Today, California’s Supreme Court takes up the issue of whether Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that effectively banned gay marriage in that state, is legal or not. The hotly-contested proposition passed last year and heads to the court today over questions of constitutionality. The courthouse should be a spectacle as protesters on both sides of the issue rally and even Ken Starr is expected to make an appearance. To tell us more about the gay marriage debate in California and across the country, Kenji Yoshino of New York University Law School joins us.
For a comedic take on the gay marriage battle in California, here's "Prop. 8 The Musical":
The Obama administration has released the details of its housing plan, which is meant to be a finger in the dam for the tidal wave of homes facing foreclosure throughout the U.S. Yesterday the administration launched their website, that will help struggling homeowners determine their eligibility for assistance. We can do one better than that. Joining us is Takeaway contributor and financial adviser Alvin Hall who is here to help homeowner Pamela Zombeck in Salem, Massachusetts sort through it all.
"Buy the best property you can and no longer feel the need to buy that McMansion so you are over-extended." — Takeaway contributor Alvin Hall on responsible housing choices
Just this morning, the International Criminal Court in The Hague has issued a warrant for the arrest of the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. This is the first warrant ever issued against a sitting head of state and nations neighboring Sudan are nervous about the repercussions. The ICC's warrant could bring al Bashir to trial for his government's actions in Darfur, including seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The court did not find enough evidence to bring an indictment on genocide. For more we turn to the BBC's Africa editor Martin Plaut.
This this week, we’ve been taking a look at Mexico’s drug war and the ripple effect being felt throughout the Southwest United States. Perhaps nowhere has this been felt more keenly than in Arizona where drug-related kidnappings have soared over the past year. Adding to the turmoil is the flow of guns from the U.S. to Mexican gangs. As jury selection continues in the trial of a Phoenix gun-dealer who allegedly sold hundreds of weapons to Mexican cartel members, the debate rages about how to keep American guns out of Mexico. We are joined by someone who is in the front-line of trying to make that happen, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard.
Here is Terry Goddard on CNN discussing gun smuggling:
When Barack Obama selected Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff, he left an opening in the U.S. Congress. Voters in Illinois just voted in the primary to choose the Democratic candidate for the seat and there were 23 candidates. While it looks like Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley won, for some local insight on the crowded race we turn to Tony Arnold, a reporter for Chicago Public Radio.
Later today the International Criminal Court will announce whether it is issuing an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in the western province of Darfur. The warrant is issued, it will be the first time the ICC has sought the arrest of a sitting head of state. While some may think this is a good first step towards justice in Darfur, neighboring nations are urging the court not to act over fears it will worsen tensions in the region. For more we turn to Karen Allen, the BBC's East Africa Correspondent, who is just back from Khartoum, Sudan.
Over the past few years a rash of food-related illnesses caused by everything from tomatoes to spinach to peanut butter has sparked nationwide concern over food safety. Conventional wisdom has always said you can assure your food is safe by buying organic. But New York Times reporter Kim Severson did some digging and she found that organic certification has nothing to do with food safety.
"Just be careful and if all else fails, have a cheeseburger." — New York Times reporter Kim Severson on food safety and the meaning of the organic label
The effects of the housing collapse are being felt acutely, daily, powerfully in Cleveland, Ohio. For a time, it led the nation in foreclosures, and now it’s a city that lives with one out every 13 homes vacant.
Alex Kotlowitz is a contributor to the New York Times magazine and author of the book There are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in The Other America. He has a story in this weekend’s magazine titled “All Boarded Up,” describing how the next stage of the national foreclosure crisis has already come to Cleveland.
Let's talk about your bottom. When do you think the market can go no lower? Is that when you bail out of the Dow and stick your money under the mattress? There's no sure way to predict the bottom of the market, of course, but history does give some hints. Ben Steverman, a reporter with BusinessWeek.com's investing channel, takes a look at bear markets of the past and what they say about the current market meltdown.
Tell us your version of "the bottom" here or call us at 1-877-8-MY-TAKE.
