Marching for Science, Terror and Politics in Paris, Mozart in Cuba

Coming up on today’s show:

• Ira Flatow, host of PRI’s Science Friday, is in Washington D.C. for the March for Science, a protest demonstration scheduled to take place this Saturday in support of evidence-based research and decision making in government. Flatow joins The Takeaway to talk discuss the expectations and criticisms of the march, and the issues the science community wants to draw attention to. 

• When it comes to fighting climate change, some Republicans are siding with environmentalists. The Green Tea Party is fighting for a more environmentally friendly GOP. Debbie Dooley, president of Conservatives for Energy Freedom-Green Tea Coalition, weighs in. 

• On Thursday night in Paris, a gunman killed a police officer and seriously wounded two others in what French President Francois Hollande has called a terrorist attack. The first round of French presidential elections will take place on Sunday. James McAuley, Paris correspondent for The Washington Post, explains how this incident could shape the nation’s voting process. 

• Late Thursday night, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a stay of execution for Arkansas death row inmate Ledell Lee, who was put to death by The Natural State shortly before midnight. This is the state’s first execution since 2005. Lee, 51, was sentenced to death in 1995 for the murder of his neighbor, Debra Reese. Sarah Whites-Koditschek, a reporter for Arkansas Public Media, has the details. 

• Melissa Locker, culture reporter for TIME, The Guardian, and The Takeaway, discusses the long-running series “Doctor Who.” She explains why it’s not too late to start watching the program, and some of the basics you need to know about the new season.

• Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, reviews the new films hitting the box office this weekend, including the action-comedy “Free Fire,” the historical dramas “The Promise” and “The Lost City of Z,” and the DisneyNature documentary “Born in China.”

• Artist and pianist Simone Dinnerstein has been working with the Havana Lyceum Orchestra to perform two Mozart concertos. They are releasing an album today called “Mozart in Cuba.” The Takeaway hears from Dinnerstein before youth orchestra travels to the United States in June.