The Takeaway

Indigenous Children are Overrepresented in Minnesota's Foster Care System

Over the course of eight months, Jessica Washington, a reporter with the Fuller Project spoke with Native families, lawyers, and other experts to understand why Minnesota has the highest disproportionality of Indigenous children in the child welfare system in the country. The Takeaway speaks with Washington about her investigation. We also hear from one of Washington's sources, Teresa Nord, who is a Navajo and Hopi Indian descendant, and who has personal experience with the child welfare system in Minnesota. 

New York Expands Whistleblower Law

We speak with Rachel Green, an associate at Katz, Marshall & Banks LLP in Washington D.C. and a Stanford Law graduate about the recent changes, what they mean, and how they compare to both federal and state protections around the country.

The Intersection of Sustainable Farming and Decarceration

Sustainable farming in rural North Carolina provides a model for decommissioned prisons, decarceration, and opportunities for youth living on the edge of the criminal justice system.

For transcripts, see individual segments.

Today, January 26th, New York’s Labor Law Section 740 expands, offering increased protection to whistleblowers. We speak with Rachel Green, an associate at Katz, Marshall & Banks LLP in Washington D.C. and a Stanford Law graduate about the recent changes, what they mean, and how they compare to both federal and state protections around the country.

Understanding and Addressing Increasing Rates of Suicide Deaths Amongst Black Youth

Last week, Academy Award winning actor Regina King lost her only child to death by suicide. The tragic loss of a loved one to suicide is a pain far too many have endured. We speak with Dr. Michael Lindsey, Executive Director, NYU McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research about rising suicide rates among young people of color. 

Hospitals Are Overwhelmed in Arizona 

In Arizona and elsewhere, the omicron wave has overwhelmed hospitals and burned out healthcare workers. 

Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan

Afghanistan food insecurity crisis affects more than 23 million people, nearly half the country.

'Simple as Water' Shows the Meaning of Family for Syrian Refugees

Academy Award winning director Megan Mylan joins The Takeaway to discuss her new film “Simple As Water,” which tells the story of Syrian Refugees displaced around the world.

Since 2011, Syria has been engaged in a devastating civil war. More than three hundred fifty thousand people have been killed during the conflict. The war has forced more than six million people to flee the country.

These Syrians in forced exile have had to endure overcrowded refugee camps, treacherous journeys by sea, and painful family separations. 

Academy Award winning director Megan Mylan is known for her films "Lost Boys of Sudan" and "Smile Pinki." Her latest documentary, "Simple as Water," follows several families of Syrian refugees. 

The Takeaway spoke with Mylan to find out more about how she created such a compassionate depiction of people whose stories are frequently sensationalized.

"Simple as Water" is available to stream now on HBO Max.

Mitch McConnell's Verbal Separation of African Americans and Americans Sparks Outrage

In light of light of the Republicans' blockage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, Latino Rebels reporter Pablo Manríquez asked MiSenate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell whether he had a message to people of color ahead of the midterms. Senate Minority Leader McConnell said, “Well, the concern is misplaced because, if you look at the statistics, African American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans.” The comment ignited a wave of angry responses on social media. Commenters noted that it was just the latest example of how often white people in power don’t see Black people and other people of color as Americans. We speak with Manríquez and professor Khalil Gibran Muhammad about McConnell’s comment and the response.

A Report Reveals Potential Conflicts of Interest in Sheriff Campaigns

The report reveals more than $6 million in potential conflicts of interests for sheriffs in 11 different states. These Sheriffs, who are elected officials, received contributions from businesses that stood to benefit from contracts with the sheriffs’ offices and jails in their control. The Takeaway speaks with Keshia Morris Desir, Census & Mass Incarceration Project Manager at Common Cause, about the report.

A New Guaranteed Income Program Will Launch in Georgia This Year 

In Her Hands is a partnership between the the Georgia Resilience & Opportunity (GRO) Fund and GiveDirectly who are planning to supply 650 Black women across Georgia with $850 per month over the course of two years. For more on this, The Takeaway spoke to Hope Wollensack, Executive Director of the Georgia Resilience and Opportunity Fund and co-director of the In Her Hands Initiative. 

