Political Fortunes in France, Turning Weapons Into Art, Cracking Down on Dissent

Coming up on today’s show:

• Following months of buildup, French voters went to the polls on Sunday during the nation’s first round of presidential voting. The field of 11 candidates has now been narrowed down to two: Far-right firebrand Marine LePen, and political novice and centrist Emmanuel Macron, who will face off in a runoff race on May 7th. Jean-Marie Pottier, editor-in-chief of Slate France, analyzes the results and explains what you should expect going forward. 

• Bernard-Henri Levy is a French public intellectual, and the author of “The Genius of Judaism.” He joins The Takeaway to discuss the turbulence surrounding the French elections, and the role of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in France.

• The global arms trade is at it’s highest volume since the end of the Cold War. Historian, researcher, and writer Paul Holden argues that the present system undermines democracy and makes us less safe. He’s the editor of “Indefensible: Seven Myths that Sustain the Global Arms Trade.”

• Artist Lin Evola has a mission to melt down all of the weapons in the world — tools used to destroy — and create something new out of them: Art. She’s the founder of the Peace Angels Project, which has transformed handguns, machine guns, and even tons of decommissioned nuclear weapons into sculptures of peace.

• Congress is back from recess, and is facing a government shut down at the end of the week. This week, President Trump may unveil his tax reform plan, and a new healthcare bill from Republicans may be introduced. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich explains what you need to know. 

• On Thursday, an Egyptian-American who was woman detained in the country for nearly three years was released and flown back to the United States, following a request by President Trump during Egyptian President el-Sisi’s visit to the White House earlier this month. The Takeaway explores the current dynamic between the U.S. and Egypt with Michael Wahid Hanna, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation.

• Around the world, advocates for human rights say we are facing a crisis: A crackdown on dissent. Are our rights to peaceful assembly and protest in danger? Yara Sallam, director of the criminal justice program at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, weighs in. 

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