America's top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, submitted a strategic review yesterday to General David Petraeus and to NATO. A version of that report will land on the desk of President Obama soon. While the full text of the report hasn't been made public, what has come out is a glimpse of the general's assessment: that the current strategy in Afghanistan is not working. With us is Richard Kemp, former commander of UK forces in Afghanistan. He is author of the book "Attack State Red."
There's another school of thought that we don't hear from often: instead of a military surge, what is needed is a political surge. Fotini Christia joins the conversation -- she's an assistant professor of political science at MIT and recently returned from Afghanistan.
The children’s entertainment super-giant Walt Disney Corporation announced on Monday that it's acquiring Marvel Inc., the home of such superheroes as Spiderman, Iron Man and Captain America. The $4 billion deal would see Mickey Mouse on the same corporate team with the likes of the X-Men, The New Mutants and other yet-to-be-blockbuster movie action fare.
The question now is: was this a bold and brilliant example of corporate synergy or an ungodly pop-cultural mutation? We ask Takeaway contributor Mary Elizabeth Williams, culture critic for Salon.com
"Want to know where the money is? it’s in comic book characters. That’s the global economy now: it’s comic book characters." — Mary Elizabeth Williams, Takeaway contributor and culture critic for Salon.com
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said yesterday that the state will hold a special election in January to determine who will replace Ted Kennedy in the U.S. Senate. But Patrick also said he'd push to see Kennedy's seat filled in the interim. We talk to Frank Phillips, State House bureau chief for the Boston Globe.
The National Association of Realtors will release their numbers on pending home sales later this morning; those numbers are predicted to be up for the sixth consecutive month. Louise Story, The New York Times reporter, explains the report.
World War II leaders will join together today for ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the start of the conflict in Europe. Among the leaders are German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
When Hurricane Katrina hit, the damage to New Orleans devastated the city's health care system. Four years after the floods, one of the city's biggest hospitals is still closed. As the Crescent City continues to rebuild, residents are relying heavily on local community clinics. We talk to Karen DeSalvo, vice dean of Community Affairs and Health Policy at the Tulane School of Medicine; and Patricia Berryhill, clinical director of the Lower Ninth Ward Health Clinic.
"25 organizations have opened clinics across the city that are very innovative ... They're taking care of 160,000 low-income people in a very new neighborhood-based way. ... One thing that’s got to be remembered epidemiologically is that a lot of these citizens of New Orleans had only access to emergency room care before the storm."” — Karen DeSalvo, vice dean of Community Affairs and Health Policy at the Tulane School of Medicine
We check in with Julie Mason, White House correspondent for the Washington Examiner. President Obama seems to be hunkering down and working hard on his health care plans before Congress comes back into session next week.
We've hosted roundtable discussions about the pros and cons of health care reform, and talked to people who don't have health insurance, and those who do. For today, we're talking to people who not only have health insurance, but are pleased with what they have. A new public opinion poll states that 80 percent of insured people from all walks of life are happy with their current insurance.
Our roundtable guests include:
Go back and listen to all the previous health care reform roundtables in this series.
"I pay Medicare, and if I’m paying state taxes which also contribute, if they allocate that: I’m paying for all this anyway, and the bottom line is, I think the Federal government regulating these companies is better." — Ebon Soul, a 40-year-old high school history and music teacher from Baltimore, Maryland
Taking a painkiller before you hit the track, the soccer field, or the bike path sounds like a smart move if you want to prevent pain and muscle soreness after a workout. But new studies suggest that you could actually be doing the opposite. To look at the effects of self-medicating before exercising, we talk to Gretchen Reynolds, who writes a weekly column for The New York Times Magazine. She also covers fitness for Women's Health and O, The Oprah Magazine.
Takeaway sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin joins us to predict the long road to the Major League Baseball playoffs, and that the divisions to watch especially closely are the AL Central and NL Central.
Our partners at The New York Times reported that profits collected from eight of the biggest bailed-out banks have fully repaid their debts to the U.S. government. Even though the $4 billion paid back still only represents a small percentage of the $700 billion the government doled out to help stabilize wobbly banks, it could point to brighter financial days on the horizon. We talk to New York Times reporter Louise Story about the significance of these quick paybacks and their impact on the economy.
The second-ever democratic elections in Afghanistan were hailed as a success for democracy, but now the results are being plagued by allegations of fraud. We talk with Brian Katulis, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, who also served as an election observer in Afghanistan.
September begins the official fire season in California, and already, at least eight fires are burning across the state. One in particular, which is blazing on the mountaintops around Pasadena, has fire marshalls worried. California Governor Arnold Schwarzennegar is calling the Pasadena area a disaster area, while fire officials are nervously watching a shifting weather system in fear of increasing winds. Bill Davis, CEO of KPCC public radio in Southern California, gives us an update from his front porch, from where he's watching the fires.
"There are a number of houses in these communities that have been evacuated. And I had an almost surreal experience of going to evacuate a friend’s house, who was on vacation…and going through [it] ... finding wedding albums and things of importance for [my] neighbors." — Bill Davis, CEO of KPCC public radio in Southern California, can see the wildfires from his front porch
KPCC listeners have sent in a series of pictures of the fires:
After 18 years of being held captive, how will Jaycee Dugard break from the emotional and mental stresses that built up during that time? We talk to Benedict Carey, science reporter for The New York Times, to look at if and how a person begins to return to normalcy after years of torment.
Read Ben's piece on the psychology of recovery on the front page of today's New York Times: "For Longtime Captives, a Complex Road Home."
Today's Takeaway: Big Night for Rick Santorum
'Tebow Bill' May Allow Home-Schoolers to Play on High School Teams
Today's Takeaway: Multi-Billion Dollar Foreclosure Settlement Imminent
Newly-Discovered Recordings Shed Light on a Young Malcolm X
Multi-Billion Dollar Foreclosure Settlement Imminent
Is Our Constitution Out of Date?
Contraception Coverage Draws Criticism from Catholic Bishops
Today's Takeaway: What's Next for Syria?
Results from GOP Contests in Minnesota, Colorado, and Missouri
Today's Takeaway: Focus on Violence Syria
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