The latest segments from The Takeaway

Original Air Date: May 6, 2022

Motherhood and its many meanings and expectations are created and experienced within the particular realities of our society and history. And to better understand some of our shared national history with mothering we sat down with Professor Michele Goodwin of the University of California-Irvine who is author of the book Policing the Womb:  Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood.

Harpist Ashley Jackson seeks to shatter the traditionally narrow definition of "classical music," highlight Black history and pay homage to Black composers.

Jackson, an Assistant Professor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Music Department at Hunter College, views the harp as a vehicle for storytelling. In a recent performance at New York City's Lincoln Center called "Take Me To The Water," Jackson explored the role and symbolism of water in Black stories. 

Her upcoming album, "Ennanga," explores the intersections between West African folk music, Black American spirituals and contemporary jazz, featuring the works of composers like William Grant Still and Alice Coltrane. It will be released on June 16 by Bright Shiny Things.

Washington state has long led on progressive policies and reform.  In late April, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed a package of bills to address gun violence. House Bill 1240 prohibits the manufacture, importation, distribution, and sale of assault-style weapons in Washington. Two additional measures require a 10 day waiting period and a training requirement for all gun purchases were also signed by the Governor. 

We speak with Governor Jay Inslee about the legislation, and hear how Washington is leading on other progressive policies as well. 

On May 8th, 2023, Community Change Action, a nonprofit organization that aims to “dramatically improve material conditions for people struggling to make ends meet in the United States,” launched its “A Day Without Childcare” action. Thousands of parents, families and childcare providers came together to push for equitable access to childcare. Co-President of Community Change and friend of the show, Dorian Warren, joins The Takeaway to discuss this action.

Nebraska state senator from Omaha, Machaela Cavanaugh, promised to filibuster every bill that comes before the legislature this year — even those she supports. Why? She’s trying to stop a bill intended to outlaw gender-affirming care for people 18 and under.

Senator Cavanaugh has been filibustering since February 23 and halfway through the legislative session in March, she’d managed to prevent even a single bill from passing. Her work took on a new urgency this week when Republicans introduced an amendment to the bill framed as a compromise: only gender-affirming surgeries would be banned, but a 12-week abortion ban would also be instated.

We spoke with Sen. Cavanaugh prior to this development on Monday about her efforts.

Last week, Jordan Neely, a talented dancer whose impersonations of Michael Jackson made fans of many who watched him perform, was killed by a white former Marine on the New York City subway.

Before the marine put Jordan in a chokehold that killed him, he’d been crying out for food. In the depths of despair, he said he wanted to die. But, what he needed was help. Countless others believe Jordan Neely should be alive today.

Protests have rocked the city’s subways on behalf of a young man whose mental health deteriorated following the murder of his mother. He’d sought help from the New York City Department of Homeless services, but that help – from the city or his fellow passengers – didn’t arrive in time to save his life. The white man who killed him, has yet to be charged with a crime. 

We speak with the President of Color of Change, Rashad Robinson. 

The 147th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show wrapped up on Tuesday, and a Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen (or commonly known as a PBGV) named Buddy Holly took home the Best in Show prize. It's the first ever Best in Show win for a PBGV.

We speak with Sarah Montague, The Takeaway's longtime Westminster Dog Show reporter, who recaps the festivities.

After speaking out on the Montana House floor against a bill that would restrict gender-affirming health care, Rep. Zooey Zephyr was censured by the legislative body.

Zephyr, the state’s first openly transgender representative, will be barred from attending in-person debates and voting on legislation for the rest of the legislative session. That’s because Zephyr’s lawsuit against the Montana House, claiming her censorship violated her First Amendment rights, was denied by a Montana District judge.

We speak with Rep. Zephyr about her censure, trans representation in the Montana state house, and anti-LGBTQ legislation currently on the docket.

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Microsoft in the gaming space. The company behind the ever evolving Xbox staked its gaming resurgence on its system exclusive: Redfall. Microsoft had high hopes for the vampire looter-shooter, but those hopes have been dashed. The game’s been widely panned by gamers and critics alike, and boasts consistently low scores in reviews. The Redfall gaming debacle follows on the heels of another blow to Microsoft’s gaming bottom line. The company hoped to purchase powerhouse developer and publisher Activision in a deal worth nearly 70-billion dollars. The developer is known for franchise hits like Call of Duty and Diablo. But the UKs Competition and Markets Authority blocked the deal due to their concerns surrounding the future of cloud gaming.

Microsoft’s vice-chair and president, Brad Smith, released this statement following the deal’s blockage:

We remain fully committed to this acquisition and will appeal. The CMA’s decision rejects a pragmatic path to address competition concerns and discourages technology innovation and investment in the United Kingdom. We have already signed contracts to make Activision Blizzard’s popular games available on 150 million more devices, and we remain committed to reinforcing these agreements through regulatory remedies. We’re especially disappointed that after lengthy deliberations, this decision appears to reflect a flawed understanding of this market and the way the relevant cloud technology actually works.

Ethan Gach, senior reporter at Kotaku brings us the latest. 

A new investigation by Insider reveals flaws and failures of Facebook’s "Trusted Partner" program, which it heavily relies on in "Rest of World" regions which account for just 10% of Facebook's revenue. Trusted Partners are local NGOs contracted to provide local expertise and context to inform Facebook’s content moderation policies and practices. But Trusted Partners in Ethiopia told Insider that Facebook routinely ignored their recommendations and allowed hate speech that inflamed real life violence.

We speak with Tekendra Parmar, Tech Features Editor at Insider, who led the investigation. Later we hear from Abrham Amare, whose father, Professor Meareg Amare, was murdered after Facebook posts calling for violence against him went viral. Amare and others filed a landmark lawsuit against Facebook last year.