Fear and Tragedy in New York City

Coming up on today’s show:

• On Tuesday afternoon in New York City, a man in a rented pickup truck drove down a crowded bike path for almost a mile, striking several cyclists and killing eight people. At least 11 others were injured. For the latest on the incident, The Takeaway turns to WNYC Radio Reporter Jim O’Grady, and Karen Greenberg, director of the Center on National Security at Fordham Law School.

• Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act begins today and runs through December 15th. Many of you sent us your questions about choosing the right health plan, and we asked Donna Rosato, senior editor for Consumer Reports to help us answer them. 

• The Podesta Group, a prominent D.C. lobbying firm, has found itself mired in controversy after the first indictments were unsealed in Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Daily Beast politics reporter Betsy Woodruff joins The Takeaway to explain what the unsealed indictments reveal about the Podesta Group. 

• We look at the growth of Saudi soft power, and how it can influence narratives in the U.S., and even end up right on the Takeaway. We hear from Saudi rapper Qusai Kheder, and Paul Cochrane, a former contributing editor for Arab Media & Society. 

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.