremacist groups in America, and The Takeaway also hears from to Timothy Zaal, a former skinhead and current speaker at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.

• Today, Alabama primary voters will select a new candidate that may go on to fill the seat left vacant by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, but there's more to this election than meets the eye. Alan Blinder, who writes about the South for The New York Times, weighs in.

• Vice President Mike Pence is on a week-long trip across Latin America that will take him to Colombia, Argentina, Chile, and Panama. The vice president's trip is intended to focus on trade and the economy, but diplomatic pressure on Venezuela will likely overshadow the visit. Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas and Americas Society, explains.

• Blues legends Taj Mahal and Keb Mo have been on the scene for decades, playing together on stage countless times. Earlier this year, the two released their first collaboration album, "TajMo." Nowdays, they're taking a different approach to the blues — they say this music is meant to uplift in a political and cultural climate that often weighs people down.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• Over the weekend, a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, turned violent. Aryn Frazier was at the protests on Saturday, and watched much of the chaos unfold. She’s an undergraduate student at University of Virginia, and a 2017 Rhodes Scholar. She shares her experience today on The Takeaway.

• Unite the Right, the white nationalist group behind Saturday's rally, publicly chose to organize in opposition to the planned removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. After the violent rally, Lexington, Kentucky Mayor Jim Gray has decided to speed up the process to remove two of his city's Confederate monuments. He explains his decision today.

• A.D. Carson is a professor of hip hop at the University of Virginia, a position he moved into just this summer. When Carson was earning his Ph.D. at Clemson University, he worked actively with Clemson students, faculty, staff, and community members to raise awareness of historic and entrenched racism at the university, something he's hoping to do as he joins the university of Virginia.

• EclipseMob is a crowdsourced effort to conduct the largest-ever low-frequency radio wave propagation experiment during the 2017 solar eclipse. K.C. Kerby-Patel, an assistant professor in the Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and hardware team director for EclipseMob, discusses the group's project ahead of next week's total solar eclipse.

• Late last week, President Donald Trump continued to escalate his rhetoric against North Korea, saying the U.S. military was “locked and loaded and prepared for engagement. The Takeaway explores dynamic between the U.S. and North Korea, and how it might evolve in the coming weeks, with Christine Wormuth, director of the Resilience Center at the Atlantic Council, and a former Undersecretary of Defense.

• Andrea Ritchie has been studying police violence against women of color for more than two decades and has compiled an extensive database documenting incidents of police violence against women of color. She’s a police misconduct attorney and author of the new book “Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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John Hockenberry has been the heart and host of The Takeaway from its inception nearly 10 years ago. While The Takeaway will march forward, John is moving on to find his next media adventure.

Over the last decade, John, a multiple Peabody and Emmy Award winner, has crafted too many memorable and moving stories to list. But here are a few favorites, chosen by John and The Takeaway team

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• Between the 2016 election and the constant tweet stream from President Donald Trump, late night comedians have plenty of material to work with. But is this golden moment of satire losing its luster? It's a question explored in the latest issue of The Point magazine. Jon Baskin, one of the founding editors of The Point, weighs in.

• Charlotte Salomon was a German painter killed at Auschwitz in 1943 at the age of 26. Her tragic life story has largely overshadowed her work. This year marks the 100th anniversary of her birth, and three major books of her work are set to be published, along with the first exhibition of all her work. Mary Felstiner, a professor of history at San Francisco State University and author of "To Paint Her Life: Charlotte Salomon in the Nazi Era," weighs in.

• Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, drops by to review the big new releases hitting the box office this weekend, including "The Glass Castle," a family drama; the dance documentary "Step"; the horror film "Annabelle: Creation"; and the animated sequel "The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature."

• Photographer Sarah Takako created the "Hope Is Project" as a way to understand the nature of hope. Her goal is to inspire a global conversation about hope. Along with Takako, Drew Faithful, a transgender male, talks about his participation in the project and his vision of hope.

• Part of what makes The Takeaway The Takeaway is the way the show sounds. Jay Cowit, technical director of The Takeaway, sat down with John Hockenberry to discuss the things that have worked and helped to define a show that thinks outside of the sound of traditional public radio, and the things that haven't.

• For nearly 10 years, John Hockenberry has been the voice of The Takeaway. On his last day as host of the program, John looks back on his tenure with the show, and how it's changed and evolved over the last decade.

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• According to a new study, income gains for the middle class have stayed relatively stagnant since 1980. Nobel Prize-winning economist Angus Deaton discusses how inequality has created two Americas.

• Gregg Fore, president of Dicor Corp., a manufacturer and distributor of components that are used in RVs, has open jobs, but he just can fill them. As the opioid crisis reaches a critical level, workers are having a hard time passing drug tests, and this trend is having a broader effect on businesses.

• Andrew Cohen, senior editor at The Marshall Project and the author of Case in Point, looks at the case of Victor Rosario, a man who spent 32 years in prison for a deadly fire. Cohen explains why his conviction was ultimately overturned.

• Former Republican California State Assembly Leader Pat Nolan is a conservative was once a staunch law and order and tough on crime politician. Nolan, who is currently the director of The American Conservative Union, changed his tune on prison reform after finding himself behind bars for two years.

• As The Takeaway says goodbye to John Hockenberry, we revisit the story of Bernice Osborne Pollard, a Boston-area caregiver, who along with her family, once cared for her mother Mary at home. Mary, who had Alzheimer's, died last year. Bernice's story highlights the difficult challenges that millions of caregivers face.

• Musician and singer Jack Grace joins the program to discuss his latest studio album, "Everything I Say is a Lie," looks back at his time as a regular on The Takeaway.

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• Tension between the United States and North Korea has reached a fever pitch, with President Donald Trump saying Tuesday that the Asian nation will be "met with fire and fury like the world has never seen" if it continues to threaten America. In response, North Korea said it is "carefully examining the operational plan for making an enveloping fire at the areas around Guam." Joel Wit, a senior fellow at the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and Jefferson Cronin of Guam Public Radio, analyze the crisis at hand.

• The Trump Administration has greatly stepped up U.S. support for Syrian forces that are trying to drive out ISIS fighters from the city of Raqqa, but is there any hope of peace in Syria? Borzou Daragahi, Middle East correspondent for BuzzFeed News, discusses his recent reporting from Raqqa.

• Female activists in Syria are attempting to use the disruption and displacement of the war to grow a stronger female society in the country that can disrupt patriarchal norms and create a place for women in the center of the rebuilding process. Maria Al Abdeh, founder and director of Women Now, an organization led by Syrian women, explains.

• On Saturday, the city of New Orleans was hit by a torrential downpour, leading to flooding for the second time in two weeks. New Orleans city council members have questioned the efficiency of the city's pumping operations, which has forced one official to retire. Jessica Rosgaard, flood recovery editor for WWNO in New Orleans, joins The Takeaway to examine the city's response to last weekend's storm.

• What happens when victims of crime face the people who hurt them? Danielle Sered has been helping to carve a new way forward through her program Common Justice, a project of the VERA Institute that helps find alternatives to incarceration by having victims of violence talk face-to-face with their assailants.

• How much has our understanding and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder really evolved? Two veterans who served in two different wars — Marine Corpsman Douglas Howell served in Vietnam and Air Force Captain Mary McGriff served in Iraq — share their remarkably similar experiences of coming to terms with PTSD.

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• After an attack at a Venezuelan army base left two dead over the weekend, President Nicolás Maduro has vowed to impose the maximum punishment on the assailants. The Takeaway explores the crisis in Venezuela and the role the U.S. is playing in the region with Alejandro Velasco, a author of “Barrio Rising: Urban Popular Politics and the Making of Modern Venezuela," and Ana Vanessa Herrero, a Caracas-based reporter for The New York Times.

• Trump Administration is moving to make it impossible to take nursing homes to court. Remington Gregg, counsel for civil justice and consumer rights at Public Citizen, a nonprofit advocacy organization, explains.

• Kenyans head to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new president. There are significant concerns about whether Kenya will be able to hold safe and credible elections after a senior election official was recently found dead. Wairimu Gitahi, founder of Mediatwenty Productions, says Kenya's democracy has gotten much stronger since violent elections of the past, but people are still wary today.

• On Tuesday, Detroit will hold its mayoral primary — the first election since the city exited bankruptcy in 2014. Incumbent Mayor Mike Duggan is leading in the polls alongside State Senator Coleman Young II. What are Detroit residents hoping to get out of this election? Quinn Klinefelter, senior news editor for WDET, weighs in.

• Glenn Martin, president and founder of JustLeadershipUSA, is dedicated to cutting the U.S. correctional population in half by 2030. Martin, who spent six years in a New York state prison in the '90s, has been a long-time advocate for prison reform. He uses his own experiences as a formerly incarcerated inmate to bring attention to his mission.

• Frank Thompson is the former superintendent of the Oregon State Penitentiary where he oversaw and conducted the execution of two inmates. He now works as an advocate against the death penalty, and shares his story today on The Takeaway.

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• The VERA Project has embarked on a national experiment to re-examine mass incarceration and its failings. Nicholas Turner, president and director of the VERA Institute of Justice, he says a tour of prisons in Germany was the catalyst for his initiative to re-think the prison system in the United States.

• The United Nations Security Council unanimously approved strong economic sanctions against North Korea on Saturday. But is the resolution enough to weaken North Korea's nuclear program? Stephen Noerper, senior director with The Korea Society, an adjunct professor at Columbia University, and a former senior analyst at the U.S. Department of State, weighs in.

• An explosion went off Saturday morning in a Minnesota mosque as worshipers gathered to pray. No one was injured in the attack, which the state's governor called "an act of terrorism." Stephen Montemayor, a reporter for the Star Tribune in Minnesota, has been covering the story as it develops, and he joins The Takeaway to discuss the attack.

• In December 2015, 18-year-old Mario Woods was shot more than 20 times by the San Francisco Police Department. San Francisco-based journalist Jaeah Lee spent months with his mother, Gwen Woods, as she struggled with her grief in the national spotlight. Lee joins The Takeaway to discuss her new story, “After the Shooting: A Year in the Life of Gwen Woods.

• What does it mean to be an American? Vikrum Aiyer explores this existential question in his new podcast, "American Enough," produced by MouthMedia Network. Aiyer, a former senior policy adviser to President Obama, aims to have conversations that explore big issues like gender and race-based discrimination that fuel the country's divisions.

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• This week, more than 6,500 employees at the Nissan plant in Canton, Mississippi, were voting on whether or not to unionize. The plant has a history of misconduct and poor treatment of employees, but workers at the plant appear bitterly divided on how to vote. R.L. Nave, news editor for Mississippi Today, has the details.

• On Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit 22,000 points for the first time. The surge in the markets is something the president often touts as a mark of success. Why are the markets performing so well when the country continues to face political turmoil? Ben White, POLITICO Pro's chief economic correspondent and author of the “Morning Money column, weighs in.

• Every Friday, Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, drops by to review the new releases hitting the box office. This weekend, Rafer reviews "The Dark Tower," a Stephen King movie adaptation, and "Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later," an eight-part series on Netflix.

• The NAACP has issued its first-ever travel advisory, now for the state of Missouri. The Takeaway looks back at the history of race and safe travel and discrimination, and whether the NAACP’s fears are warranted in the state of Missouri, with Katrina Thompson, an associate professor in history and African American Studies at Saint Louis University.

• On August 5, 2012, a white supremacist shot and killed six members of the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek, a suburb of Milwaukee. That night, the congregation’s president, Satwant Singh Kaleka, died. Since then, one of his sons, Pardeep Kaleka, has aimed to curb violence and bigotry in Milwaukee. An educator at an inner-city high school and former police officer, Kaleka co-founded Serve2Unite, a peace-building nonprofit.

• Kathryn Bigelow’s new film, “Detroit, focuses on the violent Algiers Motel incident during the Detroit uprising of 1967. Believing a sniper was on the premises, police officers stormed the motel, and ended up killing three boys. Three individuals with three different perspectives weigh in on the film.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• If baseball is America’s pastime, you might say that golf is the presidential pastime — since the 1890s, U.S. presidents have consistently hit the course. If golf is a measure of an individual’s character, then our next guest says there is a lot of material to work with when it comes to President Donald Trump. Alan Shipnuck is a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, and a columnist for Golf.com. He has chronicled the many rounds the president has played, both before and after taking office.

• Since 9/11, the U.S. has prosecuted 807 people under international terrorism charges. A new analysis from The Intercept reveals that the majority of those cases were not close to committing an act of violence. Trevor Aaronson, the creator of the project and a contributing writer at The Intercept, discusses what the numbers reveal about America's counterterrorism efforts.

• More than 100 cases involving three Baltimore police officers are under review after video emerged showing one of the officers planting drugs at the scene of an arrest. There is also a second video, obtained by The Baltimore Sun this week, that also allegedly shows officers planting evidence. Kevin Rector, a police and crime reporter for The Baltimore Sun, has the details.

• In June, a Massachusetts judge found 20-year-old Michelle Carter guilty of involuntary manslaughter, after her boyfriend, Conrad Roy III, committed suicide in 2014. Carter had repeatedly encouraged Roy to commit suicide over text message. On Thursday, the same judge will sentence Carter. Daniel Medwed, WGBH legal analyst and a professor of law and criminal justice at Northeastern University, discusses the legal implications of the conviction.

• There is growing momentum, from activists and former surgeons general, to stop surgeries on intersex newborns, unless in cases where there are life-threatening circumstances. Dr. Arlene Baratz, a Pittsburgh-based radiologist and mother of two intersex adults, weighs in.

• Of the 900 top grossing movies released over the last nine years, only 34 were directed by women, and only five of those were women of color, according to a recent study by the University of Southern California. Gillian Robespierre, director of the films "Obvious Child" and "Landline," reflects on the challenges of breaking into an industry that is so resistant to women.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• The Trump Administration continues to ramp up its rhetoric on North Korea. Is military action against North Korea wise? Is it even possible? Admiral Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2007 to 2011, explains what military action against North Korea would entail.

• Since 9/11, the U.S. has prosecuted 807 people under international terrorism charges. A new analysis from The Intercept reveals that the majority of those cases were not close to committing an act of violence. Trevor Aaronson, the creator of the project and a contributing writer at The Intercept, discusses what the numbers reveal about America's counterterrorism efforts.

• This week, Los Angeles reached a deal to host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. LA Mayor Eric Garcetti says the games will give the city a new Olympic legacy, but some Angelenos are protesting, arguing that the city has too many other problems for it to play host. Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation and host of the Edge of Sports Podcast, weighs in.

• Last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that local governments will lose federal grant money if they don’t comply with certain federal demands when it comes to law enforcement. It’s the first time that the Justice Department has produced specific rules to crackdown on sanctuary cities. Joe Tanfani, who covers the Justice Department and homeland security for The Los Angeles Times, has the details.

• Fearing the outcome and lacking legal representation, Central American asylum-seekers aren't showing up to court, and are being deported in absentia. Julia Preston, a contributing writer for The Marshall Project, reflects on this trend, and this "crisis of representation."

• An Associated Press investigation across all 50 states has found that the Supreme Court's ban on mandatory life without parole for juvenile homicide offenders has resulted in an uneven patchwork of responses as officials wrestle with complicated cases. Adam Geller, national writer for The Associated Press, discusses the changing norms around juvenile offenders who have been sentenced to life without parole.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• On Monday afternoon, newly-appointed White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci was forced out of his job — just 10 days after he accepted the position. The move points to a larger problem in the Trump White House. Chris Whipple, author of "The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency," and Rosie Gray, White House correspondent for The Atlantic, explain.

• After Republicans failed to find consensus on an Obamacare repeal, Adam Gaffney, a physician and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, looks at the history of the single-payer system, and considers whether it could ever be adopted in the United States.

• Pakistan is set to elect a new prime minister today, a week after the country's Supreme Court ousted Nawaz Sharif from leadership based on allegations of corruption. Omar Waraich, a foreign correspondentwho has written for The Atlantic, TIME, and The New Yorker, joins The Takeaway to reflect on the stability of Pakistan's democracy, and what may lie ahead for the country's future.

• Vice President Mike Pence is visiting the Baltic States this week. He's trying to reassure the region that the U.S. will support them against increasing threats from Russia. Lincoln Mitchell, the author of "Uncertain Democracy: U.S. Foreign Policy and Georgia’s Rose Revolution," weighs in on the vice president's trip, and what it means for the region.

• Every night, 34,000 people must reside in immigration detention centers, according to a quota set by Congress, which means the U.S. spends about $2 billion a year on these detention centers. Congressman Bill Foster, who has served in Illinois's 11th congressional district since 2012, discusses alternative approaches and how the issue plays out politically.

• A new series from The Sporkful podcast, “Your Mom’s Food, explores race and cooking. Dan Pashman, host of The Sporkful, explores why some cultural food traditions are passed down through generations, and others aren’t.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• After seven years of increasingly heated rhetoric, will Senate Republicans admit defeat and begin to work with Democrats on a new health care bill? Some politicians have already begun discussing compromise, but most in the Senate GOP don't seem ready to give up on repeal and replace just yet. Joanne Kenen, executive editor for health care at Politico, breaks down what to expect next on health care.

• The White House announced last week that President Trump plans to sign Congress' newly drafted sanctions against Russia into law. In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin is requiring the U.S. to cut hundreds of personnel from their Russian embassy staff. Is this just the start of escalating tensions between Russia and the U.S.? Rajan Menon, Anne and Bernard Spitzer Professor at the Powell School at The City College of New York, weighs in.

• An Associated Press investigation across all 50 states has found that the Supreme Court's ban on mandatory life without parole for juvenile homicide offenders has resulted in an uneven patchwork of responses as officials wrestle with complicated cases. Sharon Cohen, national writer for the Associated Press, brings The Takeaway the story of one Detroit resident who went into the criminal justice system as a juvenile and is scheduled to be paroled in September.
• On Sunday, Venezuela voted in favor of a new legislative body that will be rewriting the country's constitution. Widely seen as part of President Nicolas Maduro’s plan to strengthen his party’s power, the election has sparked months of protest and political opposition from from those who fear country is heading for a dictatorship. Anatoly Kurmanaev, reporter for The Wall Street Journal joins The Takeaway from Caracas, Venezuela with the latest.
• Yesterday was World Day against Trafficking in Persons. According to the International Labor Organization, nearly 21 million people are victims of forced labor worldwide. Michael Brosowski, founder and president of Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, an organization in Vietnam that has rescued hundreds of trafficked children, joins The Takeaway to discuss the global fight against human trafficking.
• Last week, The Center for Media and Democracy, alongside the Bioscience Resource Project, published thousands pages of rediscovered chemical industry and regulatory agency documents that date back to the 1920s. The collection of reports, testimonies and legal documents suggest that corporate ties have historically influenced scientific labs testing to reveal potentially harmful chemicals. Jonathan Latham, PhD, executive director of the Bioscience Research Project, discusses the paper's revelations.
• Actor LeVar Burton is best known for his work on "Roots," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and the popular PBS children's show "Reading Rainbow." He sat down with The Takeaway to discuss the launch of his new podcast, "LeVar Burton Reads," which taps into the audience and appeal of "Reading Rainbow."

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• In the early morning hours, during a marathon session in the Senate, the GOP's bill to repeal and replace Obamacare failed. Republicans came close to passing a "skinny repeal," but three Republican senators defected, leaving the Affordable Care Act in place for now. Mary Ellen McIntire, health care reporter for CQ Roll Call, and Brian Beutler, senior editor at The New Republic, join The Takeaway to break down what happened overnight in the Senate. Also, weighing in with the Republican perspective is Ryan Williams, a Republican strategist and former spokesman for Mitt Romney's 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns.

• This week, scientists in Oregon confirmed that they had successfully edited the genes of human embryos, using CRISPR technology. It’s the first such time that this work has been done in the United States, and it raises concerns about “designer babies, or creating a class divide between people who have access to this technology and those who do not. Arthur Caplan, director of the division of medical ethics at New York University Langone Medical Center, weighs in on the ethical implications of the breakthrough.

• On Sunday, Mississippi police fatally shot and killed auto mechanic Ismael Lopez. The officers were responding to a domestic abuse charge, but went to the wrong home and fired at Lopez through the door. Daniel Connolly has been covering the case for The Memphis Commercial Appeal. He joins The Takeaway to discuss what happened.

• Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, drops by to discuss this week's major releases: Kathryn Bigelow's docudrama, "Detroit," the Charlize Theron-led thriller, "Atomic Blonde," and Al Gore's new documentary, "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power."

• "Menashe," a new film out today in limited release, tells the true story of a Hasidic man who loses his son after his wife dies. The community requires that a child live in a two parent household, so he must remarry or find a way to prove that he can parent on his own. Star Menashe Lustig and director Joshua Weinstein join Rafer Guzman to discuss making the film.

• From the late 1970s to the mid 1990s, the punk music scene burgeoned in the East Bay Area. Corbett Redford, who was part of the scene and attended the same high school as Green Day member Billie Joe Armstrong, chronicles the stories of hundreds of bands in his new documentary “Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk." Redford joins The Takeaway to explain his connection to the punk scene and what compelled him to document it.

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• On Thursday, Venezuelans will participate in day two of a 48 hour strike, coordinated to fall ahead of a controversial election scheduled for Sunday. Patrick Duddy, former US Ambassador to Venezuela from 2007 to 2008, joins The Takeaway to discuss what the election could mean for the country's future.

• Without a clear strategy, it appears that the Trump administration may use potential resource exploitation as a reason for protracted military involvement in Afghanistan. According to reports, President Trump has already discussed the country’s mineral deposits with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Stephen Carter, Afghanistan campaign leader at Global Witness, weighs in.

• President Trump cited “tremendous medical costs in the tweet that outlined his new policy banning transgender individuals from serving in the military. But research shows that health care for active transgender personnel would account for just .13 percent of the military’s active-service health care budget. Dr. Jennifer Conti provides health services to transgender veterans, and she joins The Takeaway to explain the significance of those services.

• While the Senate continues with a series of votes moving toward a repeal and replace plan for the Affordable Care Act, disability rights activists are concerned over how their health care may change under a new law. Ericka Jones, disability rights activist with ADAPT and systems advocate at the Center for Disability Rights, discusses what the GOP health care plan could mean for Americans with disabilities.
• As temperatures warm, ticks are surviving the winters and moving geographically, leading to a wider spread in tick-borne diseases, which many people are unfamiliar with. Dr. Samuel Telford, professor of Infectious Disease and Global Health at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, explains what to watch out for when it comes to ticks.

• Yesterday, Foxconn, a major Taiwanese manufacturing company, announced plans to build a factory in Wisconsin. President Trump is hailing the news as a major personal achievement, but some wonder whether this is really a win for the U.S. economy. Heather Long, economics reporter for The Washington Post, joins The Takeaway to explain what Foxconn’s move means for the politics of US manufacturing.

• Fifty years ago this week, in the wake of the Detroit riots, President Lyndon Johnson established The National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, known as the Kerner Commission. Then Senator Fred Harris of Oklahoma is the last surviving member and he joins The Takeaway to reflect on what's changed in the 50 years since and the progress we still need to make in terms of race and equality.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• President Donald Trump announced a ban on transgender service members on Wednesday. Dan Lamothe, a national security reporter for The Washington Post, has covered the military’s transgender policy for several years and he joins The Takeaway to discuss the president’s announcement along with Staff Sergeant Patricia King, the first infantryman to reveal she is transgender and Charles Clymer, a genderqueer writer, social equality advocate, and U.S. Army veteran.

• Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, has returned to the spotlight this week after being called to meet privately with the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Takeaway looks back at Manafort’s past, and how he came to serve the Trump team, with Chad Day, a reporter on the Washington investigative team for the Associated Press.

• Senate Republicans made a major step forward in their effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act on Tuesday. What happens next? Jeffrey Young, a senior reporter at HuffPost, looks ahead.

