Arwa Gunja

We take a look at what's ahead this week, with Marcus Mabry, associate national editor of The New York Times, and Derrick Ashong, host of "The Derrick Ashong Experience" on Sirius XM's Oprah Radio.

President Obama traveled to Louisiana yesterday for a first-hand briefing on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The "Deepwater Horizon" oil rig exploded on April 20th, rupturing its well and eventually sinking into the Gulf. An estimated 200,000 gallons of oil are gushing into the Gulf each day, as federal government and BP officials frantically explore options to contain the spill.

Updated 6:45pm

Arwa Gunja here, on the evening shift.

It looks pretty certain that tomorrow, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist will officially announce that he will leave the GOP to run as an independent in a race for a U.S. Senate seat. We’ll ask tomorrow what this means for the future of the GOP and if the Tea Party movement is helping or hurting Republican chances of securing elections. With the governor's announcement, the race in Florida will become a three-way contest, between Crist on the Independent ticket, the charismatic Marc Rubio on the Republican ticket and likely Democratic nominee Congressman Kendrick Meek, making this one of the most exciting races to watch for in the country.

We’ll also be talking about America’s obesity epidemic tomorrow morning, asking whether both corporations and citizens are truly willing to change food habits to make Americans healthier. We’ll talk with Marc Ambinder, who just wrote an extensive article on this for The Atlantic.

And tomorrow, co-host Celeste Headlee broadcasts from member station WDET in Detroit, Michigan. As Anna mentioned earlier, she’ll be speaking with Jeffrey Eugenides about leaving Detroit, a city that has played a critical role in his identity and writings. And we want to ask you, have you ever had to leave a city that you call home? Tell us about that experience. You can leave us a comment here on our website, or give us a call at 1-877-8-MYTAKE.

The Supreme Court hears a case today seeking to determine if the free speech rights of people who sign a ballot petition are violated if those names and addresses are publicly disclosed. In the case of Doe v. Reed, people who signed a ballot petition to end same-sex domestic partnerships argue they will be subject to harassment and retaliation if the state allows their personal information to be disclosed. Today's case is just one of several the Supreme Court is hearing regarding the constitutional scope of free speech and the First Amendment.

This weekend, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed into a law a controversial bill that gives local police the power to check documentation of anyone they suspect to be an illegal immigrant. It has sparked a fierce political debate and enraged many in the Hispanic community. But it has also raised concerns over how local police officers will go about enforcing the law and whether it will lead to racial profiling. Others worry it will burden officers who are already busy addressing other crimes in the state.

We take a look at what's ahead this week, with Marcus Mabry, associate national editor of The New York Times, and Latoya Peterson, editor of the blog Racialicious.

• WEATHER TAKEOUT: A massive tornado swept through Mississippi this weekend killing 10 people and tearing down homes. We talk with Carl Gibson, a reporter with Mississippi Public Broadcasting, about the aftermath of the tornado and the federal response. 
• NFL TAKEOUT: We recap some highlights from the NFL draft with sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, who attended the draft in New York City last week. 

Arwa Gunja here, on the night shift.

Our partners over at The New York Times are working on an exclusive story about the mine explosion in West Virginia that left 29 people dead. The story will shed new light on what exactly went so wrong and the different safety violations that led to the tragedy. National correspondent Ian Urbina joins us in the morning to share his reporting.

Today, President Obama visited Wall Street to push for greater oversight of the financial industry. This got us wondering whether oversight is enough to stop dirty dealings. Do we behave differently if we know we are being watched? Tomorrow we’ll talk with Dan Ariely, a professor of behavioral economics at Duke University. And we want to ask you, our listeners, if you spend your money differently when there is someone monitoring your spending. If you share a credit card bill or bank account with a spouse or loved one, how does that affect the choices you make a shopping mall, for example? Call us at 1-877-8-MYTAKE or leave us a comment here on our website.

UPDATED 7:34pm

Arwa Gunja here, on the night shift.

Who owns our genetic makeup? We’ve talked about this on The Takeaway before, when a Federal District Court in Manhattan ruled that a biopharmaceutical company could no longer hold the patent on several genes. But this topic is resurfacing this week in a very different context. The Havasupai Indians gave their DNA to Arizona State University so researchers could find out why there is such a high rate of diabetes in the tribe. But, tribal members claim the university used their genetic makeup for much more, including looking at mental illness and tracing the tribe’s geographic origins, which contradict their own traditional stories. Now the university has settled with the Havasupai Indians at the price of $700,000, the first time individuals have been paid after claims their DNA was misused. We’ll take a look at the ethics of testing DNA and ask whether vulnerable communities in particular are taken advantage of when it comes to medical research.

We’re also having a two-part conversation about the role of Google after the company made public censorship requests from different governments. Tomorrow we’ll talk with Jeff Rosen, a law professor at George Washington University, about whether Google has its own foreign policy agenda, much like a nation would. Then on Friday we’ll talk with Nicole Wong. If Google were a country, Wong would be their secretary of state.

