Each Friday morning this summer, we're asking musicians, artists and music lovers to weigh in on what makes a perfect summer song. Last week we spoke with "Saturday Night Live's" Fred Armisen to get his picks. For him, summer music has to be either really upbeat or slow enough to elicit memories of long hot summers of the past. The Takeaway listeners evidently have strong opinions about the topic, as well. Many have called in or written to us to share their ultimate summer songs.

Last Friday, we asked listeners about the relevance of religion in the discussion of the alleged Fort Hood shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan. Is the fact that Hasan is Muslim something to mention or ignore?

• Washington Takeout: After the U.S. Chamber of Commerce got punk'd by The Yes Men several weeks ago for their reluctance to get behind climate change legislation, one can understand both Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and our own Todd Zwillich being careful reporting on whether the Chamber might be reconsidering its position on climate change ... for real this time.
• Business Takeout: New York Times finance reporter Louise Story brings details of a new Disney venture in China.
• Sports Takeout: Can the NY Yankees seal the deal on the World Series when the game returns to home turf in the Bronx? Or will the Phillies take the series to a 7th game? Our own Ibrahim Abdul-Matin has analysis and predictions for Game 6 of the World Series.

• Business Takeout: Retail lender CIT files for one of the biggest corporate bankruptcies on record, and takes $2.3 billion in bailout money with it. Louise Story, finance reporter for our partners The New York Times, explains.
• Sports Takeout: The Takeaway's sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin talks about the decidedly mixed reception ex-Packers quarterback Brett Favre got as he took the Minnesota Vikings to victory in Green Bay over the weekend.
• Listener Takeout: Listeners respond to our question on whether and how stimulus money is making a difference in their jobs.

• Washington Takeout: The Takeaway's man in Washington, Todd Zwillich, previews what we can expect from the House's version of health care reform, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will unveil in Congress later this morning.
  
• Business Takeout: Louise Story, finance reporter for The New York Times, says Commerce Department data shows new home sales unexpectedly dropped in September.
  
• Listener Takeout: Listeners weigh in on our conversations about okra and the perennial battle over the toilet seat.

• Washington Takeout: The Takeaway's Washington correspondent, Todd Zwilich, explains the surprisingly staunch and early stance from Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) against the Democratic health reform bill ... in particular on the inclusion of a public option.
• Business Takeout: Louise Story, finance reporter for The New York Times, brings us word of yet another government bailout with the hope of preventing another Lehman Brothers–style collapse.
• Listener Takeout: We hear from listeners arguing whether or not women are more obsessed about cleaning than men.

• Washington Takeout: Congress has passed an expansion to the federal definition of "hate crimes"; the law will now include crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability.  The Takeaway's Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, has more about the bill now headed for the president's desk.  
• Sports Takeout: The Takeaway's sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, takes a look at Game 5 of baseball's American League Championship Series. The NY Yankees lost last night to the Anaheim Angels and now lead the series 3-2.
• Listener Takeout: Listeners respond to our question on whether the government should regulate executive pay at bailed-out corporations.

Parents have a lot to worry about: what their kids eat, where to send them to school and how to rear them, just for starters. Compounding the mysteries of parenting is the debate over whether there are innate differences between raising a boy and raising a girl. Modern parents often try to be gender neutral, offering primary colors instead of pink or blue, and finger paints instead of trucks or dolls. But as many parents will attest, it seems that some boys are predisposed toward fire trucks and football, while girls want tutus and princesses no matter how you raise them. Should we change our parenting depending on our kids' gender? To help answer this question, we checked in with friends, contributors and listeners for their stories on how they were raised…and what they do with their own kids.

• Washingon Takeout: The Takeaway's Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, continues reporting on health care reform's progress in Congress. Moderate Democrats may be warming up to the idea of a health care bill that includes a public option, especially if individual states could opt out.
• Sports Takeout: The Takeaway's sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, talks baseball after last night's NLCS game. The Philadelphia Phillies are headed to their 2nd consecutive World Series after beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-4. We also get a preview of tonight's Game 5 in the ALCS. Will the Yankees join the Phillies in the World Series or will the Angels fight them off?
• Listener Takeout: Listeners respond to our interview with Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) about health care reform and the public option.

