The Takeaway

Vaccine Inequality Between Wealthy and Poor Countries 

The Takeaway talks about the worldwide vaccination gap between high- and low-income countries with Apoorva Mandavilli, science reporter at the New York Times, and Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University, director of the World Health Organization Center on National and Global Health Law, and author of the forthcoming book “Global Health Security: A Blueprint for the Future.”

The Water Crisis facing Iraq and Syria

A new report by 13 aid groups notes that the water crisis in Syria and Iraq could leave 12 million people without access to drinking and agricultural water. It is also disrupting electricity across the region as dams run out of water. It could potentially lead to an “unprecedented catastrophe” in the region. Joining us to discuss this is Nirvana Shawky, CARE’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.

The Evolution of Black TV 

Though there were countless Black characters in front of the camera, behind the scenes was a different story. From the writers rooms to the executive suite, Black creators were few and far between. In decades since, it’s gotten better but there’s still much work to be done. The Takeaway spoke to  Hannah Giorgis, culture writer for The Atlantic, and Kim Bass, creator of Sister, Sister and Kenan and Kel.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages. 

Labor Unions Divided Over Vaccine Mandate

The Takeaway turns to Steven Greenhouse, former New York Times labor reporter and the author of “Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present and Future of American Labor,” to talk us through these divisions in labor unions. We also speak with Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, about the division on vaccine mandates that she's seeing among teachers unions across the country. 

Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board Recommends Commutation for Julius Jones

On Monday, the Oklahoma parole and pardon board heard the commutation hearing of Julius Jones. In a 3-1 vote the board recommended commuting Jones’ death sentence to life with the possibility of parole. Jones, who was convicted of the 1999 killing of Paul Howell continues to maintain his innocence. The final decision now goes to Governor Kevin Stitt. Joining us to discuss the long road to this recent decision is Daniel Forkkio, CEO of Represent Justice, an organization that uses the power of the media to engage audiences in reimagining the justice system, and creating real demand for change.

Black Homebuyers Are Being Left Out of Pandemic Housing Boom

During the pandemic, there’s been a massive real estate boom in the U.S., as many people looked to leave crowded cities like New York City for the suburbs. But for Black Americans, the boom has been more like a bust, as they’ve been priced out of this pandemic-fueled housing frenzy. Housing inequity is nothing new in this country; there’s a deep history of discrimination in the housing market against Black Americans. For more on this, The Takeaway spoke to Anne Price, president of the Insight Center for Community Economic Development, and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and author of Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership. 

For transcripts, see individual segment pages. 

Corporations Stay Silent on Abortion 

Dating sites Match and Bumble—both based in Texas—are among the few companies to speak out against the law. Shar Dubey, the CEO of Match Group, told employees in a memo quote “The company generally does not take political stands unless it is relevant to our business. But in this instance, I personally, as a woman in Texas, could not keep silent.” The rideshare apps Lyft and Uber have also spoken out, in part because their drivers are among those that can be sued under the new Texas law. For more on all this, The Takeaway spoke to Scott Sonenshein, professor of management at Rice University, and Emily Stewart, senior reporter at Vox.

How does Catholicism inform the politics and policy of the U.S. Government?

The Takeaway speaks with Massimo Faggioli, Professor of Historical Theology at Villanova University and author of “Joe Biden and Catholicism in the United States.” And also with Matthew Wilson, Associate Professor of Political Science at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas and Director for the Center of Faith and Learning.

Muslim Women reflect on 9/11 20 Years Later

Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, founder of MuslimGirl.com and Mona Eltahawy, journalist and author of The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls join us to discuss the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and what it’s meant for them as women of Muslim descent to deal with the aftermath of racism, hatred, and feeling like outsiders in the country they call home.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages. 

Millions of Americans Lost Unemployment Insurance This Week

This past Monday — Labor Day — 7.5 million workers lost their COVID-era expanded unemployment benefits, even as the pandemic continues on.  President Joe Biden decided not to extend the benefits before they were set to expire. For more on this, The Takeaway spoke to Heather Long, economics correspondent for the Washington Post, and Annelies Goger, Fellow at the Brookings Institution. 

