Japan announced today that it is now in the midst of its worst economic downturn since World War II. Since the economies of Asia and the United States are tightly intertwined, it makes perfect sense that Hillary Clinton started her first trip as Secretary of State there. Jonathan Marcus, the diplomatic correspondent for the BBC, joins us now with details.

Hundreds of children and teenagers were sentenced to juvenile detention centers by Judge Mark Ciavarella since 2003. That was when he and another judge began participating in a multimillion dollar kickback scheme for sending teens to privately run youth detention centers. One of those children is 17-year old Hillary Transue. She and her mother Laurene join The Takeaway to talk about what it was like to get caught up in the scheme.

For some background on this story, listen to our segment with New York Times writer Ian Urbina. For additional details on this story, read Ian Urbina's and Sean Hamill's article, Judges Plead Guilty in Scheme to Jail Youths for Profit, in the New York Times.

The stimulus plan was Obama's first attempt at pulling together a bipartisan A team and it didn't go so well. It now seems that the Democrats and Republics are no closer to working together after the divisive stimulus plan passed. Glenn Thrush, a reporter for Politico.com, has a few ideas to help President Obama next time around. He joins us with seven lessons that the Democrats and the President can learn from the stimulus.

Read Glenn Thrush's article, The 7 stimulus lessons for the Dems at Politico.com.

In a new program the U.S. military will begin recruiting skilled immigrants who could become citizens in as little as six months in exchange for three to four years of service. It’s the first time since the Vietnam War that enlistment in the armed forces will be possible for temporary immigrants. Julia Preston, national immigration correspondent for The New York Times, joins The Takeaway to explain the program and the reaction it's getting.

For more, read Julia Preston's article, U.S. Military Will Offer Path to Citizenship in the New York Times.

Facebook's phenomenon, "25 Things About Me," is a lot like a chain letter but without the curse. Scott Lamb, editor of Buzzfeed.com joins The Takeaway to deconstruct the web's latest social networking trend.

This weekend hundreds of thousands of people in Lebanon took to the streets of Beirut for the fourth anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. It comes just two weeks before the UN tribunal into the killing is to begin. For more we are joined by Natalia Antelava, the BBC's Beirut correspondent.

As the United Auto Workers and General Motors Corp resumed bargaining yesterday on their restructuring plans to justify the government loans they so badly need to stay afloat, everyone was talking about sacrifice. And it seems the Obama Administration is sacrificing the idea of appointed a "car czar" and will appoint a presidential panel instead. Justin Hyde, reporter for The Detroit Free Press joins The Takeaway for the latest.

Read Justin Hyde's article, New Team will Steer a New Auto Industry, in the Detroit Free Press.

President Obama's senior adviser David Axelrod discusses the stimulus bill on Meet The Press.

Congress has finally passed the stimulus, but it’s hardly smooth sailing from here. Now federal bureaucracies must adapt to get the money out the door and fast. Neil King Jr., Washington reporter for the Wall Street Journal, joins The Takeaway with a look at the challenges the stimulus presents to the Energy Department and other federal agencies.

For more, read Neil King Jr.'s article, Next Challenge on Stimulus: Spending All That Money in the Wall Street Journal.

President Obama is expected to sign the $787 billion stimulus bill tomorrow and as the money from the plan trickles down to the states and cities it may not be pretty. The New York Times' Monica Davey helps The Takeaway anticipate the inevitable clash between state governments and the feds over how the stimulus should get spent.

Read Monica Davey's article, States and Cities in Scramble for Stimulus Cash in today's New York Times.

How is the stimulus going to develop infrastructure in your city? Follow the dollars online and tell us how the stimulus plan is playing out in your community. We're sharing your stories online and on air, and we'll continue the investigation with your help.

ShovelWatch is a joint project of the non-profit investigative outfit ProPublica, the morning news program The Takeaway and WNYC, New York's flagship public radio station. With investigative reporting, interactive features and help from you, we're tracking the stimulus bill dollars from Congress to your community.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has won a controversial referendum that allows him to stand for re-election for his third term in office and since few candidates are willing to run against him, it may be permanent. Chavez would like to stay in office beyond his second term to secure his so-called Venezuelan socialist revolution. As Venezuelans voted yesterday to lift term limits, Chavez will most likely get his wish. For more we’re joined by the BBC’s Latin American analyst, James Painter.

A high point of Chavez's international career:

In order to save a few bucks, we've all tried our hands at Do It Yourself projects and in these trying economic times we will all probably try again. These DIY projects may be helping prop up the economy, but now how you might expect. Teresa Guidet says that failed DIY projects booster her thriving business. Guidet runs an upholstery business in Barry County Michigan, where, from time to time, she ends up taking over the abandoned projects of well-intentioned do-it-yourself-ers, who try reupholstering their old couches and dining room chairs instead of buying news ones.

Today nearly 14 percent of Americans are underemployed. This is proving to be a challenge for beleaguered bosses and disgruntled employees struggling to keep morale up in the workplace. For those who are despairing, fear not. The ideal that IKEA holds forth in the form of those little flat wrenches and a lot of elbow grease, could prove to have some answers for business leaders, policymakers and everyday workers. It turns out what is true for the success of IKEA—the sense of accomplishment many experience in assembling IKEA’s housewares—could have broader implications. Joining us to discuss a phenomenon called “The IKEA Effect" is Dan Ariely, the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University and author of Predictably Irrational.

Pakistani government officials announced Monday that they have reached an agreement with the Taliban to allow strict Islamic law to be implemented in parts of North West Frontier Province. This move marks a major concession by the Pakistani government in its attempt to hold off Taliban militants who have made significant advances inside the country. For more on this development we turn to Haroon Rashid, correspondent for the BBC's World News Service.