The Takeaway

April 23, 2018: In 2016, around 180,000 people applied for asylum in the United States. The vast majority of them end up in immigration detention while their cases are being processed. And once they are released, many have nowhere to go and are left without resources. The Takeaway partnered with WNYC and ProPublica to examine the asylum process in the United States, how and why it was developed, and where it currently stands today. Plus, we speak with iron worker Randy Bryce on his bid for Paul Ryan's soon-to-be-empty House seat; a review of the Jack Johnson case, after President Trump tweeted that he may soon issue a pardon; and an intergenerational conversation about pop superstar Beyoncé.

April 20, 2018: It’s been 19 years since the massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado, but just 65 days since the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. Today, as students across the country are once again walking out of their classrooms in protest, demanding "Never Again," we hear from people who have survived mass shootings and been forced to consider what comes next. The Takeaway hosts a conversation between Columbine survivors and survivors of the Aurora massacre. Plus, we examine the unfolding teachers' strike in Arizona; a new film by Amy Schumer that's stirring some controversy; and after seven seasons, the very end of ABC's smash-hit, "Scandal."

April 19, 2018: This week, the South Korean government and President Trump confirmed news items that seemed out of the realm of possibility just one month ago: a prospective meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong-un, and talks to formally end the over-60-years-long Korean War. President Trump also confirmed on Wednesday that C.I.A. Director and Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo secretly met with Kim Jong-un during Easter to lay the groundwork for the president's own meeting in May or June. North and South Korea have technically been in an armistice since 1953, creating a demilitarized zone and a de facto border that has split the two Koreas, and along with it, the families who live on either side. The Takeaway examines the looming prospect of an end to the Korean war. Plus, we look at Cuba's newest president and hand-picked successor to the Castro regime; a voice from the Somali community in Kansas targeted by a recent bomb plot; and a conversation with comedian Louie Anderson, who plays a mother inspired by his own on the T.V. show "Baskets."

April 18, 2018: By now, you’ve probably heard of Michael Cohen. Cohen is most famous today as President Trump’s personal lawyer and all-purpose fixer. He paid off Stormy Daniels through a shell company to quash allegations of a sexual liaison. And recently it was revealed in open court that Cohen has Fox New pundit Sean Hannity as a client. That information was disclosed subsequent to a raid of Cohen's offices by the F.B.I. earlier this month. But long before President Trump, Michael Cohen was working with shady lawyers like Simon Garber, the first in a long and unlikely career that begins in a small taxi cab law office in Queens, and goes all the way to the president of the United States. The Takeaway traces Cohen's storied career and service to the president. Plus, we look at a new investigation by Reveal documenting possible labor violations by car-maker Tesla, which denies the allegations; the myths and misperceptions about eating disorders exposed in a new documentary; the roots and legacy of Islamophobia in America; and the passing of former First Lady Barbara Bush.

April 17, 2018: Seven inmates were killed and 17 more injured in a series of fights that broke out at a maximum security prison in South Carolina on Sunday night. Lee Correctional Institution, which houses 1,500 male inmates, has a history of violence; its former warden calls it the most dangerous prison in South Carolina. Corrections officers declined to intervene in the brawl for four hours from the start of the incident. The Takeaway looks at the state of prison violence in America. Plus, we report on the shortage of opioids that is driving hospitals to find an alternative for patients; how photographs of victims of war often fall into familiar tropes; and one of the largest ever recalls of eggs in the United States.

April 16, 2018: Over the weekend, a U.S.-led coalition, involving the assistance of Britain and France, executed airstrikes against three Syrian targets believed to be related to the country's chemical weapons program. The strikes were intended as a warning against further use of chemical agents by the Assad regime. But in Damascus the morning after the strikes, Syrian propaganda was in full force with pro-Assad demonstrators in the streets celebrating the limited assault. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told reporters he was in a good mood as he met with Russian officials. The Takeaway looks at the United States's ongoing commitment to Syrian intervention. Plus, we re-examine Oklahoma's 1990 teachers strikes; a look at mail-order genetic testing services; and a new novel imagines the killing of a young black boy at the hands of a police officer.

April 13, 2018: Depending on where you live in the United States, the opioid crisis may look remarkably different, which is important when it comes to how local officials are confronting the epidemic. In Oregon, for example, opioid-assisted overdoses have dropped 20% from their peak a few years back, and there are some positive signs of recovery. But in Ohio, things are not at promising. The state is second only to West Virginia in its drug overdoses, and in many places morgues are running out of room for bodies of those who have died from an overdose. The Takeaway brings you to three regions across the country to survey how various communities are grappling with the opioid crisis. Plus, we check in on Virginia's special legislative session designed to resolve lawmakers' unwillingness to expand Medicaid; and we review the latest box office hits and duds with Rafer Guzman.

April 12, 2018: A decision on how best to respond to a chemical attack in the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Douma over the weekend is being considered this week, after President Trump told reporters he would announce his plans within a few days of the attack near Syria's capital. The President canceled plans to attend the Summit of the Americas in Peru and Colombia in order to oversee his response, and White House press secretary told reporters “all options are on the table.” The Takeaway considers President Trump's various options as we head closer to the brink of missile strikes in Syria. Plus, we look at A.G. Sessions's visit to the border with Mexico amid a wider crackdown on illegal immigration; a novel drug to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease that is drawing scrutiny; and a growing body of work showing that women are often delegated menial tasks at the office instead of their male peers.

April 11, 2018: On Tuesday, Facebook C.E.O. Mark Zuckerberg apologized in a congressional hearing for the abuse of data scraped from Facebook users without their permission. Testimony this week was motivated largely by reports that research firm Cambridge Analytica improperly gained access to the data from 87 million Facebook users. Zuckerberg sits before the House Energy and Commerce Committee today where he faces more questions about how and when information was shared and to what effect. The Takeaway reviews Zuckerberg's congressional testimony and what prospects of future regulation may come from it. Plus, we take a look at how Europe has been managing Facebook's oversight of user data; the announcement from GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan that he will not seek re-election; and the real-life address of Sherlock Holmes that has become embroiled in a mysterious ownership inquest.

April 10, 2018: Questions about Scott Pruitt's spending have been dogging the E.P.A. secretary for some time now. But as recent reports show a cushy housing arrangement with the wife of an energy lobbyist in Washington D.C., there are growing calls from members of Congress, as well as reportedly from President Trump's Chief of Staff John Kelly, for Pruitt's termination. The Takeaway examines the E.P.A. administrator's precarious standing within the Trump orbit. Plus, we review the diminishing conditions in Puerto Rico's schools; the N.B.A. activism that is turning the sports-protest model on its head; and an 'overlooked' female motorcyclist who burned rubber across the South.