• A three-decade-old exemption allows the Department of Defense to burn contaminated waste in open-air pits, which has been endangering citizens and the environment, according to a new report from Abrahm Lustgarten, a senior environmental reporter at ProPublica. Devawn Bledsoe, a local activist in Radford, Virginia, who has a thyroid condition, believes that her ill health was directly caused by the pollutants from the Pentagon's Radford Army Ammunition Plant.

• Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted to issue new sanctions against Russia and any companies that have Russian gas interests, something that has the European Union Commission worried. Kristine Berzina,a senior fellow based in Brussels with The German Marshall Fund, explains.

• Mohamad Alrefai, a Damascus-based Syrian actor, is the star of a new play that debuted in New York City last week, called “While I Was Waiting. It's about a family struggling to come to terms with loss as they face a brutal war that drags on. Alrefai talks to us about what it means to bring this show to the United States, and his hope for Syria’s future.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• President Donald Trump has been attacking U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions this week. What is Trump's endgame, and what does it mean for both the special prosecutor’s investigation into the president and the integrity of the Justice Department? For answers, we turn to Stuart Gerson, whoserved as assistant attorney general in the George H.W. Bush administration from 1989 to 1993, and as the acting attorney general in the Clinton Administration in 1993.

• Several states have been pushing back against the Trump Administration's voter fraud initiative. But Vanita Gupta, who was head of the civil rights division at the Department of Justice under President Barack Obama, says that a voter purge may be coming.

• The Senate is scheduled to vote yet again on healthcare. Lawmakers will decide whether to move ahead with a debate on a bill. It's a process that's been mired in confusion and mystery, up until last night. Seung Min Kim, a congressional reporter for POLITICO, has the details.

• An attack at the Israeli embassy in Jordan left two dead Sunday, adding to tensions over the al-Asqa Mosque, where Israel installed metal detectors to the protests of Jordanians. Ruth Eglash, a reporter for The Washington Post based in Jerusalem, joins The Takeaway to explain the latest developments in Israel and Jordan.

• About 30 percent of Major League Baseball players were born in Latin America, but the MLB often perpetuates the idea that baseball is an American sport. Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation magazine and host of "The Edge of Sports" podcast, explains why that’s not historically accurate, and reflects on the issues that Latin American players face in the league today.

• When we think of the space age, most of us think about the race to the moon and NASA, but ideas around celestial exploration go back much further. Dr. Alexander MacDonald, a senior economic adviser at NASA and author of the new book, "The Long Space Age: The Economic Origins of Space Exploration from Colonial America to the Cold War," chronicles this history and the economics behind it.

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• On Saturday, Congress came to an agreement on new sanctions against Iran, North Korea, and Russia. The sanctions are relatively straightforward, but the bill also constrains President Donald Trump’s executive powers. At the same time, Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, is set to testify behind closed doors. And now, Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak is out. Stephen Sestanovich, former U.S. ambassador-at-large for the former Soviet Union, discusses the latest on the Russia probe.

• As the investigation into possible collusion between the Russian government and the Trump campaign heats up, several members of the president's inner circle could end up facing criminal charges. Can Donald Trump pardon himself? Norm Eisen, the Obama Administration's Ethics Czar from 2009 to 2011, explains the constitutionality of presidential pardons.

• Health care costs in Colorado are high. Consequently, so are health insurance plans. And uncertainty from Washington is destabilizing a market that is already struggling to keep costs affordable, according to Marguerite Salazar, the health care commissioner for The Centennial State.

• The controversy over the expansion of a U.S. Marine base in Okinawa has pitted locals, concerned about noise, the environment and crime, against U.S. officials who say the expansion is necessary for strategic defense. For details on this story, The Takeaway turns to Sonia Narang, who reported on this story for the American Homefront Project, a public media collaboration that focuses on American military life and veterans.

• Arthur Brand, often called the “Indiana Jones of the art world, is a Dutch private art investigator who believes he has a lead into the 27-year-old heist of 13 paintings, worth about $500 million, from Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. It’s the biggest art theft in history. Brand tells The Takeaway that it's now or never for the recovery.

• Over the weekend in San Antonio, Texas, at least nine people died after being found inside a sweltering semi-trailer that was parked in a Walmart parking lot. Authorities say at least 30 others who were found in the truck and are being treated for heat exposure. Denise Brennen,chair of the Department of Anthropology at Georgetown University and author of "Life Interrupted: Trafficking into Forced Labor in the United States," looks at the crisis of human trafficking.

• 50 years ago, tensions between Detroit's black community and police officers overflowed into an uprising that lasted nearly a week. In the wake of these events, the organization New Detroit was formed to address social and community ills. Today, the group is led by Shirley Stancato,who, even as a little girl growing up in Detroit at the time of the rebellion, recognized the resilience that would come to define the city.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• The gang Mara Salvatrucha, better known as MS-13, grew out of 1980s Los Angeles and has since has spread across the United States and into Canada, Mexico, El Salvador, and other parts of Central America. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is advocating a "zero tolerance" approach to gang violence and has said that the federal government would work to prosecute and deport members of the gang. Jose Miguel Cruz, the director of research at the Latin American and Caribbean Center at Florida International University, weighs in on how to deal with MS-13.

• According to a post-election report from the South Carolina State Election Commission, there were nearly 150,000 attempts to penetrate the state’s voter registration system on Election Day. Duncan Buell, a professor and NCR Chair in computer science and engineering at the University of South Carolina, says that the breach is one local example of the vulnerabilities states face in their voter systems. He joins The Takeaway to discuss protocols that lawmakers could adopt to improve election cybersecurity.

• Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has championed President Trump’s proposed 30-percent cuts to the State Department, and this week, reports emerged that he plans to shut down the State Department office that coordinates cyber issues with other countries. Sally Wentworth, the vice president of global policy development at the Internet Society, discusses what these changes mean for both U.S. cybersecurity and the direction of the State Department.

• Proposed legislation similar to North Carolina's "bathroom bill," which regulated public bathroom access for transgender people, is being debated by Texas senators today. Mark P. Jones,a fellow in political science at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, says this controversial legislation reveals a widening rift between the state's major Republican factions.

• Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, drops by to discuss the WWII story "Dunkirk," the comedy "Girls Trip," starring Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith, and the sci-fi flick "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets."

• Fifty years ago on July 23, police raided an illegal after-hours bar in Detroit, Michigan, sparking an uprising that lasted nearly a week, leaving dozens dead and hundreds injured. Civil disturbances in cities across the country followed, as racial tensions reached a breaking point during "the long, hot summer of 1967." That year, Darryle Buchanan turned 12 years old, and joins The Takeaway to reflect on how those summer events forever changed his neighborhood.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• Six months into the Trump Administration, how do Republicans and Trump voters feel about their president? Listeners from around the country weigh in, along with Robert Leonard, news director for the Iowa-based radio stations KNIA and KRLS.

• Democrats faced a staggering loss in November. How is the party re-branding itself, and is its messaging resonating with Democratic voters? Bryce Covert, a contributing op-ed writer at The New York Times and a contributor to the New Republic and The Nation, and Sean McElwee, a policy analyst at Demos Action, weigh in.

• On Wednesday, the Department of Justice announced it was bringing back a controversial policy called civil asset forfeiture. The policy allows authorities to seize property and cash allegedly involved in a crime, even if the owner hasn’t been charged. Nicole M. Austin-Hillery, director and counsel for The Brennan Center's Washington office, explains.

• Some 20 million people are at risk of famine in Africa and the Middle East, as conflict and drought collide. And now, the Trump Administration is proposing deep cuts to foreign aid. David Miliband, president of the International Rescue Committee, joins The Takeaway to discuss the magnitude of the issue.

• Rukmini Callimachi, a correspondent for our partners at The New York Times, is on the ground in Mosul after the Iraqi military declared victory over ISIS. She says much of the city has been destroyed, and more than 1 million people have been displaced from the fighting.

• This week, Buzzfeed News published a story full of shocking allegations against the R&B star R. Kelly. Parents say the singer has been keeping their daughters in a cult-like conditions against their will. Music journalist Jim DeRogatis, the co-host of WBEZ’s Sound Opinions,has been writing about Kelly for nearly two decades. He says this time, it was difficult to find an outlet that would publish his investigation.

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• This week, after seven years of vowing to repeal and replace Obamacare, Republican leaders once again were forced to face the reality that they were coming up short. Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, who was special adviser for health policy in the Obama Administration and an architect of the Affordable Care Act, examines the alternatives being floated by Republicans, and what the potential pitfalls are.

• Across the American West, wildfires are occurring more frequently and destroying more land than ever before. The culprit? Climate change, and a century of aggressive firefighting. Gary Ferguson is the author of "Land on Fire: The New Reality of Wildfire in the West." He says wildfires in the West have changed dramatically, and the problem is here to stay.

• Another questionable police shooting took place over the weekend in Minnesota, this time the victim was Justine Damond, a 40-year-old white woman from Australia. The details are still unclear, but after calling 911 to report an alleged assault in an alley outside her home, Damond was shot and killed by police officer Mohammad Noor. Nekima Levy-Pounds, a civil rights attorney, police reform activist, and candidate for mayor of Minneapolis, explains how the community is responding.

• A day after signing on to extend the Iran Nuclear Deal, the Trump Administration slapped new economic sanctions on 16 Iranian entities and individuals over its ballistic missile program. Robin Wright, a distinguished scholar at the Wilson Center in Washington and the U.S. Institute of Peace, explains what you need to know.

• How have the alt-right and fringe conservative media sources been covering the investigation into possible Russian collusion with the Trump campaign? George Hawley, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Alabama author of the forthcoming book "Making Sense of the Alt Right," answers.

• The Miami-Dade public library system is offering a digital program to help kids and teens spot fake news and be more educated media consumers. The News Literacy Program's “checkology software is available internationally, and more and more schools and libraries are starting to take advantage. Jennifer Shipley, the librarian in charge of community engagement in Miami, says libraries can play a new role in the era of easily-accessible fake news.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• The Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare has fallen apart. Kansas Senator Jerry Moran and Senator Mike Lee of Utah announced last night that they will not support the GOP healthcare bill in its current form, which leaves Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell without the votes he needs to pass The American Health Care Act. Jeffrey Young, a senior reporter for HuffPost, explains what we can expect going forward.

• This week, the Trump Administration is highlighting domestic businesses and products with “Made in America week. But what are the realities of American manufacturing? David Autor, an economics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, looks at how this slogan has evolved historically, and the challenges of producing products in America.

• President Donald Trump has pledged to support the U.S. steel industry by introducing tariffs on cheap imported steel, but many American manufacturers and energy companies rely on steel from overseas. Stuart Speyer, president of Tennessee-based manufacturing company Tennsco Corp., explains how such a tariff could impact his business.

• Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it plans to eliminate funding for programs designed to prevent teen pregnancies. Luanne Rohrbach, an associate professor of preventative medicine at the University of Southern California and co-director of Keeping it Real Together, a sexual health education program that will lose its federal funding next year, explains how these cuts could impact teen pregnancy rates across the country.

• Sports franchises tend to stay away from political issues, but not the Seattle Storm — they’re leaning in. Tonight, the WNBA team is holding a rally for Planned Parenthood before their game against the Chicago Sky. Dave Zirin,sports editor for The Nation magazine and host of "The Edge of Sports" podcast, says the rally is also a reflection of the political climate in Seattle.

• This week’s Case In Point from The Marshall Project explores why it's so difficult to prosecute prison guards for sexual assault. Guards are often covered by the concept of “qualified immunity, which protects public officials from civil liability. Andrew Cohen, senior editor of The Marshall Project, and Jennifer Laurin, a professor at the University of Texas School of Law, have the details.

• On this day 200 years ago, acclaimed author Jane Austen died. This year, there has been a renewed interest in her work and legacy, according to Juliette Wells, author of “Everybody’s Jane: Austen in the Popular Imagination."

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• Eight states have now legalized recreational marijuana use. As some start to roll out sales of the drug, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has threatened to enforce the federal ban. Mark Kleiman, a professor of public policy at the NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management, explains the conflict between federal and state policy.

• Nevada is one of the states that voted to legalize recreational marijuana use in November. July 1st was the official start date for sales of the drug, but the state was unprepared for the level of demand that ensued. Tick Segerblom, a Nevada state senator who backed legalizing marijuana in his state, weighs in on the roll-out in his state.

• Deregulation has been a main focus of the Trump Administration, but many of the individuals assigned to roll back regulations are appointees with potential conflicts of interest. Danielle Ivory, a reporter for our partners atThe New York Times and co-author of a new report on deregulation, explains.

• Many small business owners have been excited by the prospect of deregulation. Bryan Keller, president and CEO of Keller Logistics Group, a trucking company in Defiance, Ohio, says he felt the pressure from the ramped up regulations rolled out under President Obama, and is hoping there will be more room to breath in the Trump era.

• As the FARC reintegrates into Colombian society, various actors are filling the vacuum in the areas the insurgency controlled for 52 years. One effect is massive deforestation. Adriaan Alsema, editor-in-chief of Colombia Reports, joins the Takeaway to share his reporting from Medellín.

• In 2016, there were a record number environmental defenders — people whose job or mission it is to peacefully protect land, water, and other natural resources — were killed. Gillian Caldwell, the CEO of Global Witness, has the details.

• Singer Nikka Costa found fame as a child performer, and then took a soulful turn and found success in the pop world. She's toured with Prince, Lenny Kravitz, and Britney Spears, and now she's back with her first album in six years, called "Underneath and in Between." She joins The Takeaway to discuss her career, and the childhood that started it all.

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• In another attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare, the Senate unveiled its latest version of the GOP healthcare bill on Thursday. The new legislation is intended to appeal to moderates. Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms, joins The Takeaway to discuss what’s been added and dropped in the new bill, and what those changes really mean for millions of Americans.

• Republicans point to Kentucky as an example of Obamacare's failure. Yet, the numbers show a different story. Jason Bailey, executive director for Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, joins The Takeaway to provide clarity about the economics of healthcare in The Bluegrass State.

• Russia may be heading for troubled times thanks to Vladimir Putin, according to author, historian and translator Richard Lourie. He's the author of the new book, "Putin: His Downfall and Russia's Coming Crash." The Russian expert is a former translator to Mikhail Gorbachev for The New York Times.

• In June, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asked Israel to cut Gaza's electricity supply to put pressure on Hamas. Israel complied, and now electricity is only available to the region's 2 million residents for two to four hours a day. Tareq Baconi,a fellow for Al-Shabaka, a Palestinian policy network, joins The Takeaway to discuss the electricity crisis in Gaza.

• An all-female team of student inventors from Afghanistan will now likely be among those attending an international robotics competition in Washington, D.C. this weekend. The students’ visa applications were initially rejected by the State Department, but after public outcry, President Donald Trump is allowing the team to come and compete at the event. Roya Mahboob, the co-founder and CEO of the Digital Citizen Fund, who brought the Afghan students together to work on a ball-sorting robot for the competition, discusses the team's accomplishments on The Takeaway.

• Every Friday, Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, drops by to review the new releases hitting the box office. This week, Rafer reviews the new action flick "War for the Plane for the Apes," and the horror film "Wish Upon."

• The seventh season of "Game of Thrones" premieres on Sunday. The Takeaway talks to Robert "Robbie" Boake, the supervising location manager for the program, about the show's amazing scenery, and how he cultivates its sense of place.

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• A new report from The New Republic shows that Trump's real estate holding have served as vehicles for Russian gangsters to launder money. Eric Bates, the editor of The New Republic, has the details.

• Massachusetts is leading a lawsuit of 18 states, along with the District of Columbia, against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos because of the department’s decision to freeze regulations designed to help students defrauded by predatory colleges seek debt forgiveness. Maura Healey, Massachusetts attorney general, discusses the suit.

• On the outskirts of Mumbai, a group of women between the ages of 60 and 90 are attending a unique school specifically for grandmothers. These older women could not read or write, which led them to be excluded from public readings at religious festivals. Now, the village has come together to fund this program, and the school. Nikita Rudrappa, a journalist based in Mumbai, has the details.

• During his time in office, President Trump has had a contentious relationship with France. On Thursday, he meets with newly-elected French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. Olivier Knox, Chief Washington correspondent for Yahoo News, joins The Takeaway to explain what to expect from the president's trip.

• The Women’s U.S. Open starts today at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. That has some activists upset over the United States Golf Association’s choice of venue, given the president’s documented sexism and misogyny towards women. As protesters make calls to boycott the U.S. Open, Anya Alvarez, a contributor to ESPNW and The Guardian, and a former LPGA professional golfer, argues that singling out golfers misses the point.

• On Wednesday, the Larsen C Ice Shelf broke off the Western side of Antarctica. The rift in the shelf had been growing faster than scientists anticipated, and now that it is in the sea, it could hasten the collapse of the entire ice shelf. Rob Kunzig, environmental science editor for National Geographic, has the details.

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• After a year of denying that his campaign had any connections to the Kremlin, President Donald Trump is facing the first piece of hard evidence that key members of his campaign knowingly met with Russians in order to obtain information on Hillary Clinton. The president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., says he's prepared to testify before the congressional committees investigating Russian meddling. Sen. Ron Wyden, who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, explains how these new revelations may change the Senate's investigation.

• Republicans need 50 votes to get a healthcare bill through the Senate, but more than a few GOP lawmakers say they're not on board with the plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. Perry Bacon Jr., a senior writer at FiveThirtyEight, explores why the GOP is having a hard time wrangling votes, and what it means for the Republican Party if the bill is dead.

• A team of Chinese researchers has reportedly teleported a photon into space. It involves a complex phenomenon of quantum physics called entanglement. Scientists routinely teleport photons on Earth using entanglement, but with the move into space represents an impressive new achievement. Krister Shalm, a research associate at the National Institute of Standards and Technologies, has the details.

• The month of July has been a particularly deadly one in Mexico, as criminal groups fight for the remnants of the empire once controlled by drug kingpin El Chapo. A battle between rival drug cartels left at least 26 dead in Mexico's Sierra Madre mountains, where illegal drugs have deep roots in the community. Joshua Partlow, Mexico City bureau chief for The Washington Post, weighs in.

• Today, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will meet with foreign ministers from the four Arab states leading a boycott against Qatar in an effort to broker a resolution. It will be Tillerson’s first test in high level crisis negotiation. For a look at what to expect, The Takeaway turns to Charles Dunne, a scholar with Middle East Institute and a former diplomat in the U.S. foreign service for 24 years.

• Newly-appointed Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who has published three books of poetry and written a memoir. She was appointed by the librarian of Congress, and fills the role for a year. She discusses her work, and how her poetry fits into modern American life.

This segment is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• After reports emerged this weekend that Donald Trump Jr. met with a Russian lawyer with links to the Kremlin in order to gather information on Hillary Clinton’s campaign, The Takeaway looks back at all of the reported meetings between members of the Trump team and Russia with Ryan Goodman, former special counsel to the Department of Defense.

• Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, who was carried over from the Obama administration, discusses his efforts to reform the VA, and provide better healthcare and educational opportunities to America’s veterans.

• Three federal judges are hearing a case this week to determine whether the state of Texas intentionally weakened voting rights for millions of minorities. Jim Malewitz, an investigative reporter at The Texas Tribune, explains the details of the case and how it could be affected by the Supreme Court in the fall.

• The University of Washington released a controversial study that alleges Seattle's minimum wage hike is bad for businesses and workers. Michael Reich, a professor of economics and co-chair of the Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics at the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment at the University of California at Berkeley, weighs in.

• Takeaway Producer Oliver Lazarus examines how New York's sanctuary city policies often fail to live up to the rhetoric from City Hall. While the Big Apple invests millions in protective services for undocumented immigrants, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has considerable jurisdiction in the city, and regularly shows up to courthouses, often without a warrant.

• Stefanie Payne, a communication strategist at NASA, and Jonathan Irish, a professional photographer represented by National Geographic, spent a year traveling to every national park in the country to celebrate the centennial of the National Parks Service. They discuss their epic 43,000 mile journey and new multimedia project today on The Takeaway.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• The Iraqi government declared victory in Mosul after almost nine months of fighting Islamic State militants. But efforts to rebuild the city's infrastructure and population are expected to bring a heavy cost. Tim Arango, Baghdad bureau chief for our partners at The New York Times, brings us the latest on the fight for control of Mosul.

• Breaking with longstanding policy, the U.S. will delay announcing combat deaths from America's war in Afghanistan until 24 hours after informing the next-of-kin. This new development raises more questions about the Trump administration's commitment to transparency. Shawn Snow, a reporter for the Military Times and Marine veteran, explains.

• Following his meeting with Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump is trying to reset the narrative on Russia yet again. Will Pomeranz, deputy director of the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, joins The Takeaway to discuss the president’s meeting with Putin, and what it signals for U.S.-Russia relations going forward.

• The youngest country in the world turned six years old yesterday, but celebrations in South Sudan were cancelled for the second year in a row because of civil war and famine. Alan Boswell, a conflict researcher and writer based in Nairobi, has the details.

• In 2015, the city of St. Louis raised its minimum wage from $7.70 to $10.00 an hour. But for two years, the Missouri state legislature has worked to block the decision, and now the legislature has passed a new law to revert the minimum wage back to $7.70. Bettie Douglas, a 59-year-old minimum wage McDonald's worker in St. Louis, discusses the fight to raise the minimum wage, and what higher pay would mean for her life.

• As the Trump administration continues its crackdown on undocumented immigrants, California farms are reeling from a shortage of workers. Joe Del Bosque is president of Del Bosque Farms in Firebaugh, California. He joins The Takeaway to comment on the labor shortage.

• For non-white children adopted by Caucasian families, race can play a role in shaping identity. As part of The Takeaway's original series "Uncomfortable Truths: Confronting Racism in America," Rebecca Carroll, editor of special projects at WNYC Radio, explains how racial lines shape her family.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• President Donald Trump is at the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, meeting with leaders of the world’s biggest economies, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. Nikolas Gvosdev,a professor of national security studies at the U.S. Naval War College, discusses what's at stake as these meetings unfold.

• A year ago today, five police officers were shot and killed in Dallas, Texas, following a night of peaceful protests in response to the deaths of two black men, Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. Dallas Police Chief David Brown, who retired in October of 2016, joins The Takeaway to reflect on the tragedy, patterns of violence involving police, and his time serving on the force.

• Eighty years after the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, a new photo found in a former “top secret file at the National Archives raises tantalizing questions about the famed aviator's fate. Amelia Earhart expert Ric Gillespie, the executive director of TIGHAR, (The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery) and author of "Finding Amelia: The True Story of the Earhart Disappearance," joins The Takeaway to help sort through the facts and fiction.

• Trying to figure out what summer shows you should be watching? Takeaway culture reporter Melissa Locker runs through the newest seasons of "Game of Thrones," "Broadchurch," "Insecure," and the premiere of "Snowfall."

• It's Friday, and that means movie talk. Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, takes a look at this week’s big releases, including "Spider-Man: Homecoming," "The Big Sick," and "Maudie."

• The craft store Hobby Lobby is being forced to return more than 5,500 artifacts that were reportedly smuggled into the United States from Iraq, most likely to be displayed in the company's forthcoming $500 million Museum of the Bible. Elizabeth Breunig, editor at The Washington Post, has been following the story since it first broke in 2015.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• As tensions with North Korea escalate, the people most likely to be affected by North Korean military action are the 10 million citizens just 120 miles from Pyongyang, in Seoul. Sung-Yoon Lee, a professor of Korean studies at the Fletcher School at Tufts University, discusses how the South Korean military is preparing civilians for potential action, and how South Korean citizens view the prospect of conflict with the North.

• Earlier this year, Hawaii began working to overhaul its disaster preparedness and nuclear contingency plans as it confronts the reality of a more hostile North Korea. Matthew LoPresti is a Democratic state representative who introduced a resolution in the House to improve Hawaii's readiness and protect its civilians.

• President Donald Trump is in Poland today for a short visit before this weekend's G-20 Summit in Germany. Some in the European Union worry that his trip could be seen as an endorsement of Poland's move toward a more restrictive government. Anne Applebaum, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author of Gulag: A History and columnist for The Washington Post, discusses the significance of the visit.

• A mob attacked Venezuela’s opposition-dominated National Assembly in Caracas on Wednesday. Joshua Goodman, Andean News Director for the Associated Press, has the story.

• In an announcement made yesterday, Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson stated that starting in 2019, vehicles will either be powered by battery or some form of a hybrid. Rebecca Lindland,an executive analyst for the automotive site Kelley Blue Book, discusses Volvo's decision and the greater industry trend toward alternative energy.

• Has the auto industry peaked? And will President Trump's executive powers be able to stem likely layoffs? Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, a professor in the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, joins The Takeaway to help us navigate the future of American car manufacturers.

• You might think "novel" when you think of summer reading, but nonfiction titles can be just as enthralling for your time off. Dana Williams, chair of the Department of English at Howard University, shares her new summer nonfiction picks.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• Experts have indicated that a ballistic missile launched by North Korea late Monday was the country's first successful test of a weapon capable of reaching the United States. David Wright, co-director of the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists and an expert on the technical side of nuclear weapons, explains just how big of a threat this weapon poses.

• At a hearing last week before the Senate Intelligence Committee, a panel of experts testified about Russian interference in democratic elections and urged the U.S. to work closer with its allies in Europe to stop future threats. Nicholas Burns, a former ambassador to NATO, was part of the hearing and joins The Takeaway to share his concerns.

• Starting July 5, the Department of Veterans Affairs will offer emergency mental health services to veterans without honorable discharges. Kristofer Goldsmith, an Iraq War veteran, returns to The Takeaway to explain why, for many veterans, the new rule changes don't go far enough.

• Hawaii has the highest rate of homelessness in the U.S. Many who find themselves on the street turn to informal encampments, but the state is cracking down on these communities. Hawaii-based journalist Liz Barney has been reporting on homelessness and takes us inside one of these camps.

• A federal court ruled that the Trump administration improperly suspended an Obama-era rule on methane emissions. This could be the first of many legal challenges for the current EPA. Lisa Friedman, a climate reporter at The New York Times, joins The Takeaway to discuss how this ruling could affect the White House's environmental policy going forward.

• A landfill in Wayne County, Georgia, was set be a dumping ground for thousands of tons of toxic coal ash waste. But after a long campaign led by the community and local newspaper, Wayne County may stay coal ash-free. Georgina Gustin, a reporter for InsideClimate News, and Dink NeSmith, owner of The Press-Sentinel, have the details.

• Need a summer reading recommendation? Ron Charles, of the Washington Post's Book World, joins The Takeaway to share his 2017 summer fiction picks.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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Happy Fourth of July from The Takeaway. As the United States celebrates its independence, we’re reflecting on what it means to be American. In this special episode, we’re bringing you tough conversations from our “Uncomfortable Truths series, which is all about confronting racism in America. Here’s what you’ll find in today’s show:

• In many ways, to be proud and free, the nation must address the sins of our past. Reniqua Allen, author of the upcoming book “It Was All A Dream? Black Millennials, Mobility, and Migration in the 21st Century, and a producer with WNYC's United States of Anxiety podcast, reflects on the changing black experience in America.

• Jessica Shryack in Minneapolis emailed The Takeaway and said she wanted to participate in our series. She offered to highlight a discussion her good friend, Tiffany Wilson-Worsley. Tiffany is black, and Jessica is white. Today, they explain how their friendship developed by confronting preconceived ideas about race.

• Talking to your mom about identity may not seem like a conversation most people would classify as "uncomfortable," but Julia Fornes largely kept the story of her upbringing from her daughter, Alison Fornes. As Alison got older, she started to wonder why she didn't know more about her mother's childhood traditions back in the Caribbean. So she sat down to ask Julia about why she felt compelled to hide her Puerto Rican identity.

• Views of race vary throughout the community in Anchorage, Alaska, even though the state’s most populous city is incredibly diverse, with more than 90 languages spoken in public schools, and 55 percent of students identifying as people of color. Alaska Public Media's "Community in Unity" monthly dialogue series, moderated by Anne Hillman, the urban affairs reporter for the station, aims to take on a range of topics, from everything from the civil rights movement, to Native issues in The Last Frontier.

• A decades-long case of mistaken identity led two women named Lisa S. Davis on an unlikely journey. Lisa Savoy Davis is African-American and a personal trainer. Lisa Selin Davis is white and a writer and author. The two describe their unusual first meeting, and the friendship that grew out of it.

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• Last week, a voter fraud commission set up by President Trump sent out voter information requests to every state. At least half of them are choosing not to fully comply, including Connecticut and Ohio. Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill and Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted join The Takeaway to discuss their responses to the requests.

• The original deadline for Qatar to comply with 13 demands set forth by neighboring Arab nations has been extended by 48 hours. Randa Slim, director at The Middle East Institute, updates us on the situation.

• A two-year civil war in Yemen may have exacerbated a devastating cholera epidemic, which has claimed more then 1,300 lives. Michelle Gayer, the emergency health director for the International Rescue Committee, has the news.

• Donations have been slow in coming to help the more than 20 million people across Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia, and northeast Nigeria who face starvation and famine. David Beasley, the executive director of the U.N. World Food Program, discusses some of the recent challenges his organization has faced.

• In the latest installment of The Takeaway's original series "Uncomfortable Truths," Rechelle Schimke, who is white, talks with her adopted brother Gerrit Schmike, who is black, about the differences — and similarities — in their childhoods.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• Republicans in the House and Senate have been working for months to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but this week Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell failed to get enough support to confidently bring the Senate’s bill to a vote. We talk to individuals who are currently covered under the Affordable Care Act about what they want to see changed in their coverage and the questions they have about the proposed replacement plan.

• A 1,007-page report of letters and diplomatic cables outlining the U.S.-backed 1953 coup in Iran has been published, but historians say it has been heavily redacted and is missing key portions of American involvement. Malcolm Byrne, director of research for the National Security Archive at George Washington University, discusses the significance of these documents.

• Illinois is about to enter its third year without a budget, this time with more than $14.6 billion in unpaid bills. The crisis has already impacted public universities and social service providers. If the state’s BBB-rated debt is downgraded to junk status, it would be a first for any U.S. state. We turn to WBEZ reporter Tony Arnold, who has been following the crisis closely.

• Every Friday, Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, drops by to review the new releases hitting the box office. This week, he takes a look at "Baby Driver" and "Despicable Me 3."

• Two anti-illegal immigration bills are making their way through Congress: Kate’s Law, which would raise the maximum prison penalties for immigrants caught repeatedly entering the U.S. illegally, with escalating penalties for the number of repeat offenses; and the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, which would block federal grants for so-called sanctuary cities. We hear from Randy Capps, director of research for U.S. Programs at the Migration Policy Institute, about how these measures would prevent crimes from occurring.

• In a new book out this week, Becky Aikman tells the story of the making of the 1991 classic "Thelma & Louise," and how it shaped the trajectory of women in Hollywood, with a young female screenwriter and two female leads.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• A version of President Trump's travel ban takes effect today, after the Supreme Court upheld portions of the executive order on Monday. Critics have raised questions, however, about the wording and implementation of the ruling. Here to explain is Leon Fresco. He's the former deputy assistant attorney general at the Justice department, where he was head of the Office of Immigration Litigation during the Obama Administration.

• Cardinal George Pell, a senior adviser to Pope Francis, is facing charges of sexual assault in his home country of Australia. For a look at what's next for Cardinal Pell, The Takeaway turns to Philip Mercer, a BBC reporter in Sydney.

• Ten years ago today, Apple unveiled the iPhone. In the decade since, the smartphone has changed the way millions of people live and work. On the 10th anniversary, Takeaway listeners from around the United States explain what they love and hate about having smartphone technology.

• This Saturday marks 20 years since Hong Kong left the United Kingdom to come under Chinese rule. On Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Hong Kong for the first time as president, amidst a growing tide of anti-mainland sentiment. Isaac Stone Fish, senior fellow at the Asia Society's Center on U.S.-China Relations, discusses what we should expect from Xi's visit.

• On Thursday, President Trump will begin the first day of a two day summit with newly-elected South Korean President Moon Jae-in. While North Korea will be a subject of discussion, trade may be the biggest issue. Christopher Hill, U.S. ambassador to South Korea from 2004-2005, and former ambassador to Iraq from 2009-2010, reflects on the issues facing the two nations.

• The United States has some of the most draconian laws around the world when it comes to sentencing juvenile offenders. While the Supreme Court has slowly worked to reverse these policies, at the state level, the progress on re-sentencing has been slow and varied. Danielle Wolffe, reporter with The Nation, explains.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• On Monday, a hearing began in San Antonio, Texas to determine the constitutionality of SB4, a law that requires local police to comply with federal requests made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), like asking people about their immigration status in routine stops. Stephen Vladeck, a professor of law at the University of Texas School of Law and co-editor of Just Security, outlines the details of the case.

• Rolando Meza Espinoza was detained by ICE on Long Island back in March. The detention was a case of mistaken identity, but while awaiting his release, Meza's health deteriorated and he died on June 10. He is the 10th individual to die in ICE custody since October. Betsy Plum, vice president of policy at the New York Immigration Coalition, looks at what went wrong.

• Yesterday, a cyberattack that originated in the Ukraine quickly spread across Russia and Europe, and a few cases of disruption appeared in the U.S. Analysts say the virus works similarly to the WannaCry ransomware that attacked 230,000 computers around the world last month. Who is behind this attack? Siobhan Gorman, director at the Brunswick Group focusing on cybersecurity and privacy, offers her take.

• Earlier this week, Brazilian President Michel Temer became the first sitting president in almost three decades to face criminal charges. He is accused of accepting bribes, but the nation's Congress would have to approve a motion towards a trial with a two thirds majority vote. Dom Phillips, a reporter for The New York Times and The Guardian, explains what you need to know.

• On Tuesday, three police officers were indicted on felony charges for conspiring to cover up the actions of the officer who shot and killed 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in October of 2014. We look back at the case, and how a trial might move forward, with Sheila Bedi, a professor at the Northwestern School of Law, and an attorney with the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center.

• Today, the podcast Death, Sex & Money launches the first part of a two-part episode on student loans. Some 44 million Americans have student loan debt, totaling $1.3 trillion. Anna Sale, host of the podcast, talks to listeners about their struggles with student loan debt, from the isolation they feel to the degrees they regret.

• Drew Holcomb, a vocalist and guitar player for Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors, has been producing music from East Nashville, Tennessee for more than a decade. His new album, "Souvenir," is out this year. He joins The Takeaway to discuss his latest record and his creative process.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• Senators like Rand Paul and Ted Cruz claim that the Senate healthcare bill doesn't go far enough to repeal Obamacare, and others are raising concerns about the number of people who will be left uninsured by the legislation. But Avik Roy, president of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, sees a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in the Senate's sweeping proposal. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich looks at the political fight over the bill on Capitol Hill.

• Green card holders are allowed to join the U.S. military, and some veterans are not citizens. But non-citizen soldiers and veterans who get in trouble with the law can face deportation. Now, Tijuana, Mexico has become a haven for some deported vets. Dorian Merina, a reporter for station KPCC in Los Angeles and is a contributor to The American Homefront Project, explains.

• The contempt-of-court trial for former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio begins this week, after the former sheriff was charged with defying a federal judge’s orders to stop traffic patrols targeting immigrants. Jimmy Jenkins, senior field correspondent for public radio station KJZZ in Phoenix, Arizona, has the details.

• On Monday, the Trump Administration said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may be planning to carry out another chemical weapons attack in the country, adding that the regime will "pay a heavy price" if it follows through. But recent U.S.-led strikes in Syria have killed nearly 500 civilians in the last month, according to one monitor, but others say the number is much higher. Murtaza Hussain, a journalist with The Intercept, explains why so many civilians have been killed in the uptick, and the U.S. strategy in the country.

• In 2012, Dalya Hassan fled Aleppo, Syria with her mother to live in the United States. She's been in California since age 13, and has worked to maintain her cultural identity while adjusting to American life. Julia Meltzer, director of the documentary "Dalya’s Other Country," and Dalya's brother Mustafa Zeno, discuss the refugee experience in the Trump era.

• Sir Isaac Newton is best known for his contributions to science, but Newton was also a radical religious thinker. A new biography reveals Newton’s extensive theological writings that have only become accessible to the public in recent years. Robert Iliffe, a professor of the history of science at the University of Oxford and author of "Priest of Nature – The Religious Worlds of Isaac Newton," weighs in.

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• Senate Republican leaders finally released their healthcare plan last week. It includes steep cuts to Medicaid, and tax breaks for some of the wealthiest Americans. The Congressional Budget Office is expected to score the bill this week, and some Republican senators are pushing back against the bill. We check in with Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich for the latest on the fight over healthcare.
• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Washington on Sunday for a two day visit. On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump said his administration would be "best friends" with India. How will U.S.-India relations fare during Prime Minister Modi's first visit with the president? Tanvi Madan, the director of The India Project at the Brookings Institution, weighs in.
• Should teachers carry guns? One county in Colorado is training school staff members on a controversial method to prepare for an active shooter scenario. Laura Carno, founder of the non-profit Coloradans for Civil Liberties, has the details.
• Photographer Kati Dimoff often finds old cameras and develops the film she finds inside them. The camera she found at a Goodwill store in Portland, Oregon revealed long-forgotten images of the Mount St. Helens eruption 30 years ago. Dimoff shares her story today on The Takeaway.
• Green card holders are allowed to join the U.S. military, and some veterans are not citizens. But non-citizen soldiers and veterans who get in trouble with the law can face deportation. Dorian Merina is a reporter for station KPCC in Los Angeles and is a contributor to The American Homefront Project. He brings us the first of his two part series on veteran deportations.
• Amanda Doroshow, a staff attorney at Her Justice who represents women and children who are held in family detention centers, explains the dire conditions detainees face in one facility, and the obstacles that women and their children face when attempting to file for asylum.
• Virginia Grohl, mother of Foo Fighters frontman and Nirvana drummer David Grohl, never expected her son to become a musician, let alone a rock star. In a new book, "Cradle to the Stage: Stories from the Mothers who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars," she tells the stories of other mothers who raised some of music's biggest names.

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• People with disabilities and disability advocates are weighing in on the new Republican healthcare proposal. If the new bill becomes law, many fear they won't be able to get the coverage they need. H. Stephen Kaye, a professor at the Institute for Health & Aging and the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco and director and principal investigator of the Community Living Policy Center, explains.

• Andraea LaVant lives with muscular dystrophy, and up until this year, she used a Medicaid waiver to receive healthcare services under the Affordable Care Act. The services allowed her to live independently and work full time. She explains how the GOP proposal may impact her life.

• Kansas State Senator Barbara Bollier has been on the front lines of the movement to offer insurance to as many Kansans as possible. As a Republican, these efforts have not always gone appreciated by her party. Senator Bollier joins The Takeaway to offer her experience in fighting for better healthcare from within a government devoted to the politics of austerity.

• Summer is officially underway, and that means three months of heat, swimming pools and beaches, and most importantly, summer music — the perfect distraction from the politics of humid Washington, D.C. Melissa Locker, culture reporter for TIME, The Guardian and The Takeaway, gives us her summer soundtrack.

• Every Friday, Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, drops by to review the new releases hitting the box office. This week, Rafer tells us about "The Last Knight," the fifth movie in "Transformers" franchise, and Hollywood's expensive struggle with new action movies. He also reviews Sofia Coppola's "The Beguiled," a reboot of the 1971 film.

• The Washington Redskins scored an administrative touchdown, thanks to a rock band's victory in court. The Supreme Court recently ruled that offensive names can be trademarked, citing the First Amendment. Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation magazine and host of "The Edge of Sports" podcast, explains what this new legal precedent means for professional sports teams.

• Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco is out with a new album this month. "Binary," is the 20th studio album for DiFranco. She joins The Takeaway to discuss her new record, and her creative process.

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• Following Amazon’s $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods, The Takeaway examines the future of the company and its grip on the economy, as well as the question of anti-trust laws as Amazon continues to grow in size and power. Stacy Mitchell, co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and author of "Amazon’s Stranglehold: How the Company’s Tightening Grip Is Stifling Competition, Eroding Jobs, and Threatening Communities," and James Marcus, editor of Harper's Magazine and author of "Amazonia: Five Years at the Epicenter of the Dot-Com Juggernaut," weigh in.

• Christian Madsbjerg, author of "Sensemaking: The Power of Humanities in the Age of the Algorithm," warns that the focus on coding, artificial intelligence, and machine learning is dangerous, particularly without taking into account how humanities and liberal arts create more empathetic people who are necessary in the work force. He discusses his work today on The Takeaway.

• There's a new succession line in Saudi Arabia: King Salman has made his 31-year-old son first in line to succeed him as king, a spot previously held by the king's nephew. Not everyone is happy about the decision, but it provides an indication where Saudi leadership will go for generations to come. James Smith, former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 2009 to 2013, explains.

• Qatar’s neighbors in the Middle East have broke relations with the country, and the United States is sending mixed message about the Gulf nation. Randa Slim, director of the Track II Dialoguest initiative at The Middle East Institute, explores how this shift is affecting global markets, and America's military bases in Qatar.

• Much like the phrase "Black Power" evoked the struggle for racial justice in the 1960s, "Black Lives Matter" has become a slogan for activism and social justice today. Christopher Lebron,an assistant professor of African American studies and philosophy at Yale University, is the author of the new book, "The Making of Black Lives Matter: A Brief History of an Idea." He examines how history laid the foundation for the Black Lives Matter movement, and where it may go next.

• The experimental protest band Algiers, originally from Atlanta, is out with a new album tomorrow, called "The Underside of Power." They started working on the album during Brexit, and finished the record after the 2016 election in the U.S. Band members Franklin James Fisher and Matt Tong discuss their new work today on The Takeaway.

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• Closed door meetings and late night appeals are part of the scramble over the GOP's proposed healthcare bill, which is scheduled for a vote before July 4th. The bill, which has been kept in secret, may finally be revealed on Thursday. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich explains what you need to know.

• Medica Health says it plans to sell individual insurance plans statewide in Iowa. Last week, the company announced it would also expand into Nebraska, making it the only insurance provider in the two states. Chelsea Keenan, a reporter with the Gazette in Iowa, explains.

• Writer Steve Featherstone and his father Robert Featherstone, a retired career police officer, share their impressions of a seminar they attended on warrior policing — the controversial philosophy that introduces military style tactics to policing, a seminar similar to one attended by Officer Jeronimo Yanez, who was acquitted last week in the shooting death of Philando Castile.

• Yesterday, authorities released the police dash cam video of the shooting death of Philando Castile. Elise Boddie, a professor of law at Rutgers University, discusses the video, and what it says about the criminal justice system and policing in America.

• Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel faced off in a tight race for Georgia's 6th Congressional District to fill the seat left by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. Handel came out victorious in the race, which is the most expensive House campaign in U.S. history. Bill Nigut, host of "Political Rewind" from Georgia Public Broadcasting, reflects on the results.

• Julien Baker is a 21-year old musician from Memphis, Tennessee. Her first album "Sprained Ankle," came out in 2015 to critical acclaim, and she's currently working on a new record. She joins The Takeaway to discuss her work and creative process.

• Today is the summer solstice. On the longest day of the year, Dr. Stuart Clark, a columnist for The Guardian and the author of "The Unknown Universe," explains how the summer solstice helped humanity to better understand its place in the cosmos some 2,000 years ago.

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• Both Japanese and U.S. officials have launched multiple investigations to try to piece together the events that led to a Saturday morning collision between the U.S.S. Fitzgerald and a Philippine container in the waters off Japan. Could the uncertainty involving this collision escalate tensions in this part of the globe? Tim Kelly, a reporter for Reuters, weighs in.

• Over the weekend, a U.S. fighter jet downed a Syrian plane after it bombed American-backed fighters in Raqqa. Russia condemned the action, and said there would be repercussions. Olga Oliker, a senior adviser and director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at Center for Strategic and International Studies, has the details.

• Boston is trying to confront its troubled reputation and history about race that dates back more than four decades, but will it work? This summer, Mayor Marty Walsh is launching a series of dialogues in neighborhoods across the city to address racial inequity. He discusses the program today on The Takeaway.

• A 17-year-old Muslim girl was killed after leaving her mosque in Fairfax, Virginia early Sunday morning. Late yesterday, authorities said the incident was a case of road rage and have not labeled it a hate crime. Margari Aziza Hill, co-director of the Muslim Anti-Racist Collaborative, joins The Takeaway to explain how the community is processing this tragedy.

• On Tuesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will discontinue the Family Case Management Program, which provides asylum seekers counseling, legal services, and assistance. The federally-funded program, which advocates say was a success, was piloted last year. Katharina Obser, senior program officer in the Women’s Refugee Commission’s Migrant Rights and Justice program, explains what losing the program will mean.

• Otto Warmbier, an American student, was detained in North Korea 17 months ago and released last week. He returned to the U.S. in a coma, and his family announced Monday that 22-year-old died at a hospital in Cincinnati. John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, says Warmbier's story reflects the brutality of the North Korean government.

• Tommy Caldwell, a rock climber and author of “The Push: A Climber’s Journey of Endurance, Risk and Going Beyond Limits," joins The Takeaway to discuss his thirst to climb and his new book.

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• The United Kingdom is on edge yet again after a van ran into a crowd of worshipers near a north London mosque. One man is dead, and at least 10 are injured. Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, the chair of Islamic Studies at American University in Washington, D.C and the former Pakistani High Commissioner to the U.K. and Ireland, explains what we know about the attack so far.

• In London, residents and protesters are furious with the government of Prime Minister Theresa May after a fire consumed Grenfell Tower, a 24 story-block of public housing that was set ablaze last Wednesday. Dawn Foster, a columnist for The Guardian, has the latest details on the investigation into the blaze, and the political fall out that has followed.

• Protesters took the streets of Minnesota on Friday after police officer Jeronimo Yanez was found not guilty for the shooting death of Philando Castile. Castile was a licensed gun owner and told Yanez he was carrying a weapon when he was in a car that was pulled over. The National Rifle Association has been relatively silent in the wake of Castile's death. Rick Ector, a Detroit firearms instructor and gun rights advocate, explains what this verdict means for black gun owners in America.

• A forest fire in central Portugal killed more than 60 people this weekend. Government officials expect the death toll to rise as rescue workers continue to assess the damage. Claudia Silva, a reporter for the Portuguese newspaper Público, joins The Takeaway to give the latest on the fire’s aftermath.

• On Tuesday, voters in Georgia's 6th Congressional District will choose between Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel after the most expensive race in the history of the House of Representatives. Bill Nigut,host of "Political Rewind" from Georgia Public Broadcasting, has been following the campaign closely and explains what you need to know.

• On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas to announce the Emancipation Proclamation, which ended slavery and the civil war. More than 150 years later, communities across the U.S. remember the day as Juneteenth. Isabel Wilkerson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration," explains why she believes Juneteenth should be recognized as a national holiday.

• From 1919 until 1933, cabarets in Berlin created a space for social expression, including among LGBTQ people. As Hitler began to rise, they also became venues for resistance. Actor and writer Jeremy Lawrence created English versions of many of the cabaret songs from the time, and he performs them in a one man show called, "Lavender Songs: A Queer Weimar Berlin Cabaret."

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• Who are the lawyers that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has brought onto his team, and what could they potentially bring to the investigation into the Trump team and Russian interference in the election? David Lat, an attorney, and founder and managing editor of the legal news website Above the Law, weighs in.

• President Trump will visit Florida today. He's expected to announce a rollback of the Obama Administration's Cuba policy alongside Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Mario Diaz Balart. Christopher Sabatini, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Global Americans and the editor of its news and opinion website Latin America Goes Global, has the details.

• On Thursday, law enforcement officials announced charges against the security detail of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, who were responsible for beating protesters outside of the Turkish ambassador's residence in Washington last month. Dion Nissenbaum, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, explains what impact the charges will have on the U.S. relationship with Turkey.