• Washington Takeout: The Takeaway's Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, reports on health care reform in the House of Representatives as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi looks for the votes she needs for the public option.
• Business Takeout: WNYC reporter Lisa Chow talks about the latest in the trial of two former Bear Stearns hedge fund managers accused of fraud just ahead of the economy's collapse in 2007.
• Listener Takeout: Listeners respond to Wednesday's conversation about banks closing credit card accounts without warning.

• Washingon Takeout: The Takeaway's Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich gives us his reaction to our discussion with Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) about the future of the public option in health care reform.
• Finance Takeout: Newsweek writer Dan Gross joins with a look at the economic recovery of one aspect of the economy — the business-to-business sales market. But is this trend an indicator of an economy in recovery? Or just a small rebound?
• Listener Takeout: Listeners respond to our conversation on the number of homeless increasing with the poor economy.

• Washington Takeout: The Obama administration wants to wait until the disputed Afghanistan elections are resolved before deciding on a new war strategy, including new troop levels. The Takeaway's Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, looks at how that decision is playing out in the capitol.
• Sports Takeout: Baseball's post-season is wrapping up, and two teams are a game away from the World Series. The Takeaway's sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, discusses the NY Yankees' "trampling" win (10-1) over the Anaheim Angels in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series. The Yankees now lead the series 3-1. We also get a preview of Game 5 of the National League Championship Series with the LA Dodgers squaring off against the Philadelphia Phillies.
• Listener Takeout: Listeners respond to our question on how you know it's winter and how you're preparing this year.

• Washington Takeout: Once again, Democrats on Capitol Hill are re-calibrating their campaign for health care reform. The Washington Examiner's Julie Mason drops by The Takeaway to tell us who the Dems are now hoping to court...and how.
  
• Sports Takeout: What does "homecoming" mean to you? To the Takeaway's sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, homecoming means great college football. He gives us a preview of the USC vs. Notre Dame matchup as well as the latest from the baseball playoffs.
• Listeners Respond: All week we've been talking about how the oldest and youngest workers have been the hardest hit in this economy. We check in with our listeners for their thoughts on the economy, the workplace and job security.

• Washington Takeout: Congresssional Democrats are attacking an antitrust exemption that lets insurance companies avoid federal oversight. Washington Examiner White House correspondent Julie Mason explains why.
• Sports Takeout: The Takeaway's sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, has the latest on sports, including his thoughts on why conservative and controversial talk show host Rush Limbaugh has been dropped from the group trying to buy the St. Louis Rams football team. Was it something we said?
  
• Listener Takeout: We hear our listeners' reactions to our health care coverage and our conversation on women in the military.

As the health care reform bill drafted by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) makes its way out of the finance committee, many people still have questions about what is in the bill and how it will change health care. David Herszenhorn, congressional correspondent for the New York Times, answers our listeners' questions.

• Business Takeout: The disgraced head of Enron, Jeff Skilling, is heading to the Supreme Court. New York Times finance reporter Louise Story tells us what to watch in the case. She also gives us the details on another corporate fraud case that may be in the works against Bank of America, who is coming under closer scrutiny over some recently uncovered emails that reveal questionable behavior by the board of directors.
• Washington Takeout: Julie Mason, White House correspondent for The Washington Examiner, says now that Sen. Max Baucus' (D-Mont.) health care reform bill has passed out of the Senate Finance Committee, the White House is going on the offensive for health care reform.
• Listener Takeout: We hear your reactions to our story on age in the workplace.

As we've been marking the eighth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan, we've found that people can think about the war in vastly different ways, depending on how close they are. We hear from those who've served, those who see the soldiers return, and even those for whom the war is far from their minds.

Marco Reininger, specialist in the New York Army Reserve and veteran of the war in Afghanistan, joins us as we review our listeners' responses to the ongoing war there.

Listeners respond to our interview with Tim Smith, a gay marine featured on a billboard saying, “I’m Gay and I protected Your Freedom.” The billboard was erected in Memphis by the Gay and Lesbian Community Center in the run-up to National Coming out Day on October 11.

We’re still getting responses to the conversation we had last week about "Driving While Distracted." Since that segment, the Obama administration banned all federal employees from texting while driving, and calls are growing for a nationwide ban. We hear some more of what our listeners had to say.