Mother Russia, Race and Football, Becoming a Titan

Coming up on today’s show:

• The C.I.A. has concluded that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency, according to officials briefed on the matter. On Sunday, a bi-partisan group of senators asked for an investigation into the situation. For details on what’s next, we turn to Fred Burton, a former counterterrorism agent with the U.S. State Department and the vice president of intelligence with the geopolitical strategy firm Stratfor.

• While top officials in Washington and American voters consider Russia’s interference in the election, President-elect Donald Trump is considering Rex Tillerson, the chairman and chief executive of Exxon Mobil, for secretary of state. Tillerson has close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who he has known for over two decades. David Sanger, national security correspondent correspondent for our partner The New York Times, discusses the issues at hand.

• America’s relationship with Turkey is growing increasingly testy, and last week, President Obama waived prohibitions of arms sales to a Turkish enemy, the Syrian Kurds. Mahir Zeynalov, columnist with Al Arabiya and contributor to The Huffington Post, joins The Takeaway to assess the country’s international relationships. 

• President-elect Donald Trump has plans to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, but what does that mean for the future of Medicare, which Republicans want to privatize? Mary Agnes Carey, senior correspondent for Kaiser Health News, weighs in. 

• This week, the Retro Report documentary team takes a look at the history of patents and how the pharmaceutical research industry has been able to drive up the cost of medicine today. Clyde Haberman, a contributing writer to our partners at The New York Times, has the details. 

• Over the course of this NFL season, the conversation has increasingly turned to the role of race on the field. Carolina Panther MVP Quarterback Cam Newton has said he is not being protected by NFL officials because he is black. Is this part of a bigger pattern? Bill Rhoden, a writer for ESPN’s “The Undefeated” and author of “Third and a Mile: The Trials and Triumphs of the Black Quarterback,” answers.

• Tim Ferriss, best-selling author of “The 4-Hour Work Week” and host of the Tim Ferriss Show podcast, has created an entire lifestyle and self-help brand. With a new book out, “Tools of Titans,” he reveals how billionaire investors and world class athletes have come on top.