• Every Friday, Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, drops by to review the new releases hitting the box office. This week, Rafer returns to the 1990s with a review of "All Eyez on Me," the latest take on Tupac Shakur's life.

• The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, based in Fort Worth, Texas, is among the biggest in the nation. The gold, silver, and bronze medalists give their first public appearances as winners tonight at WNYC's The Greene Space. Bill Zeeble, a reporter with KERA in Dallas, has covered the competition from start to finish. He says the Van Cliburn is unlike most other prestigious classical piano competitions.

• To wrap up The Takeaway’s series on obesity, writer and activist Lindy West spoke to writer Tomika Anderson and Project Runway winner Ashley Nell Tipton in a conversation about weight and identity in America. The Takeaway brings you key excerpts of that conversation today.

• Sam Richardson, who stars on the HBO comedy VEEP as fan favorite "Richard Splett," stops by to talk about the show, his new Comedy Central sitcom "Detroiters," and the blurry line between comedy and reality.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• On Wednesday, The Washington Post reported that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating President Trump for possible obstruction of justice. Lanny Davis, a legal crisis manager, an author, and former White House special counsel under President Clinton, explains what we can expect going forward.

• Members of the Senate Foreign Relations and Banking Committee struck a bipartisan agreement to put new sanctions on Russia, and strengthen the rules already in place. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich has the details on sanctions.

• On Wednesday, a gunman targeted lawmakers practicing for a Congressional baseball game. In the aftermath of the shooting, the political views of the shooter, James T. Hodgkinson, have become the focus of the media. But Hodgkinson had a history of violence. Kiersten Stewart, policy director at the nonprofit Futures Without Violence, says ideology is secondary and past violent behavior, particularly domestic violence, should be the primary factor that we consider in the wake of a shooting.

• Jurors in the Philando Castile and Bill Cosby trials are still in deliberation. Does the added pressure of the media spotlight impact the ability of juries to make a decision? Melissa M. Gomez, a nationally known jury consultant and the President of MMG Jury Consulting, and the author of "Jury Trials Outside In: Leveraging Psychology from Discovery to Decision," brings her expertise to break down the various factors that might impact a jury's decision.

• Technological advances in the criminal justice system may be making the system less fair, but companies behind the tech are claiming trade secrets to keep their algorithms secret. Rebecca Wexler, a fellow at the Legal Aid Society and resident at the Data and Society Research Institute, argues that the secrecy surrounding criminal justice technology is a troubling prospect for the entire system.

• Of the roughly 1,100 open top tier political appointments to fill across the government, President Trump has selected just over 100 nominees. Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service, says that the delays are nothing new for incoming administrations, but Trump's failure to nominate individuals is making it particularly difficult to get things done in Washington.

• "Prog Rock" or progressive rock is a morphing of classical, rock, and improvisational sound. David Weigel, a national reporter for The Washington Post, has encyclopedic knowledge of prog rock. He reflects on the evolution of this genre in his newly-released book, "The Show that Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Progressive Rock"

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• Congressman Steve Scalise, the Republican majority whip in the U.S. House of Representatives, was shot along with others at a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia on Wednesday. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich has the details on this developing story.

• On Tuesday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions appeared before the Senate to testify about his role in the investigation into Russian interference in the election. Sessions was on the defensive, denying that he recused himself because of any wrongdoing. Roy L. Austin, former deputy assistant attorney general in the civil rights division of the Department of Justice from 2010 to 2014, analyzes his testimony.

• After being held in a North Korean prison for 17 months, University of Virginia Student Otto Warmbier was released on Tuesday. Warmbier’s health appears to have deteriorated drastically, and he is said to be in a coma. But Warmbier’s release is a grim reminder that there are three other Americans are currently being held by the state. Phil Robertson, deputy director of the Asia Division at Human Rights Watch, weighs in.

• Between 2002 and 2017, the U.S. government has acknowledged approximately 150 drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. But those numbers don't tell the whole story. Alex Moorehead, director of the counterterrorism, armed conflict and human rights project at Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Institute, explains.

• If there is one woman who understands the gender dynamics in Hollywood, it’s Marcia Nasatir. Nasitir, who is now 91, was the first female vice president of production in Hollywood. Her life story is told in the new documentary, “A Classy Broad, directed by Anne Goursaud.

• Gingger Shankar is a singer, virtuoso violinist, composer, model and songwriter, and was born into one of the world’s most acclaimed and influential musical families — her great uncle is Ravi Shankhar. Shankar has now unveiled her latest work, "Nari," a multimedia family project. She discusses her work today on The Takeaway.

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• After the House passed their version of an Obamacare replacement bill, the legislation went to the Senate. In order to get a healthcare bill through the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell can only afford to lose two Republicans, and may have to make moderate concessions. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich explains.

• Waves of violence and protests continue to rock the nation of Venezuela in opposition to President Nicholas Maduro. On Monday, a Venezuelan court rejected efforts to stop the president from rewriting the constitution. Hannah Dreier, the former Venezuela correspondent for the Associated Press, with the latest from Caracas.

• As part of The Takeaway's series on obesity, "Weight a Minute: Why Obesity in America is Not What You Think," Host John Hockenberry talks with Louis Peitzman, a senior editor at BuzzFeed News, who discusses the challenges of being overweight and gay. "For me, it was a lot harder growing up fat than it was growing up gay," Peitzman says. Takeaway listeners from around the U.S. also reflect on the challenges of obesity.

• On Monday afternoon, Jerry Hatfield was released from Hutchins State Jail in Dallas, Texas after serving 41 years behind bars for murder. In 1980, he was supposed to get a retrial after a court threw out his murder conviction and death sentence. But he never got that retrial. In 2006, 26 years later, he began to file new motions, asserting that his constitutional right to a speedy trial had been denied. It took another 11 years for the courts to agree. Andrew Cohen, senior editor at The Marshall Project and author of Case in Point, and Jeff Newberry, Hartfield's attorney since 2012, examine the details of this case.

• In the latest installment of The Takeaway's “Uncomfortable Truths series, Alison Fornes, a counselor based in Salem, Massachusetts, sits down with her mother Julia Fornes, who kept her Puerto Rican identity closeted for years due to the discrimination she received when she moved from the island to Connecticut. Alison also reveals how her mother's actions affected her own perception of race and identity.

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• Today marks the one year anniversary since the brutal attack on Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. It was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. For a look at how the community is recovering, The Takeaway turns to Amanda Grau, a survivor of the attack; Brian Anthony Alvear, the brother of Amanda Alvear, who was killed during the shooting; and Terry DeCarlo, the executive director of The GLBT Center of Central Florida.

• Since the shooting took place, the Orlando Police Department has been criticized for its response to the attack at Pulse nightclub. Brendan Byrne, a reporter for public radio station WMFE in Orlando, shares an in-depth look at what happened that night, and provides an update on the status of all investigations.

• Puerto Ricans went to the polls over the weekend and voted overwhelmingly for statehood. Some are skeptical of the results, noting that only 23 percent of registered voters turned out. Yet, many doubt that the Republican-controlled Congress will support a measure to make Puerto Rico the 51st state. Where does this leave the economically beleaguered island? Dánica Coto, a reporter and editor for the Associated Press in San Juan, answers.

• Esther Dyson, a New York-based tech investor, developed the "Way to Wellville" contest, which has small American towns compete to develop health and wellness road maps for their communities. The winners participate in community-wide prevention and wellness efforts with help from Dyson and her team. Michigan’s Muskegon County is one of the winners and has come a long way to improving the health of its residents. Dyson and Jamie Hekker, the community engagement coordinator for public health in Muskegon County, discuss the ins and outs of the contest.

• Today is the 50th Anniversary of Loving Vs. Virginia, the Supreme Court case that declared laws criminalizing interracial marriage unconstitutional. Jami Floyd is an attorney, legal analyst, and host of All Things Considered on WNYC. Her parents, an interracial couple, were married in 1956, 11 years before the Loving decision. She discusses her new initiative, the "Other Box Project," and reflects on this historic Supreme Court ruling today on The Takeaway.

• With only six interpreters at Orlando Regional Medical Center, and a shortage of Spanish speakers at the 911 call center, families and the wounded at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando faced a language barrier that magnified the terror and uncertainty of the attack. Since then, the city has had to fill a similar gap in Spanish-speaking staff for mental health resources. Crystal Chavez, a reporter and host for WMFE in Orlando, Florida, explains.

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• Former Federal Prosecutor and Whitewater Independent Counsel Robert Ray discusses some of the unanswered questions relating to former FBI Director James Comey's Senate testimony, the independence of the FBI, and the overlap between the congressional investigation and the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

• British voters went to the polls on Thursday and handed an upset to Prime Minister Theresa May, who lost her majority in Parliament. As the United Kingdom faces Brexit negotiations, the results of the election introduce an air of uncertainty. Dawn Foster, a columnist for The Guardian, discusses the results, and how the U.K. may move forward.

• This week, the Republican-controlled legislature in Kansas voted override Gov. Sam Brownback's veto of a bill that would undo some tax cuts, and raise $1.2 billion over the next two years. Rep. Melissa Rooker has served as a Republican member of the Kansas House of Representatives since 2013. She voted for the initial tax increase and the override the of the governor's veto. She says that the state is undergoing a shift to the center.

• Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, reviews the new films hitting the box office this weekend, including the action flick "The Mummy," the psychological horror film "It Comes at Night," and the military drama "Megan Leavey."

• The annual Scholastic Art and Writing Award winners were honored at Carnegie Hall last night. The topic this year's competition — which was won by icons like Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, and Truman Capote — was American identity. This year's teen winners — poet Chasity Hale, essayist Zara Batlavi, and visual artist Benjamin Cruz — address race, gender identity, and historical oppression thru their works.

• Coastal land loss is destroying the traditional way of life for native tribes on Louisiana's southern coast. Yet, nowhere are the effects of climate change more clear than at the dinner table. Chief Shirell Parfait-Dardar of the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe community, and Barry Yeoman, a journalist writing for the Food & Environment Reporting Network, explain how the effects of climate change have triggered a food crisis for the Pointe-au-Chien Tribe.

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• Today, former FBI Director James Comey will go before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Comey's opening statement, which was released Wednesday, offers a window into his testimony. Jennifer Rodgers, a former federal prosecutor who worked with Comey when he was U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, reflects on today's hearings.

• Voters in the United Kingdom head to the polls today. Prime Minister Theresa May called for the early snap election as part of an effort to strengthen political support ahead of Brexit negotiations. Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, explains what you should expect.

• Lawyers representing Twitter users who have been blocked by President Trump are challenging the move, arguing that the president’s Twitter feed is a forum for public policy. Katie Fallow, a senior attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, has the details.

• Late last week, the Nevada legislature passed a bill that would allow anyone in the state to buy into Medicaid. If signed by Gov. Brian Sandoval, Nevada would become the first state to open Medicaid up to all residents. Nevada Assemblyman Mike Sprinkle, the lawmaker who introduced the bill, explains how this program would work.

• The bipartisan momentum to address criminal justice reform was stalled before the 2016 election. Now that President Trump is in office, the prospects for reform appear to be even more dim. Justin George, Washington correspondent for The Marshall Project, weighs in.

• Hunger and obesity are two sides of the same coin, says journalist Tracie McMillan, who covers stories about food insecurity in America. She explains how hunger has changed in America over the decades, and the challenges low-income parents face trying to feed their kids healthy foods.

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• On Wednesday, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will join will join acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers, and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich explains what you need to know.

• The situation in the Gulf region appears to be evolving rapidly, with a sense of instability growing following reports of deadly assaults today in the Iranian capital. Borzou Daragahi, Middle East correspondent for BuzzFeed News, discusses what happened in Tehran today, and it means for the region.

• The trial of police officer Jeronimo Yanez continues in Minnesota today. Yanez is facing manslaughter and other serious charges after killing 32-year-old Philando Castile during a traffic stop last year. Riham Feshir, a reporter with Minnesota Public Radio, has the details on the case.

• The state of Minnesota and its residents are beginning a formal process to decide the future of the the Enbridge Pipeline. If accepted, the pipeline will carry the oil across Ojibwe tribal lands. Tribal groups are worried about oil spills, and environmental groups are also concerned. Dan Kraker, a reporter for Minnesota Public Radio, weighs in.

• The food industry spends billions of dollars marketing unhealthy foods, particularly to children. What is the impact of this marketing, and is it legal? Sara Abiola, an assistant professor of health policy and management at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, answers.

• Peter Kahn is the co-editor of "The Golden Shovel Anthology: New Poems Honoring Gwendolyn Brooks," a collection of poems celebrating the work of poet and civil rights icon Gwendolyn Brooks. On her 100th birthday, Kahn discusses the life and work and Gwendolyn Brooks.

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• On Saturday, three men drove into pedestrians on London Bridge before getting out at a nearby nightspot and attacking civilians. Seven died, and dozens were hospitalized in the attack. For more on the British government’s ongoing response to Saturday’s attack, The Takeaway turns toUsama Hasan, head of Islamic Studies with Quilliam International.

• The United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Bahrain, and Libya have all severed ties with Qatar in what's being described as the worst diplomatic crisis to hit Gulf Arab states in decades. Marc Lynch, director of the project on Middle East Political Science at George Washington University and a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment Middle East Center, explains.

• As soon as President Donald Trump took office, he and his administration moved quickly to try to lift economic sanctions and normalize relations with Russia, new reports show. Tom Malinowski, former assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor under the Obama administration, has the details.

• Karen Sughrue, a senior producer for Retro Report documentary team, looks back at the "bystander effect," and what it means in the digital age with new platforms like Facebook Live.

• Bill Cosby’s trial kicks off today in the suburbs of Philadelphia. The actor will face charges of drugging and molesting one woman, Andrea Constand, but more than 50 women have come forward sharing their experiences of alleged assault and harassment by the same man. Annette John-Hall, a reporter for public radio station WHYY in Philadelphia and host of the podcast "Cosby Unraveled," explains what you need to know.

• This week, The Takeaway is exploring America's obesity epidemic. More than two in three American adults are overweight, and one in three are obese. For some public health experts, this is the biggest problem we face as a society today. Dr. Sam Klein, director for the Center for Human Nutrition at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, discusses the science behind obesity.

• Amanda Hourihan is overweight, but healthy. She exercises, runs marathons, and tries to eat healthy. But when she goes to her doctor, the only thing he can see if her weight. If medical professionals truly want to help overweight Americans, Amanda says they are going about it all wrong.

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• On Thursday, President Trump announced that the United States would pull out from the 2015 Paris agreement on climate change, a decision that could have far reaching diplomatic and economic ramifications for America and the world. Christine Todd Whitman, the former governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001 and EPA administrator under President George W. Bush, analyzes the White House's position.

• How do multinational corporate entities like energy and chemical companies plan to move forward with their own sustainability policies in the wake of the president’s announcement? Alice Korngold, president of Korngold Consulting, who advises companies like Dow Chemical and Johnson Controls, answers.

• Shootings and an explosion erupted at a casino resort in Manila on Thursday, and fears of a terror attack were rampant as Filipino troops have continued to battle ISIS in the south of the country since May 23. The attack comes as President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao last week. Aurora Almendral, a reporter and radio producer based in Manilla, has the details.

• On Wednesday afternoon ahead of the NBA Finals, Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James addressed explained that a racial slur was spray painted on the front gates of his home in Los Angeles. James said the vandalism illustrated the difficulties black people face in America, and presented another opportunity to discuss issues of racism in the U.S. Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation magazine and host of "The Edge of Sports" podcast, weighs in.

• Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, reviews the big new releases hitting the box office this weekend, including the animated children's film "Captain Underpants," and the big-budget action movie "Wonder Woman."

• Dr. Elizabeth Ford, the chief of psychiatry for New York City Correctional Health Services, has spent years treating patients at Bellevue and on Rikers Island, which houses more than 1,000 people with serious mental illness. Dr. Ford explores the challenges facing America's psychiatric infrastructure, and what patients have taught her about health care and the criminal justice system.

• It's been 100 years since the first piece of commercial jazz was recorded by The Original Dixieland Jazzband. John Schaefer, host of WNYC's Soundcheck and New Sounds, talks to contemporary trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah about how these earlier records were received.

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• Today, President Donald Trump announced his decision to pull the United States out of the historic Paris climate accord. For a look at how the rest of the world may move forward without U.S. leadership on the issue, The Takeaway turns to Joanna Lewis, an associate professor of science, technology, and international affairs at Georgetown University, and author of "Green Innovation in China," and Andrew Light, a distinguished senior fellow in the Global Climate Program at the World Resources Institute, and a former senior adviser and India counselor to the U.S. special envoy on climate change at the State Department.

• Last year, a man California man named Marvin Mutch was released from prison after 40 years. "The Trials of Marvin Mutch," the latest series from KQED's podcast Q'ed Up, re-investigates the murder case that put Marvin in prison, and tracks four decades of prison policy through his story. KQED criminal justice reporter Alex Emslie shares his findings today on The Takeaway.

• A labor activist investigating a factory in China that makes shoes for the Ivanka Trump brand has been detained by Chinese police and two of his colleagues are missing. Benjamin Haas, China correspondent for The Guardian, discusses the motivations behind the detainment, and the latest on the investigation.

• To many, Portland represents an enclave of liberalism in the Pacific Northwest. But the city has a long history of racism and white supremacy that dates back to the state's founding in 1859. In the wake of the white nationalist attack that left two dead and one injured, Lisa Bates, an associate professor of Urban Studies and Planning, and director of the Center for Urban Studies at Portland State University, discusses racial tension in The Beaver State's largest city.

• In the wake of the Portland white nationalist attack, Mayor Ted Wheeler is urging the federal government to revoke a permit for a "free speech" rally this Sunday and to refuse a permit for an anti-Muslim march planned for June 10th. Does hate speech contribute to violent attacks like the one in Oregon? If so, should this speech be limited? Toni M. Massaro, a professor and Riepe Chair in Constitutional Law at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, weighs in.

• In the 1920s, after oil was discovered beneath their land which had once been considered uninhabitable, members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma became the richest people per capita in the world. They built mansions, had chauffeurs, and sent their children overseas to study. Then, one by one, they began to be killed off. David Grann, author "Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI," explains.

• Coming back to President Trump's announcement on the Paris climate accord, we turn to Heather Goldstone, science correspondent for WCAI and WGBH Radio, and Todd Zwillich, Takeaway Washington correspondent. They explain what the president's announcement means for the environment, the economy, and much more.

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• On Sunday, Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Europe must "take its fate into its own hands," implying that continent can no longer rely on the U.S. and the U.K. as allies. Has a split emerged between the United States and Europe? If so, what does that mean for the future of the E.U. and America? For answers, we turn to Constanze Stelzenmüller, Robert Bosch senior fellow with the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution, and Mabel Berezin, a sociology professor at Cornell University and author of "Illiberal Politics in Neoliberal Times: Culture, Security and Populism in the New Europe."

• The first group of women graduated from Army infantry training this month, four years after the Obama Administration ordered the Pentagon to open all combat positions to women. Retired Colonel Ellen Haring, a West Point graduate and director of the Service Women’s Institute for the Service Women’s Action Network, discusses this historic shift in the Army.

• A large car bomb went off during rush hour near the Afghan presidential palace in Kabul today. The attack killed scores of people and wounded hundreds of others. So far, officials do not know who was behind the blast, which civilians said they could feel from a mile away. Mujib Mashal, senior correspondent for The New York Times in Kabul, has the details.

• Last week, the killing of 28 Coptic Christians exposed vulnerabilities in Egypt’s western desert as a staging ground for ISIS. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has put tighter restrictions on aid coming into Egypt, which is stoking fears that he will crack down on human rights activists. Sahar Aziz, a professor at Texas A&M School of Law, discusses the attack, and Egypt's role in the fight against ISIS.

• A fight to change scientific educational standards is playing out in Florida. A bill that would give anyone the power to challenge books used in public schools to teach climate change and evolution has made its way through both houses of the state's legislature. Will Florida Governor Rick Scott sign the legislation, and what would it really mean for K-12 education in the Sunshine State? Glenn Branch, director of the National Center for Science Education, explains.

• Today, NASA will announce its mission to “touch the sun. It will be the first attempt to enter the sun’s atmosphere. How will the agency carry out this very ambitious plan? Nicola Fox, the Solar Probe Plus scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, weighs in.

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• Last week, The Washington Post reported that Jared Kushner discussed setting up back channel communications between the Trump transition team and the Kremlin. Mark Lowenthal, former assistant director of Central Intelligence for Analysis and Production for the CIA under the George W. Bush Administration, explains the significance of this new information.

• On Friday, three men were stabbed on a train in Portland, Oregon when they stood up against an anti-Muslim attack. Two of the men died, and a third remains in the hospital. While he was a student at Reed College, one of the victims, Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche, took Introduction to Islam with Professor Kambiz GhaneaBassiri. GhaneaBassiri joins The Takeaway to remember his student and discuss how the Portland community has responded in the days following the attack.

• The Trump Administration's pledge to punish so-called "sanctuary cities" could jeopardize some local police jobs. In a suburb of Seattle, for example, a federal grant helps pay for 1 out of every 10 officers. But White House officials have threatened to cut these grants to places that don’t fully cooperate on immigration enforcement. Reporter Liz Jones with KUOW public radio in Seattle takes us on a police ride along in one local suburb that’s wrestling with the administration’s funding threats.

• Voters in Maine approved a ranked choice voting system in November. But earlier this week, the Maine Supreme Court ruled that the system violates the state Constitution. The opinion is advisory, but the court suggests that the measure should either be repealed, or that the Constitution is amended. Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, and State Senator Catherine Breen, who is fighting to amend the state's constitution, weigh in.

• Americans reached a new milestone in household debt this year, with consumer debt rising to more than $12 trillion — student loans account for more than 10 percent of that debt. Ebony Brown, a married mother of three who lives in Elgin, Illinois, discusses her struggle with debt. Rachel Schneider, co-author of "The Financial Diaries: How American Families Cope in a World of Uncertainty" and senior vice president at the Center for Financial Services Innovation, explains why financial stability is getting harder and harder to achieve.

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Happy Memorial Day from The Takeaway. In this special holiday episode, we’re hosting conversations about the sacrifices made in war zones, and the challenges facing veterans at home. Here’s what you’ll find in today’s show:

• A former Navy pilot and POW during the Vietnam War, John McCain, a Republican senator from Arizona, believes the U.S. is a “country with a conscience. It's a conscience worth fighting for, McCain says, and he calls the U.S. the “chief architect and defender of an international order that is based on treasured shared moral values and concerns, including human rights. Senator McCain reflects on America’s own struggles with human rights this Memorial Day.

• During President Donald Trump’s first months in office, the principle of civilian leadership of the U.S. military has been challenged. Andrew deGrandpré, senior editor and Pentagon bureau chief for the Military Times, argues that civilian leadership is not threatened under the Trump Administration, but says there is a cautious view that this new autonomy might encourage some impulses within the Pentagon that need to be controlled.

• Last year, the Department of Veterans Affairs published a study that found that an average of 20 veterans a day die from suicide. About 65 percent of vets who take their own lives are 50 years of age or older, the report found. Bobbie O'Brien, a reporter-producer covering veterans and military affairs for WUSF public media in Florida and a correspondent for the American Home Front Project, explains how one community is combating the stigma of veteran suicide. This story was produced by the American Homefront Project, a public media collaboration that reports on American military life and veterans. Funding comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

• The horse, once a proud symbol of military prowess, has been replaced by the helicopter in the modern era. A new monument that is set to be installed and dedicated in Arlington National Cemetery by 2018 (see image below) will honor the nearly 5,000 helicopter pilots and crew members who lost their lives during the Vietnam War. Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Bob Hesselbein, the legacy committee chairman of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association, and Tammy Baldwin, a Democratic senator from Wisconsin, discuss their efforts in support of the monument

• Spread across 624 acres, Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place of Presidents William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and countless military heroes. With more than 400,000 graves already filled, the cemetery faces some very real space challenges in the years ahead. Katharine Kelley, the superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery, explains how she is working to preserve this place of national sacrifice.

