The AR-15: The Story of An American Love Affair

Coming up on today’s show:

• A modified version of an AR-15 rifle was used in the Texas church shooting this weekend. The weapon has been in countless other mass shootings across the country. A.J. Somerset is a writer and author of “Arms: The Culture and Credo of the Gun.” He joins The Takeaway to explain the history of this rifle, and why it has become so popular with everyday Americans.

• Debbie Bolf lost her best friend in the Texas shooting on Sunday. That woman, Karla Holcombe, was killed along with seven of her family members. Holcombe and Bolf had been friends for 30 years. Just days after the massacre, Blof says that blame isn’t the answer. Rather, it’s about picking up the pieces and moving forward.

• On Friday, U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was attacked by a neighbor and suffered five broken ribs. Details surrounding the dispute that led to the attack remain unclear. What exactly took place on Friday between the two men? Adam Beam, Kentucky statehouse reporter for the Associated Press, joins The Takeaway with the latest.

• Jury deliberations began yesterday in the corruption trial of U.S. Senator Robert Menendez.  The senator and a friend are facing charges ranging from bribery, conspiracy, and fraud after Menendez allegedly accepted gifts in exchange for political favors. A 2016 U.S. Supreme Court ruling may work in favor of the senator. Matthew Friedman, a reporter for Politico New Jersey and author of the New Jersey Playbook, explains.

• The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists has dropped another batch of bombshell reports based on a leak of 13.4 million files. The so-called “Paradise Papers” reveal the offshore activities of over 120 politicians, including 13 advisers, major donors, and cabinet members of President Trump’s administration. For details, The Takeaway turns to Gerard Ryle, who led the international team that broke this story.

• The U.N. Climate Change Conference is taking place this week in Bonn, Germany. For the first time, the Assembly of First Nations is joining as an official delegate. Indigenous groups from around the world will discuss how their traditional knowledge and land rights can support global climate change solutions. It’s a topic Victoria Tauli-Corpuz and Gleb Raygorodetsky have spent years thinking about. Tauli-Corpuz is an indigenous leader from The Philippines, and Raygorodetsky is a research affiliate with the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance at the University of Victoria.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.