The U.S. Attacks Syria, Police Reform Under Trump, The Value of Libraries

The TakeawayApril 6, 2017

Coming up on today’s show:

The United States has responded to the Syrian government’s use of chemical weapons with targeted airstrikes. “It is in this vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons,” President Donald Trump said from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Thursday. Missy Ryan, a Washington Post correspondent covering the Pentagon, military issues, and national security, and Josh Gilbert, a senior science fellow at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, weigh in.

A judge in Baltimore, Maryland denied an attempt by the U.S. Justice Department to delay a public hearing in the city to address police reform and a proposed consent decree. Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, who has been in office since December 2016, joins The Takeaway to discuss what happened at the hearing yesterday, and how the city’s approach is an example for other cities undergoing police reform amidst the Trump Administration.

Founded in 1848, The Boston Public Library was a pioneer in library services in the United States. It has since worked to adapt to the digital age under the leadership of library President David Leonard. He explains how libraries can work for the public in the 21st century.

In our digital age, how relevant are public libraries? More important than ever, according to John Palfrey, the founding chairman of the Digital Public Library of America and author of “BiblioTech: Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google.”

With the increasing challenges of fake news, what role can librarians play when it comes to seeking out the truth? Mike Barker, the director of academy research, information and library services at Phillips Academy, and Gosia Stergios, associate director of academy research at Phillips Academy, think there should be a network of librarians working across the country as fact checkers, and that they could even assist platforms like Facebook, Google, Twitter, and others.

Sana Mustafa, a Syrian refugee who arrived in the United States in 2013, and Rana Shanawani a refugee from Syria who arrived in the U.S. in 2011, weigh in on the crisis in their homeland and the American airstrikes against the Assad regime.