• Major Tenaya Humphrey comes from a military family. She lost her father when he died in a military plane accident when she was a young girl. As a C-17 aircraft pilot, Major Humphrey has performed one of the most solemn missions in the armed services: Returning the bodies or remains of service members who have died in the line of duty. Major Humphrey, an instructor at Air Command and Staff College, reflects on the military’s sacred duty of bringing fallen soldiers home.

The Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association will donate this monument to Arlington National Cemetery. (Photo Credit: Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association) Check out the poem written by Major Humphrey, “Do Not Call Us Fallen, below.

Do not call us fallen, we did not falter when you called.
We volunteered with all our heart, knowing the cost involved.
We entered a new world, without fear of trails ahead,
We were tested, we were tempted, but we ventured on instead.

The details of our journey we may have taken to our graves,
But know they were completed, on the last moment, of that last day.
Our death was not our testing; we aced that before our time,
It is your true test instead, as you were left behind.

This marks neither the end for us, nor the end for you,
It is but a part of our greater story, that which will continue.
Do not focus on our death, but on how we lived our lives,
When greater than us called, we made a conscious sacrifice.

We ask you now to do the same, although it pains you so,
Embrace this part of your own life, and to this bigger purpose, let us go.
You are the true hero, for you venture on alone.
We will be watching and cheering as you complete your journey, and come home.

Do not let them call us Fallen! We did not lay down and die.
When darken called we faced it, a warrior’s death, but a hero’s life.
The hardest part was not the battle, for a warrior’s heart is true,
The hardest part was the last face we saw, and that, my dear, was you.

• Tenaya Humphrey

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President Donald Trump’s “America first budget cuts about one-third or 31 percent of the funding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) receives, even though Defense Secretary James Mattis believes climate change is a national security threat. In this special episode, we explore the future of the EPA in the Trump era. Here’s what you’ll find in today’s show:

• President Richard Nixon established the EPA in 1970, but the agency has become increasingly politicized in the years since its creation, and it will see significant changes under new Administrator Scott Pruitt. Emily Holden, a reporter for the environmental news outlet E&E News, examines how the EPA is changing, and William Reilly, who served as the EPA administrator under President George H.W. Bush, looks back at the history of the agency and discusses his tenure at the EPA.

• On the campaign trail, President Trump promised to both “drain the swamp and make cuts to governmental agencies. Myron Ebell, who led President Trump’s environmental transition team, weighs in Administrator Pruitt’s vision for the agency, and what he plans to accomplish.

• The town of Columbia Falls, Montana was recently designated a Superfund site by the EPA. For Montanans, the designation is a mixed bag: Clean up is important to locals, but many worry about having the federal government get involved in a local issue. Phil Mitchell, Flathead County Commissioner; Montana State Senator Dee Brown; Erin Sexton, a senior scientist with the University of Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station; and Stacey Schnebel, the former chairwoman of the Columbia Falls Chamber of Commerce, analyze the concerns facing the community.

• What do those inside the EPA think of the changes being undertaken by the Trump Administration? For answers, we turn to Felicia Chase, a water enforcement researcher in Region 5, where's she's been since 2008; Ethan Shenkman, former deputy general counsel at the EPA; and Joe Arvai, a member of the Science Advisory Board since 2011.

• With only 25 of the estimated 150 glaciers remaining in Montana’s Glacier National Park, the site has become a symbol of climate change on both the national and international level. But what role does the EPA have here, and in a state where so much of the economy depends on fossil fuels, how do locals feel about the inevitable melting? Todd Zwillich reports.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• In 2017 alone, more than 59,000 migrants and refugees have risked their lives to reach Europe. Of those that have attempted the journey, an estimated 1,500 are feared drowned. Richard Hall, Beirut correspondent for PRI's The World and The Global Post, is aboard the Save the Children’s Vos Hestia ship in the waters off of North Africa, and provides The Takeaway an update on the ongoing refugee crisis.

• On Thursday, Montana holds a special election to fill the House seat vacated by Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. Republican Greg Gianforte is up against Democrat Rob Quist. Gianforte stirred some late election controversy after allegedly body slamming Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs on Wednesday. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich examines the dynamics at play in The Treasure State, and Jacobs weighs in on the incident with Gianforte.

• Last week, the NAACP voted to get rid of Cornell William Brooks, the organization's president. The rise of Black Lives Matter and the demands of a younger generation who are seeking more tangible results in a volatile political and social climate is forcing the 108-year-old organization to re-examine its mission. Dr. Peniel Joseph, a professor at the University of Texas-Austin and founding director of the LBJ School's Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, explains.

• Gun violence continues to disrupt life in Chicago. More than 1,000 people have been victims of shootings in 2017 alone. Trying to figure who picks up a gun and why is the subject of WBEZ's series called "Every Other Hour." The title refers to how often a person has been shot since last year. As part of this series, The Takeaway hears from "Reed," a middle aged man who still carries a gun and sometimes uses it.

• Phoenix has seen dramatic successes in dealing with disconnected youth. Rebekah Sanders, a reporter for The Arizona Republic, brings The Takeaway the story of Felix Moran, who was arrested on a felony charge as a young man. Since getting out, he's become a Youth Outreach Coordinator.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• After this week's attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, The Takeaway explores how terrorist organizations, including ISIS, evoke fear by targeting vulnerable parts of the population. Jessica Stern, a professor at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University and co-author of "ISIS: The State of Terror," weighs in.

• With healthcare reform still up for debate in Washington, the future of Montana’s Medicaid expansion is unclear. Some 72,000 people gained access to healthcare after the expansion in 2015, and about 20,000 of that population is made up of American Indians. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich interviewed healthcare providers and recipients across the state to see how they’ve been impacted by the expansion.

• On Wednesday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) will release a score of the American Health Care Act. The analysis will include savings estimates and projections of insurance coverage losses over the next 10 years, and the Senate cannot move forward with its version of the bill until the CBO scoring is complete. Jennifer Haberkorn, senior healthcare reporter for Politico Pro, explains what you need to know.

• As part of the 2017 County Health Rankings Key Findings Report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a new metric is emerging about "disconnected youth." Defined as young people aged 16 to 24 who are neither working nor in school, it's estimated by the data that currently 1 in 8 young people fall into this category. For a look at this data, The Takeaway turns to Kate Kingery, deputy director of community transformation at County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, and Clive Belfield, a professor in the department of economics at CUNY Queens College.

• Chicago is running an aggressive campaign to re-engage young people. The program, called Thrive Chicago, aims to connect 10,000 young people with jobs, internships, mentorships or other kinds of training in three years. Brandis Friedman, Chicago Tonight Correspondent at WTTW covering education, has the details on the program.

• There are more than 80 million Catholics in the United States. How are American Catholics viewing President Trump's visit to the Vatican and meeting with Pope Francis? John Gehring, Catholic program director at Faith in Public Life and author of "The Francis Effect: A Radical Pope's Challenge to the American Catholic Church," answers.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• Last night, an explosion tore through an arena in Manchester, England, where pop star Ariana Grande was finishing up a performance. At least 22 people were killed, and more than 50 people were injured. British police are calling it a terrorist incident. Sewell Chan, the London-based international news editor for our partners at The New York Times, brings us the latest.

• On Monday, former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn said he will invoke his Fifth Amendment right in order to avoid a Senate Intelligence Committee subpoena requesting documents that could tie him to Russian interference in the 2016 election. We explore the legal justification for this option, and how it relates to the investigation being led by former FBI Director Robert Mueller, with Amy Sabrin, a retired attorney who represented numerous public officials and executives in Department of Justice and congressional investigations.

• After choosing to visit Saudi Arabia and Israel on his first official foreign visit, President Donald Trump appears to be further isolating Iran during his trip abroad. What is the Iranian view of the president’s Middle East trip? Nahid Siamdoust, a lecturer at Yale's MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies and author of "Soundtrack of the Revolution: The Politics of Music in Iran," weighs in.

• Yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security decided to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 58,000 Haitians in the U.S. The Obama Administration originally granted TPS after Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, but the acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services recently suggested that conditions have improved sufficiently for Haitians to return home, and is calling for TPS to end. Kenny Azi, a Haitian living under Temporary Protected Status in the U.S., explains why he disagrees with the Trump Administration's determination.

• On Tuesday, the White House reveals the 2018 budget. The proposed budget — a fleshed out version of the skinny budget put forth in March — is expected to contain major changes to entitlements, including cuts to SNAP benefits, Social Security’s Supplemental Security Income program, and $800 billion in cuts to Medicaid over the next 10 years, which would affect 10 million people. Jonathan Cohn, senior national correspondent at The Huffington Post, explains what you need to know.

• Andrew Cohen, a senior editor at The Marshall Project, and Jessica Van Dyke, an attorney practicing in Nashville, Tennessee, look at Tennessee’s criminal justice system through the case of Thomas Edward Clardy, who was convicted of murder but claims that the evidence was legally insufficient to support his convictions.

• As students prepare to graduate, The Takeaway examines some of the most popular commencement speeches and what makes them so successful with Cristina Negrut, a software application designer creator of the website Graduation Wisdom.

This episode is hosted by Noel King.

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• President Donald Trump is on his first official trip overseas. This past weekend, the president was in Saudi Arabia, and today he'll be in Israel before he heads to Rome, Sicily, and Brussels. Ambassador Itamar Rabinovich, former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. from 1993 to 1996, and Steve Eder, an investigative reporter for our partners at The New York Times, look at Mr. Trump's visit to Israel and Saudi Arabia.

• According to a group of current and former U.S. intelligence officials, from 2010 to 2012, at least a dozen C.I.A. informants were thrown in jail or killed by the Chinese government. Adam Goldman, a reporter with The New York Times who has been covering this story, has the details.

• A whistle-blower at UnitedHealth Group is claiming that big insurance companies have been using Medicare Advantage to profit-game the system in order to be paid more. Fred Schulte, a senior correspondent for Kaiser Health News, explains.

• The chemical chlorpyrifos, which was slated to be banned under the Obama administration but then reversed by President Trump, is responsible for sickening dozens of farm workers in California. Dana Boyd Barr, a professor at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, a member of the scientific advisory panel for the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act that recommended the ban to the EPA, weighs in.

• The Takeaway looks into a foiled terrorist plot set to be carried out in Kansas by three members of an anti-Muslim white supremacist group called the Crusaders. Ted Genoways, a contributing editor to The New Republic, investigated the group's radicalization, their plan to bomb an apartment complex comprised of mostly Somali immigrants, and how the town rallied to the defense of these refugees.

• As students across the country prepare for graduation, Rob Barnett, a public school teacher in Washington, D.C., says that schools are too fixated on graduation rates and passing students to boost their numbers. As a result, real learning has become a secondary goal.

This episode is hosted by Noel King.

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• U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) appears to be growing more critical of the president in the wake of the investigation into Russian interference in the election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign. Senator McCain joins The Takeaway to discuss the Justice Department’s decision to appoint former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to lead the investigation.

• Democratic Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee and joins the program to respond to the latest string of reports surrounding President Trump and the investigation into Russian influence in the election.

• On Wednesday night, a jury acquitted Tulsa Police Officer Betty Jo Shelby in the death of Terence Crutcher, an unarmed African-American man who had his hands up when Shelby shot him in September 2016. Mechelle Brown, program coordinator at the Greenwood Cultural Center, explains how the community is responding.

• On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to roll back the net neutrality rules put in place under the Obama Administration in 2015. Michael Copps, former commissioner of the FCC, explains what you need to know.

• Iranians are going to the polls today to elect a new president. Current Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate cleric, is seeking a second term as he faces off against a range of hard-line conservative candidates. Trita Parsi, the founder and president of the National Iranian American Council and the author of "Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy," weighs in.

• President Trump departs for his eight-day overseas trip on Friday, and his first stop will be Saudi Arabia, where the president is expected to deliver a speech on radical Islam, written by aide Stephen Miller. Shadi Hamid, a fellow at the Brookings Institution and author of the new book, "Temptations of Power: Islamists and Illiberal Democracy in a New Middle East," discusses what viewers should watch for in the president's speech.

• Melissa Locker, culture reporter for TIME, The Guardian, and The Takeaway, reviews three new web series created, produced by, or starring women, including "Brown Girls," which focuses on interracial friendships; "Eighty-Sixed," a satirical comedy about handling break-ups in the social media age; and "Kate of the Damned," a vampire comedy.

• Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, reviews the new films hitting the box office this weekend, including the romantic comedy "The Lovers," the children's movie "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul," and the highly-anticipated action film "Alien: Covenant."

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Coming up on today's show:

• On Wednesday evening, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Robert Mueller, the former director of the FBI, would step in and serve as a special counsel to oversee the investigation into Russian interference in the election. Robert Ray, a former federal prosecutor and independent counsel for the Whitewater investigation, explains how Mueller's appointment could change the scope and timeline of the investigation.

• Last night, our partners at The New York Times reported that the Trump transition team knew about the DOJ's investigation into Michael Flynn, the president's former national security adviser, before he came into the White House. Karen Tumulty, national political correspondent for The Washington Post, explains how the new revelations about Flynn may change the Russia probe.

• Leaks continue to come out of the Trump Administration. Paul Rosenzweig, an attorney, a homeland security consultant, and a professor at George Washington Law School, explores the difference between leakers and whistle-blowers, their legal protections, and whether the practice of revealing information sets a damaging precedent.

• In recent months, there have been a number of deaths at the Adelanto Detention Facility, a privately run Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Southern California. Robin Urevich, a contributor to the publication "Capital and Main," shares the story of Norma Gutierrez, a 41 year old woman who lost full use of her right arm and leg after suffering from what appears to be a stroke, and was refused treatment at the facility.

• Many people living in coastal communities worry about sea level rise, inland farmers often fear increasing droughts, and others are concerned about super storms and hurricanes.All of these things have the same root cause: The gradual heating of the atmosphere. In Austin, KUT Reporter Mose Buchele explores how his community is working to cool things down.

• In his latest book, author Chuck Klosterman shares a series of essays on culture, sports, relationships, ethics and technology. Klosterman says that the work represents "a portrait of my interior life: I watch games, I listen to music, and I daydream about the rest of reality." He joins The Takeaway to discuss his new work, which is entitled "Chuck Klosterman X."

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• A new report from our partners at The New York Times alleges that President Donald Trump asked former FBI Director James Comey to shut down the federal investigation into National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and his ties to Russia. Michael Schmidt, the New York Times reporter who broke this story, gives us the details on this memo. Byron Tau, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal covering Congress, oversight, investigations and ethics, explains how Congress may respond.

• Is the Comey memo sufficient grounds for impeachment? Jeffrey Rosen, president of the National Constitution Center and professor of law at George Washington University, answers.

• Reports now show that the sensitive intelligence on ISIS that President Trump shared with the Russians came from Israel. How are Israelis responding to the news that the president leaked classified information to Russian officials? Dr. Einat Wilf, a former member of the Israeli Knesset and a former Israeli intelligence official, weighs in.

• Authorities in Yemen have declared a state of emergency after at least 180 people in the country died from a cholera outbreak. Aid workers estimate that more than 11,000 may be infected. Jamie McGoldrick, a United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, has the details.

• This week, The Takeaway is exploring how immigration detention transformed into a shadow prison system. Today, we go inside one of these facilities, and hear from two detainees: Ralph Alhassani, a detainee at the Bergen County Jail in New Jersey, and Yanet Candelario Salazar is a 39-year-old with dual Canadian-Cuban citizenship. Sally Pillay, the director of First Friends, which has set up a free hotline for people in immigration detention seeking support, also weighs in.

• A seasoned war correspondent, Jeffrey Gettleman has covered every major conflict over the past 20 years, from Afghanistan to Iraq to the Congo. For the past decade, he has served as the East Africa bureau chief for our partners at The New York Times, and in his new book, "Love, Africa: A Memoir of Romance, War, and Survival," he discusses his relationship with the African continent.

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Coming up on today's show:

• According to widespread media reports, President Donald Trump shared classified information with Russia’s foreign minister and its ambassador during a meeting at the White House last week. A panel of experts joins The Takeaway to discuss.

• As part of ongoing coverage, The Takeaway will examine three aspects of immigration detention. Today, we'll begin with a look at how the idea of immigration detention was born in the mid-20th century, and how, in the last decade, it evolved into one of the largest growing areas of the U.S. prison system. Jackie Stevens, a professor and the director of Northwestern University's Deportation Research Clinic, has the story.

• The U.N. Security Council has called for a meeting today to discuss North Korea's recent long-range missile test, which experts are saying is its most powerful one yet. Daryl Kimball, the executive director of the Arms Control Association, explains the weaponry involved.

• To many Chinese, today's date marks the anniversary of the official start of the Cultural Revolution when, in 1966, Mao Zedong issued the "May 16th Notification," a summary of what would become the ideological justification for the peasant revolution that would last years and claim millions of lives. Beijing-based journalist and author Ian Johnson spoke with Chinese journalist Tan Hecheng, whose new book, "The Killing Wind: A Chinese County's Descent into Madness during the Cultural Revolution," details the bloody massacre of more than 4,500 people in Dao County in the fall of 1967.

• Ashley Graham has walked the runways at Fashion Week, graced the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition, and been dubbed a "supermodel" by Vogue. She's also a size 16 — the average dress size for a woman in the U.S. She chats with The Takeaway about her memoir, "A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty & Power Really Look Like."

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• The Takeaway lays out a timeline of the conflicting statements and lies emerging from President Trump and the White House surrounding the firing of FBI Director James Comey and the ongoing investigation into possible collusion between Trump and Russia during the campaign. Michael Shear, a reporter for the New York Times, joins guest host Todd Zwillich.

• The massive ransomware attack that hit computer systems across the globe on Friday has been called the biggest ever. Targeting hospitals, telecommunications agencies, and government departments in 99 different countries, it was a reminder of how vulnerable many of the most essential parts of society are to digital viruses. Nuala O'Connor, the president and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology and former Chief Privacy Officer for the Department of Homeland Security, weighs in.

• Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) sent a fundraising letter to the employer of one of his constituents, calling her out as a member of an activist group that opposed him. In other words, it appears that the letter could be a threat. WNYC’s managing editor Nancy Solomon broke the story.

• Smallpox was one of the deadliest diseases in human history, killing up to an estimated half-billion people in the 20th century alone. The World Health Organization undertook a massive eradication campaign in the 1970s, and officially declared the end of smallpox in 1979. That story and what we can learn from it is the subject of the latest dispatch from our friends at the Retro Report. Umbreen Butt, a producer for Ikana Media and a freelance producer on the documentary, joins us to discuss.

• Earlier this month, Baltimore Orioles All-Star Adam Jones was in the outfield during a game at Fenway Park, when a Red Sox fan hurled a bag of peanuts at him, yelling racial slurs. A similar incident occurred the next day, this time directed at the woman singing the national anthem. Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation magazine and host of "The Edge of Sports" podcast, says the history of racism in Boston sports goes back decades.

• KERA’s ongoing One Crisis Away project looks at life on the financial edge. In their latest series, "No Place To Go," they're exploring West Dallas, across the Trinity River from downtown. Since the city built a new bridge, upscale shops, restaurants and apartment buildings have moved in, changing the neighborhood. Now hundreds of residents — who’ve lived in West Dallas for generations — have to move. Courtney Collins, a reporter for KERA, has the story.

• Whether it's the Beatles or the Stones in the 60s, Devo in the 80s, Tupac in the 90s, or Rihanna today, pop music forms the soundtrack of our lives and generations. But we have a tendency to think of these songs as simply fun rather than meaningful. A new book called "The Poetry of Pop" argues that we should change our tune. Author Adam Bradley, who's also the founding director of the Laboratory for Race and Popular Culture at the University of Colorado, discusses how the history of pop music is closely tied to poetry itself.

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• A series of town halls across the country this week saw constituents angry about the Congressional efforts to reform health care. We talk to reporters who have attended these meetings, including Frankie Barnhill, a reporter for Boise State Public Radio; WNYC Washington correspondent John O'Connor; and Katarina Sostaric, Eastern Iowa reporter for Iowa Public Radio.

• Earlier this week, a 20-foot section of tunnel where radioactive waste was being stored at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state collapsed. The accident raises questions about the structural integrity of these locations and the process of cleanup at nuclear weapons sites around the country. Paul Carroll, Director of Programs for Ploughshares Fund, a global security foundation, and a former official at the U.S. Department of Energy, weighs in.

• The Red Bull Music Academy is a world-traveling series of music workshops, festivals, and art installations committed to fostering creativity in music. The events take place over several weeks, and culture reporter Melissa Locker shares a few artists worth checking out, starting with the "prince of soft soul," Patrick Adams.

• Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, joins The Takeaway to talk movies big and small, including the epic medieval flick, "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword," starring Charlie Hunnam.

• Controversy over the removal of Confederate monuments in New Orleans, Louisiana, has flared up again, now that two of four of the structures have been uprooted. New Orleanian Michael Tisserand, author of "Krazy: George Herriman, a Life in Black and White," has the story.

• Legendary Memphis soul singer-songwriter Don Bryant, who wrote for the likes of Al Green and Etta James, released his first album in 1969. Now he's back in his element with a second album, "Don’t Give Up On Love." He joins us for a soulful conversation.

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• In the wake of FBI director James Comey’s firing, there have been calls from both sides of the aisle for an independent investigation into the Trump campaign's connection to Russia. U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is among those in favor, and she joins us to discuss her stance.

• If a special counsel were appointed to investigate Trump-Russia ties, how would that process unfold, and who would take on that role? Robert Ray, former head of the Office of the Independent Counsel, explains.

• On Tuesday, John Thompson, the director of the U.S. Census Bureau, announced that he would be resigning after 27 years. His announcement came on the heels of a congressional budget allocation that critics say is inadequate. Terri Ann Lowenthal,former staff director of the House oversight subcommittee for the census and now co-director of the watchdog organization The Census Project, explains why the census is important, and what challenges it faces.

• There are now at least 50 confirmed measles cases in Minnesota, largely affecting unvaccinated Somali-American children. It’s the largest outbreak in the state in more than two decades, and the community is believed to have been targeted by anti-vaccine groups. Kristen Ehresmann,director of the Infectious Disease Division at the Minnesota Department of Health, discusses the outbreak.
• On Wednesday, three Senate Republicans joined Senate Democrats in a 51-49 vote to block consideration of a resolution to repeal an Obama-era rule requiring oil and gas producers to curb methane emissions from federal lands. The Takeaway's Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, has the story.
• Carina Ho was an active artist in dance and music before she was paralyzed in an accident at the age of 27. She returned to her art with her disability with the AXIS dance company and describes that experience.
• This week in 1924, J. Edgar Hoover took over the FBI this week, and his tenure as director included a restructuring and expansion that came to define what the agency represents today. A huge part of that legacy was established with the FBI’s handling of prohibition. Beverly Gage, a professor of 20th century American History at Yale University and author of the forthcoming book "G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the American Century," takes us on a tour of history.

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• On Tuesday, President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. The White House says it dismissed Comey over the handling of his investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails, but the firing comes in the midst of the FBI’s investigation into President Trump’s campaign and possible collusion with the Russians. Todd Zwillich, Takeaway Washington correspondent, and Paul McNulty, former U.S. deputy attorney general from 2005 to 2007, weigh in.

• What are the president's critics saying about his decision to fire Comey? Matthew Miller, a former spokesperson for the Department of Justice under Attorney General Eric Holder, says the principles of independence have been "throughly violated" by the president's actions.

• Today, the Financial Oversight and Management Board, a non-elected body, determines how Puerto Rico will meet its financial goals. The Takeaway examines the history of Puerto Rico’s economy and how Washington’s policies have shaped the island’s fiscal crisis with Miriam Ramirez, who served in the Puerto Rican senate between 2000 and 2004.