Professional athletes in just about every sport imaginable are sprinting to new records: passing more accurately, throwing faster, jumping higher, swimming further. But there's one thing in sports that just hasn't changed: the free throw. Basketball players are simply no better at hitting that shot from the line than they ever were. John Branch from our partner The New York Times has been looking into why.
During her first trip to the Middle East as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton announced yesterday that the U.S. will be sending two high-level envoys to Syria. This is the latest sign that the Obama administration is willing to engage Damascus on issues of regional and international concern. The two envoys are Jeffrey Feltman (acting assistant secretary of state) and Daniel Shapiro (a senior White House official). They may visit Syria today for "preliminary conversations". To learn what these new envoys will face, we are joined by Richard Murphy, former U.S. ambassador to Syria and former assistant secretary of state for the Near East.
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Over the past few years a rash of food-related illnesses caused by everything from tomatoes to spinach to peanut butter has sparked nationwide concern over food safety. Conventional wisdom has always said you can assure your food is safe by buying organic. But New York Times reporter Kim Severson did some digging and she found that organic certification has nothing to do with food safety.
Listen to the full Takeaway segment with Kim Severson here
When judges have received campaign contributions from interested parties in a case, should they recuse themselves? Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co. goes before the U.S. Supreme Court today to answer that question. Adam Liptak, Supreme Court correspondent for The New York Times, joins Farai and John with a look at the case and how the system of electing judges influences the justice system.
The President of the West African Nation of Guinea-Bissau was shot and killed yesterday by renegade soldiers. The soldiers blamed the President for the bomb blast that killed his main rival, the army chief of staff, the day before. To unravel the twisted tale, we are joined by Will Ross, the BBC's West Africa correspondent in Accra, Ghana.
A rising tide of violence stemming from Mexico’s drug war has sent thousands of Mexican nationals fleeing across the border to the United States. Some of them go home, but thousands more say they cannot without fear of reprisal. Understandably, the number of Mexicans seeking asylum in the United States has skyrocketed in the past year. We’re joined by Carlos Spector an immigration attorney in El Paso, Texas, who has been helping people flee the violence.
Here is raw footage of Mexican troops being deployed to the border city of Ciudad Juarez, the country's most dangerous drug city.
Last month, President Obama sent a secret hand-delivered letter to Russia's President Dmitri Medvedev. It was an offer: the U.S. would back off from deploying a new missile defense system in Eastern Europe, if Moscow would help deter Iran from developing long-range weapons. Moscow has not responded to the letter, but many people see this as an effort to reset the relationship between the U.S. and Russia. New York Times reporter Peter Baker wrote a front page story on this and he joins us now.
Cuban President Raul Castro replaced eight cabinet ministers yesterday in a shake-up that ousted politicians linked to Fidel Castro. This move could signal a new era for Cuba. To talk about Cuba's future we are joined by James Painter, Latin American analyst for our partners, the BBC.
Bad sportsmanship took an ugly turn as Pakistani gunmen attacked a bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team on its way to play in the Pakistani city of Lahore. At least five Pakistani policemen protecting the team's bus were killed, while seven cricketers and their assistant coach were injured. For more we turn to Schwaib Hassan, the BBC's Pakistan correspondent, who joins us from Karachi.
The global markets took a trip down memory lane yesterday, unfortunately not in a good way. The S&P dropped to its lowest level since November of 1996. The Dow fell below 7,000 for the first time since 1997. The FTSE 100 to a it lowest level in 14 years in dollar terms. Japan's Nikkei slid near its lowest point in 26 years. Michael Hunter, markets reporter for the Financial Times joins us with his take on the gloom-and-doom economy.
"We will in many ways, I suspect, start looking back to early March and late February of 2009 as, perhaps, the beginning of the end. — Michael Hunter of the Financial Times on the state of the economy
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown begins an official visit to the United States today. He’ll be the first European leader to meet President Obama in the White House. And on the agenda — you guessed it —the global financial crisis. Joining The Takeaway to tell us what Britain’s embattled Prime Minister will be saying to our new President is Philip Stephens, Associate Editor of the Financial Times.
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