01/23/17: Red State Skepticism, Why Women March, Lessons for President Trump

Coming up on today’s show:

• Though Oklahoma is a decidedly red state, there is some serious skepticism about President Donald Trump — perhaps the biggest conservative change agent in American politics in two generations. The Takeaway hears from five people in the Sooner State as we broadcast from KOSU in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 

• About 500,000 people attended this weekend’s Women’s March on Washington, and sister marches across the world drew up to 2 million people. Ellen Pogemiller, an Oklahoma City Women’s March participant who works for a local non-profit, weighs in on this changing moment in American politics.

• After 22 years in power, Gambian President Yahya Jammeh fled into exile over the weekend after finally admitting defeat by challenger Adama Barrow in the country’s most recent election. Jammeh defied the international community and his own military over the past two weeks, but he has finally vacated the office. Dionne Searcey, the West Africa bureau chief for our partner The New York Times, has the details. 

• Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes swept through Georgia and Mississippi over the weekend. So far, authorities have confirmed that at least 18 people have been killed and dozens more are injured. Bill Bunting, the chief of Forecast Operations for the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center, gives us an update on the crisis playing out in the southeast.

• Kit Roane and Sarah Weiser, producers with the Retro Report documentary team, look back at the legacy of marine biologist Rachel Carson, who warned of the dangers of pesticides in her book “Silent Spring.” 

• The nation’s 45th president may have promised to shake things up in Washington once he was sworn in, but how much can he really change? Martha Kumar, director of the White House Transition Project, answers.

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