Trump’s Mid East Strategy, A Quest for Identity, Beyond Standing Rock

Coming up on today’s show:

• From ISIS to Syria and Egypt, where does U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East go under the Trump Administration? Is a hands off approach the only way to avoid further destabilizing the region? Former U.S. Ambassador Alberto Fernandez, who served as a U.S. foreign service officer from 1983 to 2015, and Leslie Vinjamuri, an associate professor in international relations at University of London, weigh in.

• How will the Supreme Court behave with the addition of Judge Neil Gorsuch? Dahlia Lithwick, who writes about the Supreme Court and the law for Slate and hosts the “Amicus” podcast, examines the cases coming before the court that could be affected by his confirmation. 

• Under the leadership of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the Tent City jail was opened in 1993 when Maricopa County jails faced overcrowding. The outdoor camp where prisoners live is sweltering in the summers, but newly-elected Sheriff Paul Penzone says that it is no longer necessary now that most of the county jails are less than three-quarters full. Jimmy Jenkins, a reporter for KJZZ in Phoenix, Arizona, explains. 

• For nearly two decades, Lisa S. Davis thought she was a victim of identity theft. Traffic violations and criminal misdemeanors kept appearing under her name as she tried to rent cars, renew her driver’s license, and apply for jobs. She searched for the culprit and found another Lisa S. Davis, in the same state, with the exact same birth date. Lisa Savoy Davis, a personal trainer in Brooklyn, and Lisa Selin Davis, a writer in Brooklyn, share their story today on The Takeaway. 

• Months after thousands demonstrated on the prairies of North Dakota, the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline is now complete, and oil will start flowing through it any day. Inside Energy, a collaborative public media journalism initiative, has produced an hour-long documentary called “Beyond Standing Rock” to showcase the tribal fights over energy development. Leigh Paterson, a reporter for Inside Energy and producer and narrator for new documentary, weighs in today on The Takeaway.