Do We Need Public Access to Drug Testing? 

The recent drug-related deaths of actor Michael K. Williams and comedian Fuquan Johnson highlight the need for public access to drug testing. These cases are being investigated to see if Fentanyl played a role. Carl Hart, author of Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear and Kassandra Frederique, executive director of Drug Policy Alliance and nonprofit working to end the war on drugs, join us to discuss the need for the government to provide public access to drug testing and how that can save countless lives. 

How Do You Talk to Your Kids About 9/11?

Many of adults have memories about where they were when the planes crashed into the Twin Towers. But for an entire generation of kids and teens, 9/11 is less of a memory, and more of a whisper. That’s because they were either infants at the time of the attacks, or had yet to be born. So we wanted to know how our listeners – parents and teachers – talk about 9/11 with the kids in their lives. 

Maine Shifts Cost of Recycling from Consumers to Companies

Maine recently passed landmark recycling legislation that shifts the cost of recycling from individual taxpayers to companies that create the packaging. Several other states are considering similar so-called “extended producer responsibility” legislation.

How Communities are Recovering from Ida in New Orleans, New Jersey and New York

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida that hit the Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane and blew through the Northeast causing heavy rainfall that caused extensive flooding, The Takeaway checks in on several communities that were impacted. 

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.