It's been less than a week and President Obama has already reversed several Bush Administration policies. Monday it was the environment's turn. The President called for the EPA to consider allowing California and other states to impose stricter emissions standards for cars than the federal government, a measure blocked by the previous White House. How will the auto industry, already hanging on by a thread, cope with more stringent environmental requirements? Bloomberg News reporter John Hughes joins Adaora and Katherine with his analysis.

How much good will President Obama’s stimulus plan do for the states that are hurting the most? An analysis by the investigative journalists at ProPublica has found that much of the transportation and infrastructure spending won’t go to areas with the highest unemployment rates. In fact, states with higher unemployment rates would get far less money per capita for than states with lower unemployment rates. ProPublica’s Michael Grabell and The Takeaway’s Andrea Bernstein are here to discuss the implications.

Track all of The Takeaway's coverage of the stimulus package

Continuing his string of reversals of Bush administration policies, President Obama is set to allow California to opt out of federal regulations and set stricter standards to limit greenhouse gas emissions from cars. More than a dozen other states may adopt the same standards. Struggling automakers have said that complying with the new rules will cost billions. New York Times reporter Peter Baker joins The Takeaway to explain the significance of the change in federal policy.

For more, read Peter Baker's article, Obama’s Order Is Likely to Tighten Auto Standards, in today's New York Times.

Two former Guantanamo Bay inmates have joined the ranks of al-Qaida in Yemen, according to a video released by the terrorist group on Friday. President Obama has signed an executive order calling for the detention center to be closed within a year. Will this development make that more difficult? For more on this troubling situation we turn to terrorism analyst Gregory Johnsen from the Jamestown Foundation in Princeton, N.J. and Robert Worth, the New York Times correspondent based in Beirut.

For more information, read Robert Worth's article, 2 Ex-Detainees in Qaeda Video, in the New York Times.

Things are not slowing down at all this week on Capitol Hill. Among other big events, Tim Geithner is likely to be approved as Treasury Secretary, the new Senator from New York will be sworn in, and the Senate Appropriations Committee will debate the stimulus bill. Todd Zwillich of Capitol News Connection joins Katherine and Adaora with a preview.

President Obama visited the State Department on his second full day in office yesterday, signaling the renewed importance of diplomacy in US foreign policy. He appointed two special envoys to troubled regions — former Northern Ireland mediator George Mitchell to oversee Arab-Israeli issues and longtime diplomat Richard Holbrooke to handle Pakistan and Afghanistan. The New York Times’ Mark Landler joins John and Adaora with a look at these two appointments and what they say about the new President's foreign policy strategy.

When he listed the diverse faiths of our nation in his inaugural address, President Obama chose to include nonbelievers, a group rarely acknowledged in official discourse. Randall Balmer, professor of American religious history at Barnard College and author of "God in The White House" joins John and Adaora to discuss the implications of the President's inclusion of atheists and agnostics as part of our spiritual community.

Treasury Secretary nominee Timothy Geithner faces the Senate Finance Committee today and it could get ugly. His confirmation hearings were delayed after it was disclosed that he didn’t pay Social Security and Medicare taxes for several years, took child care deductions that weren't accurate, and employed a housekeeper whose immigration documentation had lapsed. Don Williamson, a Washington, D.C. accountant and professor at the Kogod School of Business at American University gives John and Adaora his professional view on Geithner’s tax problems.

Who else is joining Obama's administration? See our guide to his inner circle.

What a way to start an administration. As if things weren't bleak enough already, even as President Obama was giving his inauguration speech, the Dow was plunging, taking its biggest slide ever on an Inauguration Day. Despite billions funneled to the banking system by the federal government, that's where the crisis in the economy remains rooted. How are we going to get out of this mess? Newsweek's Dan Gross give his insights on the possible ways for the new President to get things under control, and how long we can expect troubled times to continue.

The festivities are over and today the new president and Congress begin the process of working together. President Obama has said that he will collaborate more closely with Congress than his predecessor, and that he will reach out to Republicans. How is that likely to play out as lawmakers grapple with healing the economy and taking on other major challenges like health care reform? The New York Times' David Sanger joins John and Adaora to take a look at the executive/legislative relationship as the Obama Administration gets underway.

For more, read David Sanger's new book The Inheritance: The World Obama Confronts and the Challenges to American Power.

For The Takeaway's idea of what President Obama needs to know on his first day in office, check out our Briefing Book series.

Our national conversation continues with Joe Hicks, talk show host from Los Angeles on KFI. He may just be waking up, but he woke up excited for today's events and renewed global goodwill. He also lets us know all the best spots to view the Inauguration, even from 3,000 miles away. Marcus Mabry is still with us and offers his insights from Washington, D.C.

President-elect Obama has said he was inspired to climb the steps of the White House by the brave act of nine black Arkansas teenagers who made their way up the steps of Central High School in 1957 defying segregationists. Today, Obama will reach that highest of goals. Ernest Green is one of the Arkansas high school students who integrated Central High and will be a guest of honor at the inauguration this morning. He gives us his take on today.

As we continue with our national conversation on today's historic events, we turn to New Orleans and Times-Picayune columnist Lolis Eric Elie who says that as Barack Obama ascends to the presidency his hopes are up...but so is his guard.

In one of the longest presidential campaigns in history, some people didn't believe Obama would be president until all the votes were in. Others believed from the moment they saw him at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. But when did Barack Obama believe he would be president? We take a look back at his speeches and appearances and try to figure out when he believed.

The Takeaway's look at how the inauguration is viewed across America continues with Dan Moulthrop, host of The Sound of Ideas on WCPN in Cleveland, and Johanna Sailor, a reporter for South Dakota Public Broadcasting. They'll discuss the particular perspectives of their corners of the nation on this historic day.

The seemingly unflappable soon-to-be President Barack Obama has all eyes on him today, but by now he should be pretty used to the attention. For the past 77 days since the election he has projected the calm, cool and collected image of a man who today will formally inherit the many burdens that plague this nation. New York Times reporter Peter Baker has a piece in today’s paper about what those 77 days say about the President-elect.

For more, read Peter Baker's article,Transition Holds Clues to How Obama Will Govern , in today's New York Times.

Chaos has embarked upon our nation's capitol today and no one knows that better than Capitol News Connection's Todd Zwillich. He joins us from one of the best seats in the business for today’s festivities. Being a Washington insider he used his credentials to secure a prime seat a mere 50 yards from where the soon-to-be President will be sworn in. All he has to do now though is wait and while he waits, he’s met quite a cast of characters.

This morning The Takeaway is reaching out across the country to see how the inauguration is resonating in local communities. We'll start with Detroit and Atlanta, majority black cities with rich African-American cultural traditions. William Boone, professor of political science at Clark Atlanta University, and Sarah Hulett, Detroit reporter for Michigan Radio, join John and Adaora with perspectives on the inauguration and their home towns.

WNYC's own Terrance McKnight is in Washington, D.C. to witness the Inauguration of Barack Obama. We asked him to craft an essay on the subject of what this Inauguration means to him. Listen to his take on this historic day.

As the nation prepares for the inauguration, the excited attendees are already streaming onto the National Mall. The Takeaway's Andrea Bernstein is there to report on the mood of those lucky enough to be in D.C. today. We are also joined by The Takeaway's contributor Patrik Henry Bass with his thoughts on the day when America will swear in the first African-American to lead the nation. Patrik Henry Bass is the Senior Editor of Essence magazine and the author of Like A Mighty Stream: The March on Washington, August 28, 1963.