Italy, Spain, France and the UK have all sold arms to Libya. Now these same countries are considering a no-fly zone over the the country. Meanwhile, Libyans are living in fear in the capital city of Tripoli, where Gadhafi's forces have taken positions throughout the city ready to crackdown on any gatherings. Journalists have been forbidden from leaving their hotels.

Since 2004, when the U.N. and U.S. removed an eighteen-year arms sanction, Libya has stockpiled weapons at a rate that far outpaced its military’s size or need. Arms have been sold to Libya at alarming rates — and for alarming profits — by countries throughout Europe. Most notably Italy, Malta, Germany and Russia. Those very same weapons are likely being used in a violent and deadly crackdown against protesters by the Gadhafi regime. The U.N. has now again imposed sanctions against the regime, halting the sale of weapons.

The fight over the budget continues on Capitol Hill. Tea Party members want to see a massive amount cut from the budget, while Democrats and Republicans see a policy fight within the proposed cuts. There are over 100 policy riders included in the spending bill that Republicans passed two weeks ago; these directly affect President Obama's domestic agenda. There are restrictions on funding for the EPA, the FDA, health care reform and abortion. Takeaway's Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich reports on how this fight is playing out.

Negotiations between NFL owners and its player's union were granted a 24-hour extension yesterday, avoiding the first work stoppage since 1987. When asked if he would arbitrate in any way, President Obama scoffed, saying "My working assumption at a time when people are having to cut back, compromise and worry about making the mortgage and paying for their kids’ college education is the two parties should be able to work it out without the president of the United States intervening." But amidst the battle between millionaires and billionaires, it's easy to forget that football plays a big role in the American economy.

Teachers in Wisconsin may be throwing figurative fruit at politicians, but lawmakers across the country, from New York to California, are vowing to get rid of what they are calling the “bad apples” of the profession. Lawmakers in half a dozen states are trying to lift tenure and seniority protection, threatening mass layoffs and targeting teachers as the root of a failing education system. We asked the teachers in our listening audience: What makes you keep being a teacher?

You may know Josh Radnor best as the "I" of the Emmy-award winning TV show "How I met your Mother." But Radnor is also a director and writer, and today, his debut film "Happythankyoumoreplease" hits theatres, in limited release. The film centers on a young man named Sam, played by Radnor, and on his friends, all of whom are trying to figure out how to grow up and find love. But Sam’s journey takes an unexpected twist when a little boy named Rasheen decides to follow him home one day, and Sam decides to keep him. Radnor talks about his new film and about making the transition from small screen to silver screen.

Movie Date co-host and Newsday movie critic, Rafer Guzman gives us his take on the weekend's releases: the conspiracy theory romance “The Adjustment Bureau,” which stars Matt Damon and Emily Blunt; the eighties-themed romantic comedy “Take Me Home Tonight,” which stars Topher Grace and Anna Faris; and the new animated feature “Rango,” in which Johnny Depp stars as a lizard cowboy. 

Libya's capital city of Tripoli is on edge as fighting continues between pro and anti-Gadhafi forces. However, that city has a long and tangled history with the United States.

Newt Gingrich is entering the "exploratory" phase of a possible presidential run in 2012 against President Barack Obama and a host of Republican challengers. Gingrich's biggest political accomplishments on the national stage arguably happened when he swept into Congress with a Republican majority in the second half of Bill Clinton's presidency. But where are Newt's classmates from 1994? Are they more moderate, or more conservative, than they were some 15 years ago? We speak with former Connecticut Congressman Chris Shays to get an update on the class of '94. 

While the image of union workers is one of white men in hard hats, the reality is that African-Americans and other minorities may be hit hardest if the unions fall. Studies show that 14.5 percent of all public sector workers in the nation are black and one in five black workers are employed in public administration. Teachers, police and firefighters are not the only professionals affected in the battle raging in Wisconsin between union workers and the Republican-led state government, either. If the law passes, service employees like janitors, garbage collectors, and home health care workers will not only lose their ability to collectively bargain for wages and benefits, but their right to a union altogether.

Mexican president, Felipe Calderon and President Obama have agreed to allow Mexican truckers on American roads. How do American truckers feel about this latest move? Harley Helms is a long-haul trucker, currently on the road between Kansas City and St. Louis. He says that this change will have a detrimental effect on American drivers, who are already dealing with high fuel prices. He is also concerned that Mexican truckers will work for much lower wages. Harley estimates that he will lose 15-20 percent of his personal business.

This week, a presidential bioethics committee met to discuss one of the most shocking violations of medical ethics — a clinical study done back in the 1970s on nearly 400 African American men in Tuskegee Alabama to study the progression of syphilis. The men believed they were receiving free health care from the US government. But just days before the committee met, a new comprehensive investigation by the Associated Press found that for decades, the United States government also knew about and authorized medical experiments on disabled people and prison inmates. Experiments included injecting cancer cells into the chronically ill at a New York hospital and giving hepatitis to mental patients in Connecticut.

According to a report in The Guardian, Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi has been dealing with Libya on a major scale. He was licensed to do $156 million in business with the country, mostly dealing in with military aircraft. This may seem surprising now that Europe is trying to stop Col. Gadhafi, but the two countries have a long and tangled relationships. Libya is a former Italian colony and the two countries still have very close ties. Rachel Donadio, Rome bureau chief for The New York Times looks back at the relationship between the two countries.

The U.S. economy added a net 192,000 jobs in February, according to the latest Labor Department figures out Friday. The unemployment rate is now at 8.9 percent — the first time that figure has dropped below nine percent in nearly two years. Takeaway and WNYC economics editor, Charlie Herman and The Wall Street Journal's Kelly Evans look at the numbers.