Mid East Conflict, Fighting for Fair Wages, Family Across Racial Lines

Coming up on today’s show:

• The Iraqi government declared victory in Mosul after almost nine months of fighting Islamic State militants. But efforts to rebuild the city’s infrastructure and population are expected to bring a heavy cost. Tim Arango, Baghdad bureau chief for our partners at The New York Times, brings us the latest on the fight for control of Mosul. 

• Breaking with longstanding policy, the U.S. will delay announcing combat deaths from America’s war in Afghanistan until 24 hours after informing the next-of-kin.  This new development raises more questions about the Trump administration’s commitment to transparency. Shawn Snow, a reporter for the Military Times and Marine veteran, explains. 

• Following his meeting with Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump is trying to reset the narrative on Russia yet again. Will Pomeranz, deputy director of the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, joins The Takeaway to discuss the president’s meeting with Putin, and what it signals for U.S.-Russia relations going forward.

• The youngest country in the world turned six years old yesterday, but celebrations in South Sudan were cancelled for the second year in a row because of civil war and famine. Alan Boswell, a conflict researcher and writer based in Nairobi, has the details. 

• In 2015, the city of St. Louis raised its minimum wage from $7.70 to $10.00 an hour. But for two years, the Missouri state legislature has worked to block the decision, and now the legislature has passed a new law to revert the minimum wage back to $7.70. Bettie Douglas, a 59-year-old minimum wage McDonald’s worker in St. Louis, discusses the fight to raise the minimum wage, and what higher pay would mean for her life. 

• As the Trump administration continues its crackdown on undocumented immigrants, California farms are reeling from a shortage of workers. Joe Del Bosque is president of Del Bosque Farms in Firebaugh, California. He joins The Takeaway to comment on the labor shortage.

• For non-white children adopted by Caucasian families, race can play a role in shaping identity. As part of The Takeaway’s original series “Uncomfortable Truths: Confronting Racism in America,” Rebecca Carroll, editor of special projects at WNYC Radio, explains how racial lines shape her family. 

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.