Humanity in Crisis, Nuclear Energy, Trump and Tech

Coming up on today’s show:

• Rick Perry, the former Texas governor and a failed presidential candidate, is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for energy secretary. During the campaign, the Trump team looked at ways to keep nuclear power alive. What would that look like, and what are the risks? Gregory Jaczko, former chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, answers.

• The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was adopted by the United Nations Security Council 20 years ago this past September. Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization, explains how the organization detects nuclear tests.

• Allegations that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election has dominated the news this week. U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joins The Takeaway to discuss his concerns over Rex Tillerson, President-elect Trump’s pick for secretary of state, and the U.S. approach to dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

• Civilians in the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo are reportedly not being allowed to leave after a Russian-brokered peace deal fell apart last night as fighting resumed. Kareem Shaheen, a Middle East reporter for The Guardian based in Beirut, explains.

• A pipeline 150 miles from the site of the Standing Rock protests in Belfield, North Dakota has ruptured, spilling 176,000 gallons of oil into the Little Missouri River tributary. Leigh Paterson, a reporter for Inside Energy, has the details. 

• Amidst a shortage of food and electricity, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro closed the border with Columbia this week to prevent the movement of currency. Hannah Dreier, Venezuela correspondent for The Associated Press, explains. 

• President-elect Trump will meet in New York with Silicon Valley executives today to discuss the future relationship between the federal government and tech start ups. What can these innovators expect from the next four years? Heather Redman, a tech startup investor, answers.