Centrist Spotlight, Kid Science, Letting Women Lead

Coming up on today’s show:

• On Wednesday, President Obama nominated Judge Merrick Garland to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Minnesota Senator Al Franken, a member of the judiciary committee, explains what’s next for Senate lawmakers.

• How is the campaign reacting to the Supreme Court nominee, and what will this fight look like in November with a president-elect? Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich answers.

• The small nation of Macedonia has found itself at the center of the refugee crisis. Nikola Poposki, foreign minister for the Republic of Macedonia, has the details.

• In Utah, Republican legislators have earmarked $4.5 million in taxpayer funds for a potential lawsuit that could wrangle control of more than 31 million acres of land managed by the federal government. Kay Christopherson, a Republican member of the Utah House of Representatives, discusses the issues at hand.

• The Takeaway’s “Community College Challenge” series continues today as we visit Stella and Charles Guttman Community College, a school that uses a modern city as an innovative teaching tool.

• The United States has very few women lawmakers, and even lags behind countries like Pakistan and Liberia. Nancy L. Cohen, the author of “Breakthrough: The Making of America’s First Woman President,” explores why the U.S. fails miserably when it comes to putting women in office.

• Science from Scientists, a nonprofit in Boston, sends real scientists into the classrooms to get kids excited about science. Erika Ebbel Angle, founder of Science from Scientists and Kara Miller, host of WGBH/PRI’s Innovation Hub, discuss the program.