The missing piece of the Democratic convention is now revealed with Joe Biden as Obama’s running mate. Biden’s choice helps Obama roll out the narrative of his life to a population that has yet to fully get to know him. The Takeaway goes live to Denver where Political Director Andrea Bernstein looks at the implications of the VP choice and how it will play out in the convention.

Guest: Ollie Williams, BBC Sports Correspondent

There is talk outgoing Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf could leave his country for good. We take a look at where he might go, why a country might want to take him in, and where famous fallen leaders have gone into exile.

Times Picayune reporter Lolis Eric Elie says that Hurricane Katrina has lessons for the nation. From a frail infrastructure, to a flawed emergency response system, to a society divided along race and class lines, Katrina pulled back the curtain on issues that have long plagued the country. As we mark the third year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we check in with Lolis Eric Elie on the state of New Orleans and what the nation can learn from this disaster.

At most political conventions, the delegates usually line up behind the one candidate. But half the delegates Takeaway Political Director Andrea Bernstein spoke to say still they’re for Hillary Clinton. The votes will end up going to Obama, but Bernstein looks at how their level of support for Clinton will affect Obama’s campaign beyond the convention.

A growing number of women are opting to have double mastectomies in order to combat a breast cancer. We’ll talk about why.

Now that Obama has finally picked his running mate, the Democrats start day one of their convention in Denver with big news. But the man at the top of the ticket still has a big job of selling himself to Americans who may know his name, but not what he stands for.

China spent some 43 billion dollars on the Olympics. But what did they get for that investment? We’ll explore whether world opinion about China has changed, and if the increased attention to issues like Tibet and pollution had an impact.

When Hurricane Katrina pounded New Orleans, the restaurant scene took a beating. Three years later, even though much of New Orleans is still hurting, many of the city’s famous restaurants are in full swing and new ones are thriving. But the restaurant Stanley is in a class all its own. Two weeks after hurricane Katrina, Chef Scott Boswell started flipping burgers at his impromptu restaurant, Stanley. Boswell closed the joint down for renovations almost two years ago. In a matter of days Stanley will make its second debut as a world-class diner. Chef Scott Boswell joins The Takeaway to talk about how Stanley’s trajectory is actually a metaphor for post Katrina New Orleans.

Rising gas prices are forcing school districts to cut back on school bussing of students. For many it means longer rides and longer walks. Still, in the world of heavy traffic, working parents and longer bus routes, the new reality fosters real thought and growing concern about safety.

Not all Democrats have been wooed by Obama—or, for that matter, Biden. On occasion of Barack Obama’s selection of running mate Joe Biden, we check in with two Hillary Clinton supporters for their thoughts. Maggie Wellington and John Vivo say the buzz around Biden is just a big “ho-hum.” And they say this is a widespread feeling in their northeast slice of the swing state of Ohio.

A focal point at tonight’s Democratic National Convention will be the delegation from the Illinois Democratic Party, a delegation that is infamous for its inability to cooperate. What is the story behind the fractious party in which Barack Obama cut his political teeth, and how has it taught him to be a presidential nominee?

Michael Hearst is a professional musician and composer whose latest side project is creating short ditties pulled straight from the 24-hour news cycle. Hearst calls himself the “anchor” of this endeavor—and the audio-blog’s title is “Songs for Newsworthy News.” We talk with him about the project, recent songs, and challenge him to improvise a new one based on The Takeaway’s morning broadcast.

Guest: Humphrey Hawksley, BBC Correspondent in Moscow