As the Department of Defense gradually shifts to drone strikes in lieu of manned missions, many contractors are also hoping to revolutionize the drone for domestic uses, such as police surveillance. The United States will need a number of pilots, certified to operate these unmanned vehicles and Nickolas Macchiarella, professor of Aeronautical Science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, has developed a Bachelor's of Science program to train the next generation of drone pilots.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, the United States has the most unequal income distribution of all major industrialized nations. Similarly, while China's economy has modernized rapidly, economic inequality has grown. Michael Moran and Kathleen McLaughlin write about economic inequality for GlobalPost.

Congress and the White House unveil their comprehensive immigration plans this week, and the hopes of 11 million people hang in the balance. What are their hopes? Are they they optimistic? Anxious? And what’s at stake?

"As long as the music is playing, you've got to get up and dance. We're still dancing." Those were the now-infamous words from Chuck Prince, then the C.E.O. of Citigroup, on July 8, 2007, the eve of the credit crisis. For Alan Blinder, former vice chair of the Federal Reserve Board, Prince's quote succinctly explains the problems with the financial and housing markets that led to economic collapse just a few years ago.

In an historic shift, the Boy Scouts leadership says they are actively reconsidering their stance on gay members and troop leaders. They could vote on the issue as early as next week. Journalist Scott Leadingham is a longtime Eagle Scout. He is gay, and believes that the Scouts' virtues outweigh the organization's controversial policies.

As John Kerry faces his Senate colleagues in his secretary of state confirmation hearings, BBC State Department correspondent Kim Ghattas explains how the State Department may change with Kerry at the helm, and discusses President Obama's foreign policy goals in his second term.

Osama bin Laden first appeared on the FBI Most Wanted list in 1999. Following the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, every American knew his name, and he represented America's ultimate villain, and our number one target. In "Zero Dark Thirty," actor Ricky Sekhon had the challenge of playing Osama bin Laden.

A federal regulator has recently ruled, in a number of cases, that employees posting about wages, hours, and working conditions on social media is protected speech. Steven Kane, owner of a human resources consulting firm, explains the legal issues surrounding employee comments on social media, and how employers should handle these issues.

Today is election day in Israel, the end of a contentious campaign season on fraught political territory. Israeli singer-songwriter Idan Raichel explores his country's politics through his music, and explains how he hopes to reach Israel's neighbors through song. 

Today, as the president takes the oath of office once more, the palpable hope and excitement of Obama's first inauguration has waned. How will President Obama's second inaugural compare to his first, and how does it fit the history of second inaugurals, from Lincoln on forward? Historian and author Kenneth C. Davis explores the history of second inaugurals, and discusses the expectations for President Obama.

In 2008, Louisiana passed the Science Education Act, a law that allows schools to use supplemental materials when teaching evolution and global warming. Critics like activist Zack Kopplin argued that the law allows teachers to promote creationism.

Facebook just unveiled its latest venture, a search tool called Graph. Patrick Moorhead, president and principal analyst of Moor Insights and Strategy, discusses the new function, and what it means for the future of search and social networking.

Born and raised in Mali, Assoumane Maiga traveled to the United States as a Fulbright scholar in 2009. Upon his return, Maiga spoke out about humanitarian crises in his hometown of Timbuktu, and was soon imprisoned, without reason, by the Malian military. He has since been released.

The New York City Medical Examiner has announced that the office is reviewing more than 800 rape kits, cases were handled by a former lab technician who made a series of incorrect reports over the course of ten years, from 2001 to 2011. Lawrence Kobilinsky, forensic scientist and chair of the science department at John Jay College, discusses the science of DNA analysis. Erin Murphy, professor of at New York University School of Law, explains the legal issues at stake.

Residents of Coastal New York and New Jersey are still feeling the aftereffects of Sandy more than two months after the powerful storm. President Obama signed a $9.7 billion Sandy aid package last Sunday, and Congress will decide the fate of another $51 billion aid package next Tuesday. Bob Hennelly, contributing editor for politics and investigations for Takeaway co-producer WNYC, discusses the politics behind Sandy aid, and how victims are coping.

As President Obama moves into his second term, his policy priorities, and the policies themselves, will likely shift. Coral Davenport, energy and environment correspondent for the National Journal, explores the Obama Administration's priorities on climate change, and Elisabeth Bumiller, Pentagon correspondent for Takeaway partner The New York Times, discusses the Administration's policy shifts in Afghanistan.

In her reporting for The New Yorker, journalist Rachel Aviv follows subjects with complicated legal or medical problems, such as homeless LGBT runaways living with HIV, or whether teenagers who commit heinous crimes should be given life sentences. Aviv's latest piece, "The Science of Sex Abuse," explores the difficult medical, legal and moral questions in civil commitment in cases of possessing child pornography.

As of January 1st, Texas began its own, state-funded Women's Health Program, forgoing federal Medicaid funds to avoid using Planned Parenthood health providers. Ben Philpott, senior reporter for KUT in Austin, discusses the new program and how it serves low-income women in Texas.

Journalist and author Amy Wilentz first traveled to Haiti in 1986, as the regime of Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier began to crumble and fall. Today, more than 25 years later, Wilentz reflects on the unique nation that has made her career in her new book, "Farewell, Fred Voodoo."

As President Obama prepares for his second term, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner plans to leave as soon as Congress confirms his replacement. Geithner has certainly faced an uphill battle since assuming the position in 2009, in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Michael Barr, professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School who previously served in the U.S. Treasury Department, examines his legacy.