Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are scheduled to take up a proposed bailout of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It’s a bill that has President Bush and congressional Democrats seeing eye-to-eye.
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Since 2001, when a federal funding freeze crippled research into the use of human embryonic stem cells to treat a host of congenital and degenerative conditions, molecular biologists have searched for a viable alternative. Now, they may have found a way. By reprogramming adult skin cells, researchers have produced stem cells that bypass the political and ethical stumbling blocks. But all is not perfect. In recent studies, the cells produced tumors in mice.
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The future Donald Trumps of the world will soon need the help of a palm reader to ascend the corporate ladder. In an effort to finger cheats, aspiring CEOs will be screened by a high-tech identity device, known as a “palm vein” scan, before taking the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) as early as this fall.
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As credit card companies continue to descend upon college campuses, Congress is threatening to make it more difficult for students to qualify for credit. But is Congress protecting students from debt or is it infringing on students’ rights?
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Guest: Stephen Erlanger, The New York Times
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Jason Burnett, a former Environmental Protection Agency official, told the Senate's Environment and Public Works committee that the White House pressured the EPA in 2007 to deny climate regulation that would have required a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from cars in California. Burnett's testimony contradicts earlier statements from EPA chief Stephen Johnson, who said the denial was solely his decision.
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Guest: Caitlin McNally, documentary filmmaker
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Guest: Mark Duvall, the program manager for The Electric Power Research Institute. He's in San Jose, Calif., for Plug-In 2008, a conference for advances in technology and policy for hybrid-electic vehicles.
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The 500th issue of The Uncanny X-Men goes on sale this week, 45 years after Stan Lee and Jack Kirby debuted the mutants Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, Beast and Iceman.
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A 21-patient study has shown that the drug abiraterone can stop the testosterone that feeds prostate cancer. A larger international clinical trial is underway to test the drug before it can be deemed a "miracle drug." Also, Dimebon, once used as an antihistamine, has been found to improve cognitive abilities for Alzheimer’s patients, though researchers aren't yet sure how.
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In "The Dark Side," author Jane Mayer weaves a seven-year narrative detailing what we know and don't know about the decisions made while pursuing terrorists after the coordinated terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Mayer focuses on roles of Vice President Dick Cheney and his chief-of-staff since 2005, David Addington, and infers details from a secret 2007 Red Cross report that says the prisoner abuses at U.S. facilities constitute war crimes.
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The Dark Knight broke box-office records on its opening day ($68 million) and opening weekend ($155 million). Critics praised the ensemble cast including the late Heath Ledger for his portrayal of the unhinged Bat-nemesis, The Joker. The Takeaway goes to Gotham for a movie review from the man who’s keeping the streets safe at night (it's not Batman), Deputy Sheriff Kevin Melby, in Gotham, Wisc.
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With Barack Obama on a mid-campaign Middle East tour, John McCain is in the United States on the offense, pitching Obama's lack of foreign policy and national security experience as weaknesses. Can Obama put those concerns to rest and force McCain to defend the GOP record on the economy?
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After 13 years on the run from the law, one of the world’s most wanted men, former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, is behind bars. Karadzic had twice been indicted by the United Nations war crimes tribunal and accused of 16 counts of genocide.
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Today, the Indian parliament votes on an energy deal crafted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President George W. Bush. If the bill is ratified, India will gain access to American fuel and technology imports as long as it opens its civilian nuclear facilities for inspection. A no-confidence vote will force Singh’s resignation and bring the opposition party to power.
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Is the United States a nation with a fundamental misunderstanding of debt, financing and budgeting? "Freakonomics" author Stephen Dubner and a number of economics say it is. Dubner looks at how an absence of financial education hurts us during times of economic instability.
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The sharp rise in energy prices has pushed states to speed through legislation that allows companies to drill for gas. The potential for revenue is enormous, but what's the cost? WNYC's Ilya Marritz and ProPublica's Abrahm Lustgarten explain the potential environmental consequences of the rush for new energy as New York presses ahead with its plans to tap gas underneath the Catskill Mountains.
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Happy Birthday, Big Mac. The McDonald’s signature burger turns 40 this year and the company has asked MySpace users for their own take on the iconic song. The Takeaway talks about the different ways you can sing two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame-seed bun. Also online, view video of classic food jingles.
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Former United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights and former President of Ireland Mary Robinson tells The Takeaway why, on a global level, rising food prices may be next biggest threat to our human rights.
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Three months after the voting and violence began, Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe, is holding hands with opposition leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara. The Zimbabwean politicians have agreed to sit down and talk through the disagreements, ending an election crisis.
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Because of recent economic woes, women in their prime earning years are retreating from the workforce, either permanently or for long stretches. That's according to a congressional study released today. The change erases years of gains for women.
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The solution to high gas prices may not be offshore drilling. For a remote community in South Dakota, the future is not farming, it's oil. Plans are underway to make Union County, S.D., home to the nation’s first new oil refinery in 30 years. The company behind the project bills the refinery as a "green energy center" and many local politicians support the plans, but it's a sore point for residents closest to the site.
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This week, The Museum of the American Cocktail opens in New Orleans, home of the Sazerac. The Takeaway downs a few shots of wisdom from museum curator Ted Haigh.
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A Miami Herald investigation has revealed that thousands of convicted felons, including bank robbers and people convicted of drug, fraud and grand larceny were allowed to write mortgages, costing state residents millions of dollars.
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