How Islamophobia Has Impacted Sikh Communities

Although there's no correct target for the hate and violence that occurred, misdirected Islamophobic violence against Sikh Americans has continued for two decades. The Takeaway spoke with activist and author Valarie Kaur about what the post 9/11 era has meant for Sikh Americans and her new documentary Divided We Fall: Americans In The Aftermath.

California Voters Will Decide Whether Gov. Gavin Newsom Stays or Goes

On Tuesday, California voters will decide whether Gov. Gavin Newsom will stay in office or be removed in a Republican-driven recall election. There are 46 candidates that are running to replace the Governor; however, recent polling shows support for the governor to stay in office. The Takeaway spoke with Libby Denkmann, senior politics reporter at KPCC in Southern California about how the recall election works and what the latest polling says.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages. 

The Long Road to Justice

Attorney Ben Crump joins The Takeaway to discuss the long road to justice for victims of state violence. Scott Roberts, Senior Director of Criminal Justice Campaigns for Color of Change, also joins to discuss the work to keep the victims’ memories alive and in national discourse. 

A Look at Police Violence Against Black Women and Queer People 

The Takeaway speaks with Andrea Ritchie, a co-founder of Interrupting Criminalization, an initiative that aims to end the criminalization of women and LGBTQ people of color. She’s also the author of “Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color.” 

Why #FreeBritney Matters to Disability Rights Advocates

The Takeaway speaks with Haley Moss, an attorney and autism advocate, who has been following and writing about Britney Spears’s conservatorship. Haley also wrote this article on how Britney Spears's conservatorship is a disability rights issue.

"Blindspot: The Road to 9/11" Chronicles Events Leading Up to 9/11 Attacks

Jim O’Grady, a reporter at WNYC and host of the podcast Blindspot: The Road to 9/11, joined The Takeaway to discuss. 

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

Do We Need Public Access to Drug Testing? 

The recent drug-related deaths of actor Michael K. Williams and comedian Fuquan Johnson highlight the need for public access to drug testing. These cases are being investigated to see if Fentanyl played a role. Carl Hart, author of Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear and Kassandra Frederique, executive director of Drug Policy Alliance and nonprofit working to end the war on drugs, join us to discuss the need for the government to provide public access to drug testing and how that can save countless lives. 

How Do You Talk to Your Kids About 9/11?

Many of adults have memories about where they were when the planes crashed into the Twin Towers. But for an entire generation of kids and teens, 9/11 is less of a memory, and more of a whisper. That’s because they were either infants at the time of the attacks, or had yet to be born. So we wanted to know how our listeners – parents and teachers – talk about 9/11 with the kids in their lives. 

Maine Shifts Cost of Recycling from Consumers to Companies

Maine recently passed landmark recycling legislation that shifts the cost of recycling from individual taxpayers to companies that create the packaging. Several other states are considering similar so-called “extended producer responsibility” legislation.

How Communities are Recovering from Ida in New Orleans, New Jersey and New York

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida that hit the Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane and blew through the Northeast causing heavy rainfall that caused extensive flooding, The Takeaway checks in on several communities that were impacted. 

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

Young People Are Facing a Mental Health Crisis

From school shootings to the COVID-19 pandemic, students are facing a serious mental health crisis right now. According to data from the CDC, between March and October 2020, the number of mental health-related ER visits rose by 24 percent for 5- to 11-year-olds and by 31 percent for 12- to 17-year-olds.

Why Japanese American Internment Matters Today

Author Susan Kamei joins us to discuss her new book When Can We Go Back to America? The book chronicles the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Kamei takes us through why it’s so important to know this history and tells the story through the memories of over 100 American citizens who lived through this tragedy.

Slice of Life

Recently, we put a call out to our listeners to send audio of the everyday sounds of their lives. From the mundane to the profound, we’re compiling your responses and sharing them with the world. 

