The Takeaway

Surviving R. Kelly Show Runner Discusses Verdict

On Monday, A New York jury found R&B singer R. Kelly guilty on all 9 counts against him which included racketeering and sex trafficking charges. We speak with dream hampton, showrunner and executive producer of the docu-series “Surviving R. Kelly” about what this conviction means to her and Kelly’s numerous victims.

Grassroots Organizers Reimagine Public Safety in San Antonio

The Takeaway speaks with Ananda Tomas, the current Executive Director for ACT 4 SA about reimagining public safety in San Antonio. 

Civil Rights Activist Desmond Meade Named MacArthur "Genius"

Like in previous years, the work of this year’s fellows reflect the political, scientific, and cultural landscape of the past year. They’re doing everything from forecasting viruses to excavating the history of racial violence along the Texas-Mexico border. For more on this, The Takeaway spoke with  one of this year’s MacArthur fellows. Desmond Meade is a civil rights activist and executive director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.

Today's Transformational Takeaway

Learn more about Betty Reid Soskin, the oldest active National Park Ranger. 

For transcripts, see individual segment pages. 

Planned Parenthood's Alexis McGill-Johnson on the Women’s Health Protection Act

On Friday, the House of Representatives passed the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would make abortion access a federal right and override the growing number of abortion bans that have been passed at the state level, including SB-8 in Texas. For more on this, The Takeaway spoke to Alexis McGill-Johnson, the president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

What is the Black Maternal Health Momnibus?

The Takeaway is joined by Professor Monica McLemore,  Professor of Nursing, UC San Francisco about the Black Maternal Health Momnibus package and a conversation about the big picture of racial disparities within reproductive health care.

What Reproductive Justice Looks Like for the Latinx Community

16 percent of Latinas have not visited a doctor in the last two years. Latinas are the group of women most likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer. And, because of higher poverty rates and lower rates of insurance coverage, Latinas have less access to contraception, and more than 50 percent of pregnancies among Latinas are unintended. Despite these startling inequalities, Latinx communities are often excluded from mainstream conversations about reproductive health. The Takeaway spoke with Lupe M. Rodríguez, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice. 

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

What Kneeling in Protest Means To a New Generation of Athletes

Dave Zirin, Sports Editor for The Nation, talks to The Takeaway about his new book, The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World.  The Takeaway talked with Zirin about the long history of activism by athletes and what this new generation risked as they stood up for equality by taking a knee.

State Legislation Seeks to Restrict Rights of Transgender Athletes

Texas is just one of many states that have placed restrictions on transgender student athletes in recent years. In total, at least 30 states have introduced similar legislation, with eight having passed these laws. For more on this, The Takeaway spoke to Katie Barnes, features writer at ESPN. 

How Sports Media Coverage Affects An Athlete's Power

We take a look at the ways sports media coverage or the lack of it, affects the power that athletes have when they seek to make change through activism. Amira Rose Davis, Co-Host of the feminist sports podcast “Burn it All Down” and Bradford William Davis, an investigations reporter for Insider join us to discuss the way this is seen on both a local and national level.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages. 

President Biden's Foreign Policy Agenda

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden declared a quote “new era” for U.S. diplomacy in his first speech as U.S. president to the United Nations General Assembly. President Biden repeatedly sought to reassure U.S. allies that his presidency would not echo the chaos of Trump's four years in office. For that and more, The Takeaway spoke to Robin Wright,  columnist at The New Yorker and Wilson Center Distinguished Fellow, and Daniel Drezner, professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

The Uproar Over Treatment of Haitian Migrants Continues

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the number of Haitians in Del Rio, Texas is down to about 7,000 as deportations continue. Some Haitians have turned back to Mexico, or they’ve been moved to another area for processing. Patrick Gaspard, President and CEO of the Center for American Progress visited the border on Thursday and joined to discuss what he saw there.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages. 

