The Takeaway

On Monday, a 28-year-old shooter entered the Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville, armed with two assault rifles and a handgun. The shooter then killed six people, including three 9-year-olds, and three faculty members. The shooter legally purchased seven weapons from five different gun stores before the shooting at Covenant school. They were fatally shot by law enforcement who responded to the scene. This comes against a backdrop of Tennessee laws making access to guns...

Inspired by Tracy McMillan’s Life, UnPrisoned is a half-hour comedy starring Kerry Washington, Marque Richardson, and Faly Rakotohavana. It's about Paige, a therapist and single mom, whose life is turned right-side-up when her dad gets out of prison and moves in with her and her teenage son. Tracy joined us to talk about her real-life inspiration of a common story that is almost never told.

Original Air Date: March 27, 2023 Right to Return USA just announced its 2023 Fellows. Six artists will receive a $20,000 award to support projects aimed at transforming the criminal legal and immigration systems, as well as combatting mass incarceration. We speak with Right of Return co-founder Jesse Krimes and 2023 Fellow Jaiquan Fayson about the fellowship, the barriers for formerly incarcerated people in society, and art's role in reforming the criminal justice system.

Dementia is a disease that slowly steals away memories while keeping up the pretense that it’s stealing away nothing at all. A patient’s ability to create reality from their fragmented memories can lead to strained relationships with their loved ones and a deep sense of loneliness in their caregivers. Clinical psychologist, and author of Travelers to Unimaginable Lands: Stories of Dementia, the Caregiver and the Human Brain, Dasha Kiper shares how our understanding of consciousness makes it...

Superjam producer Paul Peck is bringing the works of the illustrious American jazz pianist and composer Count Basie to a brand-new generation with his latest project. Late Night Basie is a Count Basie tribute album that’s reimagining many of the late musician’s greatest hits featuring artists like Cimafunk and Terence Blanchard. Paul Peck sits down with The Takeaway to talk about the project and the ways he’s brought this music to a new age.

Last month the President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, unveiled the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT). In a tweet, Bukele announced, “El Salvador has managed to go from being the world’s most dangerous country to the safest country in the Americas. How did we do it? By putting criminals in jail. Is there space? There is now.” We spoke to Jorge Cuéllar Assistant Professor of Latin American, Latino & Caribbean Studies at Dartmouth and Founding Faculty Fellow of the Consortium of...

Original Air Date: March 23, 2023 We’re devoting today’s episode of The Takeaway to the task of taking First Ladies seriously as we seek to understand the unique ways these women have affected and continue to shape America. In this episode we explore the ways that Betty Ford's honesty and outspokenness changed the way we look at first ladies; we look at the roles of Martha Washington and Dolley Madison in relationship to chattel slavery in the United States; and how Edith Wilson may have...

recent risewomen and girls "Fueled by more than five decades of a misguided and failing “war on drugs”, the US leads the world in the incarceration of women. Today, more than half of American states have legalized or decriminalized marijuana. Even as it might seem that the war on drugs is drawing to a close, its brutal policies continue to create havoc in the lives of American women," said The Takeaway host Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry, author of Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black...

Joy Harjo was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1951, and is a member of the Mvsoske Nation. She has authored 10 books of poetry, and served as the United States Poet Laureate from 2019 until 2022. One of her most well known poems, "Remember" (1983) has been adapted and reanimated into a new children’s book, Remember, with illustrations by artist Michaela Goade. Joy Harjo joins us to discuss Remember, reflect on her time as the U.S. Poet Laureate, and share thoughts on how indigeneity informs the...

The recent derailment of a train carrying toxic and hazardous chemicals through East Palestine, Ohio, offers a window into the centuries-long history of industrial pollution in the Ohio River Valley region. This area, known for centuries as “coal country,” is transforming into a plastics production hub — with similarly devastating environmental consequences. We're joined by Eve Andrews, an environmental journalist from Pittsburgh. Andrews recently visited the region and spoke with residents...