And the NFL draft starts tomorrow night. Even if you support a losing team, is the draft a time when hope springs eternal? The St. Louis Rams get the first pick, and we’ll talk with an ardent fan.

Since Haiti's earthquake earlier this year, thousands of Haitians continue to live in tent cities, which tend to be small, crowded and offer little privacy. As a result, many women have reported being victims of sexual assault or rape. Rape has always been a problem in Haiti, a country where the act was only truly criminalized in 2005, but the breakdown of social structures since the earthquake has worsened the problem.

European officials struck a deal yesterday to reopen most of Europe's air space to plane travel as early as this afternoon, assuming Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano continues to subside. This would end the worst peacetime travel disruption in history, a travel crisis that has left thousands of passengers stranded for days and cost the airline industry hundreds of millions of dollars. But in the midst of the chaos and inconveniences, one philosopher took a moment to reflect on what our world would look like without airplanes.

Can a public university deny funding to a Christian student group if the group refuses to allow gay students to vote or take on leadership roles? That's the question being asked in the case coming before the U.S. Supreme Court: Christian Legal Society v. Martinez. In the case, the University of California's Hastings College of the Law's chapter of the Christian Legal Society was told it would be not recognized by the school if it did allow gay members to join, vote and take on leadership roles in the group. CLS is suing the school in a First Amendment case that goes before the Supreme Court on Monday.

We take look at what's ahead this week, with Marcus Mabry of The New York Times and Latoya Peterson editor of the blog, Racialicious. Volcanic ash continues to keep most European flights grounded affecting attendance at everything from the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate to the Tribeca Film Festival, both of which take place this week. Meanwhile, Washington is still buzzing about the Iran memo sent by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. And in cultural news, Wanda Sykes' show is up for renewal and Green Days' "American Idiot" opens on Broadway.

5:25 p.m.  Arwa Gunja here on the night shift.

Ash. You have to see it to understand why volcanic ash is shutting down major airports throughout Europe. It’s the largest airport closure ever ordered for Europe during peacetime, and travelers will have to rely on other modes of transportation until at least mid-day tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll hear from people in Europe whose travel plans were derailed. Plus, we’re reaching out to an economist to talk about the financial impact of this historic shutdown.

UPDATED 8:05pm

Arwa Gunja here, wrapping up the day’s production.

Tomorrow we are going to lead the second hour of our show with a story about possibly expanding the role of nurse practitioners. Twenty-eight states are considering giving these nurses with higher degrees more authority, including prescribing narcotics. This is due to a shortage of primary care physicians. We’ll hear from a doctor who is against this expansion and a nurse practitioner who says the expansion would benefit patients and pocketbooks. It is cheaper to see a nurse practitioner and often, they have more time to spend with patients. But some doctors argue it could put patients in harm’s way by putting their care in the hands of a less qualified medical professional.

And today, the Library of Congress announced they will start archiving tweets going all the way back to 2006 when Twitter was started.  This means that along with history books and great works of literature, tweets will live forever in our nation’s most prestigious library. We’ll talk with a "library and archivist groupie" about how this changes the way we look up history. If you’re on Twitter, will this change the way you tweet? Are there any tweets from your past that you would want to be archived in history? You can call us at 877-8-MYTAKE, leave us a message on our website, or better yet, tweet it.

All month, the federal government has been actively encouraging people across America to fill out the 2010 Census. The survey, which is distributed every ten years, may reveal that the demographics of many cities have drastically changed over the decade. One of those cities is Charlotte, N.C., where an increasing number of northerners and minorities have moved to the once majority-white and classically southern city.

Last month, a black City councilmenber in Phoenix, Ariz. was tackled to the ground and handcuffed by a white police officer. At the time of the scuffle, the councilmember was checking on a neighbor whose house was on fire. The police department has since said its officer did nothing wrong. But many residents, particularly in South Phoenix, say this case highlights a deep-seeded racial conflict in the city and a long-standing mistrust between black residents and the police department.

The use of hallucinogens such as 'ecstasy' or mushrooms to address psychological disorders tends to be met with opposition and an automatic association with the drug culture of the 1960s. But scientists from around the world will gather this week in San Jose, Calif., for the largest conference on psychedelic drugs to be held in the U.S. in four decades. They will discuss whether these drugs can help patients suffering from depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress syndrome, and other psychological problems.

• FINANCIAL TAKEOUT:  It's a case of "who watches the watchmen" when The New York Times' Louise Story joins the show with a damning new report that shows how regulators missed major problems at Washington Mutual.  
• SPORTS TAKEOUT: All eyes were on golf this weekend, but the spotlight wasn't necessarily on Tiger Woods. The Takeaway's Sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin discusses the performance that landed Phil Mickelson his third Masters victory.

We take look at what's ahead this week with Marcus Mabry of The New York Times and Latoya Peterson of the blog Racialicious. This week, President Obama hosts a nuclear security summit while the first lady travels to Mexico. The White House may soon reveal possible nominees to take Justice Stevens' seat on the nation's most honorable bench. And a new dating show hits VH1.