“Other Than Honorably” Discharged LGBTQ Veterans Could Be Eligible for VA Benefits 

The Takeaway talks to two LGBTQ veterans about the VA's guidance. Jennifer Dane, is the CEO and executive director of the Modern Military Association of America, and Richard Brookshire, is the Board Chair and co-founder of the Black Veterans Project. He also wrote this piece for the New York Times Magazine, "Serving in the Army as a Queer Black Man Opened My Eyes to Racism in America."

Afghanistan's Healthcare System is on the Verge of Collapse

Deepmala Mahla, Vice President of humanitarian affairs for CARE, an international humanitarian organization fighting global poverty and world hunger, joins us to discuss this potential disaster.

Reforming the System from Within 

The Takeaway spoke with Joel Fitzgerald Sr.,  Waterloo's first Black chief of police whose reforms are facing backlash. We' re also joined by Roy Austin, former federal prosecutor and former defense attorney, and Paul Butler, Albert Brick Professor in Law at Georgetown University, former prosecutor and author of Choke Hold: Policing Black Men.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

Border Patrol's Inhumane Treatment of Haitian Migrants

The Department of Homeland Security is launching an investigation into the treatment of Haitian migrants at the U.S. border after images and video surfaced showing inhumane treatment by Border Patrol Agents. The footage shows agents on horseback chasing migrants and uttering expletives in their direction. We talk with Jenn Budd, a former senior patrol agent with the US border patrol who is now an immigrant rights activist and Franciscka Lucien, executive director of the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti.

Humanitarian Crisis Worsens in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is nearly a year into a conflict in the northern Tigray region that began last November between the Ethiopian government, forces from neighboring Eritrea, and opposing forces from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). There are reports of human rights abuses and sexual violence against civilians and refugees perpetrated by all parties involved in the conflict. Thousands of people have been killed, more than 2 million have been displaced, and for months the UN has been warning of the risk of a humanitarian crisis due to famine and starvation.

Pfizer Announces Vaccine Safe and Effective for Children Ages 5 to 11

The Takeaway speaks to Dr. Miriam Laufer, pediatrics infectious disease specialist at the  University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health expert, about the importance of vaccinating children, the process of authorizing the vaccine, vaccine trials for even younger children, and more. 

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

Redistricting Battle Heats Up Across the U.S.

Ari Berman, senior reporter at Mother Jones, joined The Takeaway to talk redistricting and gerrymandering around the country, as well as the districts and states to watch in the coming months. 

A Look At Colorado's Independent Redistricting Commission 

Today's focus is on Colorado, where voters in 2018 widely supported two constitutional amendments that gave independent commissions the responsibility to determine political districts instead of the Colorado legislature. Due to population growth in Colorado, the state will be gaining an 8th congressional district. Twelve commissioners on the Congressional Redistricting Commission are currently determining what that new map will look like. The Takeaway talks with one of those commissioners about Colorado’s redistricting process. Commissioner Jolie Brawner, is the vice chair of the Colorado Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission.

First Americans Museum Opens in Oklahoma City

Allison Herrera, Indigenous Affairs reporter for KOSU and heather ahtone, senior curator for the First Americans Museum and a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation speak with The Takeaway about the work that went into putting the First Americans Museum together.

Where are the 710 missing Indigenous Women and Girls in Wyoming?

Mary Kathryn Nagle, a partner at Pipestem Law, a firm specializing in tribal sovereignty of Native nations and peoples and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma joins us to discuss the complex reasons contributing to why indigenous women and girls go missing at such an alarming rate.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.

What is Citizenship?

The white grievances aired on January 6th and in the election of Donald Trump can be traced much further back to the founding of the United States and who was originally allowed to be a citizen. But it’s not just the right that places these limits around citizenship. Under former President Obama and President Biden, restrictive immigration policies have spotlighted the lack of humanity in how our government treats people from beyond our borders. The Takeaway speaks with historian Mae Ngai about how notions of U.S. citizenship have changed over time.

France Pulls Ambassador Out of U.S. Over Submarine Dispute

France pulled its ambassador to the U.S. out of Washington, D.C., and compared the Biden administration to its predecessors. The matter at hand: a submarine deal with Australia worth hundreds of billions of dollars. France had been set to make the sale until the U.S. came in to strike its own deal to sell nuclear powered submarines to our friends down under. France’s foreign minister called the move “a stab in the back.” For more on this, The Takeaway spoke with Ryan Heath, host of POLITICO’s “Global Insider” podcast and newsletter. 

Boston Mayoral Race Heats Up

Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George, both daughters of immigrants and longtime city councilors, placed first and second respectively in last week’s preliminary mayoral runoff election. For more on the Boston mayoral race, The Takeaway spoke to Saraya Wintersmith, reporter covering Boston City Hall for GBH News.

Is Rest Possible for Black Bodies Past Death?

The Atlantic magazine’s Inheritance project takes a look at American history, black life and the resilience of memory. In the the chapter entitled “What the Body Holds,” journalist Latria Graham talks with us about her piece, “The Dark Underside of Representations of Slavery” which focuses on the fight by Tamara Lanier to get the images of her ancestors Renty and Delia back from the Harvard University archives. She alleges Harvard’s licensing of the images amounts to forcing her relatives to continue to work for the university, never giving them a true sense of rest.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages. 

Biden Outlines Agenda To Boost the Middle Class

President Joe Biden delivered a speech geared toward a tax plan for the middle class. California had its recall election in which Governor Gavin Newsom beat out Republican frontrunner and recall candidate Larry Elder. The Takeaway hosts a politics roundtable with Dave Weigel, a national reporter covering politics for the Washington Post. Brendan Buck is a Republican strategist at Seven Letter and a former aide to Republican speakers of the House John Boehner and Paul Ryan. and Maya King, a politics reporter at Politico. 

Political Power Struggle Continues in Haiti 

Haiti is still struggling to recover a month after a major earthquake and storm hit the country and killed more than 2,000 people, with hundreds still missing. Meanwhile, Haiti is also dealing with a profound political crisis after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July. This week, that political struggle came to a new head when a prosecutor accused the current leader of the country, Prime Minister Ariel Henry, of being involved with the killing. The Takeaway was joined by Jacqueline Charles, Caribbean Correspondent for the Miami Herald to discuss the ongoing power struggle. 

Why Larry Elder's Run Has People Talking About Black Republicans

Leah Wright Rigueur, author of The Loneliness of the Black Republican; Joe Watkins host of “State of Independence” and former aide to President George H.W. Bush; and Ron Christie, former special assistant to President George W. Bush, join us to discuss what Elder’s campaign means for Black Republicanism in the U.S., and the long and complicated history between Black Americans and the Republican party.

For transcripts, see full segment pages.

Senate Hearing Highlights FBI mishandling of Gymnasts Abuse Claims

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate held a hearing to examine the extent to which the FBI mishandled its investigation into the sexual abuse committed by Larry Nassar against hundreds of gymnasts while he was a physician for the women’s national gymnastics team. Several of the most accomplished gymnasts who were abused by Nassar testified at the hearing, including Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols and Aly Raisman. We speak with Rachael Denhollander, a former gymnast who was the first to publicly come forward against Larry Nassar.

What Constitutes An Apology to Survivors of Sexual Abuse?

On Wednesday, FBI director Christopher Wray apologized to the survivors of former USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar’s abuse, saying that he is sorry members of his agency didn’t do more to stop Nassar when they had a chance. Officials at the highest levels of our government don’t issue apologies often, but to survivors of abuse, Wray’s words may feel hollow. Beyond saying sorry, what has the FBI actually done to hold itself accountable after its mishandling of the Nassar case? We speak with playwright and author V (formerly known as Eve Ensler) about what truly constitutes an apology to survivors of abuse.

What Deepfake Technology Means for Women

Countless deepfake apps and platforms have emerged that essentially allow users to make nonconsensual porn videos of women with little to zero coding skills. This technology can do everything from “stripping” the clothes off of women to face-swapping a female celebrity’s face onto a porn actor’s body. For more on this, The Takeaway spoke to Rebecca Delfino, law professor at LMU Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, and Karen Hao , the senior AI editor at MIT Technology Review.

 Slice of Life. 

From the mundane to the profound, we’re compiling your responses and sharing them with the world. Listen below.

For transcripts, see individual segment pages.