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

The Colorado River is Facing a Water Shortage 

The federal government declared the first-ever water shortage for the Colorado River. There will be mandatory cutbacks to prevent Lake Meade, the largest reservoir by volume in the US, from reaching critically low levels. These measures will bring exceptional challenges to farmers and Indigenous communities who are particularly vulnerable to water scarcity throughout the Colorado River system, and it will surely complicate the water supply which reaches nearly 40 million people. 

An Inside Look at Anti-Union Meetings

The article, “Anatomy of an Anti-Union Meeting,” gives a unique look inside at a 2019 union drive at a plant-based meat company in North Carolina, No Evil Foods, and the tools that management used to undermine the union drive. Before the vote scheduled in February of 2020, management hired a consulting firm that specialized in union avoidance and held mandatory meetings for employees. When The Takeaway reached out to No Evil Foods for comment, here's what Mike Woliansky, co-founder and CEO of No Evil Foods, said: 

The Battle of Blair Mountain 100 Years Later

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the largest labor uprising in the United States, the Battle of Blair Mountain. In August 1921, 7000-10,000 coal miners began marching together against corruption by the coal company, making it the biggest labor uprising in the history of the United States.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

Texas Abortion Providers Grapple with New Reality Under Restrictive Law

On Wednesday, one of the most restrictive ever abortion rights laws in the U.S. went into effect in the Lone Star state. Called SB8, it bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before most people even know they’re pregnant. While it doesn't’ reverse Roe v Wade, it does circumvent it. 

The Legal Questions Surrounding Texas's Restrictive Abortion Law 

At midnight on Wednesday, the Supreme Court of the United States effectively overturned Roe v. Wade in a 5-4, page-and-a-half, unsigned, decision delivered without the court receiving briefings or hearing arguments. 

Before Roe v Wade there was the Jane Collective

We take a look at how activists worked to provide abortions prior to Roe v. Wade with a look at the Jane Collective, a group that operated out of Chicago and performed thousands of abortions between 1969 and 1973. Melissa speaks with her mother about her work in Washington between 1969-1971 and Laura Kaplan, author of a book about the collective, The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service.

A New Jersey Bill Could Expand Reproductive Healthcare

Continuing the discussion of abortion access, The Takeaway looks at New Jersey’s Reproductive Freedom Act that would expand reproductive health and abortion access in the state. In October of 2020, a coalition of organizations called Thrive New Jersey worked with state legislators to introduce the bill. It has been stalled in the legislature for almost a year now, but after Texas’ restrictive abortion law went into effect this week, there has been a new push for New Jersey’s Legislature to take action.

For segment, see individual segment pages.  

Louisianans Could Face Mental Health Crisis in Aftermath of Hurricane Ida

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, concerns remain about the nearly 1 million people without power and how the storm will impact Louisiana’s healthcare system. Most immediately, much of the attention is on the ongoing Covid-19 crisis in the state, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, and the strains that people who need medical attention after Ida could place on an already overwhelmed hospital system.

Wendell Pierce Reflects on Hurricane Ida

New Orleans native son and actor Wendell Pierce joins us to discuss his attempt to get his father to safety ahead of the storm, the destruction of an important jazz landmark, and his efforts to continue revitalizing his beloved city. 

How Mississippi is Dealing with the Aftermath of Ida Amid the Pandemic

Hurricane Ida was brutal to Louisiana, but battered Mississippi as well. Mississippi experienced flash floods and at least two deaths from the storm. And as of Thursday morning, tens of thousands were still without power. 

Hurricane Ida Causes NYC to Declare a State of Emergency

Late Wednesday night, Hurricane Ida barreled into NYC causing record levels of rainfall which led to emergency flash flooding in the streets and subways. Mayor Bill de Blasio has declared a state of emergency.

How Hurricane Ida is Impacting Incarcerated Youth in Louisiana

I​​n 2005, after Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, incarcerated people at the New Orleans Parish Prison were left to fend for themselves as toxic water filled prison cells and deputies deserted en masse. Incarcerated people are often forgotten during disasters and young people in prison are particularly vulnerable. The Takeaway checks in on the how the aftermath of Hurricane Ida is affecting prisons in the New Orleans area, as hundreds of thousands of people are still without power.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.