The Takeaway

Over the past three weeks, thousands of incarcerated people in Alabama have gone on strike in state prisons, stopping their work in prison facilities–work they aren’t paid for. The action comes after years of reported widespread negligence in the state’s prisons.

According to the Equal Justice Initiative, 14 people have been killed in prisons so far this year – putting the state on course to break a record set in 2019, when 18 homicides were recorded. As the strike carries on, inmates say that they’re receiving fewer meals and less recreation time as a form of punishment. State officials deny that claim, saying that normal services can’t be provided since the inmates aren’t working, and Alabama governor Kay Ivey said the corrections department has the current situation “well under control.”

We talk with Keri Blakinger, a reporter with The Marshall Project, to get the latest on the situation.

This year, an unprecedented number of candidates are skipping out on electoral debates, so we decided to take a closer look at electoral debates and their impact on midterm elections.

Joel Payne, CBS News political contributor and Brendan Buck, Partner at Seven Letter, a Washington and Boston-based public affairs firm, join us to understand how useful debates are in midterm elections, and who benefits from them most. 

Jessi Hempel came out as lesbian; her siblings as transgender and bisexual; and it was revealed that Jessi’s father was gay through the children’s discovery of his infidelity. In her new book, she recounts this complicated family history and even unearths the story of her mother’s past romantic entanglement with an alleged accomplice to murder. 

In “The Family Outing,” Hempel grapples with the power of secrets to perpetuate generational cycles of shame and silence, as well as the freedom that comes with telling the truth. Hempel joined to discuss her new book and how writing it brought her family closer. 

Last week, a new dramedy called “Reservation Dogs” premiered on FX via Hulu. Set on Indian Territory in northeastern Oklahoma, the show is part of a renaissance among Indigenous creatives in Hollywood. It’s co-created by filmmakers Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi and had an entirely Indigenous writers room and directing team.

Shea Vassar, film and television critic and citizen of the Cherokee Nation, joined The Takeaway to discuss the new show and why it feels so refreshing for Indigenous audiences.

WATCH OFFICIAL TRAILER HERE 

The Land Back movement to return ancestral lands back to Indigenous tribes has gained momentum lately.  However, the efforts of tribal native reclamation are not new.  For decades, Indigenous peoples and allies have been working to restore land to Indigenous tribes through the courts, through protest, and through policy. Some tribes, such as the Kaw Nation in 2002, have even purchased parts of their ancestral lands back.  

First, we hear from Nick Tilsen, president and CEO of NDN Collective and a citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation, about the origins of the Land Back movement and what it means to different Indigenous communities.

Then, We speak with James Pepper Henry, Kaw Nation vice chairman and executive director of the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, who was instrumental in the Kaw Nation purchasing 160 acres of their ancestral homeland in Kansas back in 2002.

The 2022 Supreme Court ruling on Oklahoma vs. Castro-Huerta granted the state of Oklahoma the power to prosecute non-Indians who commit felony crimes against tribal citizens on reservation land. It comes just two years after a landmark decision in McGirt vs. Oklahoma, which resulted in 40% of eastern Oklahoma being affirmed as reservation land, thereby expanding tribal jurisdiction over criminal cases there. Tribes and tribal law experts see the Castro-Huerta ruling as an alarming turn in the Court’s treatment of Indian law and tribal affairs.

We speak with Allison Herrera, reporter on Indigenous Affairs at KOSU in Oklahoma and correspondent for Newsy, and Dr. Matthew Fletcher, Harry Burns Hutchins Collegiate Professor of Law at University of Michigan Law and a tribal judge.

Biden is urging Governors to follow his lead on a state level, and called on the Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to “review expeditiously” marijuana’s classification under the federal Controlled Substance Act. 

The Takeaway was joined by Maritza Perez, the Director of the Office of Federal Affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance to discuss Biden's pardon.

We're 30 days away from the final day to cast a vote in the 2022 midterm elections, and just about one hundred days ago, the Supreme Court' overturned Roe v. Wade, leaving access to abortion up to state lawmakers. The issue of abortion is of increasing importance to voters – and they are taking this fight to the ballot box: A survey by Pew Research in August found that 56-percent of voters said that abortion “will be very important in their midterm vote,” up from 43-percent in March.

In August, Kansas was the first state to vote on abortion rights since the June 24th ruling came down. Now, voters in five states: Vermont, California, Michigan, Kentucky and Montana, will be voting on abortion directly through ballot measures. In other states, including North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Michigan, competitive races for state legislatures, state supreme court justices, and governor’s seat, could tip the balance between abortion protections or restrictions.

For more on abortion issues on the ballot, we spoke with Alexis McGill-Johnson, president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. And Laphonza Butler, is the President of Emily's List, which works to elect pro-choice Democratic women to office. 

Nikki Giovanni, world renowned poet and beloved educator speaks with The Takeaway about her new book, "A Library" and its importance at this time when books are being banned across the country. She also shares stories about her love of writing, teaching, Beyoncé and what it’s like to retire after 35 years at Virginia Tech University.

For many, Dolly Parton’s legacy is linked to catchy country tunes and cowboy boots; but for those who have turned to her in times of pain, Parton’s music holds a much deeper meaning.

Lynn Melnick is the author of the book, “I've Had To Think Up a Way to Survive: On Trauma, Persistence, and Dolly Parton.” 

The Takeaway spoke with Melnick about her memoir, and how her story of trauma and perseverance is intertwined with Dolly Parton's lyrics and legacy.