The Long Evolution of the NRA

Coming up on today’s show:

• The National Rifle Association (NRA) was founded in the aftermath of the Civil War in 1871. It’s mission has varied over generations, from firearm training and safety, to pushing for moderate gun control and gun rights. But in the late 20th century, something about the organization changed, and it became increasingly radical. Adam Winkler, a professor at UCLA Law School and author of “Gunfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America,” looks at the history and evolution of the NRA.

• Georgia Lt. Governor Casey Cagel is threatening to nix any legislation that includes a tax break for Delta after the company ended its NRA discount program. The company will receive a $40 million exemption on jet fuel under a proposal making its way through the Georgia Assembly. Georgia State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Michael Williams has been against the tax break from the beginning, and he joins The Takeaway to explain what’s at stake. 

• Some 20,000 teachers hit the picket lines last week in West Virginia. Josh Nelson was one of them. He teaches English and Spanish at Huntington High School in Huntington, West Virginia and he walked out of the classroom to fight for more pay and better benefits. Jake Jarvis, staff writer at The State Journal, also brings us the latest on the strike.

• Around 700,000 Rohingya people have escaped from Myanmar to neighboring Bangladesh in the past six months, fleeing brutal violence by Myanmar’s military, something that the U.N. has described as ethnic cleansing. Now, recent satellite images appear to show that Myanmar authorities have completely destroyed at least 55 abandoned Rohingya villages. Farah Kabir, country director in Bangladesh for the charity ActionAid, discusses the latest plight of the Muslim minority ethnic group.

• Every week, The Takeaway checks in with The Science of Happiness, a new podcast from PRI and the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. This week, we’re looking at their “Three Funny Things” exercise. The idea is simple: At the end of the day, write down three funny things that happened to you or that you saw, and then reflect on them. Dacher Keltner, host of the podcast, explains. 

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich