The Obama administration will go on the offensive this week, pressuring banks to help more U.S. homeowners bring down their mortgage payments. The Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) is intended to help homeowners cut the amount of interest they are paying on their mortgages. But consumers face two big hurdles. First, many homeowners are having difficulty gaining access to the HAMP program. One such homeowner is Takeaway listener Julie Gonzales, who joins us from Royal Oak, Mich. She applied for HAMP and was turned down. Second, those who are able to enter the trial modification program are finding it difficult to make their modifications permanent. Louise Story, finance reporter for our partner The New York Times, says that while the Obama administration says banks aren't doing a good enough job helping homeowners, the banks are fighting back. They say the government's plan is flawed, and that most consumers need a lot more then just reduced interest payments.

• Tiger Takeout: Ed Wanambwa, senior editor of African American Golfers' Digest, joins sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin to discuss the latest on Tiger Woods' recent car accident, his firm insistence on privacy ... and why the story continues despite Woods' refusal to speak.

Marcus Mabry, international business editor for The New York Times, and Nick Childs, defense and security correspondent for the BBC, take a look at what's ahead once President Obama announces his decision on troop levels for Afghanistan. They'll also examine what's ahead for health care as the Senate starts debate on their hotly contested reform bill; what Dubai's financial situation means for the rest of the world; and whether a "jobs summit" could cure our rising unemployment.

BBC Tehran correspondent Jon Leyne joins us to examine the most recent move in Iran's nuclear chess game. Iran yesterday said it would not comply with a demand by the International Atomic Energy Agency to stop work on a once-secret nuclear fuel enrichment plant, and escalated the confrontation by declaring it would construct 10 more such plants.

A quarter of all marriage proposals happen in the six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's, and most of those involve a diamond ring. Diamond sales finance civil wars around the world, and in some regions diamond mining involves horrific abuse, mutilations and murder. How hard is it to find (or define) a truly 'conflict-free' diamond? Our contributors, Beth Kobliner and Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, join us. Beth has some advice for Ibrahim, who is in the market for the right ring for his fiancée.

As economists declare the country to be officially heading out of recession, many are looking around them and still seeing severe economic troubles. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter joins us; he says American cities are in serious trouble, can expect little help from cash-strapped state governments, and need direct action from Washington. (click through for a full interview transcript)

• Congress Takeout: From Washington, Todd Zwillich looks ahead to the continuing tussle over health care reform in the Senate.
• Sports Takeout: Ibrahim Abdul-Matin discusses half-time Twittering in the NBA and upcoming NFL games.
• Media Takeout: The New York Times' Brian Stelter says the couple who crashed President Obama's first state dinner are asking for big bucks for their first interview about the incident, hoping to cash in before everyone stops caring ... unless it's already too late.

World financial markets are poised to react to last week's news that Dubai World, the financial conglomerate largely responsible for Dubai's rapid expansion, will request an extension to pay back some $60 billion in loans. Dubai has the largest population in the United Arab Emirates and up until recently has enjoyed excesses such as building 7 star hotels on artificial islands; the Gulf nation is now trying to figure out how to surf its way through a major debt crisis. 

On Sunday, the United Arab Emirates' central bank announced that they would protect any banks operating in Dubai. We turn to New York Times financial correspondent Landon Thomas, Jr. to discuss the troubles a possible loan default from Dubai could spell for the rest of the world. 

That our nation is becoming increasingly polarized over social, legal and civic debates is a popular story, and one well mined by the same media outlets who often drive partisan animosity. That polarization has manifested itself, for example, at town hall debates where members of the public declare mandated health care to be "fascist."

It's bad enough when disingenuous attacks muddy public debate at civic meetings, but what happens when our leaders themselves use language that misses the mark? We talk with Julie Rose, reporter for WFAE in Charlotte, N.C., about Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC), who, in her personal quest to assist the War on Terror, may have gotten herself in a war of words.

We're joined by actor Michael K. Williams, best known so far for his role as "Omar" in HBO's 'The Wire.' He discusses his role in the just-released film adaptation of 'The Road.'

Iran announced yesterday it wouldn't comply with a demand by the United Nations' nuclear agency to stop work on a once-secret nuclear fuel enrichment plant, and said it would construct 10 more such nuclear plants.

The New York Times chief Washington correspondent, David Sanger, joins us to talk about the latest move by Iran in its nuclear manuevering, and how the international community might respond.