Fighting for LGBTQ Equality, The Vet-to-Cop Pipeline, Fresh Iranian Food

Coming up on today’s show:

• North Carolina lawmakers have voted to repeal the state’s controversial HB2 “bathroom bill.” The state’s Democratic governor is likely to sign the repeal, but LGBTQ advocates say the bill still allows for discrimination, and does not represent a victory. Deb Butler, an LGBT legislator and a Democrat representing District 18 in the North Carolina House of Representatives, explains why she is against the bill. 

• Under the Trump Administration, two significant federal surveys have removed questions about sexuality, which is raising concern among LGBT advocates who believe important information is being denied to the federal government. Michael Adams, CEO of the group Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE), weighs in. 

• One in five police officers is a veteran, but law enforcement agencies do very little mental health screening for cops who return from military deployment. For details on this issue, The Takeaway turns to Simone Weichselbaum, a staff writer with The Marshall Project, and William Thomas, a longtime police seargant in Newark, New Jersey, and a veteran suffering from PTSD.

• Melissa Locker,culture reporter for TIME, The Guardian, and The Takeaway, recently ventured down to Cuba for a quick getaway. She discovered Cuban protest music from the past and present, and shares some of her favorites tunes today on The Takeaway.

• Every Friday, Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, drops by to review the new releases hitting the box office. This week, Rafer reviews the sci-fi action flick “Ghost in the Shell,” the animated children’s film “The Boss Baby,” and the war dram “The Zookeeper’s Wife.”

• The weakening of the European Union, fueled by Brexit, will likely be a boon for Russia as it tries to influence European elections and the European bloc. James Nixey, head of the Russia and Eurasia program at Chatham House, explains. 

• The Iranian New Year, Nowruz, ends on Sunday. The 13th day is known as Sizdah Be-dar. Louisa Shafia, an Iranian-American chef and author of “The New Persian Kitchen,” shares some her favorite recipes, and discusses the significance of this year’s holiday.