The Take

Sweden has taken a controversially lax approach to curbing COVID-19. Instead of lockdowns, the government is suggesting social distancing guidelines. The Swedish population is overwhelmingly on board with their government's plan, even while many scientists say the country is not doing enough.

In this episode:

Nele Brusselaers (@NeleBrusselaers), an associate professor of clinical epidemiology at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden; Lynn Kamerlin (@kamerlinlab), a structural biology professor at Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Peter Kasson (@kassonlab), an associate professor at Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Marcus Carlsson (@MarcusMaths), a mathematician at Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Emil Bergholtz (@EmilBergholtz), a theoretical physics professor at Stockholm University, in Stockholm, Sweden; Christina Tallberg, the president of the Swedish National Pensioners’ Organisation, in Stockholm, Sweden; Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede (@PernillaWittung), a biology professor at Chalmers University, in Gothenburg, Sweden.

For more:

Could Sweden's risky coronavirus strategy work?

Sweden ambassador: Stockholm could reach herd immunity by May

Sweden avoids full lockdown, but PM insists restrictions continue

Connect with The Take: Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).

As Israel forges a united government and stares down the question of annexation of the occupied West Bank, we're returning to an episode about the ancient city at the heart of so many years of conflict. The filmmaker behind Al Jazeera's new documentary “Jerusalem: A Rock and a Hard Place” guides us through the Holy City to meet the people who call it home: a Muslim scholar, a Christian Palestinian researcher, a proud Zionist, and an ex-settler.

In this episode:

Awad Joumaa (@awadaje), filmmaker and executive producer at Al Jazeera English.

For more:

A Rock and a Hard Place: What is it like to live In Jerusalem?

Connect with The Take: Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).

Any day now, the Supreme Court is expected to announce a ruling that could change abortion access across the United States. Many state laws have whittled away at women's right to choose, and these barriers to access end up impacting poor women most of all.

In this episode:

Imaeyen Ibanga (@iiwrites), presenter and reporter for AJ+; Rebecca Reingold, an adjunct law professor at Georgetown University.

For more:

What Happens When You Restrict Abortion?

US Supreme Court tackles controversial Louisiana abortion law

US abortion rights: Supreme Court case may change status quo

Connect with The Take: Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).

For 12 years, the US denied any civilian casualties from its air strikes in Somalia. But monitoring groups tell us that doesn't match the reality on the ground — air strikes are increasing. We hear from one Somali journalist who laid that disconnect bare at the feet of the US military, and from two researchers working to uncover the human toll.

In this episode:

Mohamed Osman Abdi (@MohamedOsma4), journalist at Somalia National News; Abdullahi Hassan (@abdullahisom1), researcher for Amnesty International in Nairobi, Kenya; Chris Woods (@chrisjwoods), the founder and director of Airwars.

For more:

US admits killing civilians during air attacks in Somalia

A family mourns as US drone attacks in Somalia continue

US air strike kills telecom worker in Somalia

Connect with The Take: Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).

The Philippines' war on drugs presses on despite the coronavirus lockdown. President Rodrigo Duterte's radical policy has led to more than 20,000 deaths since 2016 — most of which were extrajudicial killings. We're turning to a filmmaker to understand how classism has upended Philippine society.

In this episode:

Leah Borromeo (@monstris), filmmaker of The Mortician of Manila documentary, and cofounder of Disobedient.

For more:

Trailer: The Mortician of Manila, on AJ Witness

Duterte urged to free jailed senator amid coronavirus lockdown

'Shoot them dead': Duterte warns against violating lockdown

Connect with The Take: Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).

As we wrap up the second week of Ramadan, we wanted to know how Muslims are celebrating community and fasting in the backdrop of a pandemic. On today's episode, we're turning the mic on our host and a producer, and learning from friends and community leaders how coronavirus is affecting their traditions and their spiritual experience.

In this episode:

Lauren Schreiber, executive director of Center DC; Nesima Aberra (@NesimaAberra) in Arizona; Omar Nassimi (@OmarCurbside) in Virginia; Edil Yusuf in California; Imam Khalid Latif (@KLatif), executive director of the Islamic Center at New York University; Mohamed Swamad in United Kingdom; and Baba Kesbeh, father of this episode's producer in Texas.

For more:

How will the coronavirus pandemic change Ramadan for Muslims?

Ramadan under lockdown in Virginia

Four Ramadan Songs

Epidemics, war have impacted Muslim worship throughout history

Connect with The Take: Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).

COVID-19 devastated Italy. It's now emerging from one of the world's toughest lockdowns. And many fear one lingering symptom will be an ailing economy giving rise to the radical right.

In this episode:

Valerio Alfonso Bruno (@ValerioA_Bruno), political analyst and senior fellow at the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right. Gossam Abume in Venice, and Domenico, in Naples, Italy.

For more:

Italy leads Europe in easing coronavirus lockdown measures

Italians concerned over COVID-19 economic impact

Italy strips immunity from far-right Salvini

As world struggles to stop deaths, far right celebrates COVID-19

Connect with The Take: Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).

Biotechnology, artificial intelligence, your smart watch, surveillance: These are the topics that concern Yuval Noah Harari. And now, they're all converging during the coronavirus pandemic. The best-selling author talks to The Take about the complicated role of technology during a health crisis and why he fears humans more than viruses.

In this episode:

Yuval Noah Harari (@harari_yuval), historian, professor and best-selling author.

For more:

Contact-tracing apps enjoy limited success amid privacy fears

Pandemic panopticon: Israeli surveillance during COVID-19

Yuval Noah Harari: Technology is humanity's biggest challenge

Connect with The Take: Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).

No age group will escape the economic hardships that the coronavirus pandemic has created. But America's millennial generation born in the '80s and '90s are being hit with a second economic downturn in just 12 years, and economists wonder if they'll ever recover. We're exploring how this generation became so vulnerable, and what needs to happen to pull them out of this economic pit.

In this episode:

Guest host Patricia Sabga (@patriciasabga), managing business editor of aljazeera.com.

Radmilla Suleymanova (@radmillasul), senior business producer for aljazeera.com; Emily Reddix, manager of Pachute clothing boutique in Manhattan, New York; and Camille Busette, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

For more:

For millennials, coronavirus economic blow awakens bad memories

US unemployment could surge to 16 percent on coronavirus

More US states set to ease coronavirus lockdown measures

Connect with The Take: Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).

When we first heard from Peng Peng, Al Jazeera's cameraman in Beijing, it was for our first episode on COVID-19. He and his family were suddenly trapped in Hubei province as the novel coronavirus began spreading. The world has changed since he went into lockdown, but the latest update from him is one that brought us hope.

In this episode:

Peng Peng, Al Jazeera's senior cameraman in Beijing, China.

Jasmin Bauomy (jasminbauomy), listener, photographer and former producer on The Take.

For more:

Life inside the coronavirus quarantine

People return to Beijing from Wuhan as lockdown ends after weeks

Trapped in Hubei: A family under unexpected quarantine

Connect with The Take: Twitter (@AJTheTake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).