Yesterday the Obama administration called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down. It was the administration's strongest statement since the Syrian uprising began. "For the sake of the Syrian people, the time has come for [Assad] to step aside and leave this transition to Syrians themselves," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said. The U.S. is united with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and a host of European nations in pushing Assad to step down, and that international coalition may prove strong enough in the long term to force the Syrian leader out. How loudly will the American government's words echo, as Assad struggles to hold on to power?

With news of a staff shakeup in the Obama White House and revelations that Obama's national security team is deeply, bitterly divided over strategy in the Afghanistan war, is the president having a leadership crisis, or is this just typical midterm angst? How well is the president leading his staff, and the country?

"There is a division within this administration of 'tribes.' There's the Clinton tribe and the Obama campaign tribe. And is a story of an outsider, to some extent, coming to Washington and learning what it's like to be commander-in-chief." — Peter Baker of The New York Times

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Every year, children go back to school and are asked to write essays on what they did over the summer. As Labor Day approaches, we’re doing the same, with a look at the standout stories we covered over the past few months; from the oil gusher to the economy to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to the heat wave.

We're asking you: What event defined the summer for you, personally and in the news? Leave your six-word summary in the comments or text TAKE and your summary to 69866!

It's Monday, which means it's time to take a look at the week ahead. Marcus Mabry, associate national editor for The New York Times, and Charles Herman, The Takeaway and WNYC's economics editor look at what almost 200 American officials headed to China for meetings today and tomorrow, can expect.  On the docket will be topics ranging from trade to Iran and North Korea.

Former President Bill Clinton was in Kosovo this weekend to unveil a 3-meter statue – of himself. The statue commemorates Clinton's support of the NATO air campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999.The Takeaway speaks with Arber Vllahiu, a freelance reporter who was at the commemoration in Kosovo.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton returned empty-handed from talks with Russia this week. She had hoped to get Russia's support for imposing sanctions on Iran, but her Russian counterpart was not interested in punishing Iran's nuclear ambitions. Was the rebuff political or personal? We talk with Will Inboden, a former member of President George W. Bush's National Security Council, for an assessment of Clinton's role in the Obama administration's diplomatic strategy.

What were Russians expecting from Sec. Clinton's visit? Here's a clip from Russia Today:

As a presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton mangled Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's name during a debate a year and a half ago. Now, as Secretary of State, she is in Moscow speaking with Medvedev himself, looking for Russian action on Iran and nuclear disarmament after the United States dropped plans last month for a missile defense "shield" that had long irked Moscow.

Masha Lipman, a researcher and journalist with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Moscow, joins us to explain how Russians view Clinton's visit.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ends her 11-day trip across Africa today with a stop in the nation of Cape Verde. The State Department calls Clinton’s Africa trip a success, but her critics brush it off as little more than a “goodwill listening tour." Jendayi Frazer, former assistant secretary of state for Africa under the Bush administration, helps The Takeaway assess the significance of Clinton's trip.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continues her eleven-day tour of the African continent. After introducing a monetary commitment to Congo to help prevent sexual violence, the next country on her agenda is Nigeria. The oil rich nation is plagued by violence and corruption and President Obama skipped the nation on his last trip to Africa. Secretary Clinton is expected to have strong words for the country and to continue the push for a 60-day amnesty period on violence in the Niger Delta, which was declared in hopes to end years of militant attacks that have hobbled the oil industry there. BBC Correspondent Caroline Duffield is covering the Secretary of State's travels in Africa.

Many people received thanks for the safe return of two American journalists imprisoned in North Korea, including Bill Clinton, President Obama, and ... John Podesta? The former Chief of Staff under President Clinton and the mastermind behind President Obama’s White House transition is rarely in the headlines these days, but he is hard at work behind the scenes. Between his work bridging the two most recent Democratic presidencies, and starting an influential liberal think tank (the Center for American Progress), he might just be the powerful "unofficial official" in Washington. Josh Gerstein, the White House correspondent for Politico gives us his take on John Podesta.

