• FINANCE TAKEOUT: A new report by the Pew Center gives a failing grade on eight states' pension funds. New York Times finance reporter Louise Story explains.
• OLYMPICS: Daily News sportswriter Nate Vinton joins us with a look at women's Olympic skiing. American women took the top two spots in downhill skiing — including a triumphant gold for an injured Lindsey Vonn.
• LISTENERS RESPOND: By email, phone and posts on our website, listeners weigh in on news of President Obama's nuclear power ambitions.

The number one question I get here in Vancouver about figure skating is, “Who do you think will win the ladies competition?”

My answer: “Kim Yu-Na of South Korea is the one to beat.”

Sequins, feathers and fur have this year's Olympic figure skaters taking heat for the drama behind their costumes. Last month, two Russian teammates who wore costumes, and makeup that were meant to make them look like Australian Aborigines were accused of being culturally insensitive. But first and foremost, says fashion designer Nick Verreos, their costumes were hideously ugly.

• MONEY TAKEOUT: European Finance Ministers are uniting against a plan by President Obama to overhaul the banking system. New York Times finance reporter Louise Story tells us more.
• OLYMPICS TAKEOUT: The international men's hockey tournament is heating up at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Freelance sports writer Dan Friedell joins us from Vancouver.

The confetti that papered the streets of New Orleans after the Super Bowl has been swept away and most of the fans from out of town have headed home. Now America’s obsession with a big sporting event is shifting to Vancouver.

• Washington Takeout: Takeaway Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich helps us remember Pennsylvania Congressman John P. Murtha, who died yesterday at 77.
• Sports Takeout: The 2010 Olympic Games kick off this week in Vancouver and Takeaway sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin joins us to profile figure skater Johnny Weir.   

More than a hundred members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are meeting in Copenhagen to take a look at the final four presentations from four global cities that each want to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. Representatives from Madrid, Chicago, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro will each be making 45-minute presentations to the IOC members; the committee will vote in secret later this afternoon.

We talk first with Alex Capstick, BBC sports correspondent, on the scene in Copenhagen. Then it's back to our own Femi Oke, who reports that Chicago and Rio are really the only two contenders, and both cities are ready to talk a big game to go for Olympic gold. And finally, to get the mood in Chicago, we turn to Lynette Kalsnes, arts and culture reporter with WBEZ.

President Obama is in Copenhagen today to make the case that Chicago should be the host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics. We measure the mood in Denmark with BBC Sports News correspondent Alex Capstick.

And we're asking you, Is the president spending his international political capital on the right issue?

 

As Chicago tries to drum up support for its bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games, Paddy O'Connell, host of the BBC radio program Broadcasting House, joins us with a look at the challenges London is facing as the host of the 2012 Olympics. Closer to home, Major League Baseball's season is winding down, and teams from both the American and National Leagues are vying for slots in the playoffs. The Takeaway's sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin gives us the lowdown on some of baseball's most exciting pennant races.

After months of deliberation, presentations, and viewing parties, the International Olympics Committee has made a decision. While it passed over baseball, softball, squash, karate, and "roller sports", the I.O.C. has opted to add golf and rugby to the roster of Olympic sports. Ruggers and golfers will be able to vie for Olympic gold beginning at the summer games in 2016. Martin Gough, BBC sports reporter, has more of the story.

The 2016 Olympics are already heating up. Seven candidates — baseball, golf, karate, roller sports, rugby sevens, softball and squash — are vying for a place at the games from 2016 onward. To find out how the process is going, The Takeaway is joined by Don Porter, the President of the Softball Federation, who is in Lausanne, Switzerland, to pitch his sport to the IOC. Also joining the discussion is Dave Zirin, sportswriter for The Nation and author of People's History of Sports in the United States, for his take on the Olympics.