The Takeaway

This week marked 20 years since the opening of Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp, a military detention facility that has been controversial since its inception. We took the entire hour to understand what has happened there and why it matters.

Guest 🎙:

Wells Dixon, senior staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights

Earl Catagnus Jr., an adjunct professor in Security and Risk Analysis a Penn State University Brandywine

Mansoor Adayfi, former Detainee at Guantanamo Bay and author of the book “Don’t Forget Us Here: Lost and Found at Guantanamo”

Steve Wood,  former Guantanamo Bay Detention Center guard

Carol Rosenberg, Guantanamo Bay Reporter for The New York Times

Congressman Adam Schiff, (D-CA 28th District) Chairman of the House Intelligence committee

Outgoing Congressman David Price of California

A Look at New Weight Loss Meds and Weight Related Stigma:

The Takeaway spoke with Emma Court, health reporter at Bloomberg News about this new class of weight loss drugs. And maybe you’ve noticed there is more than a little fat-shaming going on around Covid-19, obesity, and mortality. We also spoke about this with Paula Atkinson, a body liberation psychotherapist and professor at George Washington University, where she teach a course about body justice called Weight and Society.

Masking 101:

The Takeaway spoke to Dr. Lisa  Maragakis, Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Senior Director of Healthcare Epidemiology and Infection Prevention with the Johns Hopkins Health System, about the latest on masking, which masks are most effective, and more.

Why Some Star Athletes Refuse The Vaccine And Get Away With It:

We speak with sportswriter Kavitha Davidson about why this mentality from these players matters in the sports world and beyond.

Navarro is Back on the Mat for Season 2 of Cheer:

We speak with the director and executive producer of Cheer, Greg Whiteley, about what to expect this season and why the docuseries has us all cheering for the cheerlebrities of Navarro.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

Biden's ATL Voting Rights Speech:

Mother Jones Senior Reporter and author of Give us the Ballot Ari Berman and Barbara Arnwine, President and Co-Leader of the Transformative Justice Coalition, joined us to discuss the pros and cons of the president’s speech and whether the president’s speech will move the needle on this issue.

Across the Country, Substitute Teachers Are In Demand

Giulia Heyward, reporter at the New York Times, joins The Takeaway to discuss the staffing shortage, what it’s meant for substitute teachers, and more.

The Dangers of Restricting Teachers From Teaching:

Last week, during an Indiana state senate committee hearing on an education bill, state senator Scott Baldwin argued that educators “need to be impartial” when teaching about Marxism, Nazism, and fascism. We spoke with Pedro A. Noguera, Dean of the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California, about the dangers of placing these limits on educators, and hear from Indiana teacher Matt Bockenfeld, whose comments sparked Senator Baldwin’s controversial remarks.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

Rep. Adam Schiff on the January 6th Committee and Restoring Trust After Trump:

The Takeaway speaks with Representative Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and one of the members of the House committee investigating the insurrection, about the work of the January 6th committee and some of the other central issues facing Congress and the Democrats today.

Holly Robinson Peete, An Advocate for Autism:

Actress, author and “gangsta mom of four” Holly Robinson Peete joins us to talk about her advocacy work for kids on the autism spectrum and her decision to go public about her son’s diagnosis.

How Researchers Are Using Stem Cells To Learn More About A Rare Form of Autism:

We spoke with Dr. Joseph Dougherty,  professor of genetics and psychiatry at Washington University in St Louis about the research that he and his team are conducting. 

Disagreements Between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union Result in Closures:

The Takeaway speaks with Nader Issa, reporter covering education for the Chicago Sun-Times, about the recent disagreements with the Chicago Teachers Union and the Chicago Public School district, and we hear from teachers and parents. 

Bronx Apartment Fire Leaves 17 Dead:

We were joined by Jake Offenhartz, WNYC and Gothamist Reporter to discuss the apartment building fire.

Sidney Poitier and Professor Lani Guinier Pass Away at Ages 94 and 71:

Our host reflects on the legacy of these two figures. 

