The Takeaway

Politics with Amy Walter: Will Cohen's Plea Impact the Midterms?

Now several days out from the bombshell news, we dissect what we actually know about the impact of this news.

Politics with Amy Walter: Health Care and the Midterms

The importance of health care cuts across party lines. We talk to pollsters, strategists, politicians and reporters to better understand how this issue is playing out ahead of the midterms.

Guests: 

Jeremy W. Peters, reporter covering politics for The New York Times

Asawin Suebsaeng, White House reporter at The Daily Beast

Mary Agnes Carey, Partnerships Editor and Senior Correspondent for Kaiser Health News   

Stephanie Armour, health policy reporter for The Wall Street Journal

Celinda Lake, Democratic political strategist and pollster

Bill Cassidy, Louisiana senator

Allison O’Toole, Director of State Affairs for United States of Care

You can connect with The Takeaway on Twitter, Facebook, or on our show page at TheTakeaway.org.

1. Hurricane Harvey made landfall this week last year, when it slammed into Texas’s Gulf Coast as a Category 4 storm. Harvey killed 66 people and caused 125 billion dollars in damage, making it the second-costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

2. The Holocaust Deniers and White Supremacists on the Ballot this Fall

3. A White Shark Nursery in the Waters Off New York City May Provide Clues to Oceanic Health

You can connect with The Takeaway on Twitter, Facebook, or on our show page at TheTakeaway.org.

President Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to several counts of bank fraud and tax evasion, in federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday. Cohen also pleaded guilty to breaking campaign finance laws and former Trump campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, was convicted on eight counts of tax and bank fraud at his trial in Alexandria, Virginia, on Tuesday; we consider the implications of the Environmental Protection Agency’s new proposal to relax emissions limits on coal-fired power plants; earlier this week, a judge determined that the director of Michigan’s Department of Health will stand trial for the deaths of two men who allegedly died of Legionnaires’ disease because of Flint’s water crisis; and prisoners in at least 17 states are on strike for a second day. The prisoners are refusing to work and they’re holding sit ins, and hunger strikes. We discuss one of the prisoners’ chief demands: immediate improvements to the conditions of prisons.

Today's guests: 

Andrea Bernstein

Ilya Marritz

James M. Van Nostrand   

Steve Carmody

Nicholas Turner

You can connect with The Takeaway on Twitter, Facebook, or on our show page at TheTakeaway.org.

We take a look at an immigration lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. It alleges the administration targeted certain undocumented immigrants seeking legal residency through their marriage to U.S. citizens; we go to Georgia where a fight is playing out over a plan to close polling stations in one small county in the state; we hear from a parent about the concerns she has for her daughter’s safety as she heads back to school in Miami Dade County; the WNBA playoffs tip off with a huge game tonight between the Minnesota Lynx and the Los Angeles Sparks — the teams that played in the finals the last two years. We take a look at all the issues around women’s basketball as the playoffs get underway; and Prisoners in at least 17 states are going on strike today.  Organizers are calling for improved conditions for prisoners across the nation, among other demands.

Today's guests: 

Lilian Calderon

Matthew Segal

Rose Scott 

Nicole Crooks

Lindsay Gibbs

Amani Sawari

You can connect with The Takeaway on Twitter, Facebook, or on our show page at TheTakeaway.org.

Very few state prisons offer adequate treatment for inmates who are addicted to opioids. We report on how a failure to treat those who are struggling with drug addiction in prisons is contributing to the nation’s opioid epidemic. Last spring, New Jersey opened a prison that’s dedicated to treating inmates who are struggling with drug addiction. We speak with the Acting Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Corrections, Marcus O. Hicks, about the state’s new strategy for handling incarceration and addiction; we explore the future of Greece’s economy as the country makes its official departure today from a long bailout process following its debt crisis; and we consider what’s working and what’s not in recycling programs across the country.

