The Takeaway

The indie folk-rock band Fleet Foxes released their first EP in 2008, and since then have evolved from a fixture of the Pacific Northwest music scene into an internationally-acclaimed ensemble known for their richly-layered sounds and resonant, timeless lyrics. Their latest album, Shore (2020), was nominated for a Grammy.

Lead vocalist and principal songwriter Robin Pecknold recently released the book, "Wading in Waist-High Water: The Lyrics of Fleet Foxes." It collects his entire catalogue of lyrics, with notes on his creative inspirations and approaches. He joined The Takeaway to give a window into his songwriting process.

"Compiling and notating the lyrics here was maybe the first time I'd read them together. And one thing I kept noticing was the preponderance of question marks," Pecknold writes. 

"To me, a song is good if it is asking interesting questions. And a song is done when those questions are no longer confusing the song's maker." 

After four more weeks of campaigning and tens of millions more advertising dollars, the last Senate seat has been decided. Incumbent Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock defeated Republican challenger Herschel Walker with just over 51% percent of the vote.  

This long and hard-fought U.S. Senate race has proven to be the most expensive of the 2022 midterm cycle.

Voters had a minimum of five early voting days last week – and after a lawsuit, some counties in Georgia opened precincts for Saturday voting after Thanksgiving. This means that by Tuesday, more than 1.8 million voters in Georgia had already cast their ballots through early voting or mail-in ballots.

But for some folks there is just nothing like casting your ballot, in person, on election day.

Our Digital Producer Zachary Bynum is a Georgia voter himself, and he went out to vote yesterday in Savannah during his lunch hour, so we heard from him. Then, we dig into Georgia politics with Stephen Fowler, reporter for GPB News covering state and local politics and host of the Battleground: Ballot Box podcast.

The new movie Loudmouth highlights the career and activism of Sharpton from the late 1980s through the death of George Floyd.

Director Josh Alexander and Rev. Al Sharpton join us to discuss the film and Sharpton’s life.

The Supreme Court heard arguments on Monday in the case of 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis. Justices will consider whether a Colorado-based web designer is obligated by the state’s law to design wedding websites for same-sex couples.

The evangelical Christian web designer is opposed to same-sex marriage on religious grounds. She is challenging the Colorado law on the basis of free speech. Lawyers for the evangelical Christian web designer contend that Colorado law violates the 1st Amendment by making her engage in speech with which she does not agree.

We speak with Kenji Yoshino, the Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at NYU School of Law and co-author of the upcoming book, Say the Right Thing: How to Talk About Identity, Diversity, and Justice.

We talk with three of Melissa Harris-Perry’s students from Wake Forest University, Cole, Haley and Emma, about their experience following SHElection! for a class assignment and the politics of gender discrimination they faced when a TikTok they created for the assignment went viral.

Last week, President Biden signaled that he was willing and ready to engage with Vladimir Putin on peace talks.  But a day later, a Kremlin spokesperson dismissed those talks as unlikely, pointing to the unwillingness by the U.S. and other allies to recognize Russia’s illegal annexation of new territories in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia continues to target Ukrainian civilian infrastructure with airstrikes, which has left millions of Ukrainians without power, heat, or running water as the cold winter months set in.

We speak with Nina Khrushcheva, a professor of international affairs at the New School in New York and the great-granddaughter of former Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, about where things stand in the war, and what shape peace talks could take.

A recent headline declared "bye bye booty, heroin chic is back," referring to a fashion look in the 1990s and 2000s that glorified women with ultra-thin figures. But the backlash to the headlines from people recalling how this trend harmed their relationships with food and their bodies, shows that plenty of people are not interested in going back. So what really makes a "trend" go in and out of fashion? 

Professor Sabrina Strings says that while we may have had a few years in which having curves was considered fashionable, the thin ideal has never truly gone "out" of style. It's older than America itself — but just like America, it’s rooted in racist hierarchies. 

Professor Strings is an associate professor of sociology at the University of California, Irvine and author of "Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia."

Sidney Poitier died earlier this year at the age of 94. In the new Apple TV film SIDNEY, he is remembered as a beloved actor, filmmaker and so much more by those that knew him best.

We hear from producer Derik Murray about the film.

Congresswoman-Elect Sydney Kamlager joins us to discuss her win for the 37th Congressional District seat in California. The seat was vacated by former Congresswoman Karen Bass who is now the first Black Woman elected to serve as the mayor of Los Angeles.

Kamlager discusses what it’s like to be a new kid on the block in Congress and her hopes and visions for her tenure in the U.S. Congress.

Spotify Wrapped and Apple Music Replays are out, which means the music that dominated 2022 is on everybody’s minds. From Harry Styles to Beyonce to Bad Bunny, this year was massive for pop music in particular.

We decided to take a quick look at these wrap ups with Reanna Cruz, producer for Vulture’s Switched on Pop podcast.