Iran apparently took "no action" towards complying with a U.N. mandate to turn over its nuclear fuel for processing by the end of 2009, and as political protests continue, opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi says he's "not afraid to die" for his cause. We check in for the most recent news from Iran with Kasra Naji, special correspondent for BBC Persian Television.
It's the first day of a brand new decade; we're hoping to jump in and begin this one fresh-faced and optimistic. All this week we've been taking a look back at the 2000s and how we've changed because of them.
Today is the last day to (officially) look back and we're talking about American pop culture: the best and worst of where we've been and where we may go in the next ten years. Joining us are two Takeaway contributors who know a thing or two about the subject: Patrik Henry Bass, books editor for Essence, and Kate Dailey, health and lifestyle editor for Newsweek.
We’ve been mulling over New Year’s resolutions all week. Today, when it is time to finally commit, we talk with someone who has sustained a goal through twelve long months. Author Gretchen Rubin joins us to talk about her book, "The Happiness Project
All week long, we've been talking about the importance of the 2010 Census. To wrap up these conversations, we invited Nate Persily, professor of law and politics at Columbia University, and Ken Prewitt, the Director of the 2000 Census, to join the conversation. What's at stake -- and will everyone be counted?
The Taliban claimed responsibility for an Afghan officer who blew himself up on a US military base in Afghanistan killing eight Americans. We get an update from Anand Gopal, reporter for the Wall Street Journal, who is on the ground in Kabul. And we talk with Michael Scheuer, former head of the CIA Bin Laden Tracking Unit, about how the American military can train Afghan forces if they can't trust them.
As we usher in the New Year, the big screen seems te be traveling backwards in time, bringing back remakes and sequels of classics from the 1980s. We talk with Rafer Guzman, the film critic for Newsday, about what’s in store at the box office in 2010. On tap: sequels to "Tron," "Wall Street," and "Iron Man" and "Sex and the City."
As America makes its New Year's resolutions for 2010, guest host Luke Burbank has resolved to quit eating fast food. And he's willing to go as far as getting hypnotized to stop his desires for McDonald's hash browns and other guilty pleasures. To get Luke some help in steeling his resolve, we turned to Jeffrey Rose, founder and director of the Advanced Hypnosis Center, who spoke directly to Luke's subconscious.
All this week, we’ve been discussing the apparent attempt by a young Nigerian man, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, to blow up a Detroit-bound Northwest flight on Christmas Day. Al-Qaida affiliates in Yemen reportedly sent the man on that mission. Our partner, the BBC, just sent Owen Bennett-Jones, the host of “Newshour," to Yemen. He brings us a report on this complex and conflicted country.
First Lieutenant Russell Galeti is one of 30,000 U.S. troops that will deploy to Afghanistan as part of the troop surge ordered by President Obama. We speak to Russell and his wife, Mary Galeti, about how they are planning for Russell's deployment at the end of the month.
We sprint around the globe from east to west, beginning with a call from the future: Phil Mercer, BBC correspondent in Sydney (where it's already 2010) describes the fireworks display claimed to be the biggest in the world; Tristana Moore, BBC Correspondent in Munich, muses on similarities between German and American party habits; and Laurie Raimondo, with the Times Square Alliance, describes New York's preparations for tonight's ball drop.
It began with a contested election, ended with a new leader promising change, and in between was defined by the threat of terrorism, distrust of the government and the loss of thousands of lives both abroad and on American soil. MSNBC political analyst Richard Wolffe talks with us about the high and low points of the past ten years in politics, and shares his predictions for what's ahead.
Have you done any thinking "outside the box" this decade, or encountered any "game changers?" Here to tell us more about the catchphrases that became a part of our lexicon in the 2000s is Ron Rosenbaum, columnist for Slate and author of "The Shakespeare Wars: Clashing Scholars, Public Fiascoes, Palace Coups
On Wednesday, a suicide bomber killed eight American civilians in Afghanistan, according to U.S. officials. The incident happened at Forward Operating Base Chapman, which is located in a highly hostile area near the Pakistan border. It is still unclear how many people were injured and whether or not the bomber was targeting the civilians, reportedly CIA employees. With the latest is Marvin Weinbaum, former State Department analyst on Afghanistan and Pakistan, along with Peter Greste, BBC correspondent in Afghanistan.
Today is New Year's Eve, and that means citizens of the world will be ringing in 2010 when the clock hits midnight. We're leaping through time zones with reporters from across the globe for a look at how some cities are getting ready to celebrate. Tristana Moore is a BBC Correspondent in Munich; Phil Mercer reports for the BBC from Sydney, and Anna Sale is a producer for The Takeaway in New York. Sale called in from Times Square, where many hundreds of millions around the world will watch the ball drop at midnight EST.
This year, the housing market dropped like a stone before slowing and gaining, somewhat. But how much longer until Americans feel ready to buy? We talk with housing expert Robert Shiller, co-creator of the Case-Shiller home-price index, to review 2009's housing downs and ups.
It’s Thursday, that’s our day to talk technology here on The Takeaway. And it’s also December 31st, the last day of the year to give to a charity if you want to deduct your donation from your taxes. This is a big week for charities who rely on online giving. Last year at this time, donors made nearly five times as many contributions compared to an average week, and their gifts were nearly 60% larger than usual.
Stacy Palmer, editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, says this is crucial time for many charities, but only the most savvy at utilizing the power of a great website and social networking tools will reap most of the benefits today. Deyan Vitanov, CEO of the philanthropy navigator site Philanthropedia.org says that's exactly why he helped found their website, so people who want to give have many choices online.
Below, a list of sites Stacy Palmer recommends if you want to give to a charity online before the year ends.
It looks like one of Russian President Dmitri Medvedev’s New Year's resolutions is to encourage all Russians to think twice about reaching for their favorite drink.
As of January 1st, he’s setting a higher minimum price for Vodka in Russia. It’s an attempt to cut alcoholism in the country with the highest per-capita alcohol consumption in the world.
But how popular is a forced New Year's detox with ordinary Russians? We ask Boris Maksimov, a reporter with the BBC Russian service; he joins us from London.
The 2010 census is just around the corner. It's the once-every-decade tally of who lives where in the United States. One of its provisions requires counting prisoners in the place where they are incarcerated, not where they originally lived. Here to tell us why that's a problem is Peter Wagner, executive director of the Prison Policy Initiative. Also joining us is Jim Lehman, a state senator from Dodge County, in Wisconsin. His county has a population of just over 10,000, of which nearly 2,000 are prison inmates.
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Today's Takeaway: Big Night for Rick Santorum
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In-Depth Look at the Situation in Syria
Newly-Discovered Recordings Shed Light on a Young Malcolm X
Today's Takeaway: Multi-Billion Dollar Foreclosure Settlement Imminent
Is Our Constitution Out of Date?
Multi-Billion Dollar Foreclosure Settlement Imminent
Contraception Coverage Draws Criticism from Catholic Bishops
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