Today's Takeaway | June 8, 2012

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Friday, June 08, 2012

(Caribb/flickr)

Is the U.S. Government Too Prone to Leaks? | Why a Falling Euro Might Not Make for a Cheaper Vacation | Mega-lawsuit Alleges NFL Concealed Concussion Information | Follow Friday with Dan Damon and Farai Chideya | Romney, GOP Trump Obama and Dems in May Campaign Fundraising | Defending Texas | Rio de Janeiro Closes One of the World's Largest Garbage Dumps | Movie Date | Austrian Painter Gustav Klimt Back in the Spotlight

Is the U.S. Government Too Prone to Leaks?

Members of congress met yesterday with the Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, to discuss recent government leaks about two of America’s newest weapons: computer worms (like Stuxnet) and drones. They asserted that each leak puts lives at risk and makes America's allies less likely to trust our government with their secrets.

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Why a Falling Euro Might Not Make for a Cheaper Vacation

The Eurozone is in complete disarray, and the Euro has fallen against the dollar. Does that mean it will be cheaper for American to travel to Europe? Not exactly, says Barbara Peterson, senior aviation correspondent at Conde Nast Traveler. Airfare costs depend on more than the exchange rate. 

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Mega-lawsuit Alleges NFL Concealed Concussion Information

A new lawsuit accuses the NFL of concealing information linking football-related head trauma to permanent brain injuries. Many of the plaintiffs have already suffered the long-term effects of their injuries, and others are worried about what's to come.

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Follow Friday with Dan Damon and Farai Chideya

Our Follow Friday panel, journalist Farai Chideya and BBC World Update host Dan Damon, discusses the top stories of the past week, including the European debt crisis, Diamond Jubilee, White House leaks, Clinton gaffe, and the death of Ray Bradbury.

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Romney, GOP Trump Obama and Dems in May Campaign Fundraising

Fundraising was long thought to be a strength of the Obama campaign operation. But in his first full month as the presumptive Republican nominee, Mitt Romney and the Republican National Committee raised more than $76 million. That easily bested President Obama and the Democrat's $60 million haul.

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Defending Texas

Yesterday on The Takeaway New York Times columnist Gail Collins argued that Texas has hijacked our national agenda. Some listeners from Texas weren't too keen on what she had to say. Today, Joshua Treviño, vice president of Communications at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and one listener defend Texas.

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Rio de Janeiro Closes One of the World's Largest Garbage Dumps

Rio De Janaeiro had finally closed the infamous Jardim Gramacho garbage dump. Lucy Walker, director of the Oscar-nominated documentary "Waste Land," weighs the environment good against the economic consequences for the people who once worked there. 

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New Movie Releases: 'Prometheus', 'Madagascar 3'

This week’s big release is “Prometheus,” starring Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron. Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, hosts this week's Movie Date.

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Austrian Painter Gustav Klimt Back in the Spotlight

On the 150th anniversary of the birthday of famed Austrian painter Gustav Klimt, author Anne Marie O’Connor explores the cultural history of the artist’s work and the controversy behind perhaps one of his most famous paintings, “The Lady in Gold.”

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Syrian Crisis Continuing Coverage: Civilians Forced to Flee

Away from the politics and diplomacy, there's an unfolding humanitarian crisis in Syria. Today the International Committee of the Red Cross said that more Syrian civilians are being forced to leave their homes to escape the fighting between the Syrian troops and the opposition forces. Sean Maguire is a spokesman ...

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Mister Rogers Gets the Autotune Treatment

It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood: PBS Digital Studios has commissioned Symphony of Science's mashup artist John Boswell to remix our favorite neighbor from the 70s, 80s and 90s, and the video has gone viral. The video, which features the late Fred Rogers talking about the power of imagination in the song "Garden of Your Mind", has gotten over 650,000 views in less than 24 hours.

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