Wynn, Lose and Draw For the RNC

Coming up on today’s show:

• On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that billionaire hotel and casino mogul Steve Wynn is now the subject of sexual misconduct allegations that stretch back decades. On Saturday, Wynn stepped down from his post as the finance chair of the Republican National Committee, and now the RNC and GOP politicians are now under pressure to return Wynn’s donations. Rebecca Ballhaus, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, explains what you need to know. 
• In 1996, Dominique Moceanu became the youngest American gymnast to win the Olympic gold medal at age 14. About a decade later, she spoke out about a dangerous culture in the world of gymnastics, and publicly accused two coaches of abuse. Jasmine Garsd, a reporter for Takeaway co-producer Public Radio International, spoke with Moceanu, who had been sounding the alarm about abuse in professional gymnastics long before Larry Nassar became a household name. 

• On Saturday in Afghanistan, a suicide bomber killed more than 100 people and injured roughly 235 others.  Joining The Takeaway to make some sense of the violence is Barnett Rubin, director of the Afghanistan Pakistan Regional Program at NYU’s Center on International Cooperation, and former adviser to both the U.S. State Department and the United Nations.

• China takes half of the world’s recyclables, but last year the nation declared it no longer wanted to be the “world’s garbage dump.” Kate O’Neill is associate professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at the University of California, Berkeley. She joins The Takeaway to discuss where our recyclables really go, and the impact of China’s new policies. 

• Approximately 4.7 million people are in the U.S. parole and probation systems. Today, Columbia University’s Justice Lab is releasing two reports focusing on a radical parole system overhaul and how reform can reduce the rate of revocation and mass incarceration. Vincent Schiraldi, senior research scientist at Columbia Justice Lab at Columbia University and former New York City probation commissioner under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has the details. 

• The Comedy Central series “Another Period” takes place during the turn of century, and the stars and creators of the show call a cross between “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” and “Downton Abbey.” With a new season having recently premiered, we talk with Riki Lindhome and Natasha Leggero, the creators, stars, and showrunners of “Another Period,” about how they tackle modern-day issues with the series.

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich