The Takeaway

The incomparable Tamron Hall joined to discuss the third season of her talk show, motherhood, and her new Court TV show “Someone They Knew.”  She also gave some advice to future journalists.

In our final installment of our Women Leading Locally Series, we speak with the Honorable District Attorney Satana Deberry. D.A. Deberry who discusses her path to the office of district attorney and the importance of bringing her whole, authentic self to the position.

In recent months, there’s been a disturbing pattern of bomb threats against historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs. At least 36 HBCUs have been targeted…and that includes threats made against 18 of them on the first day of Black History Month.

Now, the White House is boosting funding for HBCUs, with the aim of bolstering campus security and mental health services. In addition to the bomb threats, hate crimes against Black people have been on the rise in the U.S. According to the FBI, there was an almost 50 percent increase between 2019 and 2020.

For more on this, The Takeaway spoke to Dr. Greg Carr, Associate Professor of Afro-American Studies at Howard University and adjunct professor at Howard Law school. 

In partnership with the Center for American Women and Politics, The Takeaway presents Women Leading Locally, a Women’s History Month special focused on highlighting women holding office and making change.

In our eighth installment of the series, we’re joined by Maria Rivera, Mayor of Central Falls, Rhode Island. She is the first Latina to serve as Mayor in the state, and the first woman to serve as Mayor in the city. 

We talked to Mayor Rivera about her path to leadership and how we can get more women into office. 

This conversation around the state of American democracy extends beyond the Trump years because there has been a slow breakdown of our political institutions that facilitate and support our Democracy. 

We spoke with Charles Homans, writer for The New York Times Magazine, and Dr. Lilliana Mason, an associate professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University and the SNF Agora Institute, and author of “Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity”  a discussion on the state of American Democracy and its future.

The Senate GOP race in Pennsylvania has become one of the most heated primary races in the country. The Senate seat held by Pat Toomey (R) is not seeking re-election making this an open seat race between Mehmet Oz, also known as celebrity surgeon Dr. Oz, and Hedge Fund CEO David McCormick.

So far, the campaign has focused a lot on Oz’s Turkish American heritage, to the point where he said he would renounce his Turkish citizenship if elected and before he is sworn into the senate. We invited Katie Meyer, politics reporter at WHYY to discuss Pennsylvania politics. 

This Sunday, The Power of the Dog and CODA will be neck and neck in the race for Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards. Neither film has been seen by most of the country, but that’s to be expected with the Oscars.

The Takeaway looks at what to watch for this weekend, and what to make of some minor controversies heading into the ceremony, with Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, and Alison Willmore, film critic for New York Magazine and Vulture.

In partnership with the Center for American Women and Politics, The Takeaway presents Women Leading Locally, a Women’s History Month special focused on highlighting women holding office and making change.

In our seventh installment of the series, we’re joined by New Jersey Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz, the first Latina to hold that position, and because women do it all, she was also the first NJ Senate leader to give birth while holding office.

We spoke to NJ Senate Majority Leader Ruiz about how she came to love politics and how we can get more women to say YES to running for office. 

On day one of her confirmation hearings, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson addressed her daughters directly: "Girls, I know it has not been easy, as I have tried to navigate the challenges of juggling my career and motherhood. And I fully admit, I did not always get the balance right. But I hope that you've seen that with hard work, determination and love it can be done."

This isn’t the first time motherhood has played a role in Supreme Court hearings. Justice Amy Coney Barrett famously spoke about being a mother when she was getting confirmed. We look at the intersection of motherhood and the Supreme Court with Irin Carmon,  Senior Correspondent, New York magazine and Nadia Brown, Professor of Government, chair of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and affiliate in the African American Studies program at Georgetown University.

Continue watching the the hearings live. 

How powerful is Speaker Nancy Pelosi?

A new Frontline documentary called “Pelosi’s Power” takes a look at Pelosi’s career and how she’s dealt with challenges of all sorts through the years to become one of the most powerful, influential and sometimes polarizing women in Washington D.C. The Takeaway spoke with Frontline Director of “Pelosi’s Power,”  Michael Kirk.