On Wednesday, scientists from the CERN lab in Switzerland will announce the latest evidence about the existence of Higgs Boson particle, otherwise known as the "God particle." Dr. Michio Kaku discusses the basics of the Higgs Boson particle and what makes Wednesday's announcement so significant.

When it comes to American history, Americans are often on shaky ground. Even politicians can never seem to get straight which text "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" appears in, let alone where Mount Rushmore gets its name, or what happens in the Bill of Rights after the fifth amendment. Denise Kiernan, the co-author, with Joseph D'Agnese, of "Stuff Every American Should Know," is trying to help set us straight.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke spoke before Congress today. He gave his assessment of the American economy and proposed new potential measures to foster economic growth. The Takeaway has been speaking with Americans about their experiences since the beginning of the recession, and followed up with three on their economic outlooks.

A little over a week into the multi-national military intervention last year in Libya, President Obama boasted that it only took his administration 31 days to intervene compared to the year it took international forces to send air power. Obama made the comparison to Bosnia with Libya, and now many are making the same with Syria.

Facebook and its IPO's underwriter Morgan Stanley are facing at least three shareholder lawsuits alleging that the companies allowed misleading assessments and omissions in their IPO registration statement. This, on the same day that Massachusetts Secretary of Commonwealth William Galvin issued a subpoena to Morgan Stanley in response to other allegations. Peter J. Henning, a professor at Wayne State University Law School who specializes in white collar crime, co-wrote an article about this for the New York Times' DealBook.

Obesity is one of the most pressing concerns in contemporary American life, and a new study finds that it affects the country's homeless population as much as it does the general population. Andrea De Mink, the founder and executive of an Indianapolis-based homelessness organization The PourHouse, strives to provide her patrons with the healthiest food possible in order to combat this rising concern, and Barbara DiPietro, the policy director of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, explains why this research is largely unsurprising.

Poverty is one of the most pressing and divisive issues of our day, and Democrats and Republicans have staked out largely different approaches to the increasing divide between the poorest members of the United States and the richest. With the economy central to the November elections, the wealth gap will likely only become even more talked about in the months to come. Peter Edelman, one of the most outspoken antipoverty advocates in the country, examines the current state of poverty in the country, and elaborates upon what can be done — and what hasn't.

To many Facebook shareholders, yesterday was likely another dispiriting day. Shares only dropped further below its $38 IPO price, leaving many to wonder about its early valuation and the tact of Morgan Stanley's aggressive push, and many others wondering if they made an unwise investment. CEO and editor-in-chief of Business Insider Henry Blodget was on The Takeaway before Facebook's NASDAQ debut, and he returns to assess his speculations, and what this means for the company and its investors.

Laura Lynch, a correspondent for PRI's The World, recently spent seven days inside the Syria. She did so with permission, following U.N. monitors as they toured the country in an effort to maintain a U.N./Arab League-orchestrated ceasefire. Lynch shares her impressions and experiences of her time within Syria, and assesses the fragile state of the country.

One of the most heated debates about education these days largely revolves around the fallout of the recession: with higher unemployment and fewer jobs available, many are quick to blame college education for its lack of practical applications in the workforce. But is this fair? Liz Coleman, President of Bennington College, is trying to reorient what we expect of education, and how that relates to employment.

North Carolina Senate Bill 514, more commonly referred to as Amendment 1, is far from unique on the surface: Twenty-nine other states already have constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage, including all Southeastern states. 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 has raised eyebrows.

Democrats in Wisconsin chose Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett for the upcoming recall election against Governor Scott Walker, which is set for June 5. It's been well over a year since Gov. Walker first earned the wrath of Wisconsin Democrats after backing a bill removing collective bargaining rights from public sector union members. In a proud union state like Wisconsin, the position was met with quick and enduring fury from Democrats and demands for a recall election. Shawn Johnson, Capitol Reporter for Wisconsin Public Radio, explains what's happened since.

"Drone" is becoming an increasingly common word in our 21st-century vocabulary, and to many it strikes a fearful note: It conjures images of stealth Predator drones, or incites concerns about Big Brother–esque surveillance techniques. But are these worries well founded? And how did we get to the point that UAVs are becoming an ever-readier part of quotidian life in the United States?

Detroit has come to represent for many Americans the worst of what the recession has done to the country’s once-indomitable manufacturing capitals. It’s now the poorest major city in the US. In the past decade, the city population has declined by 25 percent, and it’s regularly cited as among the most dangerous cities in the country. Mayor Dave Bing explains how his administration is trying to save Detroit.

Diplomatic meetings Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and their Chinese counterparts were largely overshadowed by the release of Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng from the American embassy, and the uncertainty around the conditions of his release. Christopher Johnson, a former senior China analyst at the CIA, explains the latest in both events.

Income inequality is growing and many cite it as a fundamental problem with our economy. But not Edward Conard, the former managing director of Bain Capital. Conard believes those who occupy the wealthiest percentile in this country are also contributing the most to the economy. Pippa Malmgren, president and founder of Principalis Asset Management, argues Conrad's case.

Tomorrow will mark the one-year anniversary of the Navy SEAL raid on Osama bin Laden's complex in Abbottabad, Pakistan. In the immediate aftermath of the al Qaeda leader's death, many wondered how the organization would be affected. Gideon Rose, the editor of Foreign Affairs, illustrates how the group has changed.

The United States has long been a car culture. But with fewer young people buying cars than ever, an American automobile industry in decline, and rising fuel prices, this culture is facing something of a crisis. Taras Grescoe, author of "Straphanger," takes this as a unique opportunity to look at public transportation throughout the world, and to consider how trains, subways, and buses can be better integrated into our daily lives.

The severity of income inequality in the United States may have been relatively little known before making national headlines this past year, whether through the protests of Occupy Wall Street, President Obama's calls for the so-called Buffett Rule or dismissals of the whole conversation as a marker of class warfare. But income inequality is not new to the United States. And in his new book "The Great Divergence: America's Growing Inequality Crisis and What We Can Do About It," Timothy Noah explores the history of wealth disparity in this country, and looks into its possible futures.

The AP's Pulitzer-winning series focused on the New York Police Department's secret monitoring of Muslim communities, and The Takeaway has followed this story since the AP began its series last August. Debbie Almontaser, Board Chair of Muslim Consultative Network and coalition member of Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition, and Bob Hennelly, contributing editor for politics and investigations for our co-producer WNYC, offer their insights into the series itself and its fallout, for the police, politicians and citizens, in New York and beyond.