• On Wednesday, the first of a series of Russian shipments of oil will arrive in Cuba. The Takeaway explores how the former Soviet Union and modern Russia have served Cuba's energy needs with Jorge Pinon, director for the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy of Latin at the University of Texas at Austin.

• Cities across the country are discovering a simple way to reduce recidivism rates: Provide people with housing. Last month, New York City placed 97 people in permanent supportive housing to cut overcrowding and save money. Christie Thompson, a writer for The Marshall Project, discusses the ins and outs of the program.

• With President Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey, is the United States careening towards a constitutional crisis? For answers, we turn to Jeffrey Rosen, a professor of law at George Washington University and president of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

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• On Monday, Sally Yates, former acting attorney general, and James Clapper, former director of national intelligence, answered hours of questions from the Senate Intelligence Committee aimed at understanding the links between General Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, and Russia. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich explains what we learned from the hearing, and where we go from here.

• General Michael Hayden, the former director of the National Security Agency, and former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, responds to the testimony delivered by Yates and Clapper, and what the investigation reveals about the state of the Trump White House. His book is titled: "Playing to The Edge: American Intelligence in the Age of Terror."

• On Sunday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill that would ban sanctuary cities in his state by imposing civil and criminal penalties for localities that don’t comply with federal immigration policies. We hear from law enforcement who are protesting the law. Art Acevedo, the chief of police in Houston, Texas, explains why he is opposed to the law.

• On Tuesday, South Koreans will choose a leader to replace impeached President Park Geun-hye. The election occurs at a moment of extreme tension between the North and the South. Tim Shorrock, journalist who has been reporting from Korea for The Nation magazine, discusses the election and the politics at play. He’s also the author of "Spies for Hire: The Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing."

• Yesterday, the White House announced 10 judicial nominees for the more than 120 open positions in the lower courts across the country. The Trump Administration also has plans to roll out more nominations over time to fill the 129 vacant judicial seats, which exist in all 11 circuits, including Washington D.C. For details, we turn to Meryl Justin Chertoff , executive director of the Justice and Society Program at The Aspen Institute.

• Conservation efforts have brought the wild American bison back from the brink of extinction, but this success has also brought some unexpected problems, according to Amy Martin, a journalist who has been reporting on bison in Montana for her podcast "Threshold."

• WNYC new podcast, "The United States of Anxiety: Culture Wars, shines a light on the people who have been battling to shape America’s political culture for decades. In the first episode, WNYC Reporter Arun Venugopal travels to Kansas to speak with the Indian community about how they’re dealing with their changing status in America, and how white supremacy is impacting their community.

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• French voters went to the polls on Sunday and elected Emmanuel Macron as their new president. At 39 years old, Macron is the youngest French leader since Napoleon, and his victory comes after a wild, angry, and unpredictable election season. James McAuley, Paris correspondent, discusses the results and looks at the future of France.

• On Monday afternoon, a Senate Judiciary Committee will continue its investigation into the Russian interference in the U.S. election, and will hear testimony from James Clapper and Sally Yates. Anne Applebaum, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, a columnist for The Washington Post, and author of "Gulag: A History," and Takeaway Washington CorrespondentTodd Zwillich weigh in.

• On Saturday, a pitch given to potential Chinese investors by Jared Kushner's sister is bringing renewed scrutiny to a controversial visa program, and to Kushner's conflicts of interests. Noah Bookbinder is the executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonpartisan government watchdog group, and a former trial attorney for the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section from 1999 to 2005. He joins The Takeaway to break down the ethical conflicts at play in the Kushner family’s business strategy.

• A U.S. Navy Seal was killed in combat with the Al Shabaab terrorist group last week. It was the first time an American service member has been killed in Somalia since 1993. Katharine Houreld, East Africa bureau chief for Reuters, explores the U.S. military presence in Somalia, and the threat of Al Shabaab in an increasingly unstable region.

• On Sunday, 82 girls who were kidnapped in 2014 from the Nigerian town of Chibok were released by the militant group Boko Haram. Some 113 Chibok girls still remain unaccounted for. What’s next for the 82 newly released women, and for those still in captivity? Michael Clyne, a political risk analyst who specializes in African affairs, answers.

• Orange County has the highest number of juvenile arrests in the state of Florida, and black boys make up the majority of these arrests. WMFE Reporter Renata Sago analyzed the problem in a new five-part series, and says much of it has to do with Florida’s "direct file" statute, which allows prosecutors discretion to move a wide range of juvenile cases to adult court.

• Sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild spent five years getting to know people in the Louisiana Bayou. In the lead up to the 2016 election, Hochschild said she found exaggerated evidence of what she calls the "Red State Paradox." She describes the "deep story" in her new book: "Strangers in their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right - A Journey to the heart of Our Political Divide."

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• By a vote of 217 to 213, Republican lawmakers in the House voted on Thursday to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act after years of attempts and campaigning to dismantle the healthcare law. Sarah Kliff, senior policy correspondent for Vox, breaks down what's in the bill, and whether it has a chance to pass in the Senate. Joe Walsh, a former congressman and a nationally syndicated radio host, says that not all conservatives are celebrating.

• French voters will head to the polls on Sunday. Marine Le Pen, the far right leader of the National Front, will square off against centrist and political novice Emmanuel Macron. But many working-class French citizens are frustrated, and are considering staying home this weekend. James McAuley, Paris correspondent for The Washington Post, explains.

• Melissa Locker, culture reporter for TIME, The Guardian, and The Takeaway, reviews the TV series that returning or premiering in the coming weeks, including "Master of None," "House of Cards," "Twin Peaks," and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."

• Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, reviews the new releases hitting the box office this weekend, including "Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2" and "Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer." Rafer also discusses the film teaser for the highly anticipated action movie "The Dark Tower."

• On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order, “Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty," which eases IRS restrictions on political activities by religious groups. Micah Schwartzman, professor of constitutional and first amendment law at the University of Virginia Law School, and co-editor of the book "The Rise of Corporate Religious Liberty," has the details.

• Fake news sites are often associated with the far right and efforts to get President Trump elected, but recent analysis has found a proliferation of fake news sites originating from sources on the left. Jeff Green, the CEO of Trade Desk, an internet advertising company that was recently commissioned by CBS to investigate who is reading and sharing fake news online, explains the political trends in the phenomenon.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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The Takeaway is in San Francisco, California for a special broadcast from public radio station KQED. During this special broadcast co-hosted by Takeaway Host John Hockenberry and Queena Kim, the senior editor of KQED's Silicon Valley Desk, we'll explore our changing labor market, and some innovative proposals that will help our society through this transformation. Here's what you'll find in today's show:

• Around the country, technology and innovation is changing the present and shaping the future of America's labor market. A trip to a Lowe’s hardware store in California's Bay Area shows this shift well. Kyle Nel, head of Lowe’s Innovation Labs, has been developing the "LoweBot" (photos below), which helps customers navigate their way around this massive store.

• Eric “Rick Hanushek, an economist and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, explains what the future of the labor market looks like, which jobs might be lost to automation, which jobs will be under-filled, and what that means for the future of the U.S. economy.

• We’re already living in a world where humans and machines are working side by side. But at an Amazon fulfillment center in Tracy, California, workers have a mixed view on automation. The Takeaway talks with these workers, and with tech expert Michael Chui, a partner at McKinsey & Company.

• If economists believe jobs will disappear due to automation, what should the United States do? Some have suggested that America introduce a guaranteed basic income — the the idea that everyone should receive a regular, unconditional paycheck. Natalie Foster, who studies and advocates for a universal basic income as the co-chair of the Economic Security Project, explains.

• In several corners of the world, non-profits and governments are introducing guaranteed basic income. Marjukka Turunen, head of the legal affairs unit of Kela, Finland’s social security bureau, explains how this Nordic country is experimenting with basic income. The Takeaway also hears from two people who could benefit from a guaranteed basic income: Christina Scardino, a former NUMMI plant autoworker, and Jay-Marie Hill, a musician and community organizer.

• What happens to society when the labor market makes a dramatic shift? Joanna Reed is a sociologist and lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, where she studies the sociological impact of work. And she says the value of the dollar isn’t the only measure of a hard day’s work in this country.

Queena Kim and John Hockenberry with the LoweBot automated retail service robot in San Jose, California. (Isabel Angell/The Takeaway)

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• Major protests are expected in Caracas, Venezuela today, following a decree issued by embattled President Nicolás Maduro that calls for a "people’s body" to rewrite the Constitution. Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jose Pepe Diaz says greater action on the part of the U.S. is necessary, and has called for the federal government to impose tougher sanctions on Maduro's government. Daniel Lansberg-Rodriguez, director for the Latin American region at Greenmantle LLC, a macroeconomic and geopolitical advising firm, explains how the country descended into violence and instability.

• President Donald Trump is praising U.S. automakers for investing hundreds of millions of dollars and creating hundreds of job in Michigan. In a special investigation from The Takeaway’s Rockefeller Resilience Project, reporter Quinn Klinefelter with public radio station WDET examines the role of autoworkers — a group whose resilience is being tested by reality.

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture now plans to roll back school lunch standards that are related sweetened milk, sodium, and whole grains, among other things. Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, explains.

• Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is set to speak to the State Department today. It's the first time he will address the agency since assuming his post in February. There have been reports that the agency is functioning at a very limited capacity, and Tillerson has planned further cuts in staffing and a 26 percent reduction to the budget. For a look at the future of the State Department, The Takeaway turns to Robert Berschinski, former deputy assistant secretary of state for Human Rights for the Obama Administration.

• In partnership with the American Home Front Project, Bobbie O'Brien, a reporter and producer covering veterans and military affairs for public radio station WUSF, looks at the struggles encountered by military caregivers, who are mostly spouses and parents.

• Chicago has already seen more than 1,000 victims of gun violence this year. In an effort to explore the gun violence epidemic, public radio station WBEZ has launched a new series called "Every Other Hour," which was named for the frequency of shootings in the Windy City. Alex, a former gang member, was just 13 years old when he shot a man in the chest. He shares his story today on The Takeaway.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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Coming up on today's show:

• President Donald Trump has promised a new push to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, and the vote could come as early as this week. We explore the key issues with the new healthcare bill with Mary Agnes Carey, partnerships editor and senior correspondent for Kaiser Health News, and Dr. Carolyn McClanahan, a physician and a financial planner who advises on health care policy.

• President Trump has pushed the H-1B temporary guest worker visa program back into the spotlight with a recent executive order that aims to surface “Buy American and “Hire American policies. Some in Congress have long called for reforms to the H-1B lottery program, including Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois. He weighs in today on The Takeaway.

• Last night, Puerto Rico missed a deadline to craft a debt deal after the government was unable to reach an agreement with bondholders, and now lenders are suing the U.S. territory. Dánica Coto, a reporter and editor for the Associated Press based in San Juan, has the details.

• Over the weekend, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an fired nearly 4,000 more public officials as part of an escalating crackdown on dissent and free expression. The government also blocked access to Wikipedia. Mahir Zeynalov, chief editor of The Globe Post, explains what you need to know.

• Over the weekend in Dallas, 15-year-old Jordan Edwards was shot and killed by police through the passenger’s side window of a vehicle. Officers reported that they heard gunshots when responding to a call of drunken teenagers. Nomaan Merchant, a correspondent with the Associated Press based in Texas, gives us the latest on this story.

• Chicago has already seen more than 1,000 victims of gun violence so far this year. In an effort to explore the gun violence epidemic in Chicago, public radio station WBEZ has launched a new series called, "Every Other Hour," which is how often someone got in the city over the past 15 months. Jaime, a 19-year-old former gang member, explains how he first got involved in gang violence in Chicago as a young teenager.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.

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• Last week, a federal judge in San Francisco blocked President Donald Trump's plan to punish so-called "sanctuary cities." Leon Fresco, a former deputy assistant attorney general at the Justice Department and the former head of the the Office of Immigration Litigation under the Obama Administration, has the details on the ruling and what it means for cities around the nation.

• Though San Francisco is home to the federal judge who dealt President Trump another legal blow, the debate over U.S. immigration law marches forward in the Bay Area. KQED Reporter Marisa Lagos analyzes the shifting history of sanctuary policies in San Francisco, which has become a microcosm for current sanctuary city rhetoric.

• California isn’t the only state resisting the policies of the Trump Administration. Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson rose to prominence when he moved to block the president’s travel ban, but Ferguson has also emerged as a consumer advocate, targeting predatory student loan practices and embracing the power of the office of the attorney general. He weighs in today on The Takeaway.

• Today is May Day or International Workers' Day, which commemorates the 1886 Haymarket Affair, when 200,000 workers organized a nationwide strike in support of the eight hour workday. In 2006, the day became a rallying point for immigrants, and immigration has again become a rallying point in the Trump era. Peter Linebaugh, a historian and author of "The Incomplete, True, Authentic & Wonderful History of May Day," discusses the history and future of of International Workers' Day.

• Last week, President Trump announced that May 1st would be celebrated nationwide as "Loyalty Day." Many of his critics were quick to attack the declaration as yet another alarming example of the president's nationalism. But it turns out that the origins of Loyalty Day dates back to the Eisenhower Administration. Nicole Hemmer, an assistant professor in presidential studies at the Miller Center, a columnist for Vox.com, and co-host of the podcast Past Present, joins The Takeaway to help place Loyalty Day into a wider historical context.

• The moon landing was faked. 9/11 was an inside job. In this age of alternative facts and the 24 hours news cycle, conspiracy theories have a deep hold on America. How did it all begin? Jennifer Oko, a journalist with the Retro Report documentary team, looks back at the evolution of conspiracy theories in the United States.

• In the latest installment of The Takeaway's "Uncomfortable Truths" series, Adriana Rodriguez, a high school student from the Bronx, talks with her aunt Nancy Lopez, a laundromat owner in Queens, about how skin color plays a role in privilege, and discrimination within their Dominican family and their community in New York City.

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• How are Trump supporters assessing the president’s first hundred days in office? Kevin Lonie, a salesman from Manchester, New Hampshire, and Shirl St. Germain, a retiree in Marco Island, Florida, discuss President Trump's progress, and what they'd like to see change.

• Kraig Moss packed up and joined the Trump campaign last fall as a supporter and traveling musician. Now Moss, who lost his son three years ago to a heroin overdose, feels disillusioned by the president he helped to elect. He weighs in today on The Takeaway.

• Yesterday, the Pentagon announced that two American service members were killed in action Wednesday night. The Taliban presence in Afghanistan has also grown significantly in recent months, and is raising questions about the protracted American presence in the country. Carlotta Gall, North Africa correspondent for our partners at The New York Times author of "The Wrong Enemy: America in Afghanistan, 2001-2014," explains.

• After losing more than 10 million subscribers in recent years, ESPN laid off around 100 journalists and on-air personalities this week. Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation magazine and host of "The Edge of Sports" podcast, discusses changing face of ESPN, why they're losing money, and how their cuts reflect the larger state of sports journalism.

• Every Friday, Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, drops by to review the big new releases hitting the box office. This week, Rafer reviews the new sci-fi thriller "The Circle," which stars Tom Hanks and Emma Watson, and the action-drama "Sleight," starring Jacob Latimore and Dulé Hill.

• Saturday is the 25th anniversary of the start of the L.A. Riots, which broke out after the Rodney King verdict and lasted for nearly a week. John Ridley, Academy Award-winning screenwriter of “12 Years a Slave, showrunner for the ABC drama, “American Crime, and director of the new film “Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992, discusses the L.A. riots and the current state of race-relations in America.

• Filmmaker Sacha Jenkins is releasing “Burn, Motherf*cker Burn, a documentary that provides a comprehensive look at the 1965 Watts riots, and how the uprising was similar to that of the L.A. riots. He discusses his film, and what needs to happen for the emotions that sparked the riots to change.

The Takeaway needs your help! Please visit wnyc.podcastingsurvey.com and tell us a little about you and the podcasts you love in a five-minute, anonymous survey. We really appreciate your help — knowing more about you helps us make more of the shows you enjoy. Thank you from all of us at The Takeaway!

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• On Wednesday, the Trump Administration unveiled an outline of the president's tax plan, which calls for slashing the corporate tax rate and cutting taxes for most Americans. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum and former Congressional Budget Office director under George W. Bush, provides an analysis of the plan.

• Former Democratic Maine Senator and Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell speaks to Takeaway Host John Hockenberry about President Trump’s first 100 days in office, and why healthcare has become an impossible legislative feat in Congress.

• Republican lawmakers in the House appear to be close to establishing a compromise bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act — a plan that could appeal to moderates like the "Tuesday Group" and satisfy conservatives in the Freedom Caucus. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich has the details.

• Thousands of people are in the streets of Venezuela demanding new elections and protesting food and medical shortages. Hannah Dreier, Venezuela correspondent for The Associated Press, discusses the growing intensity of a nation crumbling before her eyes.

• Some 1,500 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails have undertaken a hunger strike to protest the conditions of their captivity. Julie Norman, a research fellow and director of education at the Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security, and Justice at Queen's University Belfast, just ended a month long investigation inside Israel and Palestine, and joins The Takeaway to discuss the hunger strike.

• Indie pop band Sylvan Esso is out with a new album, "What Now." The album, which drops this Friday, was made in 2016 and grapples with the chaos of a country looking inward. Amelia Meath and Nick Sandborn, the singer and producer for Sylvan Esso, discuss their creative process today on The Takeaway.

The Takeaway needs your help! Please visit wnyc.podcastingsurvey.com and tell us a little about you and the podcasts you love in a five-minute, anonymous survey. We really appreciate your help — knowing more about you helps us make more of the shows you enjoy. Thank you from all of us at The Takeaway!

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• Days after the Trump Administration announced that it would impose a 20 percent tariff on lumber imported from Canada, the president took to Twitter to criticize America's neighbor to the north. For look at the escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada, The Takeaway turns to Armine Yalnizyan, an economist and business commentator for the CBC, and Ira Shapiro, former chief U.S. trade negotiator with Japan and Canada, and general counsel in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative during the Clinton Administration.

• On Tuesday, a federal judge blocked the Trump Administration's plan to cut funding for so-called "sanctuary cities." The president vowed to take the fight to the Supreme Court. Though the road ahead is unclear, the city of Minneapolis is looking to calm immigrants and refugees. Minnesota Public Radio's Brandt Williams explains.

• Thanks to a growing immigrant population, more than 80 languages are now spoken in schools in the city of Buffalo, New York. Nadia Nashir, assistant superintendent of multilingual education for the Buffalo City School District, explains that a team of multilingual staffers is trying to ease the transition.

• A once bustling manufacturing town, the city of Buffalo was hit hard by deindustrialization and a population decline that saw residents flocking to the suburbs. Today, the city is experiencing a rebirth that is driven largely by an influx of immigrants and refugees. Eva Hassett, executive director of the International Institute of Buffalo; Larry Christ, chief operating officer of the lighting manufacturer Litelab; and Ayla Abyad, a Syrian architect living in Buffalo, explore how immigrants are working to revitalize and rebuild the city.

• Arkansas is moving ahead with planned executions this week, despite concerns about the medical ethics of the lethal injection cocktail. Dr. Sandeep Jauhar, a cardiologist and author of the books "Intern" and "Doctored," and a contributing opinion writer at The New York Times; doesn't believe in the death penalty. However, he argues that the American Medical Association's objection to doctor participation in death penalty executions improperly discourages physicians who are trying to minimize prisoner suffering.

The Takeaway needs your help! Please visit wnyc.podcastingsurvey.com and tell us a little about you and the podcasts you love in a five-minute, anonymous survey. We really appreciate your help — knowing more about you helps us make more of the shows you enjoy. Thank you from all of us at The Takeaway!

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• This weekend, Donald Trump will cross the 100-day mark of his presidency. Does it make sense to judge a president in the first 100 days? Where did this practice come from, and what do the first 100 days tell us about the future direction — or success — of a presidency? Alexis Coe, a historian and co-host of the podcast "Presidents are People Too," and Julian Zelizer, a political historian at Princeton University and a contributor to CNN, weigh in.

• Across the Great Lakes region, people are paying close attention to President Trump's proposed budget, which could eliminate $300 million in annual funding for clean up across the Great Lakes. Dave Rosenthal, the managing editor of Great Lakes Today, explains what the cuts could mean to the region.

• The federal government could shutdown this weekend if lawmakers can't come to an agreement on $1.4 billion in funding for the president's border wall. Kyle Dropp, co-founder and chief research officer of Morning Consult, explains how citizens view government shutdowns, and how they’ve impacted voting patterns in the past.

• Arkansas executed two convicted killers on Monday night after attorneys claimed that the first execution was botched. It's the first double-execution to be carried out in the nation since the year 2000. Tom Meagher, deputy managing editor at The Marshall Project and the website The Next to Die, which tracks scheduled executions across the country, explains what you need to know.

• Across the world, advocates for human rights say we are facing a crisis: A crackdown on dissent. Are our rights to peaceful assembly and protest in danger? Olga Sadovskaya, deputy chair of the Committee Against Torture, a human rights organization providing psychological and legal assistance to torture victims in Russia, weighs in.

• For someone to be convicted of a murder, a murder had to happen. But what happens when the medical examiner gets it wrong? That's the subject of our latest installment of our "Case in Point" series with The Marshall Project. Andrew Cohen, senior editor at The Marshall Project, and Jennifer Bukowsky, an attorney in Columbia, Missouri, discuss the case of Jessie McKim.

The Takeaway needs your help! Please visit wnyc.podcastingsurvey.com and tell us a little about you and the podcasts you love in a five-minute, anonymous survey. We really appreciate your help — knowing more about you helps us make more of the shows you enjoy. Thank you from all of us at The Takeaway!

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• Following months of buildup, French voters went to the polls on Sunday during the nation's first round of presidential voting. The field of 11 candidates has now been narrowed down to two: Far-right firebrand Marine LePen, and political novice and centrist Emmanuel Macron, who will face off in a runoff race on May 7th. Jean-Marie Pottier, editor-in-chief of Slate France, analyzes the results and explains what you should expect going forward.

• Bernard-Henri Levy is a French public intellectual, and the author of "The Genius of Judaism." He joins The Takeaway to discuss the turbulence surrounding the French elections, and the role of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in France.

• The global arms trade is at it’s highest volume since the end of the Cold War. Historian, researcher, and writer Paul Holden argues that the present system undermines democracy and makes us less safe. He's the editor of "Indefensible: Seven Myths that Sustain the Global Arms Trade."

• Artist Lin Evola has a mission to melt down all of the weapons in the world — tools used to destroy — and create something new out of them: Art. She's the founder of the Peace Angels Project, which has transformed handguns, machine guns, and even tons of decommissioned nuclear weapons into sculptures of peace.

• Congress is back from recess, and is facing a government shut down at the end of the week. This week, President Trump may unveil his tax reform plan, and a new healthcare bill from Republicans may be introduced. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich explains what you need to know.

• On Thursday, an Egyptian-American who was woman detained in the country for nearly three years was released and flown back to the United States, following a request by President Trump during Egyptian President el-Sisi’s visit to the White House earlier this month. The Takeaway explores the current dynamic between the U.S. and Egypt with Michael Wahid Hanna, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation.

• Around the world, advocates for human rights say we are facing a crisis: A crackdown on dissent. Are our rights to peaceful assembly and protest in danger? Yara Sallam, director of the criminal justice program at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, weighs in.

The Takeaway needs your help! Please visit wnyc.podcastingsurvey.com and tell us a little about you and the podcasts you love in a five-minute, anonymous survey. We really appreciate your help — knowing more about you helps us make more of the shows you enjoy. Thank you from all of us at The Takeaway!

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• Ira Flatow, host of PRI's Science Friday, is in Washington D.C. for the March for Science, a protest demonstration scheduled to take place this Saturday in support of evidence-based research and decision making in government. Flatow joins The Takeaway to talk discuss the expectations and criticisms of the march, and the issues the science community wants to draw attention to.

