The Take

Protests have rocked Israel for weeks — some of the biggest in its history. But Israel’s government, its farthest right yet, is also testing relationships outside its borders. So what do the rest of the Middle East, and even Israel’s closest ally, the United States, have to say about Israel’s right-wing government?

In this episode: 

• Khalil Jahshan (@KhalilEJahshan), Executive Director of The Arab Center

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters with Chloe K. Li and our host, Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. 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

What’s behind the TikTok panic? The social media app has more than a billion users in 150 countries, but lawmakers are looking at the app with a more cautious eye as its popularity grows. The US and other countries have already banned TikTok from government phones, while India and Afghanistan have instituted outright bans. But in a congressional hearing last week, US lawmakers suggested to TikTok CEO Shou Chew that an outright ban on the app could be in the cards in the US as well.

In this episode: 

• Evan Greer, (@evan_greer), Director, Fight For The Future

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Negin Owliaei with Ashish Malhotra and our host, Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Adam Abou-Gad and Munera Al Dosari 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

‘Lab meat’ is popping up all over the world. Singapore was the first to introduce it to the public. The United States is now following suit with the Food and Drug Administration’s recent approval for lab-grown chicken. Governments and big companies are investing in and pushing laboratory-grown meat as the next big thing. Predictions are that if adopted, it could reduce methane, water and land use – all problems with industrial meat production. So how accurate are those predictions?

In this episode:

• Julia Ranney, research associate at the Center for Food Safety (@CFSTrueFood)
• Phil Howard, community sustainability professor at Michigan State University 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Chloe K. Li with Miranda Lin and our host, Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Adam Abou-Gad and Munera al Dosari 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

Transgender people in the US say they’re fighting for their rights – and their survival. Already this year, a record number of bills have been introduced by state lawmakers. They include everything from gender-affirming care for youth and access to public spaces to drag performances. Advocates worry that this could lead to wider attacks on the LGBTQ+ community and personal freedoms.

In this episode: 

• Chase Strangio (@ChaseStrangio), Deputy Director for Transgender Justice, American Civil Liberties Union
• Eureka O’Hara (@EurekaOhara), drag queen and host of HBO’s ‘We’re Here’
• Alex Petrovnia (@AlexPetrovnia), founder, Trans Formations Project 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Miranda Lin and Chloe K. Li with our host, Malika Bilal. Amy Walters and Alexandra Locke fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Adam Abou-Gad and Munera Al Dosari 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 US President Donald Trump has never faced criminal charges, despite battling legal issues for most of his life. That could be about to change. Many, including the former president himself, believe he is on the verge of being indicted. The possible indictment is related to hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels by his former lawyer Michael Cohen, allegedly to conceal an affair. So how did the situation get to this point? And what would a Trump indictment mean for the 2024 election?

In this episode: 

• Kimberly Halkett (@KimberlyHalkett), Al Jazeera White House correspondent

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra with Chloe K. Li and our host, Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Adam Abou-Gad and Munera Al Dosari 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

Woolly mammoths went extinct several thousand years ago. But if a new company gets its way, something like the woolly mammoth could walk the Earth again within the decade. The company Colossal Biosciences announced in 2021 that it had raised $15m to genetically modify an Asian elephant so that it has the cold-tolerant traits of a woolly mammoth. Since then, they’ve gotten even more money and attention, from sources as varied as socialite Paris Hilton to the US Central Intelligence Agency. Their plan has been received with a mix of skepticism, excitement and controversy.

In this episode: 

• Ben Lamm (@federallamm), co-founder and CEO of Colossal (@ItIsColossal)
• Dr. Tori Herridge (@ToriHerridge), evolutionary biologist at the London Natural History Museum (@NHM_London)
• Dr. Joe Bennett (@Joe_Ecology), professor at Carleton University

Episode credits:

This episode was updated by Negin Owliaei. The original production team included Negin Owliaei, Tom Fenton, Ruby Zaman, Amy Walters, Alexandra Locke, Priyanka Tilve, Ney Alvarez, Stacey Samuel, and our host, Malika Bilal. Alex Roldan is our sound designer. 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

In Iraq, some scars of the US-led invasion remain hidden, even as the 20th anniversary is marked this week. The US military for years disposed of waste in burn pits: wide swathes of land, constantly smoking. Some were the size of a football field. In them were plastics, electronics, and military and medical waste. The environmental impacts of the invasion – including those burn pits – continue to plague Iraqis to this day. After years of lobbying, the US government approved legislation to address the health impacts on US soldiers, but there has been no discussion of compensation for the Iraqi civilians.

In this episode: 

• Kali Rubaii (@KaliRubaii), assistant professor of anthropology at Purdue University

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Negin Owliaei and Amy Walters with Chloe K. Li and our host, Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Adam Abou-Gad and Munera Al Dosari 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 was the deadliest attack on a house of worship in Canada's history. Six people lost their lives when a gunman opened fire on a mosque in Quebec City in 2017. And the hate incidents haven't stopped in the years since. Some of them have been deadly. And it's led to questions about how Canada treats its Muslim population. In January of 2023, the country announced its first special representative on Islamophobia. So what’s behind the need for the position in the first place? 

In this episode:

• Jillian Kestler-D’Amours (@jkdamours), Al Jazeera online editor
• Jasmin Zine (@JasminZine), professor in sociology, religion and culture at Wilfrid Laurier University

Episode credits:

This episode was updated by Negin Owliaei and Ashish Malhotra, and our host, Malika Bilal. The original production team included Negin Owliaei, Tom Fenton, Ruby Zaman, Amy Walters, Alexandra Locke, Priyanka Tilve, Ney Alvarez, Stacey Samuel, and Malika Bilal. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. 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

The UK government is clamping down on asylum seekers, potentially illegally. Nearly 46,000 refugees and migrants arrived in the United Kingdom last year on small boats across the English Channel, a major increase from the year before. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says stopping the boats is a priority for the British people. But both the United Nations and the European Union have called the plan illegal for the way it would treat people fleeing war and persecution. Even Sunak’s Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has acknowledged the plan may not be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. So why is the government pushing it forward?

In this episode: 

• Charlie Angela (@CharlieAJ), Al Jazeera correspondent

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra with Chloe K. Li and our host, Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. 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

The wave of racist violence sweeping Tunisia is unlike anything in recent memory. The attacks follow a speech by Tunisia’s President Kais Saied accusing African migrants of conspiring to make Tunisia more African and less Arab. This is the latest in a string of authoritarian moves by the President, and it has protesters back out in the street. But what will happen to the victims of this racism in the meantime?

In this episode: 

• Alpha Turay, a refugee from Sierra Leone living in Tunisia
• Fadil Aliriza (@FadilAliriza), founder and editor-in-chief of @meshkaltn

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters with Chloe K. Li and our host, Malika Bilal. MIranda Lin fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Andy Greiner 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