Competing Against Sexism at The Olympics

Coming up on today’s show:

• One fast, one slow: What do China and the United States look like side-by-side when it comes to infrastructure? And what can the U.S. learn about getting our own infrastructure on track? As President Trump unveils his $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan, The Takeaway puts that question to Jon Hillman, director of the Reconnecting Asia Project with the Center for Strategic & International Studies, and Otis Rolley, the Regional Director for North America at 100 Resilient Cities with the The Rockefeller Foundation. 

• On Monday, a jury found two former Baltimore police detectives guilty on charges of racketeering, robbery and fraud, in a trial that has captivated the city with details of the extent of the corruption. Dr. Lawrence Brown, assistant professor in the School of Community Health and Policy at Morgan State University, joins The Takeaway for reaction to the verdict.

• Post-conviction DNA testing laws vary around the country, and New York has one of the least stringent statutes. Prosecutors in the Empire State have been reluctant to reauthorize the testing for Renay Lynch, who was convicted of murder in 1998 but says she was innocent and believes DNA can prove it. Andrew Cohen, senior editor at The Marshall Project, looks at her case along with Susan Friedman, staff attorney at the Innocence Project.

• Almost half of the athletes in the 2018 Winter Olympics are women, and they often face sexism from news broadcasters. Jessica Luther, a freelance journalist covering sports and culture and co-host of the podcast Burn It All Down, says the biggest problem is that female competitors are “so rarely first seen as athletes. They are always positioned in some way as a woman, and then second they get to be athletes.” 

• The official portraits of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were unveiled yesterday at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. The Obamas, who were known for displaying artwork from black artists in the White House, chose two African-American artists for the commission, a first for presidential portraits. Isolde Brielmaier, a scholar, curator and assistant professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, reflects on these artistic interpretations of the former first family. 

This episode is hosted by Tanzina Vega