The Takeaway

From the Debt Ceiling to Inflation: The State of the U.S. Economy

The Takeaway spoke to Heather Long, economics correspondent for the Washington Post and Anne Price, president of the Insight Center for Community Economic Development, to look back on the year in economics and get a sense of what people can expect going forward.

How One New Movie Highlights Elder Economic Insecurity

Director Sian-Pierre Regis joins us with his mother Rebecca Danigelis who went through job loss at the age of 75. They tell us about the unique way they dealt with her job loss and how it changed their outlook and inspires their current activism.

Outgoing Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan on Her City, Why She Chose Not To Seek Reelection

The Takeaway speaks with outgoing Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan about the ways she thinks about Seattle, what she hopes is next, and why she chose not to seek reelection.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

In Remembrance of bell hooks

Alondra Nelson, the Harold F. Linder Professor of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study, shares stories of inspiration discussing bell hooks' impact on Black feminism and looks ahead to her lasting influence. 

The Takeaway Book Report

The Takeaway community is full of book worms and literary lovers, so we spoke with some incredible authors about their work and some titles to look out for this holiday season. 

For transcripts, see individual segment pages. 

Alabama Miners Are Still on Strike Nearly Nine Months Later

On April 1st, 1,100 workers from the Warrior Met Coal Mine in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama went on strike. Now, 258 days later, those workers are still on strike in hopes of forcing the company to address what they call unfair labor practices. The Takeaway spoke with Kim Kelly, an independent journalist and author of the forthcoming book, ‘FIGHT LIKE HELL: The Untold History of American Labor, updated us on what’s happening with these Alabama union issues. Kim has been covering the Warrior Met Coal strike since April.

The Continuing Strike Against Kellogg's

The Striketober work stoppage goes on as the two sides balk on a deal. In response, Kellogg's closer to hiring new employees as permanent replacements. HuffPost labor reporter David Jamieson has the latest and frames this strike within the modern labor movement and the larger context of history. 

The Historical Relevance Behind The January 6 Capitol Riot 

Are some moments of racialized and political violence in the United States quickly forgotten for a reason? We speak with historian Martha S. Jones about some of the most relevant examples.

Isis King on "With Love" and Trans Representation on the Small Screen

The series "With Love" features LGBTQ+ love stories for two characters, including one played by Isis King. The Takeaway spoke to her about the new series and her career in Hollywood. 

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

Private Companies Pledge $1.2 Billion in Investments to Central American Northern Triangle

Vice President Kamala Harris announced a total of $1.2 billion worth of infrastructure and economic development investments in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras from high-earning corporations like Microsoft, Mastercard and PepsiCo. Oscar Chacón, Executive Director of Alianza Americas says while this public, private partnership is a step in the right direction, more is needed like leveraging the far greater $22 billion in remittances from Central Americans working in the United States. 

Food Insecurity in the Military

We speak with Shannon Razsadin, President and Executive Director of the Military Family Advisory Network about food insecurity in the military.

Happy the Elephant Could Change the Face of Animal Rights

Happy finds herself at the center of a legal case that could shift our notion of legal personhood as we know it. An organization called the Nonhuman Rights Project filed a writ of habeas corpus, or claim of unlawful detention, on behalf of Happy, all in an effort to get her rehomed to a sanctuary. Right now, you can only use a habeas corpus petition on behalf of a person. Happy’s case will go before New York State’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, sometime in 2022. For more on this, The Takeaway spoke to Jill Lepore, the David Woods Kemper Professor of American History at Harvard University and a staff writer at The New Yorker. She recently wrote about Happy the elephant for The Atlantic. 

For transcripts, see individual segments page. 

"What If We Don't Comply?": Texas Abortion Provider Weighs in on SCOTUS Ruling

We spoke about the decision with Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi, an OB-GYN and abortion provider in Texas, and board member with Physicians for Reproductive Health and Texas Equal Access Fund. 

The Legal Implications of SCOTUS Ruling on Texas Anti-Abortion Law SB8

We break down the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Texas law and how ongoing legal challenges against SB8 could play out in the court. Melissa Murray, Law Professor at NYU, faculty director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network and co-host of the legal podcast called “Strict Scrutiny” joined to help our listeners understand more about the complicated legal path ahead for challenges to Texas’s SB8. 

Women in the U.S. House Are Targets of Verbal Violence

Even as the number of women elected to the US Congress has grown, so too has our awareness of the ways that political critiques far too often track along gender stereotypes and verbal gendered violence. Kelly Dittmar, an Associate Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University–Camden and the Director of Research and Scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics, joined The Takeaway to discuss. 

Aging While Queer: Coming out at An Older Age with Chris Bolan 

Pat Henschel and Terry Donahue met on an ice rink in Saskatchewan, Canada in the late 1940s and fell in love, but spent decades hiding their relationship from the world. Their love story, which also became the two women’s coming out story, was made into a 2020 Netflix documentary called “A Secret Love.” As a part of our Aging While Queer series, we spoke with the documentary's director Chris Bolan about the two women's love story and what it's like coming out at an older age. 

For transcripts, see individual segment pages. 

The Takeaway host Melissa Harris-Perry and Dorian Warren are tackling the important topic of childbirth.

The U.S. Supreme court is considering a second case on abortion this session as the White House host its first Maternal Health Day of Action Summit on Dec 7, 2021. We took a deep dive into the subject of childbirth and the politics around it. Topics that were introduced: the medical professionalization of childbirth, maternal and infant mortality, the work of doulas and midwifery, and the importance of paid family and medical leave. 

They speak with Monica McLemore, associate professor of family health care nursing at University of California, San Francisco; Dr. Joia Crear-Perry, founder and president of the National Birth Equity Collaborative; Tracie Collins, CEO & Founder of the National Black Doulas Association; Lynn Paltrow, Executive Director and Founder of National Advocates for Pregnant Women. Josie Kalipeni, Executive Director of Family Values at Work joins us to discuss how paid family and medical leave offers families the time and resources to bond with their newborn children.

Finally, Melissa shares a personal story as she speaks with her youngest daughter's gestational carrier. 

The Harm of Spanish-Language Disinformation 

In 2020, Latinx voters registered and voted in record numbers, now making them the second largest voting bloc in the U.S. Many of these voters are being targeted online with disinformation. Stephanie Valencia, co-founder and president of Equis Research and Nora Benavidez, senior Counsel and Director of the Digital Justice & Civil Rights division of Free Press join us to discuss this problem and potential solutions.

Playwright Jeremy O. Harris Doesn't Want You to Get Too Comfortable

The Takeaway speaks with playwright Jeremy O. Harris about bringing "Slave Play" back to the theater and the work he’s done to change theater world from the inside out.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages. 

"Remain in Mexico" Border Policy Reinstated Under Biden Administration 

The Takeaway spoke about the reinstatement of the "remain in Mexico" policy with Aura Bogado, reporter at Reveal, from The Center for Investigative Reporting.

16 Thousand Haitians Have Been Expelled From The Dominican Republic In The Last 3 Months 

In the last three months, 16 thousand Haitians have been expelled from the Dominican Republic.We are joined by the AP’s Caribbean correspondent Dánica Coto, who was just recently reporting out of the Dominican Republic.

DOJ Says Redistricting in Texas Violates Voting Rights

A conversation with Michael Li, senior counsel for the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program about the DOJ’s lawsuit against Texas for discriminatory redistricting.

"Citizen Ashe" Spotlights a Legend On and Off the Court

Co-directors Rex Miller and Sam Pollard join The Takeaway to discuss their film "Citizen Ashe," which explores the life and activism of tennis legend Arthur Ashe.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

Why Vaccine Mandates Seem To Cause Backlash

Partisanship explains much of the national division surrounding vaccine mandates, but this divide may highlight another important policy-making challenge--the contemporary American’s reluctance to contribute to the public good. We speak with epidemiologist and public health correspondent Gregg Gonsalves about whether anyone is asking not what the country can do for us, but what we can do for our country.

Puerto Rico Is a COVID Success Story

According to the CDC, the island had fully vaccinated 74 percent of its population as of November 22. That’s higher than any other US state or territory. Puerto Rico also has one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates. So how did Puerto Rico become a bright spot in the pandemic? For more on this, The Takeaway spoke with Nicole Narea, immigration reporter for Vox.

Diaper Need Is an Invisible Part of Poverty in the U.S.

The the issue is wide-ranging: 1 in 3 families cannot afford an adequate supply of diapers for their children. Chabeli Carrazana, an economy reporter for the 19th, recently wrote an article about diaper need in rural Missouri, and explained to The Takeaway just how far-reaching this issue is. We also hear from Representative Barbara Lee, who introduced the End Diaper Need Act of 2021 earlier this year with Representative Rosa DeLauro.

Decarceration in New Jersey

In October of 2020, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a law allowing early release of 5,300 prisoners. Under legislation S2519, inmates who were eligible to be released in a year’s time could be awarded public health emergency credits during a public health emergency. Incarcerated adults and juveniles were released 8 months early as a result. When Governor Murphy ended the state’s public health emergency status during the summer of 2021, early releases ended, too. We speak with Karen Yi, a reporter for WNYC Radio, about decarceration in New Jersey.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

According to estimates from Cal Fire, more than 4 million acres in the state burned in 2020 and another 3 million have been lost to blazes in 2021. The fires have destroyed thousands of homes and claimed dozens of lives. And the realities of global climate change suggest that this destruction is likely to be a new normal for the state.

But because of a firefighter shortage, around 30% of firefighters in the state are inmates or remain incarcerated. But what Pine Grove does is a little different. Pine Grove is a state juvenile justice facility where incarcerated boys and young men between the ages of 17 and 24 are trained to fight fires. 

In fact, it’s the last “fire camp” for incarcerated youth in the state.

To risk their lives fighting fires, they earn between $2.20 and $4 an hour. California firefighters who are not incarcerated typically earn more than $40 an hour. Still, these jobs feel unattainable to the young people of Pine Grove after their release, many of whom are now trained but can't find permanent jobs in the field. 

Joining us for the discussion is Sara Tardiff, freelance reporter for Teen Vogue, who looked into the Pine Grove facility and California's incarcerated firefighting industry.