Refugee Danger, Mall Madness, Holiday Films

Coming up on today’s show:

• To date, 2016 has been the deadliest year to date for migrants crossing the Mediterranean. Ahead of International Migrants Day, The Takeaway speaks to Greek Filmmaker Daphne Matziaraki, who discusses her short film that follows one Coast Guard ship in the Mediterranean.

• Senator Bob Graham, the former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, discusses the U.S. relationship with Russia amidst investigations into hacking, and why civic engagement is so important in this moment.

• Melissa Locker, culture reporter for TIME, The Guardian, and The Takeaway, brings us the season’s best holiday movies to catch. Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, reviews the new films hitting the box office this weekend, including the new “Star Wars” movie, “Collateral Beauty,” and “Fences.”

• There is only one large suburban mall currently under construction in the U.S. and it’s located in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In a new five-part series called “Mall Madness,” WNYC Reporter Ilya Marritz examines the origins of the project, and whether it’s finally going to get built.

• Russian interference in the presidential election has divided Republicans. Chris Deaton, online editor at the Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine, explains.