There’s an oil boom in North Dakota, and the wealth under ground is creating millionaires.
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Ronald Martinez

Disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy has alleged that his peers had a hand in the outcome of important games, including the 2002 playoffs between the Sacramento Kings and the L.A. Lakers. The phrase of the day is, "I knew it!"
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You watch reality TV shows, but what if you thought your whole life was one? Psychiatrist Joel Gold say he's begun treating a set of new symptoms, "The Truman Show delusion," in which people think their entire existence is being televised in secret.
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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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Two men have reappeared after disappearing for years... despite not going far from home. One, Radovan Karadzic, a Serbian war criminal, and the other, John Darwin, a British man looking to escape debt. How does one disappear? The Takeaway talks with a privacy expert.
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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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In Florida, voters may be scratching their heads trying to figure out which political candidate is the new guy, and which one’s in office now. The Takeaway talks with political consultant Roger Austin, who explains that for some incumbent politicians, the taboo phrase of this campaign season is, “re-elect.”
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For this year’s Emmy’s, the Academy is asking people to vote online for their most memorable television moments – either in comedy or drama. But what about news and other reality TV? At The Takeaway, we’re also head first into news and love these moments, so here’s our own category: most memorable “unscripted” television moments...

Ironman and Batman. Both are summer box-office heroes but neither is a woman. With the arrival of The X-Files’ Special Agent Dana Scully to the big screen Friday, that's set to change. Scully reminds us there are female protagonists who aren’t interested in Manolo Blahniks.
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In last night’s political debate, did McCain or Obama put lipstick on another barnyard animal? The Takeaway talks with linguist James Geary about political aphorisms, and which candidate won the war of witty words.
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Carol Rosegg

The Tony winners will be announced this Sunday, and one of the big prizes is Best New Musical. There are two front runners, "In the Heights" and "Passing Strange." They don’t sound like your grandparents’ musicals, either, because they’re shows that mix genres such as hip-hop and rock. John and Adaora talk to Jack Grace about the race and why the creator of one of the productions says he shouldn’t win.
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When it comes to sports, fans and non-fans might see it as a nothing more than a form of entertainment, but in the hands of sports writer Dave Zirin it’s anything but. In his new book, "A People’s History of Sports in the United States," Zirin points out that it is often in the boxing ring, or on the court where the societal conflicts of the day are played out literally and figuratively. Zirin joins the Takeaway for a conversation on sports, politics and American history.
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Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama speaks in the heart of downtown Berlin, the city that was once the symbol of the Cold War divide. The Takeaway talks to Berliner Bjoern Kolle for a look at how the city has changed and how it views America’s presidential race.
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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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NBC shows are back on the air at iTunes after being unavailable for nearly a year. What does this mean for the free content available on Hulu? The Takeaway talks to Wired Magazine’s Nancy Miller about what this business deal means about the future of the small screen on the even smaller one.
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PBS is rolling back broadcasts of the children's television series "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," which stopped airing in 2001. But for some cardigan-wearing fans young and old, this is not a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
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Republican presidential hopeful John McCain is courting two important voting blocs — blacks and Hispanics. However, he trails his challenger, Barack Obama, in winning over these groups. What is McCain saying to capture their attention?
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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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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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WNYC

Tony Schwartz is a former WNYC host and creator of 1964's "Daisy" ad, the first television spot to change the national political conversation. Schwartz died on Sunday at the age of 84. The Takeaway looks at his successors and how they've affected election campaigns.
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The best players in the country are at the National SCRABBLE Championship in Orlando, Florida, this week as the game celebrates its 60th birthday.
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Starbucks seem to be everywhere, but for some communities, getting one means your town has "made it." That’s why, when the company announced the closing 5 percent of its stores across the nation earlier this month, some cried out, “Save our Starbucks!” The Takeaway talks with Chicago Tribune restaurant critic Phil Vettel about the campaign to keep them open.
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