• When it comes to fighting climate change, some Republicans are siding with environmentalists. The Green Tea Party is fighting for a more environmentally friendly GOP. Debbie Dooley, president of Conservatives for Energy Freedom-Green Tea Coalition, weighs in.

• On Thursday night in Paris, a gunman killed a police officer and seriously wounded two others in what French President Francois Hollande has called a terrorist attack. The first round of French presidential elections will take place on Sunday. James McAuley, Paris correspondent for The Washington Post, explains how this incident could shape the nation's voting process.

• Late Thursday night, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a stay of execution for Arkansas death row inmate Ledell Lee, who was put to death by The Natural State shortly before midnight. This is the state's first execution since 2005. Lee, 51, was sentenced to death in 1995 for the murder of his neighbor, Debra Reese. Sarah Whites-Koditschek, a reporter for Arkansas Public Media, has the details.

• Melissa Locker, culture reporter for TIME, The Guardian, and The Takeaway, discusses the long-running series "Doctor Who." She explains why it's not too late to start watching the program, and some of the basics you need to know about the new season.

• Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, reviews the new films hitting the box office this weekend, including the action-comedy "Free Fire," the historical dramas "The Promise" and "The Lost City of Z," and the DisneyNature documentary "Born in China."

• Artist and pianist Simone Dinnerstein has been working with the Havana Lyceum Orchestra to perform two Mozart concertos. They are releasing an album today called "Mozart in Cuba." The Takeaway hears from Dinnerstein before youth orchestra travels to the United States in June.

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• Ivanka Trump's businesses have prospered since she assumed the role of First Daughter. What conflicts of interest does this pose for her and the Trump Administration? Erika Kinetz, an Associated Press correspondent in Shanghai, and Ambassador Norm Eisen, Obama White House Ethics Czar from 2009 to 2011, answer.

• South Florida has become the rehab capital of the U.S. as the addiction recovery industry booms. As WLRN’s Peter Haden reports, many battling opioid and heroin addiction have made their way to South Florida, and it’s having an impact on EMTs and other health infrastructure.

• Massive protests are expected across Venezuela today as calls to oust President Nicolás Maduro continue. Anatoly Kurmanaev, a Wall Street Journal reporter in Caracas, has the details.

• On Wednesday, 21st Century Fox formally announced that anchor Bill O’Reilly would not be returning to Fox News Channel in light of ongoing complaints of sexual harassment within the network. Bob Garfield, co-host of WNYC’s On the Media, examines the future of Fox News without its biggest star.

• On World Cannabis Day, Ricardo Baca, founder of the news and culture website The Cannabist and a marijuana columnist for The Daily Beast, looks at the state of the legal and medical marijuana industries in the United States, and how it will fare under the Trump Administration.

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• How does the history between the U.S., China, North Korea, and South Korea inform the current moment of elevated political tension? Bruce Cumings, a history professor at the University of Chicago and author of "Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History," answers.

• While Flint residents wait, Nestle extracts billions of dollars worth of groundwater from West Michigan, but it pays the state just $200 a year to do so. Now, the company wants to increase its pumping operation in the region. Liz Kirkwood, executive director of FLOW, a Great Lakes water law and policy center, has the details.

• Former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez reportedly committed suicide in prison early Wednesday morning. Prison officials in the Souza Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, Massachusetts, discovered Hernandez hanged in his cell. Michele Steele, a reporter for ESPN, reflects on Hernandez's life and death.

• Today, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case of Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Comer, which tests the limits of religious freedom, and all eyes will be on newly-confirmed Justice Neil Gorsuch. Greg Stohr, Supreme Court reporter for Bloomberg News and co-host of Bloomberg Law, explains what you should expect.

• Though Richard Glossip was sentenced to death in Oklahoma for the murder of a motel owner in 1997, he has maintained his innocence. Now, the new documentary from director Joe Berlinger, "Killing Richard Glossip," investigates the case and the death penalty.

• The sixth edition in Marvel’s Black Panther series, co-authored by Ta Nehisi Coates and Rembert Browne, will be released today. Browne, a former writer for Grantland and New York Magazine, wrote the character of Kasper Cole, who uses the alias Black Panther, and joins The Takeaway to discuss the comic and his creative process.

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• For the first time since the November election, President Trump will make a visit to Wisconsin today — a state he won by just 20,000 votes. How are voters in The Badger State feeling about the trajectory of the new administration? Anthony Zito, a 34-year-old car salesman in LaCrosse, Wisconsin; Matthew Olson, a 33-year-old dairy worker in Ellsworth, the Cheese Curd Capital of Wisconsin; and Sherwin Hughes, host of "The Forum" on radio station WNOV and Democratic political consultant, weigh in.

• Australia's Great Barrier Reef is now said to be in its final "terminal stage" following back-to-back dying events and widespread bleaching caused by global climate change. For a look at the consequences of this dying ecosystem, we turn to Fabien Cousteau, an aquanaut and environmental advocate, and founder of the Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Center.

• In a new book out Tuesday, Amina Khan, a science writer at the Los Angeles Times, explores innovative ways to create more resilient communities. She's the author of "ADAPT: How Humans Are Tapping Into Nature's Secrets to Design and Build a Better Future."

• On Tuesday, Georgia’s 6th Congressional District holds a special election to replace former U.S. Representative Tom Price. There are 18 candidates in the race, but a young Democratic candidate could turn the district blue for the first time since 1979. Bill Nigut of Georgia Public Broadcasting weighs in.

• With narrow results in elections and referendums in Turkey, Britain, and the U.S., what's shaping the political divide between urban and rural areas? Ian Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group, answers.

• Clement Attlee has often fallen into the shadow of Winston Churchill, but Attlee, who led Britain's Labour Party from 1935 to 1955 and served as Britain’s prime minister from 1945 to 1951, was hugely influential in shaping the United Kingdom, according to John Bew, a professor at King's College London and author of "The Man Who Made Modern Britain."

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• Following months of buildup and growing international concern, the Turkish people headed to the polls on Sunday and voted by a slim majority to consolidate power under President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an. Patrick Kingsley, a correspondent in Turkey for our partners at The New York Times, discusses what the results mean going forward.

• Turkey continues to arrest, detain, and disappear thousands of dissidents who pose a challenge to President Erdo?an’s rule. For a look at Turkey's human rights crisis, The Takeaway turns to ?ebnem Korur Fincanci, president of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey who is facing terror-related charges for taking part in a free speech campaign, and Dr. Vincent Iacopino, the medical director at Physicians for Human Rights.

• On Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Seoul, South Korea, hours after North Korea carried out a failed missile launch. Jean Lee, a global fellow at the Wilson Center and former AP bureau chief for the Korean Peninsula, joins The Takeaway to examine the escalating tension between the United States and North Korea.

• This week, the Retro Report documentary team looks into the history of the lobotomy, and how it led to the much-improved psychiatric neurosurgery of today. Producer Barbara Dury explains that the lobotomy was billed as a miracle cure for mental illness, but instead left patients and families devastated.

• On Friday, an Arkansas judge halted the scheduled executions of seven death row inmates. The executions were supposed to be carried out over the next 11 days because the state's supply of the controversial drug Medazolin is set to expire at the end of the month. Sarah Whites-Koditschek, a reporter for Arkansas Public Media, has the details.

• Americans will spend more than six billion hours preparing to pay their taxes this year. Why is the U.S. tax filing process so costly and so time consuming? T.R. Reid, author of the book “A Fine Mess: A Global Quest for a Simpler, Fairer, and More Efficient Tax System, explores how the United States could streamline the tax filing process.

• The latest installment of The Takeaway's “Uncomfortable Truths series brings listeners to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Residents Jessica Shryack and Tiffany Wilson-Worsley explain how their friendship developed across racial lines, and how they broke down cultural perceptions about black and white women.

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• On Thursday, the Trump Administration dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb in the American arsenal on an Islamic State cave complex in Afghanistan. The unprecedented move came on the heels of an airstrike in Syria, which killed 18 coalition allies. Paul McLeary, Foreign Policy's senior reporter covering the U.S. Defense Department and national security issues, has the details.

• There appears to be a power struggle within the Trump Administration. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich explores the expanding role of Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, and how his influence is shaping the president's relationship with Stephen Bannon.

• Beginning next week, Arkansas plans to execute seven inmates on death row over the course of 11 days before the state's lethal injection drugs expire. Critics are calling the process cruel and unusual punishment, and are fighting to stay the executions. Tom Meagher, deputy managing editor at The Marshall Project and the website The Next to Die, which tracks scheduled executions across the country, explains what you need to know.

• Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, reviews this week’s big new movie releases, including the action sequel "The Fate of the Furious," the science-fiction comedy "Colossal," and the British drama "Their Finest."

• Melissa Locker, culture reporter for TIME, The Guardian, and The Takeaway, gives a festival season preview right before she heads out to Coachella. Headliners at this year's festival includes Radiohead, Lady Gaga, and Kendrick Lamar.

• At the end of March, reports began surfacing from human rights workers and a Russian opposition newspaper that hundreds of gay men were being arrested, beaten, and disappeared by authorities in Chechnya. The nation's leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, has refused to comment on the allegations, despite a multitude of reports. Tanya Lokshina, director of the Russia program for Human Rights Watch, has the details.

• "Oslo," a new play by J.T. Rogers, opened this week on Broadway. It tells the behind-the-scenes story of the back channel negotiations that led to the Oslo Accords. The Takeaway hears from Rogers, and Bartlett Sher, director of the play, and Mona Juul, Norwegian Ambassador to the U.K.

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• Earlier this week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions doubled-down on tough Trump-era immigration policies. John Sandweg, former acting director and acting general counsel of Immigration and Customs Enforcement from 2013 to 2014, says the administration may be biting off more than it can chew.

• Author Nir Baram was born in Jerusalem and has received acclaim for his works of fiction. Beginning in 2011, Baram traveled throughout Israel and Palestine to talk to real people, challenge his own perceptions, and ask everyone what they envision for the future of this increasingly polarized state. He's the author of "A Land Without Borders: My Journey Around East Jerusalem and the West Bank."

• On Thursday, the United Nations Security Council will vote on whether to close its 13-year peacekeeping mission in Haiti. If the vote passes, the U.N. will remove more than 2,000 troops in favor of a smaller operation. Jacqueline Charles, Haiti correspondent for the Miami Herald, has the details.

• The Philippines may completely run out of contraceptives as soon as 2018. Ana P. Santos, a journalist and Pulitzer Center grantee based in Manila, says the nation's instability and politicized battle over access to reproductive care is putting women's health in jeopardy.

• In East Asia, power games are putting North Korea's neighbors at risk. On Wednesday, Japan announced a plan to send destroyers to the East China Sea along with a U.S. Navy supercarrier, the U.S.S. Carl Vinson. Lindsey Ford, director for security programs at the Asia Society Policy Institute, discusses Japanese concerns in the midst of rising North Korean aggression.

• Japanese Director Makoto Shinkai’s new film,"Your Name," has already grossed more at the box office than any other anime movie, and it's coming to the U.S. this week. The Takeaway explores anime's rise in the United States with Susan Napier, a professor of Japanese Studies at Tufts University and author of "Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation."

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• The White House's positioning against Russia has been varied in the days since the Syrian sarin gas attack and President Trump's subsequent response. The Takeaway explores the dynamic between Syria, Russia, and the United States, and the future of American involvement in the Syrian Civil War, with Admiral Mike Mullen, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama.

• Outrage continues to mount over a viral video of a United Airlines customer being dragged off an overbooked flight. What kind of rights do passengers have at every step of the flying process — from the airport, to the security line, to the tarmac, and in the air? Joseph LoRusso, an aviation attorney and licensed pilot with LoRusso & LoRusso, answers.

• One third of high school juniors in Ohio are in danger of not graduating on time. New graduation requirements are more demanding than the old Ohio graduation tests, and educators are calling for a change in requirements. Matt Jablonski, an American history teacher at Ohio's Elyria High School, has the details.

• In February, famine was declared in two counties in South Sudan. Now, as fighting and ethnic killings increase, five more counties are also about to descend into crisis. How is the world’s youngest country already facing such devastation? Jeffrey Gettleman, East Africa bureau chief for our partners at The New York Times, weighs in.

• A new book focuses on an overlooked part of the migrant crisis: The smugglers and traffickers who earn billions of dollars. Peter Tinti, author of "Migrant, Refugee, Smuggler, Savior," and his-coauthor spent years researching and reporting in the field to better understand how smuggling and trafficking networks have evolved and adapted, and he shares his findings today on The Takeaway.

• After putting their careers on the line by threatening a boycott of the World Championships over unequal pay and a lack of support, the U.S. Women's National Hockey Team took home gold in the championship game with an overtime win against Canada on Friday. Three members of the U.S. Women's National Hockey team — Kendall Coyne, Amanda Kessel, and Meghan Duggan — discuss their victories on and off the ice.

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• Student loan companies like Navient are being accused of using predatory lending practices. Now, the attorneys general in Illinois and Washington and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are fighting for bad loans to be forgiven. Betsy Mayotte, director of consumer outreach and compliance at the non-profit group American Student Assistance, explains.

• Mohamad Ali, the CEO of Carbonite, and Kara Miller, the host of WGBH and PRI's "Innovation Hub," explore how the Trump Administration's immigration and travel restrictions are impacting the tech world, including Carbonite's ability to recruit and retain foreign born talent, and the broader economy.

• In a move to avoid impeachment, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley resigned on Monday after facing charges of corruption, and a salacious affair with one of his key advisers. John Archibald, a columnist for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group, which publishes The Birmingham News, Huntsville Times, and Mobile Press Register, has the details on this scandal.

• On Tuesday, Kansas' 4th Congressional district will hold a special election to replace former Representative Mike Pompeo, who was tapped by President Donald Trump to lead the CIA. Republican state treasurer Ron Estes is competing against Democrat Jim Thompson, an attorney, and Independent Chris Rockhold. Though the race hasn't been as close as other special elections, a recent influx of Republican spending suggests that it may be more competitive than anticipated. Deborah Shaar, a reporter at Wichita public radio station KMUW, weighs in.

• Susan King was wrongly convicted of murder in Kentucky in 2006. She spent over six years behind bars and is now the plaintiff in a federal civil rights case against the detective she alleges framed her. Along with King, Andrew Cohen, senior editor at The Marshall Project, explain the case and shine light on a little known type of plea deal, the Alford Plea, which has provided the foundation for the civil rights case.

• In 1997, Pittsburgh became the first city to sign a consent decree, offering a lesson in what works, and what doesn't, in reforming police departments. Pittsburgh's consent decree expired in 2002, and Sheryl Gay Stolberg, domestic affairs correspondent for The New York Times, explores which reforms endured.

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• From ISIS to Syria and Egypt, where does U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East go under the Trump Administration? Is a hands off approach the only way to avoid further destabilizing the region? Former U.S. Ambassador Alberto Fernandez, who served as a U.S. foreign service officer from 1983 to 2015, and Leslie Vinjamuri, an associate professor in international relations at University of London, weigh in.

• How will the Supreme Court behave with the addition of Judge Neil Gorsuch? Dahlia Lithwick, who writes about the Supreme Court and the law for Slate and hosts the "Amicus" podcast, examines the cases coming before the court that could be affected by his confirmation.

• Under the leadership of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the Tent City jail was opened in 1993 when Maricopa County jails faced overcrowding. The outdoor camp where prisoners live is sweltering in the summers, but newly-elected Sheriff Paul Penzone says that it is no longer necessary now that most of the county jails are less than three-quarters full. Jimmy Jenkins, a reporter for KJZZ in Phoenix, Arizona, explains.

• For nearly two decades, Lisa S. Davis thought she was a victim of identity theft. Traffic violations and criminal misdemeanors kept appearing under her name as she tried to rent cars, renew her driver's license, and apply for jobs. She searched for the culprit and found another Lisa S. Davis, in the same state, with the exact same birth date. Lisa Savoy Davis, a personal trainer in Brooklyn, and Lisa Selin Davis, a writer in Brooklyn, share their story today on The Takeaway.

• Months after thousands demonstrated on the prairies of North Dakota, the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline is now complete, and oil will start flowing through it any day. Inside Energy, a collaborative public media journalism initiative, has produced an hour-long documentary called "Beyond Standing Rock" to showcase the tribal fights over energy development. Leigh Paterson, a reporter for Inside Energy and producer and narrator for new documentary, weighs in today on The Takeaway.

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• The United States has responded to the Syrian government's use of chemical weapons with targeted airstrikes. "It is in this vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons," President Donald Trump said from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Thursday. Missy Ryan, a Washington Post correspondent covering the Pentagon, military issues, and national security, and Josh Gilbert, a senior science fellow at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, weigh in.

• A judge in Baltimore, Maryland denied an attempt by the U.S. Justice Department to delay a public hearing in the city to address police reform and a proposed consent decree. Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, who has been in office since December 2016, joins The Takeaway to discuss what happened at the hearing yesterday, and how the city's approach is an example for other cities undergoing police reform amidst the Trump Administration.

• Founded in 1848, The Boston Public Library was a pioneer in library services in the United States. It has since worked to adapt to the digital age under the leadership of library President David Leonard. He explains how libraries can work for the public in the 21st century.

• In our digital age, how relevant are public libraries? More important than ever, according to John Palfrey, the founding chairman of the Digital Public Library of America and author of "BiblioTech: Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google."

• With the increasing challenges of fake news, what role can librarians play when it comes to seeking out the truth? Mike Barker, the director of academy research, information and library services at Phillips Academy, and Gosia Stergios, associate director of academy research at Phillips Academy, think there should be a network of librarians working across the country as fact checkers, and that they could even assist platforms like Facebook, Google, Twitter, and others.

• Sana Mustafa, a Syrian refugee who arrived in the United States in 2013, and Rana Shanawani a refugee from Syria who arrived in the U.S. in 2011, weigh in on the crisis in their homeland and the American airstrikes against the Assad regime.

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• Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort on Thursday and Friday. President Xi is looking to elevate his status at home and will stand strong on issues like trade and North Korea, but President Trump has said he is willing to handle North Korea without China’s help. Isaac Stone Fish, a senior fellow at the Asia Society and a former Newsweek correspondent in Beijing, explains what you should expect.

• In an unprecedented measure on Thursday, Republicans voted to change a Senate rule that requires 60 votes to confirm a Supreme Court nominee. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich says this rule change could have enormous consequences.

• On Wednesday, the National Security Council removed Stephen Bannon, President Trump's chief strategist, from the Principals Committee, which is typically reserved for high level cabinet officials. Shannon Green, former senior director for global engagement on the National Security Council, discusses the significance of Bannon's removal.

• Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is one of a number of attorneys general in blue states that are pushing back on the Trump Administration’s agenda on a range of issues. She joins The Takeaway to explain why she opposes the president's travel ban, and the administration's position on immigration.

• Not everyone in the blue state of Massachusetts is against President Trump’s policies. Thomas Hodgson, the sheriff of Bristol County — located about 50 miles south of Boston — recently called for the leaders of sanctuary cities to be arrested. He weighs in today on The Takeaway.

• In Massachusetts, two of the state’s poorest communities have filed lawsuits challenging the president’s executive order that threatened to strip federal aid to sanctuary cities. Elizabeth Ross, The Takeaway's producer at public radio station WGBH, reports that these suits could offer a blueprint for other small sanctuary communities looking to challenge President Trump’s immigration agenda.

• In a new investigation, The Center for Public Integrity found that dozens of the companies that received federal contracts had violated federal wage laws in the past. Maryam Jameel, labor and environment reporter for The Center for Public Integrity, has the details.

• An ad featuring Kendall Jenner standing with protesters and offering a Pepsi to a police officer has sparked outrage among individuals offended by the company's appropriation of the Black Lives Matter movement, and the use of a white woman to do so. But this is just one ad among many that have sought to capitalize on the “resistance in order to connect with consumers. Dustin Lonstreth, chief marketing and strategy officer at CBX, a brand agency in New York City, explains.

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• A day after a suspected chemical attack killed scores of people, a major conference on Syria is kicking off in Brussels. Six years into this brutal war that has left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced, what can the international community accomplish? For answers we turn to Robert Ford, former U.S. ambassador to Syria from 2011 to 2014, and currently a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington D.C.

• Louisa Loveluck, Middle East correspondent for The Washington Post, has reported extensively on Syria and has documented systematic torture within the walls of military hospitals in Syria. She's conducted dozens of interviews and shares first-hand testimony of Mosen al-Masri, a detainee and survivor of torture inside a hospital known simply as 601.

• Senate Democrats are vowing to filibuster the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, and Republicans are promising to invoke the "nuclear option" to change the rules once more. Todd Zwillich, Takeaway Washington correspondent, brings us the latest on the showdown from Capitol Hill.

• Matthew Smith is one of the youngest conductors to lead a 75-piece orchestra. He debuted this weekend at the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall, where he led a performance of Johann Strauss’ operetta Die Fledermaus. Along with Derek Williams, a conductor and his teacher, 11-year-old Matthew Smith weighs in today on The Takeaway.

• What works and what doesn't when it comes to designing libraries and other cultural buildings? Author and Architecture Critic Sarah Williams Goldhagen joins The Takeaway to discuss public libraries and the future of design.

• The New York Times reports the top-rated cable news network and its popular host Bill O'Reilly have paid $13 million to settle claims of sexual harassment. O'Reilly denies these claims. Gabriel Sherman, National Affairs editor for New York Magazine, and author of "The Loudest Voice in the Room: How the Brilliant, Bombastic Roger Ailes Built Fox News - and Divided A Country," discusses the latest slew of sexual harassment allegations against Fox and its big names, and the culture of the network.

• In early April 1994, the government of Rwanda embarked on a campaign of genocide, killing more than 800,000 people and raping up to 250,000 over the course of 100 days. A new documentary called "The Uncondemned" tells the story of a group of lawyers who sought to make rape a crime of war. Michele Mitchell, director, writer, and producer of the film, and Pierre Prosper, lead attorney on the Rwandan genocide rape case and the first lawyer to try rape as a war crime, weigh in.

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• On Monday, a terrorist attack on the St. Petersburg metro shifted the spotlight to national security after weeks of domestic unrest across Russia. In recent weeks, thousands of Russians have gathered in cities across the country to protest the government of Vladimir Putin. Joshua Yaffa, a contributor to The New Yorker and a fellow at New America, discusses the growing agitation in Russia.

• Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich talks to Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, about the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the election.

• There are two closely-situated landfills in St. Louis County, and one has radioactive waste and the other has a smoldering underground fire that's been burning since 2010. A lawsuit has been filed as concern among residents grows, and it's still not clear whether the state or the county is ultimately is responsible for the area. Eli Chen, science and environment reporter for St. Louis Public Radio, brings us up to speed on this issue.

• It's election day in St. Louis County. Jason Rosenbaum, a political reporter for St. Louis Public Radio, gives us a roundup of what's on the ballot, including public funding for a new stadium, funding for the police department, and mayoral elections in Ferguson and St. Louis.

• Today is the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Riverside Church speech. During the address, Dr. King came out strongly against the Vietnam War for the first time, over strenuous objection from nearly everyone around him. The Takeaway looks back at King's speech and his legacy.

• In the latest installment of The Takeaway's series "Uncomfortable Truths: Confronting Racism in America," St. Louis Public Radio Reporters Kameel Stanley and Tim Lloyd talk about their experiences reporting about racial issues, class, power, and poverty in the St. Louis area for their podcast, "We Live Here."

• A new book called "The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America" traces the Evangelical movement from the 18th century to today. Frances FitzGerald, a Pulitzer Prize winner and author of "The Evangelicals," weighs in today on The Takeaway.

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• On Friday, the Trump Administration disclosed the financial statuses of its top officials, and the disclosure once again calls into question the interests of the administration. Steven Fazzari, a professor of economics and sociology at Washington University in St. Louis, joins The Takeaway to discuss where income inequality might be going under President Trump.

