A Litmus Test for The Midterm Election

Here’s what you’ll find on today’s show:

—  A daring story of escape from the Syrian city of Eastern Ghouta. More than 1,000 people have died in the rebel-held city this year, including 220 children.

— Former Russian spy Sergei V. Skripal and his daughter Yulia were victims of a poison attack in the United Kingdom that has investigators looking to Moscow for answers. How will the U.K. respond?

— For decades during the Cold War, the U.S. Army carried out chemical and biological testing experiments on more than 7,000 of its own soldiers at the Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland. The service members — all volunteers — were sworn to secrecy and told they would experience no long-term health effects. 

— Public school teachers in Oklahoma are the lowest paid in the country and they are now planning a walkout on April 2nd to demand higher wages. The demands include a $10,000 pay raise for teachers over three years, and $2 million in increased funding for schools.

— Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District has become a litmus test for midterm races across the country as they hold their special election Tuesday, ahead of midterms in November. President Trump won the district by 20 percent, but he has seen his favorability drop since election day, and a loss by Republican candidate Rick Saccone will signal a warning for the GOP that they may be losing their hold locally and potentially nationally.

—  Rebecca Carroll discusses “An American Marriage” by Tayari Jones with our listener book club. This is the final installment of our series “Reading the Reckoning.”