You can connect with The Takeaway on Twitter, Facebook, or on our show page at TheTakeaway.org.

Today on Politics with Amy Walter, we follow the money in the 2018 midterm elections. Where is it all coming from? And what is it doing to our democracy? The big money is spent on competitive races - and those costs get up into the tens of millions. This hour we hear from political strategists and the people behind the money being spent on both sides of the aisle. Plus, a look at how the Citizens United decision became a turning point in American politics, and whether the money can ever really be taken out of politics for good.

You can connect with The Takeaway on Twitter, Facebook, or on our show page at TheTakeaway.org.

Back in February, Puerto Rico’s governor announced plans to introduce a new charter school and voucher system to the island. And on Monday, Puerto Rico’s first charter school will open its doors. But it’s a controversial move, as an education reporter based in San Juan explains; “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin, died in her home in Detroit today. She was 76. We take a look back at the entertainer’s career and consider her legacy; we speak with two screenwriters behind the new movie, “Crazy Rich Asians.” It’s the first major studio release in 25 years to feature an entirely Asian cast; we report on the growing number of Indian nationals who are being arrested and detained after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border; and a note on the freedom of press. 

You can connect with The Takeaway on Twitter, Facebook, or on our show page at TheTakeaway.org.

Pennsylvania’s Attorney General released a grand jury report on Tuesday documenting decades of child sexual abuse by over three hundred Catholic priests in the state. We discuss the findings of the report and hear from Bishop Lawrence Persico of the Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania; a conversation with Christine Hallquist, who won the Democratic gubernatorial primary in Vermont on Tuesday. She’s the first openly transgender nominee for governor for a major political party; on Tuesday, Nebraska held its first execution in more than 20 years. Convicted murderer Carey Dean Moore was put to death by a lethal injection that included, for the first time, the synthetic opioid, fentanyl; Puerto Rican musician, Ileana Cabra better known as iLe discusses her new song that’s out today, and also touches on the political situation in Puerto Rico, almost a year after Hurricane Maria.

You can connect with The Takeaway on Twitter, Facebook, or on our show page at TheTakeaway.org.

With the midterms right around the corner, The Takeaway has an in-depth look at the state of election security. A former government intelligence analyst weighs in on the vulnerabilities and potential threats to our nation’s voting systems. During the 2016 elections, Colorado was one of multiple states targeted in a Russian interference campaign. Colorado Secretary of State, Wayne Williams, discusses efforts since then, to protect the state’s voting systems. Government forces in Afghanistan have been fiercely battling against Taliban insurgents after the extremists launched a major assault on the city of Ghazni on Friday. The Takeaway explores the resurgence of the Taliban. Almost seventeen years after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, the Taliban is still very much at large. Up next, The Takeaway discusses U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict. In Southern California, over 1400 firefighters have been battling California’s Holy Fire. The Takeaway has more details about the fire and the state of emergency in Orange and Riverside counties, in California. Last week, a group of leading international climate scientists released a new report about our warming planet. The Takeaway speaks with one of the authors about the latest research.

You can connect with The Takeaway on Twitter, Facebook, or on our show page at TheTakeaway.org.

Last week a school bus carrying children in northern Yemen was struck by a Saudi-led coalition airstrike. More than 40 children are believed to have been killed and dozens injured. We discuss the attack and the latest details about the conflict in Yemen, with a reporter in the nation’s capital; a recent report by Forbes alleges that U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross stole million of dollars from former employees and associates; the group behind the deadly Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally one year ago, held another rally in Washington, DC yesterday. We discuss how things were handled, with Democratic Congressman Don Beyer who represents Virginia’s 8th District; we explore how so-called “flop accounts” on Instagram have become a venue for young people to talk about news and politics in a non traditional way; and a look at some of the major factors that launch people of color into poverty and homelessness. 

You can connect with The Takeaway on Twitter, Facebook, or on our show page at TheTakeaway.org.