Arwa Gunja

In an effort to avoid a government shutdown, the U.S. House approved a stopgap budget on Tuesday that would buy Congress more time to approve a final budget. The Senate is expected to vote on the measure today. In a vote of 335-91, the House voted to cut $4 billion in spending in order to keep the government open until March 18. We talk with Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich about the bargaining chips being used to avoid a government shutdown.

As the Federal government tries to wrangle a deal to keep the country afloat, there are already some parts of the country that are bankrupt, even if not technically “in bankruptcy.” Cities that borrowed money by issuing municipal bonds are now so burdened with debt that they can’t pay back what was promised to those who invested. Add to that mess, a few bribes, an unfathomable refinancing deal with a leading Wall Street bank, and a broken sewage system, and you’ll end up with Jefferson County, the local government for Birmingham, Alabama.

As protesters continue efforts to uproot governments throughout the Middle East, Jordan has faced eight straight weeks of public demonstrations. But unlike some of its neighboring countries, protesters there are not demanding their leader, King Abdullah II, step down. Instead they are asking for political reforms, including wider parliamentary representation and limitations on the powers of the throne. They also want to see the government address rising food prices, inflation and unemployment. We talk with the former deputy prime minister of Jordan, Ayman Safadi, about the political uprisings in Jordan.

In a second address that displayed he was digging into his position yesterday, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi blamed the recent bloody protests in his country on the effect of hallucinogenic drugs distributed by al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. On Libyan State Television, the 68-year-old leader said of the protesters: “once they drink these pills, they let them go out on the streets and start committing criminal acts. The requests are not theirs — the requests come from Bin Laden." Also on Thursday, Gadhafi's youngest son joined the pro-democracy movement, while his cousin — and close aide — defected to Egypt. Are these signs that the autocratic leader is losing grip on his nearly 42 years of power?

Demonstrations have continued all week in Bahrain, with the largest movement on Tuesday night when more than 100,000 packed into Pearl Square. Protesters there are calling for the disolution of the government and a real constitutional monarchy. Following Tuesday's demonstration, Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa visited Saudi Arabia, a close ally and neighbor, to discuss the political unrest in the region. We get the latest from Michael Slackman, foreign correspondent for The New York Times; he is currently on the ground in Bahrain.

The uprising to end Col. Moammar Gadhafi's 42-year reign has been a bloody one, with the embattled leader refusing to step down and vowing to arrest or kill the people who continue to stream into the streets to fight for freedom. The uprising may lead the country to a more peaceful and democratic future; however, much is still uncertain, and the violence is nothing new. Libyan author and activist Hisham Matar says he hasn't slept at all since the revolt began. Matar's father was kidnapped in 1990 and is believed to be held in a prison in Libya ever since.

A new study that comes out today in the Journal of the American Medical Association that shows that fifty minutes of cell phone use can alter our brain activity. We asked Takeaway listeners whether you think too much cell phone exposure can have adverse health effects. John Paul from Michigan called our comment line at 877-8-MYTAKE to say:

I can't imagine it so severe that it's going to be a problem. I have to just say it's the cost of doing business.

Yesterday was among the deadliest days of protest in Libya, with Al Jazeera reporting there may have been more than two hundred deaths on Monday alone. Government forces and militiamen beseiged the capitol, dropping small bombs from planes and firing live rounds at protestors. Early Tuesday morning, Libya's state television showed Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi, in a short appearance, dismissing rumos he had fled the country. Meanwhile, Libyan opposition leaders are calling upon the international community, particularly the United States, to take a stronger stance against the Gadhafi regime.

Protests continue in Yemen with thousands of people taking to the streets in cities across the country in the hopes of forcing President Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign. According to the Associated Press, 2,000 police officers faced off with protesters yesterday in the capital of Sana, firing guns in the air and blocking students from joining the demonstrations. We talk with Hakim Almasmari publisher and editor of The Yemen Post, who is currently in Sana, Yemen. 

Silvio Berlusconi has found himself in hot water, yet again. The Italian Prime Minister was officially indicated yesterday on charges of paying for sex with an under-aged prostitute and abusing the power of his office to cover it up. Berlusconi said he was told the girl was the granddaughter of then-Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak — and he was doing the world leader a favor when he tried to get her out of jail. We talk with Duncan Kennedy, BBC reporter in Rome, for the latest in the story.

With the United States engaged in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and facing diplomatic standoffs with nations like Cuba and Venezuela, Americans can tend to feel culturally isolated from some countries. A new business in Pittsburgh is trying to change that - through food. The Conflict Kitchen serves meals from countries that America finds diplomatically tricky, and by doing so, hopes to bring further awareness about cultures that might otherwise seem foreign. The BBC shares the story.

The New York Times has reported that the Obama administration is discussing a proposal with Egyptian officials for President Hosni Mubarak to step down immediately and hand over power to Vice President Omar Suleiman. Under this proposal, Suleiman would run a transitional government until elections are held later this year. Before being appointed to the vice presidency last week, Suleiman was the coordinator of the CIA’s extraordinary rendition program.

Following massive protests in Egypt and Tunisia, longtime president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, announced he would not seek re-election in 2013. He also pledged that he his son would not be his successor. The concessions come ahead of planned anti-government protests in Yemen today.

The health care debate isn't subsiding in Washington. A Republican effort to repeal the health care law failed in the Senate Wednesday night, while a Democratic amendment to repeal the law's new tax-reporting requirements passed with bipartisan support. Senate Republicans vowed this will not be their last attempt to repeal the law. Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich lays out the roadmap for the Republican plan to piece-by-piece tear away at the law.

A massive winter storm slammed huge swaths of the country this week with snow and freezing rain. And the worst may be yet to come.  Central and northern Midwest can expert up to 15 to 20 inches of snow. Up to two-feet of snow — a record — could land in Chicago. Stephen Fybish, a weather historian, says he predicted this would be a rough winter back in 2003.

In what is being dubbed the "March of Millions," hundreds of thousands of Egyptians have taken to the streets in the eighth day of protests against President Hosni Mubarak. Demonstrations have vowed to remain on the streets until Mubarak, who has held his position for more than 30 years, quits. Protests are taking place in Tahrir Square, which translates to Liberation Square.

Every day, nearly 7,000 people in America die. And when the deaths are unexpected, sudden or suspicious, it’s presumed that a thorough investigation will take place.

Though you might expect a thorgough and high-level investigation from TV shows like CSI, the reality is quite different. In over 1,300 counties across the United States, elected coroners are in charge of death investigations — many with no medical or scientific background. To run for coroner in most counties, all you need is a high school diploma.

The lobby of Washington, D.C.'s Mayflower Hotel has seen more than its fair share of presidents and political elite. The hotel's piano bar has become a social scene for presidents within the hotel, from Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Harry Truman, Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter. Our partners at the BBC spoke with the one man who's seen it all go down, and provided the entertainment along the way — Dan Ruskin, the piano man.

In Tuesday’s State of the Union address, President Obama discussed his plans for job creation and increased American competitiveness in the global market during his next two years in office. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) delivered the official response on behalf of the Republican Party and stressed the need for spending cuts and his party’s skepticism about further “investments.” And there was a new feature to the evening: Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) spoke on behalf of the Tea Party in their united response to the president.

After President Obama’s 2009 State of the Union address author Stanley Fish responded this way to Barack Obama’s performance:

“It’s as if the speech, rather than being a sustained performance with a cumulative power, was a framework on which a succession of verbal ornaments was hung, and we were invited not to move forward but to stop and ponder the significances only hinted at.”