Do We Understand The Full Breadth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Message?:

Scott Roberts, senior Director of Criminal Justice Campaigns for Color of Change and Patrisse Cullors, New York Times bestselling author, educator, artist and abolitionist joined us to discuss the complicated legacy of Dr. Martin Luter King Jr. and how there’s still so much work to be done to realize his dream in full.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

Taking Our Politics Pulse for the Week

Maya King, national politics reporter at Politico, and Sahil Kapur, senior national political reporter at NBCNews, join us for a politics roundtable to discuss this week’s top stories

New PBS Documentary Explores History of Democracy in the U.S.

A new documentary from PBS called Preserving Democracy: Pursuing a More Perfect Union chronicles the pursuit of democracy in the U.S. from the Revolutionary War to the Capitol Riot.

Julia B. Chan Discusses her New Role as Editor-in-Chief of The 19th

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

The Capitol Insurrection's Impact on American Democracy

In a recent article for The Atlantic, “Trump’s Next Coup Has Already Begun,” staff writer Barton Gellman looks at the events leading to Jan 6., Republican efforts to subvert democracy, and how this could impact upcoming elections. 

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman Shares Her Story of Surviving the Insurrection

Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman joins us to discuss her experience during the insurrection at the Capitol last year as well as the upcoming public hearings.

A Historian Reflects on How to Teach the Insurrection

Professor Hasan Jeffries of The Ohio State University has focused his research on the long history of Black struggle, and his work reminds us that the violence we saw at the Capitol one year ago is not an anomaly—in fact political violence has long been a feature of how white supremacy has asserted itself in this country.  

Did the Lack of Civics in American Education Help Cause the Insurrection?

Will Bunch, national opinion columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer and  Coshandra Dillard, a senior writer for Learning for Justice, join us to discuss how civics could play a role in preventing events like this in future. 

How the Big Lie Led to the Insurrection

The core motivation behind the violence we saw a year ago on January 6, is a belief in The Big Lie– the self-serving falsehood perpetrated by former President Trump himself that the 2020 election was stolen.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

The Mayor of Superior, Colorado on 2021's Destructive Wildfires

The Takeaway speaks with Mayor Clint Folsom of Superior, Colorado about the fires and how his community is faring. 

Is the Texas Power Grid Ready for Winter?

We spoke with Phil Jankowski, reporter covering politics and infrastructure at Dallas Morning News, about the Texas power grid and its readiness for the winter months ahead.

A Record-Breaking Covid Spike Is Hitting Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico had reported a record 84,000 new cases in December.

Is Composting the Future of Death? 

Three states—Colorado, Washington and Oregon—have legalized the process of natural organic reduction, or human composting. 

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

Rethinking Public Health Under Omicron 

We speak with Dr. Céline Gounder, infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist at Bellevue Hospital in New York City and host of the Epidemic podcast, about what statistics to keep an eye on at the moment and how public health officials should be communicating this information. 

How "Clean" Energy Continues To Harm Indigenous Communities

What happens when the new threat that tribal nations are confronting is clean energy? We were joined by Nick Estes, a citizen of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, and host of The Red Nation podcast.

The Power and Necessity of Treating Criminal Defendants with Dignity

A conversation with Judge Victoria Pratt about the theory and practice of procedural justice criminal court.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

Music:

Luke Cissell

How Do We Begin to Grade 2021?

Political scientist Christina Greer joins us to help grade some of the big political moments of 2021.

Voting Rights: The Continued Fight Over Access to Elections

Keeping an eye on restrictive voting legislation in the 2022 session is Mother Jones reporter Ari Berman who explains how a 2013 Supreme Court decision set the course for this continued fight for equitable voting rights.  

Self-Managed Abortions and the Fight for Abortion Rights

A November 2021 study published in The Lancet found that self-managed abortions are about as safe and effective as surgical abortions. We speak with Mary Ziegler, law professor at Florida Sate University, about how the fight over abortion rights could shift to self-managed abortions in the coming year.

Former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs on His New Memoir, His Tenure, and What’s Next

Former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, known widely as the guy who did the largest guaranteed income program, talks about his new memoir, “The Deeper the Roots: A Memoir of Hope and Home.” 

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.