Stories From Storm Harvey, Trump Tower in Moscow, The Problems With Pre-K

Coming up on today’s show:

• Across Texas and Louisiana, flood waters from Hurricane Harvey continue to rise. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says that as many as 30,000 people may ultimately need shelter after the storm. The Takeaway hears from a number of Houston residents —including Bennette Teer, Clifford Krauss, Pastor Candy O’Meara, Miriam Camero, and Gerald Eckert — about how they’re coping and helping the community. 

• On Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Trump Administration’s plans to lift a partial ban on military equipment used by local police departments. Dr. Cedric Alexander, deputy mayor of Rochester, New York, and a former member of President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, analyzes the rule change, and what it could mean for local communities.

• On Monday, Republican Governor Bruce Rauner of Illinois signed a bill known as The Trust Act into law. The bill prohibits law enforcement From detaining illegal immigrants solely on their immigration status. Odette Yousef, a reporter for Chicago public radio station WBEZ, has the details. 

• While Donald Trump was campaigning to become president, a business associate sought out commercial interests for him in Russia, according to reports from The Washington Post and The New York Times. Washington Post National Reporter Rosalind Helderman discusses the latest revelations about the proposed real estate deal in Moscow, which never materialized.

• Across the country, about 1.5 million or 40 percent of 4-year-olds are enrolled in some form of publicly-funded early education program. Those numbers have been increasing steadily in recent years, but the question of who gets access all depends on what state and city you live in. Abbie Lieberman, a policy analyst on the Early & Elementary Education Policy team at New America, explains. 

• Even before Hurricane Harvey hit, an investigation by The Texas Tribune and ProPublica found that Houston was a “sitting duck” for the next big hurricane. Why weren’t these warnings heeded? Phil Bedient, an engineering professor at Rice University and co-director of the Storm Surge Prediction, Education, and Evacuation from Disasters Center, answers.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.