The Takeaway covers this week's hot button items. Among these are President Obama's lift on restrictions to federally-funded stem cell research, the government's spending bill, politicizing the recession, mortgage crackdown, market research on China, President Obama's visit to Turkey and a "card check" legislation for unions. Joining the discussion is Marcus Mabry, international business editor at the New York Times and Todd Zwillich, a reporter for Capitol News Connection.

Transit systems around the country are facing higher fares, service cuts and layoffs; with little help from government agencies. Some are facing increased stress because of what once seemed like a win-win financing scheme called “sale-leaseback agreements.”

Rick Karr, a reporter for the PBS production Blueprint America talks about the situation. His two-part series begins airing tonight on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

The Indian economy continues to be a bright spot on the globe and some forecasters expect it to grow by seven percent by the end of 2009. The U.S. effects outsourced administrative work from India and call centers in India, but at the same time, some Indian firms acquired European companies in the last decade. Europe's economic decline is a ripple effect heading east.

Vikas Bajaj is a reporter for the New York Times and joins The Takeaway to talk about the effects of the global economic downturn on India before he heads out to Mumbai.

The Netherlands beat the Dominican Republic in a huge upset over the weekend and made the World Baseball Classic a hit around the world. Jeff Beresford-Howe, The Takeaway’s sports contributor brings us World Baseball Classic highlights including details on this legendary play.

Click through to read Jeff's notes on this segment.

More than half a million Americans lost their jobs last month alone leaving a lot of those unemployed to wonder where they'll end up next. The Takeaway talks to two people about how they've bounced back after being laid off. Gail Ambrosius is a former cartographer for the state of Wisconsin who owns her own chocolatier shop in Madison. And Mike Gill is a former creative director turned Starbucks worker and book author.

Mike Gill discusses his transition from advertising executive to barista.

Britain celebrated World Book Day last week, and put out a poll to go along with the celebration. People were asked if they had ever claimed to read a book when they hadn't and 65 percent of respondents said that yes they had. Patrik Henry Bass a former book editor and current senior editor of ESSENCE magazine, joins us to talk about why people lie about what they are reading.

If you've faked reading some of the books mentioned in this segment and want to redeem yourself, cross them off the list below.

• Beloved, By Toni Morrison
• Kiss the Sky, By Farai Chideya
• Ulysses, By James Joyce
• Moving Violations, By John Hockenberry
• War and Peace, By Leo Tolstoy

POST-SHOW UPDATE: Hey there. This is Stephanie — I was collecting your responses today on which books you’ve said you read, but actually haven’t. Your responses overwhelmed us! Here’s the list of tomes you’ve fibbed about — along with the reasons why.

All of Dickens.
But I did listen to it on tape. Does that count?

A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century, by Barbara Tuchman.
Ironically, I have wanted to read this for years. I have started perhaps 10 times, but then…

Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence.
It's because I could never get through enough of it to find a good part, so to speak.

Dante’s Inferno
I hope I don't burn in hell for that one.

War and Peace by Leo Tolsoy.
I did it to better my chances with a woman I really liked, but it was a really stupid move, because it invited follow-up questions.

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking.
If as many people read this book as bought it, we’d be a nation of cosmologists by now.

Moby Dick by Herman Melville.
I tried to read it because I was dating a sea captain and he loved it, but after just two chapters, I thought why?

The Star Wars series.
I actually have read them — many more than most people know.

Today President Obama will lift restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research imposed by the Bush Administration. Dr. George Daley, Associate Director of the Stem Cell Program at Children’s Hospital in Boston, will discuss what the change in policy will mean for the future of this promising area of medicine.

As the joblessness rate goes up it’s becoming almost commonplace for American workers to consider a plan of action in case they get laid off. But is there a way to be proactive and stave off a layoff? Cali Yost, blogger for Fast Company magazine joins The Takeaway to talk about ways to save your job such as talking to your employer about saving the company money. Yost writes and consults on work and life issues.

A group that calls itself the "Real IRA" claimed responsibility for shooting two soldiers dead in a British army barracks on Saturday night. The Irish Republican Army is historically made-up of anti-government rebel forces throughout the region. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is now in Northern Ireland meeting political leaders and the head of the security forces. Joining The Takeaway is BBC Correspondent Colette Hume to talk about whether or not this is a once-off attack or a broader return to instability in the region.

American and South Korean forces have begun their annual joint military exercises in South Korea, and the North Korean authorities are making their feelings clear by saying it's a dangerous provocation. Tensions are rising in Seoul and Pyongyang, that have been building since North Korea started to prepare to launch a satellite. Some countries say they're concerned that the launch will be a long-range missile test.

John Sudworth, BBC correspondent in South Korea, joins The Takeaway to talk about the atmosphere during the wake of the launch.