Three astronauts on board the International Space Station had a bit of a scare when space debris whizzed by the space station at 21,000 miles per hour. The crew took refuge in the Soyuz capsule, an attached Russian spacecraft. This incident happened a month after two satellites collided in space.

To talk about the space junk orbiting the earth is Ben Baseley-Walker, a legal and policy consultant at the Secure World Foundation.

Listeners from Oklahoma, New Jersey and as far away as Cuba call in to talk about what the American dream means to them.

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said today that he's worried about the safety of the the U.S. Treasury Department's large holdings and other debt. He noted nearly half of China's $2 trillion in currency reserves are invested in U.S. treasuries making China the largest creditor to the U.S. Joining The Takeaway to discuss the prime minister's remarks is BBC correspondent James Reynolds in Beijing.

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 yesterday to limit the Voting Rights Act. The ruling says there is no duty to draw voting districts that will elect black candidates in areas where blacks are less than a majority. The Takeaway talks to Nathaniel Persily, Columbia University law professor, and Richard Pildes, New York University law professor, about the implication of the ruling. Specifically, the role of race in elections almost 50 years after the Voting Rights Act was passed, and that the Supreme Court might rule on another section of the Voting Rights Act next month.

President Obama says he's open to ideas from both parties when it comes to the budget, but who are the Congressional gatekeepers to Obama’s ambitious agenda? The Takeaway talks to New York Times National Desk reporter Jackie Calmes about the committee chairmen who will determine how Obama’s spending and taxation plans will move forward.

For more read Jackie's article in the New York Times, Obama’s Budget Faces Test Among Party Barons.

The European Union is strongly objecting to a "Buy American" clause in the $800 billion economic stimulus plan being debated in the U.S. Senate. The clause would ensure that only U.S. iron, steel, and manufactured goods are used in infrastructure projects paid for in the stimulus package. The E.U. says it will launch a complaint with the World Trade Organization if the clause remains. Andrew Walker, BBC Economics and Business correspondent.