• A year and a half after the Ferguson Commission released their "Forward Through Ferguson" report, some activists say the city hasn't made enough changes. Amy Hunter, manager of diversity and inclusion for St. Louis Children's Hospital and a long-time activist from Ferguson, weighs in.

• Last night, South Carolina won their first NCAA Women's Basketball Championship, and tonight in the men's bracket, it's a battle against two No. 1 seeds. Mechelle Voepel, a columnist for ESPNW and ESPN.com, looks at the win by the lady Gamecocks, and explains what to expect from Monday night's game.

• Victoria Herrmann, managing director of The Arctic Institute, a Gates Scholar at Cambridge University, and a National Geographic Explorer, has found that under the Trump Administration, her citations are being deleted. She discusses the consequences of scientific censorship today on The Takeaway.

• Police and students clashed over the weekend in Caracas, Venezuela — authorities are trying to quell both domestic and international outcry after the Venezuela Supreme Court seized power from the National Assembly last week, effectively dissolving the elected legislature. Carolina Acosta-Alzuru, a journalism professor at the University of Georgia and a native of Venezuela, examines this growing political crisis.

• It's been a year since the National Blues Museum in St. Louis opened its doors. The Takeaway tours the museum and talks to some of St. Louis' best blues artists, including Dion Brown, founding executive director of the National Blues Museum; Charles "Skeet" Rodgers, one of St. Louis' best blues musicians; and Uvee Hayes, a St. Louis-based blues and soul singer.

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• North Carolina lawmakers have voted to repeal the state's controversial HB2 "bathroom bill." The state's Democratic governor is likely to sign the repeal, but LGBTQ advocates say the bill still allows for discrimination, and does not represent a victory. Deb Butler, an LGBT legislator and a Democrat representing District 18 in the North Carolina House of Representatives, explains why she is against the bill.

• Under the Trump Administration, two significant federal surveys have removed questions about sexuality, which is raising concern among LGBT advocates who believe important information is being denied to the federal government. Michael Adams, CEO of the group Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE), weighs in.

• One in five police officers is a veteran, but law enforcement agencies do very little mental health screening for cops who return from military deployment. For details on this issue, The Takeaway turns to Simone Weichselbaum, a staff writer with The Marshall Project, and William Thomas, a longtime police seargant in Newark, New Jersey, and a veteran suffering from PTSD.

• Melissa Locker,culture reporter for TIME, The Guardian, and The Takeaway, recently ventured down to Cuba for a quick getaway. She discovered Cuban protest music from the past and present, and shares some of her favorites tunes today on The Takeaway.

• Every Friday, Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, drops by to review the new releases hitting the box office. This week, Rafer reviews the sci-fi action flick "Ghost in the Shell," the animated children's film "The Boss Baby," and the war dram "The Zookeeper’s Wife."

• The weakening of the European Union, fueled by Brexit, will likely be a boon for Russia as it tries to influence European elections and the European bloc. James Nixey, head of the Russia and Eurasia program at Chatham House, explains.

• The Iranian New Year, Nowruz, ends on Sunday. The 13th day is known as Sizdah Be-dar. Louisa Shafia, an Iranian-American chef and author of "The New Persian Kitchen," shares some her favorite recipes, and discusses the significance of this year’s holiday.

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• Today, the Senate Intelligence Committee holds its first open hearing on the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich gives us the latest on the hearings, and discusses what to expect from both the House and Senate investigations.

• After the failure of the Republican healthcare bill, the GOP is planning to put together yet another bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Congressman Tom Reed (R-NY) supported Speaker Paul Ryan's replacement plan, and he joins The Takeaway to discuss what House Republicans are planning for healthcare reform.

• The GOP healthcare plan would have barred states from expanding Medicaid, but since the proposal fell apart, states like Maine, Virginia, Kansas, and North Carolina are now considering an expansion in order to cover more citizens. Randall Hardy, a freshman Republican state senator from Kansas, and Thomas Saviello, a Republican state senator from Maine, explain why they support the Medicaid expansion, despite their party affiliations.

• The state of Michigan is finally offering large scale monetary relief to the people of Flint. On Tuesday, a federal judge approved a settlement that allocates $87 million to the city for the purpose of replacing roughly 18,000 contaminated water lines by 2020. Melissa Mays, a Flint resident, parent, and founder of advocacy group "Water You Fighting For," joins The Takeaway to discuss how the people of Flint are feeling now that a settlement has been reached.

• In 29 California neighborhoods, nearly 14 percent of children under the age of six have elevated levels of lead in their blood — levels that are almost three times higher than the contamination experienced by residents in Flint at the peak of the water crisis. Jill Johnston, an assistant professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California and director of USC's Environmental Health Centers Outreach Program, weighs in.

• After Bill O’Reilly joked about Congresswoman Maxine Waters’ hair and Sean Spicer chastised journalist April Ryan at a press conference, women on social media are discussing sexism and racism on the job with the hashtag #BlackWomenAtWork. Rebecca Carroll, special projects producer for WNYC, discusses this viral social media moment and her own experience as a woman of color.

• One hundred and fifty years ago, the United States agreed to give the Russia Empire $7.2 million in exchange for 586,412 square miles of Alaskan wilderness. It would be another 92 years before we would start calling Alaska a state. Mike Dunham, author of "The Man who Sold Alaska" and "The Man who Bought Alaska," examines how the deal came together, how Russian culture has survived in Alaska, and the significance of the purchase for the United States.

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• Congress is prepared to overturn broadband privacy rules that would have required Internet Service Providers to ask permission to collect, use, and sell personal user information. Dallas Harris, a policy fellow at the non-profit Public Knowledge, explains.

• The internet is often perceived as the great democratizer and great equalizer, but in his new book, Ramesh Srinivasan, author of "Whose Global Village?: Rethinking How Technology Shapes our World," argues that the networks we rely on are designed by elites for elites.

• Phillip Martin, a senior reporter at Takeaway co-producer WGBH, traveled to Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Dublin, Ireland, to look at divisions and cooperation between the two Irish entities that were once separated by a hard border. Now, with Great Britain’s divorce from the European Union, there is growing anxiety in Ireland that the border will once again be a point of separation.

• The U.S. Women's National Hockey Team threatened to boycott the World Championships over unfair pay and treatment, but the sport's national governing body was able to reach an agreement with the team on Tuesday night. Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, a player for the U.S. Women's National Hockey, weighs in.

• Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation magazine and host of "The Edge of Sports" podcast, explains how the NCAA is exploiting student-athletes, especially Division I basketball players during March Madness. He argues that the players should strike at the Final Four in order to force a change to how they're treated.

• The Supreme Court recently ruled that evidence of a racially- or ethnically-biased jury can cause a verdict to be thrown out. Paul Butler, a law professor and former federal prosecutor, says we should turn to the power of individual jurors to send an important message about an unequal system.

• Why aren't jurors paid more? Are jury trials really better than getting a verdict from a judge? How does someone get excused from jury duty? Andrew Ferguson, a law professor at the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law and author of "Why Jury Duty Matters," answers these questions and more.

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• Roger Stone, a political advisor to President Donald Trump and author of "The Making of the President 2016: How Donald Trump Orchestrated a Revolution," is under investigation for potentially colluding with Russia during the election, and for his relationship with Julian Assange of WikiLeaks. Today, Roger Stone joins The Takeaway to respond to those allegations, and explain why he is willing to testify before the House Intelligence Committee.

• A new investigation by Takeaway co-producer WNYC looks into a series of questionable real estate transactions conducted by Paul Manafort, President Trump's former campaign manager, in New York City. Andrea Bernstein, editor of special projects for WNYC, weighs in.

• According to Scott Pruitt, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, President Trump is expected to sign an executive order this week that will eliminate the Clean Power Plan, which has the primary goal of cutting carbon emissions from U.S. power plants. Coral Davenport, energy and environment reporter for our partners at The New York Times, has the details.

• While environmentalists may be dreading President Trump's move to eliminate the Clean Power Plan, many in the energy business are celebrating the move. Does a CPP repeal mean a 21st century renaissance for the coal industry? Wayne Winegarden, senior fellow at the Pacific Research Institute, answers.

• The Montana legislature has passed a bill to prohibit foreign law from standing in American courts. Although not stated explicitly, many opponents of the bill say that it is based on unfounded fears and misunderstandings of Sharia law. But the bill could also potentially infringe on tribal sovereignty, according to Representative Shane Morigeau, a Montana state legislator and member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.

• What happens after U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May triggers Article 50 to officially leave the European Union? Gillian Tett, U.S. managing editor of The Financial Times, discusses the process and explains what we can expect.

• Are we setting juries up to fail? There’s ample evidence that jury instructions are often composed of legalese or antiquated wording. There have been state initiatives to put jury instructions into “plain English, but what more do we need to do to make sure jurors understand their civic duty? Nancy Marder, a professor of law at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law and director of Justice John Paul Stevens Jury Center, weighs in.

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• On March 17th, a building collapsed in the highly-populated region of Mosul, Iraq. U.S. forces deployed airstrikes that day and confirmed this weekend that the strikes hit the building, and reports suggest that some 200 civilians were killed. It remains unclear if the U.S. military is responsible, but if confirmed, it would mark the largest loss of civilian life since the American fight against ISIS began. Sarhang Hamasaeed, director of Middle East Programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace, weighs in.

• With Democrats opposing the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, the only way forward for the GOP may be to invoke the so-called "nuclear option." Seung Min Kim, a Congressional reporter for POLITICO, joins The Takeaway to explain what to expect now that the nuclear option is in the GOP’s hands.

• On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case of Advocate Health Care Network V. Stapleton. The case will decide if church-exemption plans are allowed for any church-affiliated organization, like hospitals and daycare centers, which could cost millions of people to lose their pension plans. Norman Stein, a professor of Law at Drexel University, discusses the details of the case.

• As hate crime reports continue to climb, Kami Chavis, a professor and director of the criminal justice program at Wake Forest University School of Law, joins The Takeaway to discuss the ins-and-outs of hate crime law, and how they might change under the Trump Administration.

• Taking a page from President Richard Nixon, President Donald Trump is waging his own battle against leaks. Kit Roane, a producer with the Retro Report documentary team, looks back at the political consequences of lies and leaks.

• In the age of social media, how does anyone — especially someone high-profile — get a fair trial? One expert says it’s time to tap into the vast world of big data to find out what prospective jurors read and listen to, and what beliefs they might bring into the courtroom. Andrew Ferguson, a law professor at the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law and author of “Why Jury Duty Matters, weighs in.

• In the latest installment for The Takeaway's series "Uncomfortable Truths: Exploring Racism in America," we hear excerpts from a conversation moderated by Alaska Public Media Urban Affairs Reporter Anne Hillman and a number of "Community in Unity" panelists.

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• President Donald J. Trump issued an ultimatum to Congress on Thursday: Pass the GOP plan to repeal Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act stays. Will Republicans be able to rise to the challenge? Here to weigh in are Reed Galen, a Republican strategist who worked on both the 2000 and 2004 Bush-Cheney campaigns and worked for John McCain's presidential campaign, and Jeffrey Young, a reporter for The Huffington Post.

• The U.S. Women's National Hockey Team is one of the best in the world, but the team has threatened to boycott the Ice Hockey World Championships over allegations of unfair pay and treatment by USA Hockey, the national governing body. Lindsay Gibbs, a sports reporter for ThinkProgress, has the details.

• Melissa Locker, culture reporter for TIME, The Guardian, and The Takeaway, shares her list of the best podcasts to listen to on your spring break. Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, looks at the big new releases hitting the box office this weekend, including "Life," "Saban’s Power Rangers" and "T2: Trainspotting."

• Tom Farrey, executive director of the Sports and Society Program at the Aspen Institute and a reporter for ESPN, finds that NCAA basketball is not all it's cracked up to be. The NCAA pitches a vision of opportunity, Farrey says, but his new study paints a very different picture.

• The rusty-patched bumblebee is officially an endangered species. The bee’s population has dropped more than 90 percent over the past two decades. Sam Droege, head of the Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab at the U.S. Geological Survey, explains.

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• A new report from The Associated Press finds that one of the key players within the 2016 Trump campaign, Paul Manafort, the president's former campaign chair, was reportedly paid for consulting work on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin. For details on this story we turn to Matthew Nussbaum, White House reporter at Politico.

• Billions of dollars were moved out of Russia between 2010 and 2014 in what is described as a "global laundromat" operation, and hundreds of millions of those dollars were handled by British banks, many with outposts in the U.S. Drew Sullivan, editor and co-founder of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, explains.

• In a unanimous decision on Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that school districts must give students with disabilities an education that is held to a higher standard. Regina Skyer, founder and manager of the Law Offices of Regina Skyler and Associates, a special education law firm, analyzes the ruling.

• On Wednesday, a deadly domestic terrorist attack left at least three people dead and around 40 others wounded in London. Though the assailant was British-born, the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack. Stephen Farrell, staff editor in the London Bureau for our partner The New York Times, explains what we know so far about the attack.

• A big vote is set to take place in the Lebanese parliament this week that could repeal Article 522 of the penal code. That article states that men who rape women can walk free if they marry their victims. Ali Awada, advocacy and campaign manager for the gender-equality campaign group ABAAD, argues that it's time to abolish this law.

• A new investigation has uncovered how Greece wasted some $803 million in aid for the refugee crisis. Daniel Howden, the lead reporter in the investigation and senior editor for the news outlet Refugees Deeply, explains.

• Artist Dana Schutz is showing a painting of Emmett Till in a casket at the Whitney Museum of Art. Schutz is white, and some artists are protesting her work because they say her interpretation is exploitive, oversteps racial sensitivities, and appropriates the black experience of a horrific and traumatic tragedy. Baruti Kopano, an associate professor at Morgan State University and co-editor of "Soul Thieves: The Appropriation and Misrepresentation of African American Popular Culture," discusses the controversy.

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• Today, House Republicans are hoping a vote to pass their healthcare bill will move forward a day after President Trump was on Capitol Hill to help close the deal. But there has been a slew of last minute changes made to the bill in order to help secure its passage, including a placeholder fund for older Americans’ tax credits and providing states more flexibility on Medicaid. For details we turn to Margot Sanger Katz, healthcare correspondent for The New York Times.

• The right to remain silent is the subject of this week's Case In Point from The Marshall Project. The case involves a father who was referred to in court documents as S.S. In New Jersey, he was accused of molesting his four year old daughter. During the interrogation, S.S. repeatedly made comments that his lawyers say were ambiguously invoking his right to silence. WNYC's Sarah Gonzalez sat down with Andrew Cohen, author of Case In Point, and Rebecca Livengood of the ACLU of New Jersey, to discuss the case.

• On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case of County of Los Angeles V. Mendez, and will decide whether the county and two police officers must pay $4 million to a couple shot during a search for someone else. This case will determine if police can be held liable when they needlessly provoke a violent confrontation. Ryan Lockman, a civil rights attorney at Mark B. Frost & Associates in Philadelphia, and writer for the Lock Law Blog, analyzes the case.

• Who is Alexander Acosta, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Labor? A former member of George W. Bush’s National Labor Relations Board and clerk to Justice Samuel Alito, Acosta, who is unknown to most Americans and even many senators, goes before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. Seth Harris, an attorney, a former deputy secretary and acting U.S. Secretary of Labor under the Obama Administration, looks at some of the big issues Acosta is likely to come across if he is confirmed.

• Ranchers in Kansas that were hit hard by wildfires earlier this month are feeling left behind by President Trump, who they helped vote into office. Wildfires have charred 2 million acres across the U.S. so far this year, with more than 650,000 acres being scorched in Kansas alone. Garth Gardiner, who runs Gardiner Angus Ranch in Kansas, weighs in.

• Between 2008 and 2016, the Yale program on climate change communication gathered data on how Americans’ think about climate change. Jennifer Marlon, an associate research scientist at Yale’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, shares the findings of this years long research project.

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• The Senate confirmation hearing for Supreme Court Justice Nominee Neil Gorsuch continues on Tuesday, with Judge Gorsuch taking questions for the first time. Tim Meyer, a professor of law and an enterprise scholar at Vanderbilt Law School, clerked for Judge Gorsuch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit from 2007-2008. He explains why he believes Gorsuch should be confirmed.

• Former Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold sat on the Senate judiciary committee for 16 years. He penned an opinion piece for The Guardian this week and argues that Judge Gorsuch's confirmation would bring illegitimacy to the Supreme Court and would “endorse and normalize unconstitutional political games.

• Fraser Speaks is a 27-year-old grad student living with bipolar disorder in Charleston, South Carolina. She gets her health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, and is particularly worried about changes to provisions that require insurance agencies to offer plans to people with pre-existing conditions.

• President Donald Trump is quietly escalating military involvement in places like Syria, where his administration is sending some 400 Marines to the ISIS-controlled city of Raqqa. Several dozen Army rangers are also being sent to the contested area around Manbij and Kuwait, where the U.S. plans to station 2,500 more troops for use in Iraq and Syria. Andrew deGrandpré, chief editor and Pentagon bureau chief for The Military Times, explains.

• Since October, around 255,000 people have been displaced from Mosul as the battle to retake the city from ISIS continues. Existing refugee camps are overwhelmed, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is working to create new spaces for people to find safety. Caroline Gluck, senior public information officer for the U.N. Refugee Agency, weighs in.

• The 2017 World Happiness Report was released on Monday, and the United States ranks 14th. Norway has risen from 4th place to 1st. John Helliwell, a senior fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and editor of the 2017 World Happiness Report, has the details.

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• FBI Director James Comey and NSA Head Michael Rogers are testifying before the House Intelligence Committee today about alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Karoun Demirjian, a correspondent for The Washington Post, explains what you need to know.

• On Friday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson determined that diplomatic negotiation with North Korea would no longer be a viable option for nuclear deterrence. Ambassador Christopher Hill, who led the U.S. delegation to the Six Party Talks on North Korea’s nuclear program while serving as the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2005 to 2009, analyzes the new U.S. approach to North Korea.

• In 1987, the Senate voted against President Ronald Reagan's nominee for the Supreme Court, Robert Bork. That failure changed the way nominees approach their confirmation hearings. Barbara Dury, a producer with the Retro Report documentary team, explains.

• Flexibility has been essential for American community colleges. Early morning and late night lectures and online classes have helped empower students. This semester, Miami-Dade College in South Florida launched it's weekend college program. Rowan Moore Gerety, a reporter with public radio station WLRN, has the details.

• Are deportations stopping immigrant women who have been victims of domestic violence from going to the police in times of crisis? Jasmine Garsd, reporter for Across Women's Lives from Takeaway co-producer PRI, answers.

• In the latest installment of The Takeaway's series "Uncomfortable Truths: Exploring Racism in America," Annie Anderson, the engagement and inclusion manager at Minnesota Public Radio News, talks with Tomme Beevas, a family friend, a Jamaican immigrant, and a restaurant entrepreneur, about how their racial and sexual identities shape their lives.

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• Under President Trump’s proposed "skinny budget," the Environmental Protection Agency would be cut by 31 percent. We explore the future of the agency under the leadership of Scott Pruitt with Gina McCarthy, former EPA Administrator from 2013 - 2017.

• Sebastian Gorka, a deputy assistant and counterterrorism advisor to President Donald Trump, has been accused of being a member of a Hungarian Nazi group. Greg Jaffe, a reporter with The Washington Post, has the details.

• Melissa Locker, culture reporter for TIME, The Guardian, and The Takeaway, explores how streaming platforms like Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu helped make British television programs popular again in the United States.

• Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, reviews the big new releases hitting the box office this weekend, including "Beauty and the Beast," "The Belko Experiment," and "Personal Shopper."

• Today, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Donald Trump will hold their first in-person bilateral meeting since the election. Constanze Stelzenmüller, Robert Bosch senior fellow with the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution, explains what you should expect.

• The Takeaway explores the evolution of the word privilege as a politically and socially motivated tool in American society with Phoebe Maltz Bovy, author of the new book "The Perils of 'Privilege': Why Injustice Can't Be Solved by Accusing Others of Advantage," and an editor at The Forward.

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• Federal judges in Hawaii and Maryland have blocked President Donald Trump’s travel ban for people coming from parts of the Muslim world. Leon Fresco, an immigration attorney and former deputy assistant attorney general at the Justice Department, explains what's next. Fresco was also head of the Office of Immigration Litigation during the Obama Administration.

• On Thursday morning, the Trump Administration released its "skinny budget" — a blueprint with total spending for each agency and department. Anna Chu, vice president for income security and education at the National Women's Law Center, has the details.

• When it comes to the Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, what are healthcare providers around the country hoping for, and what are they concerned about? For answers, we turn to Dr. Cecilia Norris, the medical director at the Free Medical Clinic in Iowa City, Iowa.

• China’s 2017 National People’s Congress concludes this week, with 3,000 lawmakers convening in Beijing to discuss China’s economic outlook, President Trump, and the nation's trade relationship with the U.S. Keith Bradsher, Shanghai bureau chief of The New York Times, has the latest on the meeting.

• On Wednesday, China’s premier said the nation was looking to avoid a trade war with the U.S. But this week, world leaders are meeting in Chile to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership in a post-U.S. era of trade. Carlo Dade, director of trade and investment policy for the Canada West Foundation, a Calgary-based think tank, explains.

• The Takeaway examines the physical foundation of modern capitalism: Containers. We begin in the Port of Oakland's Outer Harbor, where Alexis Madrigal, editor-at-large at Fusion and creator of the podcast "Containers," explains how containerization changed the global trade market since the Vietnam War.

• On Wednesday, President Trump laid a wreath at the Hermitage, Andrew Jackson’s home in Nashville, Tennessee in honor of the former president’s 250th birthday. Jackson’s portrait hangs in the Oval Office, and Trump aligns himself with Jackson’s populist legacy. Dr. Barbara A. Perry, presidential studies director at the Miller Center at University of Virginia, examines the similarities and differences between Presidents Trump and Jackson.

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• Late last week, the United Nations announced that 20 million people in four countries — Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen — are facing or at risk of famine, marking what the U.N. has described as the worst humanitarian disaster since the creation of the global governing body. Nigeria has also been considered at risk of famine. Ciaran Donnelly, senior vice president of international programs at the International Rescue Committee, has the details.

• Today the Wisconsin HOPE Lab released "Hungry and Homeless in College," a new research report on food and housing insecurity among community college students, including more than 33,000 students at 70 community colleges in 24 states. Two thirds of the students surveyed struggle with food insecurity, and one half with housing insecurity. Sara Goldrick-Rab, one of the authors of new report, a professor of higher education policy and founder of the Wisconsin HOPE Lab, has the details.

• The European Court of Justice ruled this week that employers can ban workers from wearing headscarves in certain conditions. Maryam H’madoun, policy officer for the Open Society Justice Initiative and co-founder of Boss of My Own Head, which advocates the rights of Muslim women, weighs in.

• Ahead of the deadline for NCAA bracket picks, The Takeaway looks at basketball bracket alternatives and offers tips for selecting your March Madness bracket with Joe Gagliano,a sports betting guru and former NCAA basketball fixer.

• Military commissaries function as discount grocery stores that offer food at low prices for service members and veterans. The prices are set by a formula and the program is funded by taxpayers. But now, lawmakers and the Department of Defense are looking into alternatives. Dorian Merina, a journalist reporting for the American Homefront Project, explains.
• The inclusion of women in the military has come with both successes and failures. MJ Hegar, an Air Force pilot and author of "Shoot Like A Girl: One Woman's Dramatic Fight in Afghanistan and on the Home Front," was the pilot responsible for challenging the Department of Defense's longstanding practice of barring women from thousands of ground combat positions in 2012. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta later rescinded this ban, known as the Ground Combat Exclusion Policy. She shares her story today on The Takeaway.
• Comedian Todd Barry is known for his appearances on shows like "Louie" and "Conan," but the subject of his first book chronicles his tour through small cities and secondary markets across the country, where his comedy changes with the crowd. He's the author of the new book, "Thank You for Coming to Hattiesburg."