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

The Past, Present and Future Of The Biden Administration

This week, the filibuster and voting rights act fell through in the Senate, and student debt forgiveness, criminal justice and climate change reforms hang in the balance. These failures have had an impact on voters across the country, according to recent polling. So what does that mean for the future of the Biden administration? For the discussion we're joined by Joel Payne, Democratic strategist, host of the podcast, Here Comes the Payne, and CBS News political contributor.

NYC Law Granting Noncitizens the Right to Vote Concerns Some Advocates

A new law allowing roughly 800,000 noncitizens to vote in local elections went into effect in New York City. Some Democrats and immigration advocates don't see it as a win. Russell Berman, staff writer for The Atlantic, joined to discuss his recent reporting on the law and what it means for the Democrats nationally.

Russia's Potential Invasion of Ukraine

We spoke with Professor Kimberly Marten about why Russia has chosen this moment to take more aggressive action towards Ukraine, and whether the U.S. and other Western powers have any other options to prevent a military conflict.

How Should the Media Be Covering Democracy At Risk?

The Takeaway spoke to Margaret Sullivan, media columnist at the Washington Post, and Lewis Raven Wallace, author of The View from Somewhere and the host of the podcast of the same name.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

How Antitrust Laws Are Defining the Facebook Monopolization Case:

We get the latest on Facebook/Meta antitrust lawsuit, and learn more about what constitutes antitrust with Vanderbilt law professor Rebecca Allensworth. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci on How to Make Sense of Omicron

Dr. Anthony Fauci joins The Takeaway to give his take on omicron, vaccinations and testing, and answer questions from listeners.

Why the Biden Administration Is Getting Low Marks On Handling COVID

Did Biden's handling of Omicron make things worse?

How Do We Achieve Vaccine Equity?

When we look at education, access, and messaging, we begin to understand the barriers to vaccination.

Dads Can Experience Mental Health Issues After Childbirth, Too

The Takeaway talked to Aymann Ismail, a staff writer at Slate, about his recent experience with his newborn baby.

The Filibuster: An Obstruction or Preservation of Democracy?

The Takeaway looks at filibuster reform and how it impacts our democracy.

What Exactly is An Accident?

There are racial and economic disparities when it comes to who dies and who lives in a so-called accident.

The Spirituality of Toni Morrison

The Takeaway speaks with writer and journalist Nadra Nittle about her book Toni Morrison’s Spiritual Vision, which explores Morrison’s Catholicism and spirituality.

Representative Ayanna Pressley on Voting Rights, Ending the Senate Filibuster, and More

The Takeaway speaks to Massachusetts Representative Ayanna Pressley about voting rights, ending the Senate filibuster, the fight to end student loan debt, and more.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

In some ways it is impossible to fully celebrate MLK Day in a virtual environment, after all, the movement for racial justice and Civil Rights  has always been about coming together. However, the decision to go digital does honor another aspect of the movement- its creativity and collective action.

Hosted by various WNYC radio hosts, this commemorative and uplifting special brings together scholars, cultural and community leaders, and activists to engage in conversations and performance, exploring the many ways the arts influenced the creative nonviolent resistance of Dr. King's activism and how his work is continued today.

You'll be hearing excerpts from the Uptown Hall: MLK- Activism And The Arts, our live celebration of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. recorded on Apollo Digital Stage. Brian Lehrer sat down with award winning children’s book author Jacqueline Woodson; Kai Wright spoke with Rashaad Robinson from Color of Change; and WNYC’s Jami Floyd, spoke with Garrett McQueen, executive producer and co-host of the Trilluqoy podcast and president of trill werks media. WNYC’s host of “all of it”, Alison Stewart was joined by stage and film actress, writer and director, Trezana Beverly and Jonathan McCrory, the artistic director of the National Black Theater.

The Takeaway host Melissa Harris-Perry spoke with artist, collector, CEO and founder Of Black Art In America, Najee Dorsey and former executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, mayor of Atlanta, member of Congress, and US Ambassador to the United Nations, Andrew Young.