The Takeaway

Black Music Month Honors the Black Artists Who Have Shaped Music

Started more than 40 years ago, the observance celebrates the history and scope of Black music from classical and folk to hip hop and rock.

Construction of Oil Pipeline in Minnesota Meets Resistance

Many are watching to see how the Biden administration will respond to the Line 3 pipeline protests and calls to protect the environment. 

After Practice of "Race-Norming" is Exposed, Black Former Players Remain Skeptical of NFL

Last week, the NFL admitted it had been using a practice known as “race-norming," which made it harder for Black players to qualify for a payout if they have dementia. 

Guest host: Melissa Harris-Perry.

FDA Approves Alzheimer's Drug for the First Time Since 2003

Aducanumab aims to slow the cognitive decline often associated with the disease, but there’s debate over whether or not it actually works.

What Our Dependence on Meat Means for Climate Change

The announcements were met with mixed reactions and reignited conversations about the role and responsibilities of individual consumers for battling climate change.

California Braces for Drought's Impact on Water Supply

The people who are likely to be hardest hit by the current water crisis in California are the same ones who were most impacted the last time around: Latino farmworkers in rural areas.

Guest host: Melissa Harris-Perry. 

U.S.D.A. Plans to Pay Debt Relief for Minority Farmers After Months of Delay

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is planning to start paying off loans for Black farmers and other farmers of color. 

People Are Flocking to Backyard Chickens During the Pandemic

A silver lining for many over the last year has been time spent gardening. 

"High on the Hog" Celebrates Black Food Culture 

The new Netflix series “High on the Hog” traces the history and significance of African American foodways.  

Guest host: Melissa Harris-Perry.

This week marked the start of June, which is the last month of the Supreme Court’s current term. That means we’ll be seeing a number of important rulings in the coming days and weeks on everything from voting restrictions to LGBTQ+ rights to the Affordable Care Act. 

In total, SCOTUS has at least 20 cases left to decide before the end of the term. Already this week, there have been decisions in a handful of cases. In a unanimous ruling on Tuesday, for example, SCOTUS affirmed the authority of tribal police and government in United States v. Cooley. 

So what other cases should we be watching — and what’s really at stake? The Takeaway spoke about all that and more with Kate Shaw, professor at Cardozo School of Law and co-host of the Supreme Court podcast, Strict Scrutiny. Plus, Robert Barnes, Supreme Court correspondent at The Washington Post, describes the calls for Justice Stephen Breyer to retire ahead of the 2022 midterms while Democrats still control Congress.

Despite Rising Vaccinations, Alarming Racial Disparities Persist in Current COVID-19 InfectionsEven amid dropping case numbers across the country, the disproportionate effects of COVID-19 on communities of color persist.

Calls Grow from U.S. Officials to Examine Origins of COVID-19Although it was originally thought that COVID-19 came from a wet market in Wuhan, China, now, researchers are looking at whether the virus came from a lab.

What the Pandemic Has Meant for International StudentsRecent reporting in Politico found that national border closures, visa restrictions, and persistent uncertainty have forced international students to leave campus.

Texas Democrats Walk Out of Legislative Session to Protest Restrictive Voting LegislationTexas Democrats have referred to the bill as "anti-voter legislation" and are demanding federal legislation to shore up elections nationwide.

Report Details How Black Girls are Disproportionately Affected by Covid-19 and Systemic RacismA new report shows how Black girls are affected by the twin pandemics of Covid-19 and systemic racism.

Naomi Osaka's French Open Exit Spotlights Mental Health Pressures for Black AthletesNaomi Osaka’s decision to exit the French Open is part of a much longer history of Black athletes questioning what they really owe to predominantly white reporters.

The Status of Laws and Policies Targeting the Transgender Community

Across the country, state legislators have introduced bills that target members of the transgender community.

Calls to Repatriate Art Reignite As Countries Contend With Colonialist LegaciesAs Europe and the United States grapple with their racist and colonialist pasts, calls to repatriate stolen art have intensified.

How Black Queer Activists are Organizing in the SouthAlthough the onslaught of anti-LGBTQ legislation has a distinctly Southern flavor, so does the ongoing and effective organizing of queer and trans Black folks and people of color.

Breaking Down President Biden's $6 Trillion 2022 Budget

The president's budget attempts to incorporate plans on infrastructure, housing, and healthcare, and is likely to receive conservative backlash for raising the federal deficit.

Biden's Child Care Tax Credit: What It Does and Who It Leaves Out

The American Rescue Plan that President Joe Biden signed into law in March sought to remedy the lack of a strong child care infrastructure by expanding the child tax credit.

The Tulsa Race Massacre, 100 Years Later

On May 31, 1921, a violent white mob killed hundreds of residents in the thriving Black community of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma.