What may be Syria's best chance at ending violence | A former spelling champ on this year's bee | A whistleblower who exposed deep deceptions at Citigroup | Determining the beginning of adulthood | Defining masculinity amid unemployment | Retractions in drug literature | Chicago's plan to eliminate all traffic deaths | The documents that define America

Today on The Takeaway we talk jobs and economy, and more specifically unemployment. We examine the repercussions of cut-off unemployment benefits, stories from those who've escaped unemployment, and how to give your boss the pink slip. Also on The Takeaway, what is the tipping point for intervention in war? And have we reached it with Syria?

We talk espionage, security and technology after a Moscow-based cyber security team discovers the most advanced computer program for spying ever. They’re calling it “Flame.” Also on The Takeaway, we discuss identity in the 2012 presidential election, Mae Jemison's quest to take us into space, and tweeting a book 140 characters at a time.

On this Memorial Day, we’re revisiting some of our favorite Takeaway interviews from the last year, like our conversation back in April with Lena Dunham, creator and star of the hit series Girls; revisiting the science of creativity with Jonah Lehrer; and discussing suicide among gay teenagers with Tyler Clementi's older brother James. Also on The Takeaway, we preview the new Brian Lehrer Show series "End of War", discuss the record numbers of veterans applying for disability, and talk about the history of Memorial Day with Kenneth C. Davis.

When it comes to childhood obesity, there are a lot of factors that have been blamed: processed food, portion sizes, and poverty, to name just a few. But what if childhood obesity isn’t simply about how kids live, but the manner in which they are born? A new study suggests that children delivered via C-section are twice as likely to be obese by their third birthdays than those delivered vaginally. We ask: Should mothers take this research seriously? Plus: For some fun on Friday, John explores the secret world of espionage in Times Square and we take a look at this weekend's Brewskee-Ball National Championship.

On today's Takeaway, we take a closer look at the study habits of primary and middle school students. In the past several years, a growing number of parents, teachers, and researchers have argued that kids are being assigned too much homework. After eight hours in school, is studying for hours at home afterward is really necessary? Also on The Takeaway, we discuss the fate of Pakistani doctor Shakil Afridi, death on Everest, black Mormons in 2012, and a closer look at sex trafficking in Queens, New York.

A new study concludes that college students today spend about 40 percent less time studying outside of class than they did in 1961. Is this a sign that college today is too easy? Also on The Takeaway, we examine Egypt's youth before today's historic election with Noel King, weigh in on new statistics relating to the homeless and obesity, and discuss new allegations that Morgan Stanley shared negative news before Facebook's IPO with institutional investors.

In study after study, we’re told that the economic recovery is real. But tell that to unemployed Americans over 55. More than half of jobless seniors, about 1.1 million people, have been unemployed for more than six months, up from 23 percent four years ago, according to a government report released last week. But these aren’t just numbers — they’re people all over the country. Also on The Takeaway we revisit hate crime laws with Richard Kim from The Nation; talking texting in classrooms with Professor Kevin Thomas; analyzing Facebook's falling stock with Business Insider's Henry Blodget; and Peter Edelman on why it's so hard to end poverty in America.

The case of Tyler Clementi became national news when the Rutgers University freshman, who had recently told his family he was gay, jumped off the George Washington Bridge in September, 2010. Today, New Jersey Superior Court Judge Glenn Berman will announce the sentence of Clementi's roommate, Dharun Ravi, who spied on Tyler kissing another man – and many are concerned that he might face a punishment that doesn’t fit the crime. Also on The Takeaway, we look at job prospects for older Americans, Occupy protests in Chicago, John Hockenberry has lunch with Seamus Mullen, and Anna Sale takes a special walk with historian David McCullough.

Facebook raised $16 billion yesterday in the third-largest IPO ever. The company is now valued at $104 billion, one of the largest in the country. Also in the news and on today's show, the eurozone crisis and the potential for a Greek exit from the euro currency. And all this week, The Takeaway has been discussing weight and body image with guests as diverse as mathematicians and morticians. Today it's the listeners' turn, with stories about accepting, and overcoming, excess weight.

You've probably heard pundits point to various attributes of each presidential candidate, Obama's likeability or Romney's stance on the economy, for instance, as explanations of why they appeal with different demographics. But it could turn out that none of these factors make much of a difference. John Casti, author of "Mood Matters: From Rising Skirt Lengths to the Collapse of World Powers," says it all boils down to mood.

On today's Takeaway we continue the conversation around obesity in America, asking questions about commonly held misconceptions around race and weight. After yesterday's conversation about trust in Mark Zuckerberg, we talk to an investment firm manager about the risk involved in buying Facebook's stock. Also on the Takeaway, we continue our coverage of the JPMorgan loss, discussing the repercussions of Ina Drew's departure and the prospect of more regulations with the Dodd-Frank Act.

A new study predicts that 42 percent of American adults will be obese by the year 2030. Also on today's Takeaway, a look ahead to Facebook's IPO, what meetings between Angela Merkel and François Hollande mean for Europe and the United States, and the fallout from JP Morgan's $2 billion loss.

Sunday is Mother's Day, but for some incarcerated women, spending time behind bars means missing out on the formative years of their child's or grandchild's life. But a program is trying to change that. Mommy Reads, a ten-week course offered through Sarah Lawrence College to mothers and grandmothers incarcerated at the Valhalla Correctional Facility in Valhalla, New York, helps women write children's stories and then record themselves narrating them. We also talk to a mother who has chronicled her journey with her five-year-old daughter to scale all 48 of New Hampshire's 4,000-foot peaks. Also on Today's Takeaway, a $2 billion loss for JP Morgan Chase, co-creator of the Daily Show Lizz Winstead, and the evolution of opinions on same-sex marriage.

Following the passage of a constitutional ban on gay marriage in North Carolina, President Obama endorsed same-sex marriage on Wednesday in an interview with ABC News, ending speculation on the president's position. Speaking about gay marriage on The Takeaway today are Dr. Patrick Wooden, a pastor at the Upper Room Church of God in Christ in Raleigh, NC, and Ann Pellegrini, an associate professor of religious studies and director of the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality at NYU.

North Carolina joins over two dozen other states with its new constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. But because of North Carolina's unique place in the 2012 presidential elections — a likely battleground state, which will also play host to the Democratic National Committee — the amendment is raising eyebrows. And Indiana voters cast their ballots yesterday in a high-profile GOP primary contest that pitted Sen. Lugar against Tea Party-backed challenger, and eventual winner, Richard Mourdock. Also on today's Takeaway, Democrats in Wisconsin choose Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett for the upcoming recall election against Governor Scott Walker, which is set for June 5.

On Sunday, Vice President Joe Biden made statements supporting same-sex marriage on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Yesterday, as Obama's reelection campaign tried to downplay the comments, Education Secretary Arne Duncan stated his unequivocal support of the issue on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." Have these high-level members of the Obama Administration broken with the president? Or were they simply testing out a political strategy that the president couldn't test out himself?

What can we expect in France and the euro zone now that François Hollande, a socialist, has won the French presidential election? An economist and a journalist explain. Also on today's Takeaway, the economics of the Big Mac, trials at Guantanamo, Sen. Dick Lugar's tough reelection battle in Indiana, and whether schools should be allowed to punish students for activities that take place off-campus.

Rather than calling for an overhaul of the government system, Chen Guangcheng is striving to make reforms within the current structure. P.J. Crowley is former assistant secretary of state for public affairs. He is now a professor at George Washington University. Jonathan Fenby is an expert on China. His latest book on China is called "Tiger Head, Snake Tails: China Today." In other political news, we look at the uproar over a gay Romney aide's resignation, interview the mayor of Detroit, and we speak with Madeleine Albright about finding out at 59 that her ancestors were Jewish.

Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng escaped house arrest last week just before a high-level diplomatic meeting between the U.S. and China. After American diplomats seemed to resolve the situation, Chen now says he was pressured to accept the deal and fears for his family. The situation has been an awkward distraction from the high-level meeting and a reminder that these two strategic allies are ways apart when it comes to human rights. Also today, Celeste interviews the CEO and chairman of General Motors, Dan Akerson, about how the company has faired since it was restructured by the federal government.

In a move that marks the beginning of the end of our war in Afghanistan, President Obama made a surprise visit to Kabul on Tuesday to sign a strategic partnership agreement with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. After months of intense negotiations, the agreement is expected to serve as a road map for both countries as they begin to transition out of a prolonged period of war. Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich, and Michael Semple, fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights at the Kennedy School of Government, explain the political and foreign policy implications of the agreement.

Across the country, leaders of the Occupy movement are planning strikes and protests in 125 cities. It’s being billed as "a day without the 99%,” and they're asking participants to make their presence felt through their absence today: no work, no shopping, no banking, no school. Also on today's Takeaway, voting in Iran described as a "tragic farce," Bin Laden as a political playing card, and why kids are the best scientists.