Arwa Gunja

This week Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will go in front of reporters for his first-ever press conference. He will take questions about policy inflation and the Fed's bond-buying program in an effort to promote transparency between the Fed and the American public. What should Bernanke say to develop Americans' trust? Christina Romer, professor of Economics at University of California, Berkeley, and former chairwoman of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers says she'd like the truth.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that chemical-management policies have to be revised to better protect children, pregnant women, and the elderly. Dr. Jerome Paulson is the incoming chair of the Council on Environmental Health for the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the lead author of new guidelines issued today.

For two decades, scientists and doctors have relied on blood types to categorize patients. Depending on whether one is blood type A, B, AB, or O, doctors could alter their treatment to increase their chances of a successful procedure. But there's a new way for people to be categorized medically — gut bacteria. New research shows that there are three distinct ecosystems in people's guts that could have direct effects of people's heath. We talk with Carl Zimmer, science reporter for our partner The New York Times, who reported on this story in yesterday's paper.

Until reading the first chapter of Susan Freinkel's new book, you might not realize just how many things in your life are made of plastic, from your gym clothes to your refrigerator. But what does all this new — and sometimes life-saving, or at least life-altering — material mean for how we live our lives? And what are the consequences of a single-use culture? We talk with Freinkel about her new book, "Plastic: A Toxic Love Story" and ask, "paper or plastic?"

Tim Hetherington, Oscar-nominated director of the 2010 documentary, “Restrepo” and photojournalist Chris Hondros were killed yesterday in Misrata, Libya. They, along with other war photographers, were caught in the middle of heavy fire between rebels and government forces. Two other photographers were also injured but are in stable condition. The Takeaway had a chance to speak with another photographer in Misrata, Andre Liohn, who had been at the scene of the shelling only a few hours prior to the attack. Andre was the first to report the deaths.

Cuba made significant changes to its leadership on Tuesday, appointing someone other than a member of the Castro family to the second-highest position in the Communist Party. Raul Castro was named first secretary of the party, and Fidel Castro was not included in the leadership for the first time since the party's creation in 1965. Are we seeing the start of a new era in Cuba?

Over the past few months, throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa, there have been countless testimonies about the human rights abuses committed by dictators clinging to power. Protesters in Egypt and Libya have struggled to draw international attention to abuses of power in their countries by leaders Hosni Mubarak and Moammar Gadhafi. In Ivory Coast, human rights observers warned of a possible genocide as hundreds were killed during Laurent Gbagbo's final weeks in power. But what happens to the leaders after they're ousted? And what's the role today of the International Criminal Court in pursuing these cases? 

Following a CBS "60 Minutes" report that found factual errors in the best-selling book, "Three Cups of Tea," author Greg Mortenson and his charitable work in Afghanistan and Pakistan have come under fire. In the book, Mortenson writes about stumbling into a tiny village in northeastern Pakistan and coming across a group of schoolchildren doing their lessons with sticks and dirt. It was then, he writes, that he discovered his passion to build schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But "60 Minutes'" producers found factual errors in the book and suggest that Mortenson's charity may be spending money poorly and exaggerating their accomplishments. Mortenson is denying the allegations.

It’s tax day. And if you haven’t done so already, it’s your last chance to fill out your income tax forms and make a payment to the IRS. It’s a time-honored tradition. It’s a civic duty. It’s a pain. And we all have to do it. But how much do we really know about how our tax money gets used?

President Barack Obama outlined a comprehensive plan on Wednesday to reduce the nation's looming deficit by $4 trillion over the next 12 years. His plan, which includes tax increases for the wealthy, changes to social welfare programs and long-term spending cuts, was offered as a Democratic alternative to the proposal put forward by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) which would fundamentally alter Medicare and Medicaid. In the next few weeks, members of Congress will have to decide whether to raise the nation's debt ceiling, and Vice President Joe Biden will lead negotiations to move congressional leaders towards common ground. Will they find it? 

In 2008, much was made about how the Obama campaign’s mastery of social media helped catapult a young, relatively unknown senator into the White House. But three years later, voters are harnessing the power of social media not to put candidates into office, but to "throw the bums out." Recall elections have gone viral, and angry voters throughout the country are using social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to drive recall efforts against unpopular politicians.

It's been several weeks since the CIA operative Raymond Davis was released from custody in Pakistan for reportedly killing two armed men in a traffic incident in Lahore, Pakistan. Since his release, relations between the US and Pakistan have been strained. The tensions have grown not only over the questions relating to the diplomatic immunity of Raymond Davis and his 47 days of detention, but also over a US drone attack that killed tribal leaders last month. Now Pakistan is demanding that the United States sharply reduce the number of CIA and Special Ops forces working in the country, and put drone strikes on hold.

The auto industry might just be driving the U.S. economy. U.S. car sales rose in March by 16.9 percent and Chrysler, Nissan and Ford are vying for the top slots. Chrysler hit its highest monthly total in three years in March with a 31 percent increase. And lot of that growth was fueled by hybrid and electric car sales. However, despite this good news, there are also reports that car companies are scaling back overtime hours and production schedules, especially in their small truck production.

Nicholas Kristof, columnist for The New York Times and Mina al Oraibi, Washington D.C. Bureau Chief for the Arab-language newspaper Asharq al Awsat talk about the view of the U.S. government shutdown from the Arab world. As revolutions have spread throughout the Middle East this year, American politicians have had a lot to say about the importance of democracy in the region. But today, as the U.S. government teeters on the brink of a shutdown, do these words ring hollow to Arab revolutionaries? What would a shutdown look like to the countries fighting for democracy in the Middle East?

Half-Palestinian, half-Israeli actor and leading non-violence activist Juliano Mer-Khamis was shot dead on Monday in the West Bank. Mer-Khanis was a leading figure in the arts and founded The Freedom Threatre in Jenin, a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank. The theater provides opportunities for Palestinian children to get involved in the arts.

In any other year, yesterday’s election for a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court would have been nothing more than a headline. But following the fierce battle over collective bargaining rights, the election turned into a heated political fight and possible referendum on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. The election is still too close to call, explains Monica Davey, reporter for The New York Times.

In Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, the choice to support protesters and put political pressure on those countries' leaders to step down seemed like relatively easy political decisions for the Obama administration. But in Yemen, it has been more complicated for the U.S. to come out in direct opposition to Ali Abdullah Saleh and his 30 year rule. Yemen has been a key ally in the fight against al-Qaida in the country, and during the uprisings there, President Obama had maintained his support for Saleh behind closed doors.

For a nearly a week, four New York Times journalists working in East Libya were captured and held by pro-Gadhafi forces. They were tied up, often not permitted to speak, and beaten. "I have never been punched in the face before," journalist Lynsey Addario described. "This was the first time in my life I had a man look me in the eyes and punch me in the face — and especially when I was bound, hands and feet." Tyler Hicks, photographer for The New York Times, who was among the four held captive in Libya, tells his story.

When the United Nations voted to institute a no-fly zone over Libya, President Obama emphasized that the United States would not deploy ground troops in the conflict. But while there may not be American armed forces on the ground, The New York Times has learned that Central Intelligence Agency officials have been working in Libya for weeks, in an operation unknown to the American public — until now.

Is there a place for long-form journalism among the blogs and the tweets, the Tumblers and the YouTubes? In a world where people can get their news in 140 characters, how are deeply reported, several thousand word long articles supposed to survive? It was this very question that inspired Evan Ratliff, a freelance writer for Wired, The New Yorker, and National Geographic to create The Atavist. (Check out a promotional video after the jump.)