Loss for Democrats in Mass. Race

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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

On the one year anniversary of President Obama's inauguration, Democrats are licking their wounds after a dramatic loss in the special election for Edward Kennedy's Senate seat in Massachusetts. The victory gives Senate Republicans the 41st vote they need to block legislation, and the Republican winner, Scott Brown, has vowed to do just that to the current bill for health care reform.

After One Year in Office, President's Agenda at Risk?

President Obama completes his first year in office today, and the excitement and euphoria that characterized his inauguration has turned to skepticism and doubt about his agenda.

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Takeouts: Mass. Election, The Fed and AIG, Listeners

  • CONGRESS TAKEOUT:  Lawmakers in Washington went to bed yesterday knowing the dynamics of power in the capitol had changed. Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich  looks at what's on today's agenda in the White House and Congress.
  • MONEY TAKEOUT: New York Times finance reporter Louise Story talks about the Fed's audit of how it handled AIG - and a Senate re-confirmation hearing coming soon for Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke.
  • RESPONSES TAKEOUT: We listen to some of our listeners' reactions to a story we aired yesterday about the media coverage of the Haiti earthquake - what worked and what didn't.

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US Increases Presence in Haiti as Aid Increases

Haiti continues to struggle in its need for assistance, and just this morning, a 6.1 quake hit the country. We check in with Michael Deibert, author of "Notes from the Last Testament: The Struggle for Haiti," who is on the ground in Haiti, about how the country is sustaining after the tragedy and the role of international assistance.

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Alleged Cover-up of Prisoner Deaths at Guantánamo

Several soldiers who served at Guantánamo Bay in 2006 have alleged that the deaths of three Guantánamo inmates, previously ruled suicides by the U.S. government, were nothing of the sort ... and that the government has covered up the truth.

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What's So Bad About Salt?

New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg is cracking down on salt in city restaurants. But is salt really that bad for us? In this week's food segment, Marion Nestle, author of "Safe Food: The Politics of Food Safety," explains the science and politics of salt. And Melissa Clark, food writer for the New York Times, compares her low-sodium homemade breakfast offerings to those sold at fast food restaurants.

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Brown Wins Mass. Senate Race, Gives GOP 41st Seat

Republican Scott Brown has won the late Ted Kennedy’s former Senate seat after a heated battle in Massachusetts. Brown handily defeated Democratic candidate Martha Coakley. The win for Brown is a major defeat for Democrats, who can no longer muster 60 votes to overcome frequent Republican filibusters in the Senate.

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How Best to Help Haiti's Orphaned Children

The number of orphans in Haiti is expected to double after last week's earthquake; there's rising debate over the best way to help these children.

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Reviews of President Obama's First Year

We hear from listeners and people on the National Mall in Washington D.C., where one year ago today, President Obama was sworn into office.

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Talking Committment with Elizabeth Gilbert

We speak with best-selling author Elizabeth Gilbert about her latest book, "Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage." To write the book, she had to wrestle with the fact that her first, wildly successful memoir, "Eat, Pray, Love," had been based on the premise of getting over a bad marriage and swearing off the institution forever, while her second memoir details her reluctant acceptance of marriage after all.

Click through for an excerpt of Gilbert's new memoir.

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Takeouts: President's First Year in Office

We check in with two states, Missouri and Georgia – both states that went to Sen. John McCain in 2008 – to see how voters view President Obama today and what they think he needs to do going forward.

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The Takeaway for Wednesday, January 20, 2010 (Final Edition)

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The Takeaway for Wednesday, January 20, 2010 (Hour 4)

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The Takeaway for Wednesday, January 20, 2010 (Hour 3)

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The Takeaway for Wednesday, January 20, 2010 (Hour 2)

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The Takeaway for Wednesday, January 20, 2010 (Hour 1)

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The Takeaway for Wednesday, January 20, 2010 (Early Edition)

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