The Take

A grand jury in the US state of Georgia has indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 others for trying to overturn the 2020 election. The 41 counts range from election fraud to racketeering, a charge usually reserved for organized crime. So, what's behind this latest indictment, and what does it mean for Trump?

In this episode: 

• John Hendren (@johnhendren), Al Jazeera correspondent

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters, with Fahrinisa Campana and our host Malika Bilal.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

 

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been arrested for a second time, on a second charge, and is barred from running in the next elections. Khan has blamed a US-led conspiracy for his fall from power, and a new report of a leaked diplomatic cable from the US news outlet The Intercept suggests the US State Department did encourage Pakistani officials to move on from Khan. This political drama adds to Pakistan’s troubles as it faces growing economic and security challenges under an interim government and a meddling military establishment. 

In this episode: 

• Abid Hussain (@AbidHussayn), Al Jazeera digital correspondent in Pakistan
• Murtaza Hussain (@MazMHussain), national security reporter for The Intercept

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Miranda Lin and our host Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera AlDosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

The Barbie movie has dominated the box office in China, in a year when many other US movies haven’t performed well in the world’s second-largest film market. It outperformed movies like Mission Impossible and the films from the Marvel franchise. It’s been eagerly received for its message, raising a question of whether it flew under the radar of the country’s media censors. So what’s behind Barbie’s success in China? 

In this episode: 

• Yifan Yu (@YifanYuNews), tech reporter for Nikkei Asia 
• Marrian Zhou (@ZhouMarrian), US-China relations reporter for Nikkei Asia 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Chloe K. Li and our host Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera AlDosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Special thanks to Ben Li.

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@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Top ten women’s football teams US, Canada, Germany and Brazil have all been eliminated from the 2023 Women’s World Cup before the quarter-finals, and underdogs Jamaica and Morocco won big early on. In a landmark deal in February 2022, the US women’s team finally received pay parity after a year’s long battle with the US Soccer Federation. In contrast, a Jamaica team member’s mother had to start a GoFundMe campaign in order for the Jamaican team to be able to prepare for this year’s World Cup. Now, the big question is: what’s behind these wins and losses, and does funding make a difference?

In this episode: 

• Shireen Ahmed (@_shireenahmed_), Senior Contributor for CBC Sports
• Aziza Nait Sibaha (@AzizaNaitSibaha), TV presenter & journalist for France24
• Chinyelu Asher (@ChinyeluAsher), Jamaican footballer

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Fahrinisa Campana with Amy Waters and our host Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan and Zaina Badr fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Near India’s capital, in Haryana state, demolitions of more than 1,200 homes and shops in a Muslim-majority area have followed clashes that killed six people. The demolitions have been halted for now, but this week, a local High Court raised the idea that the ones that took place might be an act of “ethnic cleansing” by the state. The clashes and demolitions are seen by many Muslims as the latest in a trend of violence in India during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nine years in power. So what space exists for Muslims in India?

In this episode:

• Mohammad Ali (@hindureporter), journalist 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra, David Enders and our host Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan and Zaina Badr fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera AlDosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

The Israeli military-industrial complex has turned the Occupied Palestinian Territories into a testing ground for advanced weaponry and surveillance technology, which it exports worldwide. From powerful tools like the Pegasus software used to hack the phones of high-profile individuals such as Jeff Bezos and Jamal Khashoggi, to selling drones to the EU to monitor people seeking to cross the Mediterranean, Israel’s technology has become a global leader in conflicts around the world.

In this episode: 

• Antony Loewenstein (@antloewenstein), author of The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan and host Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin and Zaina Badr fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera AlDosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

It’s harvest season in Turkey, six months after massive earthquakes hit southeastern Turkey. It’s a major agricultural region, known as the Turkish Fertile Crescent. Now, seasons have passed, but the land and people remain deeply traumatized. Even efforts to clear away rubble and rebuild have created environmental concerns, leaving many survivors fearing not only the end of their farming and food traditions, but also their communities’ futures.

In this episode: 

• Anna Maria Beylunioğlu (@annabeylunioglu), food studies lecturer and chef
• Ayşegül Selışık (@aselisik), UN Food and Agriculture Organization Assistant Representative in Turkey
• Gonca Tokyol (@goncatokyol), freelance journalist

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Miranda Lin and our host Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan and Zaina Badr fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera AlDosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Fentanyl use and overdose deaths have long plagued the United States, but now Mexico is seeing a spike in overdoses from this potent opioid, with communities along the US-Mexico border being hit particularly hard. While the Mexican government still denies opioid use as a problem, those who suffer from addiction are facing stigma and a lack of public health support. The big question is: what’s being done to tackle the issue in Mexico?

In this episode: 

• Alicia Fàbregas (@fabregasalicia), journalist based in Tijuana, Mexico
• Jaime Arredondo Sanchez Lira (@jaimeasl), Research associate with Prevencasa

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Fahrinisa Campana with Chloe K. Li, and our host Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera AlDosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Despite the objections of lawmakers and some allied countries, the United States government is providing Ukraine with cluster bombs that the US itself hasn’t used since 2003. The US says it’s a necessary measure to help Ukraine protect itself — but the bombs, which are known to cause civilian deaths often, are banned by more than 100 countries. The Ukrainian government has promised that the weapons will not be used in populated areas, but there are already reports to the contrary. So has the US crossed an ethical line by sending these weapons to Ukraine?

In this episode:

• Nancy Youssef (@nancyayoussef), National Security Correspondent, The Wall Street Journal

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by David Enders, Ashish Malhotra and our host Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan and Zaina Badr fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera AlDosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

In a Texas maximum security prison, Dennis Wayne Hope has served 27 years in solitary confinement – more than half his life. On any given night in the US, more than 120,000 prisoners are isolated just like him. United Nations experts have strongly urged a global ban on solitary confinement that lasts more than 15 days, denouncing it as a form of psychological torture. Today, the story of how Dennis set out to change that and what it says about prison in the United States.

In this episode: 

• Rhana Natour (@RNatourious), correspondent for Al Jazeera's Fault Lines.

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan and our host, Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera AlDosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook