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.