For most of us, chickens are ubiquitous, mainly as sources of food. Yet we rarely know much about chickens beyond that, or even interact with them. Those that do quickly find themselves obsessed with these fowl creatures — like today’s guest, journalist Tove Danovich. Inspired after adopting three chickens for her Portland, Oregon backyard, Danovich set out to report on the wide world of chicken-keeping, a journey that took her hatchery in Iowa, to a chicken show in Ohio, to a rooster...

York, Pennsylvania holds a significant place in American history. During the Revolutionary War, it served as the temporary capital for the Continental Congress, and in York, the Articles of Confederation were drafted. But today the city of 44,000 residents suffers from a high rate of poverty, crime, and gun violence. Host Melissa Harris-Perry recently spent time in York with Mayor Michael Helfrich and learned about the city’s efforts to interrupt violence through community based initiatives...

With a population of around 220 million, and growing fast, Nigeria is the largest democracy in Africa. After decades of colonial and military rule, Nigeria’s democracy is still young and vulnerable. Last month, Nigeria held its Presidential elections and 70-year-old Bola Tinubu, a political veteran, was declared the winner with 37-percent of the vote. However, opposition parties, as well as international election observers, have criticized the election, citing logistical problems, violence,...

Last year, state lawmakers in Oklahoma passed SB 1369, the Oklahoma Healthcare Transparency Initiative Act. The legislation requires all healthcare providers to enter patient records into an online database. Set to go into effect on July 1st, the measure specifically requires providers to quote “submit health and dental claims data, unique identifiers, and geographic and demographic information for covered individuals to the Oklahoma Healthcare Transparency Initiative”. In advance of...

Original Air Date: October 13, 2021 Professor Christina Beltrán introduced us to the concept of political cruelty in Cruelty as Citizenship: How Migrant Suffering Sustains White Democracy, which reveals how white supremacy manifest as white democracy—a participatory practice of "racial violence, domination, and exclusion" that lends white citizens the right to both wield and exceed the law. Progressive scholar, organizer, media personality, and co-president of Community Change Dorian...

It’s been two years since eight people were killed when a man opened fire in three different Atlanta-area massage businesses. Six of the eight victims were Asian women. The discourse surrounding the mass shooting, from government officials to mainstream media outlets, claimed the motive of the shooting was unknown. But many people in the AAPI community scoffed. Pointing out that this hate crime didn’t happen in a vacuum– but within the context of a long and racist history. So, in the last...

Original Air Date: May 5, 2022 On February 13th, Christina Yuna Lee was stabbed to death in her own apartment in the Chinatown neighborhood of New York City. A college graduate and creative, digital producer Christina was just 35-years-old when a man she did not know followed her to her home, pushed his way into her apartment, and took her life with stunning brutality. This unthinkable violence against Christina came just weeks after the shocking killing of Michelle Go. Just 40 years old,...

Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse last week was the largest American bank failure since 2008, and sparked worldwide fear of broader economic impacts and drew comparisons to the 2008 financial crisis. We talk to Aaron Klein, Senior economic studies fellow at The Brookings Institution, about what caused this mess with SVB, what federal regulators are doing now, and what this means for other banks, and the economy as a whole.

This week marks the 111th anniversary of the founding of the Girl Scouts of America. Founded with the goal of building girls’ confidence, The Girl Scouts has introduced millions of girls to new friends and experiences they may not have otherwise had access to. While they might be best known for their cookies, the organization’s true legacy lies with its nearly 2.5 million girl and adult current members worldwide, many of whom are in leadership positions in businesses, politics, and their...

Original Air Date: March 13, 2022 In the early morning of August 10, 1984, Deborah Sykes, a 25-year-old copy editor at a local newspaper in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was sexually assaulted and stabbed to death. Without any evidence, Darryl Hunt, a 19-year-old Black man, was implicated and convicted for Sykes murder. Although DNA evidence was found to exonerate him in 1994, he spent another 10 years in prison. The case is the subject of the 2007 HBO documentary "The Trials of Darryl...