Former Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton joins us this morning to debate the proper way to interact with North Korea and the resurgence of former President Bill Clinton. Clinton returned to the national spotlight when he made a surprise trip to North Korea to negotiate the release of two American journalists held by the closed communist country. Even while the behind-the-scenes negotiations for the journalists release were happening, North Korea was testing missiles and escalating verbal tensions with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. So what does Clinton’s trip do, if anything, for the nuclear issues at the heart of our country’s North Korean agenda? Ambassador Bolton has some strong opinions on that subject.

Peter Baker, the White House correspondent for The New York Times, is a long-time Clinton watcher. Yesterday's successful negotiation for the release of American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee from captivity in North Korea brought the former president back into the national spotlight. Peter joins the conversation on The Takeaway to talk about the former president's role now.

Former President Bill Clinton's plane landed in Los Angeles this morning with American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee. The two had been held captive in North Korea after being accused of illegally crossing the border into the communist nation. Clinton's surprise trip to North Korea led to the women's release and their reunion with their families today. Rose Razeghi of ABC News was on the tarmac when the journalists and the former president touched down.

To see the reunion for yourself, watch the video below:

Michael Crowley, a senior editor of The New Republic, joins The Takeaway with a look at the recent adventures of Bill and Hillary Clinton. The couple are dominating the headlines this week with Bill Clinton's coup in North Korea and Hillary Clinton's lengthy trip to Africa. Has the president decided to bring the Clintons' back into the fold for their expertise? Or is he following the cautionary phrase, "keep your friends close and your enemies closer"?

Bill Clinton’s brief trip to Pyongyang secured the freedom of two American journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who were imprisoned in North Korea. But what does the visit between Clinton and the elusive Kim Jong Il say about the future of U.S.- North Korean relations? The Takeaway's guest, Professor Charles Armstrong, is Director of the Center for Korean Research at Columbia University. He explains how the former president's visit could help break through the diplomatic log jam.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Africa for the Obama administration’s first serious tour of the continent. Jendayi Frazer, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs under President George W. Bush talks with The Takeaway about the significance of Clinton's visit and the issues she'll confront. Also joining the conversation is Martin Plaut, the BBC's Africa editor.

Yesterday former President Bill Clinton embarked on a surprise mission to North Korea to negotiate the release of two American journalists imprisoned there. Less than 24 hours later he is returning victorious, with the two women safely aboard his plane. How did he do it? Was the deal pre-cooked? Why did Robert Gibbs, the White House spokesman, specifically state that Clinton did not carry a private message to Kim il Jong from President Obama? To help us unravel the mystery, The Takeaway talks to New York Times reporter David Sanger.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton begins her seven-country tour of the African continent tomorrow. Will this trip signal a new day for U.S. foreign policy or will it be an extended overseas photo-op? To examine her agenda and its possible implications, The Takeaway is joined by Will Ross of the BBC in Nairobi, and Steve Clemons, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation

Former President Bill Clinton arrived in Pyongyang, North Korea, in a surprise move to negotiate for the release of two American journalists imprisoned there. The two women, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, were arrested near the Chinese border while working on a story for Current TV, a media company owned by former Vice President Al Gore. Bill Clinton's mission marks the highest ranking visit to North Korea since Madeleine Albright. Sang-hun Choe, New York Times correspondent in Seoul, South Korea, and Jim Walsh, a North Korea watcher and professor at the MIT Security Studies Program join The Takeaway with their thoughts. Professor Walsh traveled to Pyongyang in 2005 and has met with North Korean officials in Europe and the U.S.

North Korea and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have launched a war of words. In a speech in Thailand, where she is attending a regional summit, Secretary Clinton urged North Korea to renounce nuclear weapons; North Korea's official media responded by calling Clinton "an unintelligent funny lady." North Korea also announced that the six-party talks on disarmament were dead. Jill McGivering, the BBC's Asia correspondent, joins The Takeaway to explain what's at stake.

Here is more on Secretary Clinton's trip to the ASEAN summit and her call for changes in Myanmar and North Korea: