The Take

For many of us, morning doesn’t begin until we’ve had that first cup of caffeine. But the spoonful of sugar some Americans are pouring into their coffee or tea could be making communities in Palm Beach County, Florida sick.

In a lawsuit filed in 2019, the plaintiffs claim the smoke and ash that fills the air during harvest season may be linked to several serious health problems, including respiratory issues. A group of journalists and scientists teamed up for a one-year investigation into the consequences of sugar cane burning. In this episode we hear from one of them. 

In this episode: 

• Lulu Ramadan (@luluramadan), Investigative reporter at the Palm Beach Post (@pbpost)
• Robert Mitchell and Christine Louis-Jeune, Palm Beach County residents

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Every August, in a small town called San Cibrao, in the northern region of Galicia, Spain, people gather to celebrate a local yearly festival: the A Maruxaina. Finding a bathroom during the event, which brings together thousands of people, can be challenging - forcing many to go to discreet alleys instead. In 2019, a group of women were secretly recorded while doing it. The videos were posted on porn websites. Now, the women are seeking justice.

In this episode: 

• Sonia Visozo, El País’ correspondent in Galicia
• Paloma Maseda and Alba Álvarez, victims

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After two decades, Taliban rule is starting to look like the new normal in Afghanistan again. It’s a reality that has tens of thousands of Afghans running for their lives. But the new leadership is assuring Afghans that they are safe in Afghanistan. Will this be a softer, gentler version Taliban rule? Or are the end of women’s rights and public executions ahead? To find out, we talk to one of our correspondents who has followed the Taliban for twenty years and watched them enter the room where deals were signed.

In this episode: 

• Ali Latifi (@alibomaye), Al Jazeera Digital's Kabul correspondent 
• Osama Bin Javaid (@osamabinjavaid), Al Jazeera correspondent 

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On August 15, the Taliban took over the Afghan capital of Kabul, entered the presidential palace, and declared an end to the 20-year war. But before that declaration, as the armed group rapidly advanced throughout the country, we spoke with Pashtana Durrani.

She's an Afghan activist who was witnessing it all first-hand. In this episode of The Take, we hear her story.

In this episode: 

Pashtana Durrani (@BarakPashtana), founder and executive director of LEARN Afghanistan (@LEARNAfg)

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Eswatini security forces have killed 70 protesters and arrested more than 600 in the past few months, but it’s likely you’ve heard little to nothing about it. The internet in the small, Southern African country has been regularly shut down over the past few weeks, and journalists intimidated, arrested, and beaten. In this episode, we talk to one of them.

In this episode:

• Cebelihle Mbuyisa (@CebelihleM), reporter at New Frame
• Vito Laterza (@vitolaterza09), associate professor of development studies at the University of Agder

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In Mexico, American guns are a fact of life. The Mexican government estimates nearly 70 percent of guns trafficked into the country come from the United States. And in the US, gun trafficking is not a federal crime.

Now, the Mexican government is taking an unusual tack to try to stop the flow of arms: it's filed a lawsuit. With no sign of the cartel violence slowing, can a lawsuit stem the flow of guns to Mexico?

In this episode: 

• John Holman (@johnholman100), Al Jazeera correspondent
• Eugenio Weigend Vargas (@eugenioweigend), Center for American Progress (@amprog)

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One year after a contested election and many protests, the movement to free Belarus from President Alexander Lukashenko has boiled over its borders into neighboring states. This also means Belarusians around the world might fear the long arm of Lukashenko’s rule. Olympic sprinter, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya was quick to escape but others faced a tragic end. What is happening in Belarus and how much power does Lukashenko hold in Belarus and beyond its borders? 

In this episode: 

• Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, Belarusian Olympic sprinter
• Step Vassen, Al Jazeera correspondent
• Hanna Liubakova (@HannaLiubakova), freelance journalist, non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council (@AtlanticCouncil)

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Another Olympics has come and gone. And as the athletes and sponsors leave town, Tokyo could be left to deal with the debt, gentrification, and displacement that can come from hosting the games. In this episode, we look at the social cost of hosting sporting events and the activists fighting to keep the Olympics out of their hometowns. 

In this episode: 

• Christopher Gaffney (@geostadia), associate professor at New York University
• Theresa Williamson (@greencities), executive director of Catalytic Communities (@CatComm)
• Jonny Coleman of @NOlympicsLA

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Since the American-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the US has trained thousands of Afghan security forces. Among them are militias that were backed by the US Central Intelligence Agency. For years, activists and journalists have documented civilian killings that took place by their hand. How will that legacy affect the current fight ahead for the country?

In this episode:

• Emran Feroz (@Emran_Feroz), journalist
• Patricia Gossman (@pagossman), Associate Asia Director for Human Rights Watch

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What is left in Lebanon, after 12 months of almost indescribable crisis, is the fight to hold someone – anyone – accountable. There has been a yearlong fight to do just that, but with the economic freefall only getting worse, the paralysis seems to be deepening. Lebanon is no stranger to proxy conflicts, and now the investigation into the blast has become a surrogate fight for the future of Lebanon itself.

In this episode: 

Timour Azhari (@timourazhari), Lebanon correspondent at Thomson Reuters Foundation

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