After ‘Hamilton,’ Leslie Odom Jr. Tackles Film and Music

Coming up on today’s show:

• Mass evacuations are happening across Southern California, where a series of wind-driven wildfires have destroyed structures and forced people from their homes. John Sepulvado, host of The California Report, joins The Takeaway with the latest. 

• Day laborers are often relied upon for construction work following natural disasters. But the undocumented status of many of those workers makes them vulnerable to exploitation. Nik Theodore, professor of Urban Planning at the University of Illinois at Chicago, explains. 

• As part of the series on the future of the GOP, a look at the anti-establishment sentiment within the party, and where it’s headed, with Joe Walsh, a former congressman from Illinois between 2011 and 2013, a supporter of President Trump, and the current radio host of The Joe Walsh Program. 

• Why is it taking so long for the case against alleged 9/11 “mastermind” Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants to come to trial? Arun Rath, a correspondent with our partner WGBH, has covered many of the pretrial hearings for this case at Guantanamo Bay and is reporting on the current one. He tells The Takeaway that the big issue of the week is whether the war court has the authority to try the five defendants.

• For years, there have not been enough available livers across the United States for those who need transplants, but the problem is far worse in some areas. Earlier this week, the organization that oversees the allocation of livers for transplants put forward new guidelines to address geographic disparities. Lenny Bernstein, whocovers health and medicine for The Washington Post, has the details. 

• Farai Chideya says former Takeaway Host John Hockenberry’s bullying behavior was well known in the industry before she joined this program, and that she knew what she was walking into when she accepted a role on our show as guest host. After she came to the program in 2009, she says it wasn’t long before he called her a “diversity hire” and told her she needed to lose weight. She says her experience was devastating, both emotionally and financially, but there are lessons to be learned.

• Most actors wait an entire lifetime for a role that allows them to showcase their full range as a performer. For Leslie Odom Jr., that chance came at the relatively young age of 34 when he first starred as Aaron Burr in the groundbreaking musical “Hamilton.” Right now, Odom Jr. is tackling film and music, appearing in the movie “Murder on the Orient Express,” and releasing the deluxe edition of his album “Simply Christmas.”

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich