When Hurricane Ike tore through the Texas Gulf coast, the region’s 160,000 Vietnamese Americans knew where to turn for information. For four days, Radio Saigon Houston struggled to stay on air despite power outages, keeping Vietnamese-Americans from Galveston to Houston informed. When the storm was over, the station was deluged by calls from listeners in the tiny town of San Leon who did not know where to turn for help.
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It's been two years since Raul Castro took the reins of power in Cuba from his ailing brother Fidel. In that time, Raul has instituted a number of startling economic reforms, which Washington dismisses as “cosmetic.” But what's the real deal behind Cuban reform? And how much power does Fidel Castro still wield?
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Parents of students killed when schools collapsed in May's southwest Chinese earthquake say local officials have offered them payments to keep quiet about shoddily constructed schools.
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McCain is Optima. Obama is Gotham. We know what the candidates’ slogans say about their campaigns but what do their fonts mean? From POW to GQ, there may be more to design and typefaces than you’d think.
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The American Medical Association has issued an apology to black doctors for a history of racial discrimination. But is it a case of too little too late? The Takeaway talks with Dr. George C. Debnam, who experienced the AMA’s racial prejudice firsthand as a young doctor in North Carolina in the 1950’s.
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Payrolls shrunk for the sixth straight month in June as more than 60 thousand jobs disappeared. The unemployment rate stayed steady in June at 5.5 percent, the highest level in four years. The Takeaway talks to New York Times economic reporter Louis Uchitelle about what we might expect next.
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Guest: Sean Corcoran, WCAI, a public radio station serving the Cape Cod region

Tributes by friends and relatives of Paul Conlon and Daniel McGuire, both of Mashpee, Massachusetts, killed last week in Afghanistan and Iraq, respectively. Interviews by Sean Corcoran, Senior Reporter at WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR station, and Takeaway Producer Noel King.

Heavy fighting in the Republic of Georgia has displaced about 100,000 people. And that number could grow. After a week of heavy fighting, aid groups say they can't reach thousands of vulnerable people in South Ossetia.
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The U.S. economy's troubled banking sector is under fire. Investments banks are being absorbed by commercial banks and Americans are afraid for their money. Michael Lind, a fellow at the New America foundation, has a solution: postal banks — small banks set up through your local post office. These banks once were a key part of the U.S. banking sector. Can they be once more?
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Guest: Yuri Shafarenko, communications delegate for the International Committee of the Red Cross, speaking from North Ossetia
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Reverberations from the financial crisis are being felt all across the country — particularly in places where people normally spend their money. Auto dealers, restaurant, store and hotel managers, and even casino owners, are all reporting fewer customers and reduced spending.
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It’s been a busy weekend for candidates John McCain and Barack Obama. Jeff Zeleny of the New York Times joins The Takeaway to explain.
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A first try at a bailout has failed in the House and the markets are volatile. It's harder than ever to get a mortgage, to get credit, to get a car loan. We all know where Wall Street is turning for help. But where should Main Street look for advice? The Takeaway turns to Harriet Johnson Brackey, personal finance columnist for the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel.
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Ten years ago this week, Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, was brutally murdered. Shepard’s death struck a chord with people across the nation and re-energized the gay-rights movement. But a decade later, many say the nation hasn’t come nearly far enough.
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Just weeks ago, Palin Syrah was a modestly popular organic Chilean wine that went for about $13 a bottle. Then came the Republican National Convention, and the announcement that a very popular Alaska Governor named Sarah Palin was John McCain’s pick for running mate. And Palin Syrah was suddenly not-so-popular. The Takeaway talks to Chris Tavelli — the owner of Yield Wine Bar in San Francisco.
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The bailout has failed…for now. The markets are tumbling and then jumping up again. It’s harder than ever to get a mortgage, to get credit, to get a car loan. We all know where Wall Street is turning for help. But where should Main Street look for advice? The Takeaway continues the conversation with Harriet Johnson Brackey, personal finance columnist for the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel.
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Yesterday, Iraq saw one of its bloodiest days of the year. The city of Kirkuk exploded into a cauldron of ethnic violence. Separate suicide bombings shook Baghdad. All told, at least 61 people were killed.
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An outgoing president leaves a successor many things… Seat 1A on Air Force One… keys to the White House… the launch codes. This year, President Bush will leave something else: a record $482 billion deficit. (The economic stimulus plan contributed a big chunk of it.) How much debt can Americans stand, and what does it mean for the presidential candidates with costly plans of their own?
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The International Criminal Court is expected to issue a warrant for the arrest of Sudan's president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir Monday on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in the country's Darfur region. More than 200,000 people have died in a militia-driven ethnic conflict in Darfur since 2003. The ICC says al-Bashir has sponsored the militias while Sudan says an indictment would violate the country's sovereignty. If the warrant is issued, Bashir will be the first sitting head of state to be indicted by the court.
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Sudan is responding to reports that the International Criminal Court will issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
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As the economy continues its downward spiral, schools across the country are cutting sports, art and music programs. In the Mount Vernon school system, two proposed budgets failed to pass and now students are bearing the brunt. The Takeaway talks to 16-year-old Sean Harris, a rising senior at Mount Vernon High who expected to play varsity basketball this year — until all of his school's sports teams were axed.
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The Takeaway talks with two reporters and an economist on the details of a $700-billion Wall Street bailout bill.
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Politicians are masters at spinning their words to boost their appeal. Which candidate in this year’s presidential election uses the most spin? The Takeaway talks to David Skillicorn, a computer science professor Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
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This year's baseball season is coming to a close, and the drama spans the Mets’ last game at Shea Stadium, Tampa Bay’s surprising season, and the potential Cubs-White Sox face-off.
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Supporters of a controversial right-to-die initiative in Washington state are expected to head to the State House this morning to deliver a petition bearing 225,000 signatures in support of the bill. In a grimly ironic twist, the chief opponent of the proposition and the chief defender are both ill with Parkinson’s disease.
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