One of the most frequent arguments against allowing the trials of self-professed 9/11 'mastermind' Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four of his accused associates to proceed in civilian court is that the trial will give the men a platform from which to spew anti-American propaganda. Ron Kuby, a criminal defense attorney with experience in terrorism cases, says Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will probably toe the al-Qaida party line – speaking out from the stand on whatever is the "issue du jour," be it Palestine, Iraq or Afghanistan.
We also spoke with Ed MacMahon, the court-appointed attorney for Zacarias Moussaoui. MacMahon says no federal judge will allow Mohammed, or any of the accused, to act out of turn in court. But that's not the only terror-related news today. A federal judge unsealed charges against eight men who are accused of recruiting young Somali-Americans to join an Islamic insurgency in Somalia. It's a complicated story and to break it down we speak to Abdi Aynte, an editor with Voice of America. Aynte used to cover the Somali community in Minnesota.
Have former governors Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee chosen to forgo politics in order to cultivate their celebrity status? That's the view of our guest, New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, who writes in an op-ed this week that both candidates chose to cash in on their celebrity following the 2008 elections, instead of working towards wider policy and governing experience. We also speak with Cindy Gallop, an advertising consultant and former chair of the advertising agency BBH.
The hottest ticket in Washington D.C. tonight will be the White House state dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It's the first such event for President and Mrs. Obama, who are putting their own stamp on the event. The guest list includes Hollywood directors Steven Spielberg and M. Night Shyamalan, and the menu will reportedly incorporate honey from the White House beehive. For more details on tonight's fête, we speak with Nia-Malika Henderson, White House reporter for Politico.
Your colleague may think it’s okay to tell you about their hemorrhoids, but at what point do you say that’s too much information? We get tips on what to share and not to share in the workplace from Takeaway contributor Beth Kobliner and Ronda Tate, a labor lawyer based in Detroit.
We're also asking you: Have you ever shared too much with your colleagues and gotten burned? Or have you been on the receiving end of too much information? Share it with us at 877-8-MY-TAKE or leave a comment.
We're talking about the costs of caring for Grandma, and whether they're going to get any cheaper with health care reform. The CLASS ACT – short for 'Community Living Assistance Services and Support' – is a section of the Senate's health care bill. It was introduced by the late Senator Edward Kennedy to lower the cost of long term care for sick or aging family members, and would allow people to collect daily cash benefits of about $50 to $70 a day to pay for home care, adult day programs or nursing homes after paying premiums for five years. The goal is offer a voluntary long term care alternative to Medicaid and private nursing home insurance.
Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich tells us how likely it is the CLASS ACT will remain in any final bill. Then Paula Span, author of "When the Time Comes: Families with Aging Parents Share Their Struggles and Solutions
America, the first country to put a man and a flag on a celestial body, once captivated the world with its commitment to a single vision: the exploration and understanding of the world around us. One recent assessment, however, says American 15-year-olds now rank 21st in science and 25th in math when compared to their peers around their world. With so much happening on the ground, how can we turn our focus to the stars ... and, is it even worth it?
To discuss those ideas, and the president's commitment to the space program, we speak to Charles Bolden, the new NASA administrator.
In London, an official inquiry is beginning this morning into Britain's involvement in the Iraq war. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair will be called to give evidence in public at this inquiry, which will examine how the decision to go to war was made, how Britain dealt with the Iraq conflict, and the six years of occupation that followed. We speak to BBC political correspondent Rob Watson as the inquiry gets underway.
We continue our week-long series on faith in America with Laurel Snyder, editor of "Half/Life: Jew-ish Tales from Interfaith Homes," who talks about growing up in a Jewish/Catholic home, and marrying into one once she became an adult. Also, Kristi Nellor-Hampole and Ravi Hampole, a Baptist from Kansas and a Hindu from Canada, discuss their recent mixed-faith nuptials, and how they plan to raise their future children.
(click through for all the conversations in our "Faith in America" series)
As President Obama nears his final decision about how many more U.S. soldiers to send to Afghanistan, delays in parliamentary elections in Iraq could slow American troop withdrawals from that country. The resurgence of tribal and ethnic tensions that have previously boiled over into a low level civil war are partly at fault for these election delays. We're joined by Steven Lee Myers, Baghdad correspondent for our partner, The New York Times.
The show is a co-production of WNYC Radio and Public Radio International, in collaboration with The BBC World Service, New York Times Radio and WGBH Boston.
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