The Search for U.F.O.s

Coming up on today’s show:

• After allowing the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to expire in September, Congress pledged that they would fund the program that serves 9 million children before the end of the year. That now appears increasingly unlikely. For details, The Takeaway turns to Jeffrey Young, senior reporter for Huff Post, and Erin Miller, vice president of Health Initiatives for the Colorado Children’s Campaign, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and advocacy organization. 

• A recent article in The New York Times reveals the Pentagon’s mysterious U.F.O. program. Don Lincoln, a physics professor at the University of Notre Dame, and author of “Alien Universe: Extraterrestrials in our Minds and in the Cosmos,” discusses what the report found, and what we know about the government’s search for U.F.O.s. 

• The International Dark Sky Association has established its first reserve in the United States, and it’s in Idaho. The dark sky reserve — just one of 12 in the world— is made up of 1,400 square miles of remote area in central Idaho, and it’s so dark that people can see the Milky Way. John Barentine, the International Dark Sky Association Program Manager, joins The Takeaway to talk about conserving the night sky and why this particular designation in Idaho is significant.

• Every Friday, Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, drops by to review the new releases hitting the box office. Today, a look at the satire “Downsizing,” starring Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, and Jason Sudeikis; the biographical drama “The Post,” starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks; and the musical comedy “Pitch Perfect 3,” starring Rebel Wilson and Anna Kendrick.

• Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has announced a change in Obama-era guidelines on loan forgiveness for defrauded borrowers. Some say it’s far from fair. Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, an education reporter for The Washington Post, joins us to explain the change.

• Yesterday, we brought you an update on Aaron Glasscock, who we’ve been following as part of our series, “Commuted: Life After Prison.” Aaron’s sentence was commuted by President Obama after 18 years behind bars. Despite having the unfailing support of family and friends, the adjustment has not been seamless. We bring you part II of Aaron’s story today. 

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich