syria

“To Me, This Is The Right Thing To Do”: California Governor Halts State’s Executions

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a moratorium on executions in the state, which holds one quarter of the nation’s death row inmates. 

Ohio Seeks Lethal Injection Alternatives After Ruling From Federal Judge

For years now, lethal injection has been a major point of contention in Ohio. And this month, executions in the state ground to a temporary halt.

Young People Around the World Stage Mass Climate Change Protest

Friday’s Youth Climate Strike will see students from nearly 100 countries walk out of school to demand bold environmental action.

Eight Years Into Syrian Civil War, A Writer Reflects 

Marwan Hisham called for the end of the Assad regime. He could never have imagined what has transpired since.

Guests:

Marisa Lagos

Carol Steiker 

Andrew Welsh-Huggins

Haven Coleman

Eric Holthaus

Marwan Hisham

According to President Trump’s former personal attorney, the president knew in advance of a meeting where Russians were expected to offer dirt on Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump, Jr. We assess just how much we should take from all of this; a look at what really matters ahead of midterms; a discussion on the inroads made this week between President Trump and the European Commission President to eliminate tariffs that hamper trade across the Atlantic; and for the second half of the show, we focus on Congressional races in rural areas beginning with New Mexico’s 2nd District. 

You can connect with The Takeaway on Twitter, Facebook, or on our show page at TheTakeaway.org.

Longtime government official Robert Wilkie will head the Department of Veterans Affairs after the Senate confirmed his nomination on Monday. We take a look at the future of the Veterans Affairs in light of the confirmation; a look inside wartime prisons detaining suspected ISIS fighters; a discussion on the Tronc layoffs at The Daily News and what the move means both for news consumers but what it also reveals more broadly about consolidation within the industry; a look at a reverse situation where consolidation was blocked, in the attempted merger of Sinclair and Tribune Media; and we end the hour with a look at what some of the research says on women and anger.

You can connect with The Takeaway on Twitter, Facebook, or on our show page at TheTakeaway.org.

April 16, 2018: Over the weekend, a U.S.-led coalition, involving the assistance of Britain and France, executed airstrikes against three Syrian targets believed to be related to the country’s chemical weapons program. The strikes were intended as a warning against further use of chemical agents by the Assad regime. But in Damascus the morning after the strikes, Syrian propaganda was in full force with pro-Assad demonstrators in the streets celebrating the limited assault. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told reporters he was in a good mood as he met with Russian officials. The Takeaway looks at the United States’s ongoing commitment to Syrian intervention. Plus, we re-examine Oklahoma’s 1990 teachers strikes; a look at mail-order genetic testing services; and a new novel imagines the killing of a young black boy at the hands of a police officer.

April 12, 2018: A decision on how best to respond to a chemical attack in the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Douma over the weekend is being considered this week, after President Trump told reporters he would announce his plans within a few days of the attack near Syria’s capital. The President canceled plans to attend the Summit of the Americas in Peru and Colombia in order to oversee his response, and White House press secretary told reporters “all options are on the table.” The Takeaway considers President Trump’s various options as we head closer to the brink of missile strikes in Syria. Plus, we look at A.G. Sessions’s visit to the border with Mexico amid a wider crackdown on illegal immigration; a novel drug to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease whose adverse affects, sometimes fatal, have been overlooked; and a growing body of work showing that women are often delegated menial tasks at the office instead of their male peers.

April 9, 2018: An apparent gas attack on civilians in Syria near the capital of Damascus has left at least 40 dead and hundreds more wounded. President Donald Trump and the European Union suspect Syrian government forces under Bashar al-Assad of perpetrating the attack, and early Monday morning Israel is believed to have launched a retaliatory strike against a Syrian air base that killed upwards of a dozen people. The Takeaway examines the attack and considers what international consensus is building, if any, around a unified response. Plus, we look at the nationwide town halls led by student organizers that fostered a dialogue about gun violence with congressional representatives; a new lawsuit on behalf of American Samoans alleging their lack of birthright citizenship is a violation of the Constitution; and the larger mechanisms at play behind the viral Deadspin video showing Sinclair newscasters reciting from the same script.

Kurt Andersen speaks with a poet who is translating new poems coming out of wartime Syria. Alfonso Cuarn explains why the astounding special effects in his new film Gravity take second place to Sandra Bullock’s performance as an untethered astronaut. In American Icons, we look at Cindy Sherman’s remarkable faux film stills that predicted the […]

March 15, 2018: On Wednesday, British officials announced plans to expel 23 Russian diplomats following the attempted murder of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. Prime Minister Theresa May told parliament that the diplomats would have one week to leave and said it was the biggest such expulsion in more than 30 years. She further vowed to crack down on Russian intelligence agents in Great Britain. The Takeaway looks at why these measures are being criticized as an inadequate deterrent against Russian intervention. Plus, we examine how California bungled their response to the North Bay wildfires; how the early promise of the Syrian revolution quickly faded; the reliability of government witnesses sworn in on foreign soil; and the community of drag kings who are staking out a space for themselves in a ‘queen’-dominated culture.

March 01, 2018: On Tuesday, the Supreme Court issued a decision that may allow the government to place some immigrants under indefinite detention. The Takeaway brings you the latest, plus a look at a new project on life and death in Oakland, California from the show “Snap Judgement,” what’s next for the widow of the Pulse mass shooter; a look at the ties between North Korea and Syrian chemical weapons; and how the #MeToo movement has given women new opportunities. 

Jan. 23, 2018: An adult film actress now claims she slept with President Trump back in 2011. But a large part of his base — white Evangelicals — are more likely to accept immorality today. The Takeaway explores that shift, plus a look at the Turkish campaign against Syrian Kurds; America’s changing refugee policy; how President Trump is shaping the U.S. court system; and how anti-abortion rights activists are working to end Roe V. Wade.