Apart from their country of origin, little is known about the brothers suspected in the Boston marathon bombing and their motives. Anna Sale, reporter for WNYC in New York, spoke with the former roommate of a woman who had a child with Tamerlan. Larry Aaronson, retired social studies teacher at Cambridge Rindge and Latin knows the younger brother, Dzokar.

Anne Sale, reporter from It's a Free Country, has closely followed the Senate races this election season. In regards to female elected officials and women's issues, she says, "I think you really saw this in New Hampshire, where two women won house seats and a woman candidate won the governor's race."

It wasn't just a major win for Democrats, it was also a historic night for women as female candidates won many of these races bringing the United States Senate to its highest level of female Senators ever. Jay Newton-Small is the congressional correspondent for Time Magazine. Also joining the program is Anna Sale, reporter from It's a Free Country. 

The 2012 election is just six days away, and voters in swing states like Virginia and Ohio are still reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. How might Hurricane Sandy impact affect early voting, and voter turnout on election day? Anna Sale, reporter for It's A Free Country, and Todd Zwillich, The Takeaway's Washington correspondent, explain.

Now that some of the smoke has cleared around last night's presidential debate, it is time to ask the questions that really matter, like what will this debate mean come November? It's a Free Country reporter Anna Sale was in Denver last night during the debates. Political reporter Jason Smith joins The Takeaway from Romney's home state of Michigan to give us a full recap of the debate.

This past week, Anna Sale caught up with some swing voters to find out if their views have changed since the convention.

With tropical storm Isaac progressing towards hurricane status, the Republican National Convention has condensed the convention to fit into Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Organizers had scheduled one message for each of the four convention days — but with one less day, they'll have to cut one of their messages.

The Republican National Convention will run from Monday to Thursday next week and attendees will hear from some of the biggest names in politics. They’ll also be hearing from some of the biggest names in religion. How will Mitt Romney's Mormonism be addressed?

Anna Sale, politics reporter for It's A Free Country, continues her swing state road trip with a stop in Ohio. It's the state you have to win if you want to become President. 

Remember the huge groundswell for Ron Paul in Iowa? Well, those voters are still out there, and they’re up for grabs. A recent poll has Obama leading, but by less than he was a few months ago.

As the Obama and Romney campaigns set their sights on swing states, Anna Sale, reporter for our co-producer WNYC’s It's a Free Country, follows along.

This week President Obama is visiting Ohio and Pennsylvania, two states that are already pegged as crucial swing states in the 2012 presidential election. But although these two states are getting the majority of the attention, there are many states that could go to either candidate.

As the end of June approaches, The Takeaway looks at how the Obama and Romney presidential campaigns faired this month, and moreover, what July could have in store — especially as the Supreme Court is set to rule on Healthcare this week.

Super PACs have raised nearly a quarter of a billion dollars so far this year. Anna Sale, politics reporter for WNYC's It's a Free Country, explains the new planet of the presidential campaign "cash rush."

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.

Historian David McCullough is known for his biographies of monumental American figures: John Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman. But McCullough second book, published in 1972, explored American history not through the eyes of a Founding Father or a President, but through one of the most important public works projects of all time: the Brooklyn Bridge.

Five Republican primaries, no real surprises: Mitt Romney sweeps the night and is now looking ahead to the general election. Anna Sale, reporter for our co-producer WNYC's politics website It's A Free Country, takes a step back to discusses Newt Gingrich and the continuation of this seemingly finished race. Steffen Schmidt, It's A Free Country contributor and professor of political science at Iowa State University, looks forwards and considers Romney's fight for the hearts and minds of the GOP base.

It's no secret that Mitt Romney has a bit of an image problem with the American public. In an ABC News/Washington Post poll released late last month, the presumed Republican nominee had the lowest favorability rating of any major Presidential contender since the poll's launch. But in the past week, the campaign has begun to reorient itself. Explaining the Romney campaign's reorientation is Anna Sale, reporter for It's A Free Country, and Ron Christie, republican strategist and Takeaway contributor.

Before he was even in the Senate, Barack Obama claimed that he was inspired to move to Chicago by Harold Washington, a man who would become the city's first African-American mayor. What else do these writers of political history have in common? Anna Sale, reporter for It’s a Free Country, leads us through the parallels of the lives of Harold Washington and Barack Obama.

Anna Sale, reporter for our co-producer WNYC’s politics website, It’s a Free Country, joins us to look back: back upon days when the President of the United States found himself up against the Supreme Court in the wake of sweeping social reforms; back upon days when the country's commander-in-chief was locked in a fight with the highest court in the land, during an election year no less, with political challengers waiting to capitalize on presidential defeat. We look back upon the days of President Franklin Roosevelt and draw parallels between President Obama and President Roosevelt's dealings with the highest court in the land.