When Nebraska's legislature crafted its safe-haven law to protect newborns from abandonment, state lawmakers had the best intentions. But without an age limit set, those best intentions have opened the door to some 30 children being abandoned at Nebraskan hospitals — and those "children" have often been teenagers, never newborns.

"That's the weak point of the whole summit. We're talking with an outgoing administration."
--Markus Ziener speaking about the upcoming G-20 Summit

As of October 2008, 520 detainees had been released from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and a new study from the Human Rights Center at the University of California, Berkeley, finds the stigma of being a prisoner still haunts many of them. After spending an average of three years in the prison, six of the 62 former detainees tracked (none of which were convicted of a crime) had found employment, and many were not able to return home.

Recipe: Anadama Bread (nytimes.com)

Recipe: Cranberry Parker House Rolls (nytimes.com)

Recipe: Salami and Scallion Biscuits (nytimes.com)

Recipe: Corn and Black Pepper Crackers (nytimes.com)

"That would be taking the catastrophe of the last seven years and enshrining it in our law." — Ben Wizner on creating a new "National Security Court" to replace Guantanamo Bay

"The total pot for the World Series of Poker is about $180 million. It's up from $160 million last year." — Gary Belsky, ESPN the Magazine

Tomorrow, for the first time in history, American will put either an African-American man in the White House or elect a woman as vice president. Today, we take a look at several African-American women who helped make this moment in history possible. These women were writers, politicians and civil rights leaders. But their names are often omitted in the discussion about how we got to this pivotal moment in American history.

As the United States gets ready for a history-making and record-breaking election, people across the nation are preparing for their election night parties. The Takeaway checks in with party planners to find out what you serve, what you wear and who you invite to watch election returns.

Barack Obama’s campaign for the White House is making history. Not simply because of his race or the amount of money he has raised, but because of the way his campaign has been run. Marshall Ganz, the architect of this new approach to campaigning discusses how to organize and motivate the modern electorate.

There is science and there is cooking. Then there is the area where the two intersect. New York Times writer Julia Moskin joins The Takeaway to talk about the culinary and scientific as heavy machinery, geometry and electrical engineering enter the kitchen.

Dan Fritz of California's KPFK discusses Proposition 8, the ballot measure that would amend the California constitution and ban same-sex marriage in California.

The Takeaway is looking at the choices going before voters on Election Day. Today, The Takeaway speaks with a reporter from South Dakota where a comprehensive abortion ban is on the ballot for the second time in two years, and a reporter in Colorado where some voters are trying to define human life as starting at fertilization.

A homeowner bailout now looks more likely than ever. Both presidential candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama, are floating plans to help homeowners stuck with bad mortgages and the threat of foreclosures. But is that the best solution to the problem? New York Times Columnist and Economix blogger David Leonhardt talks about the pitfalls of a homeowner bailout.

Year in and year out families gather to commemorate holidays and special events with iconic foods: at the Lunar New Year, dumplings; at Thanksgiving, turkey; and Rosh Hashana brings brisket. Celebratory foods connect us to our culture. Can we re-imagine these foods for modern palates without upsetting family members and vital cultural traditions? The answer is yes, and deliciously. Out with the brisket and in with the osso buco when Melissa Clark re-imagines the food of Rosh Hashana.