The Takeaway

Millions of people across the world rely on life-saving medications made from blood plasma. And U.S. is the leading exporter of that plasma.

Here in the U.S. donating plasma is a legal and regulated process. It is also a paid exchange. Although you can’t sell a kidney or even your blood, there are parts of you that you can sell to earn money. For example, donating eggs for assisted reproductive technology is legal and paid. 

And the United States is one of only a few countries in the world that allows people to sell their blood plasma. And millions do so every year, as we learned from some of our listeners who called in. But the multi-billion dollar for-profit blood plasma industry, also relies on middle- and low-income donors. 

We talk with Kathleen McLaughlin, a journalist and author of the new book, “BLOOD MONEY: The Story of Life, Death, and Profit Inside America’s Blood Industry.” In the book, Kathleen explores the U.S. Blood Plasma market in this new book, but she begins her story in China and her own personal connection to the blood plasma industry.

Inspired by Tracy McMillan’s Life, UnPrisoned  is a half-hour comedy starring Kerry Washington, Marque Richardson, and Faly Rakotohavana. It's about Paige, a therapist and single mom, whose life is turned right-side-up when her dad gets out of prison and moves in with her and her teenage son.

Tracy joined us to talk about her real-life inspiration of a common story that is almost never told.

On Monday, a 28-year-old shooter entered the Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville, armed with two assault rifles and a handgun. The shooter then killed six people, including three 9-year-olds, and three faculty members. The shooter legally purchased seven weapons from five different gun stores before the shooting at Covenant school. 

They were fatally shot by law enforcement who responded to the scene. This comes against a backdrop of Tennessee laws making access to guns far easier. 

We spoke with the Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology and Psychiatry and the director of the Department of Medicine, Health, and Society at Vanderbilt University, Jonathan Metzl, about the shooting, Tennessee’s gun laws, and if there may be any movement for legislation preventing access to firearms.

Original Air Date: March 27, 2023

Right to Return USA just announced its 2023 Fellows. Six artists will receive a $20,000 award to support projects aimed at transforming the criminal legal and immigration systems, as well as combatting mass incarceration. We speak with Right of Return co-founder Jesse Krimes and 2023 Fellow Jaiquan Fayson about the fellowship, the barriers for formerly incarcerated people in society, and art's role in reforming the criminal justice system.

Dementia is a disease that slowly steals away memories while keeping up the pretense that it’s stealing away nothing at all. A patient’s ability to create reality from their fragmented memories can lead to strained relationships with their loved ones and a deep sense of loneliness in their caregivers. Clinical psychologist, and author of Travelers to Unimaginable Lands: Stories of Dementia, the Caregiver and the Human Brain.

Dasha Kiper shares how our understanding of consciousness makes it hard for those who love dementia patients to fully accept the diagnoses and the loss, and how a deeper understanding of brain processes can allow caregivers to express self-compassion for themselves and their loved ones. 

Superjam producer Paul Peck is bringing the works of the illustrious American jazz pianist and composer Count Basie to a brand-new generation with his latest project. Late Night Basie is a Count Basie tribute album that’s reimagining many of the late musician’s greatest hits featuring artists like Cimafunk and Terence Blanchard behind the mic.

Paul Peck sits down with The Takeaway to talk about the project and the ways he’s brought this music to a new age.

Last month the President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, unveiled the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT). In a tweet, Bukele announced, “El Salvador has managed to go from being the world’s most dangerous country to the safest country in the Americas. How did we do it? By putting criminals in jail. Is there space? There is now.”

We spoke to Jorge Cuéllar Assistant Professor of Latin American, Latino & Caribbean Studies at Dartmouth and Founding Faculty Fellow of the Consortium of Studies in Race, Migration & Sexuality.

Original Air Date: March 23, 2023

We’re devoting today’s episode of The Takeaway to the task of taking First Ladies seriously as we seek to understand the unique ways these women have affected and continue to shape America.

In this episode we explore the ways that Betty Ford's honesty and outspokenness changed the way we look at first ladies; we look at the roles of Martha Washington and Dolley Madison in relationship to chattel slavery in the United States; and how Edith Wilson may have been the country's first acting female president.

Guests:

Lauren Wright, is an associate research scholar and lecturer in Politics and Public Affairs at Princeton University. She is the author of “Star Power: American Democracy in the Age of the Celebrity Candidate” and “On Behalf of the President: Presidential Spouses and White House Communications Strategy Today.”

Lisa McCubbin, New York Times best selling author of six books, including “Betty Ford: First Lady, Women’s Advocate, Survivor, Trailblazer.”

Marie Jenkins Schwartz, professor emeritus University of Rhode Island, author "Ties that Bound: Founding First Ladies and Slaves." Professor Schwartz insists First Ladies must be part of our investigation into slavery and the American founding.

Rebecca Boggs Roberts, educator, author, speaker, and leading historian of American women’s suffrage and civic participation. Her books include "The Suffragist Playbook"; "Suffragists in Washington, D.C."; and "Historic Congressional Cemetery." She is currently deputy director of events at the Library of Congress.

For full transcript, see above.

Black women make up about 29% of the women who are incarcerated in this country. Hispanic women make up about 14%. American Indian and Alaska Native make about up about 2.5%. These are dramatic overrepresentations of women of color in the criminal legal system in comparison to their make-up of the U.S. population. 

Black women and girls, just like Black men and boys, are disproportionately represented in our US prisons, jails, and other places of confinement. Black women make up 29% of U.S. prisons while only making up about 13% of the U.S. population. Black girls represent 43% of girls who are in youth detention. 80% of women in jail and 58% in prisons are parents.

The National Black Women’s Justice Institute (NBWJI) researches, elevates, and educates the public on the overcriminalization of Black women and girls, and NBJWI is conducting research on Black women's policing, health, and incarceration. Sydney McKinney, Executive Director of NBWJI, joined the Takeaway to discuss the current data surrounding Black women and girls' incarceration and what healing-centered alternatives can look like. 

Joy Harjo was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1951, and is a member of the Mvsoske Nation. She has authored 10 books of poetry, and served as the United States Poet Laureate from 2019 until 2022.  One of her most well known poems, "Remember" (1983) has been adapted and reanimated into a new children’s book, Remember, with illustrations by artist Michaela Goade.

Joy Harjo joins us to discuss Remember, reflect on her time as the U.S. Poet Laureate, and share thoughts on how indigeneity informs the themes of her poetry.