Jay Cowit

After Georgetown University Law student Sandra Fluke spoke on Capitol Hill about her university's coverage of contraception, radio host Rush Limbaugh criticized her on his show. Those comments quickly went viral, and over 40 of Limbaugh's advertisers have pulled their sponsorship of the radio show.

The dialogue of the 2012 election has been defined in a large part through social media, and Super Tuesday was no different. Republican presidential candidates, journalists, and voters from across the country tweeted yesterday about their opinions of the GOP primary race.  

The unlikely story of Jeremy Lin continues in dramatic fashion. Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin made a tie breaking 3-pointer with less than a second to play to cap his finishing flurry of six straight points as New York rallied to beat Toronto, extending its winning streak to six games. Joining us now is Takeaway director and super fan Jay Cowit.

Sunday's Chrysler Super Bowl ad caused some political reaction, but maybe America needs a pep talk from America's outlaw and tough guy Clint Eastwood. Host John Hockenberry looks at the Eastwood speech in the context of his epic career and America's need for some tough love in these troubled times. Half time in America? Maybe, but we could sure use some encouragement from Clint.

With an increasingly sophisticated crop of small, inexpensive digital cameras — in addition to those built into the tops of computer monitors and cell phones — more people are making movies than ever before. Equally significant, these little vignettes are reaching a greater audience than ever before. But not everyone's filmmaking skills have caught up.

Since its humble beginnings in the Bronx during the 1970s, hip hop has become a global musical phenomenon with attendant forms of style and protest. Perhaps one of the greatest examples of hip hop's recent impact is in the Arab world where formed the soundtrack to the revolution with rappers like Hamada Ben Amor from Tunisia, Cheikh Oumar Cyrille from Senegal, and Mohamed el Deeb from Egypt.

Next month, the final volume of the Dictionary of American Regional English will be released. A project initially undertaken in the 1950s by linguist Federic Cassidy, the goal was to record all the words and phrases that are unique to specific parts of the U.S. Listeners responded with their favorite regionalisms.

While football may have supplanted baseball as the national pastime, it's not necessarily a universal language. Perhaps you carelessly yell "foul!" during the game, don't fully understand what the "end zone" is, or mistakenly throw up your arms when the opposing team gets a touchback. But fear not: The Takeaway will teach you how to sound smart on Super Bowl Sunday.

In a world where one team must face off against another not once, but twice, on the world stage tempers will flare, bodies will be pushed to the limit, and reveling fans will discover if the underdog can triumph over tragedy… or if the top dog will rise again. Cliched? Absolutely, but appropriate: just as they did in 2007, the New England Patriots will face off against the New York Giants in this year's Superbowl.

Political die-hards know how to truly gauge the mood of the country this primary season. You have to keep one eye on the television and one eye on Twitter. Sure you can read the story in the paper the next day, but the excitement develops in real time through a stream-of-conscious and subconscious that comes right into our laptops and iPhones. Takeaway co-host John Hockenberry takes a look at how the story of Florida's GOP primary unfolded on the ubiquitous social media tool.  

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has had a long political career. But along the way, as Mitt Romney's SuperPAC Restore our Future gleefully points out, he accrued 84 ethics complaints during his tenure in the House, and accepted a $1.6 million donation from Freddie Mac. But that's not the whole list of Gingrich's malfeasance, public or personal. The Takeaway looks back at the triumphs — and scandals — that have trailed him.

Considering Kodak's recent financial woes, the imaging giant's Chapter 11 filing should have come as no surprise. But that hasn't lessened the cultural impact of losing such an iconic American institution. Kodak has been a part of American culture for more than a 100 years. The company made the first consumer camera, and people even called cameras "Kodaks" at the turn of the century. In this commentary we explore the rise and fall of one of America's most identifiable brands.

When President Obama's political opponents describe his administration's ideological bent, harsh words are often tossed into the fray. Whether it's Socialism, Marxism or Fascism, the President’s first term has been marred with accusations of adherence to a number of controversial ideologies. Is there any truth behind these heavily loaded terms? James Morone, political scientist and author, speaks about the many "isms" used to describe the Obama administration.

The anti piracy laws being considered in the U.S. have produced worldwide internet turmoil. Perhaps you are already aware that the giant Wikipedia website in English is down not because of some pirates, but in protest to what the Wikipedia people think this would do to the internet. Well Wikipedia's message today is that we in the 21st century world community need the open architecture of the internet and sites like Wikipedia. Just check out what it is like suddenly not to have them.

Gold appears to be wearing a kryptonite vest as everything around it crumbles. In the face of stocks free-falling globally, the economy continuing to struggle, and jobs still hard to come by for millions of Americans, gold is surging. Gold rose to over $1,700 an ounce yesterday, and many believe we could see it top $2,000. We look at the history of gold starting when it was a mere $35 an ounce back in 1970.

At this point in the most summers, Sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin would be turning his attention to the first glimmers of football season, and to Tiger Woods, the shining star of golf.  But with an NFL lockout, a looming NBA stoppage, and a little firecracker from Northern Ireland taking over the links... It's a very different sports summer.  So what DOES a sports-watcher watch?  According to Ibrahim: Dodgeball, Cycling, and Badminton. 

Last night the Miami Heat beat the Bulls and will go on to face the Dallas Mavericks. Ibrahim Abdul-Matin says it's going to be a tough series. "I'm rooting for Dallas, but I think the Heat is going to win it." But that's not all that's happening in sports — ice hockey is heating up as well, tonight's hockey game between Tampa Bay and the Boston Bruins is one to watch. Ibrahim Abdul-Matin says the French Open is also worth turning on your television for.

For more than thirty years, Cary Grant was one of the most bankable actors in the world, starring in such classics as “Bringing Up Baby,” “The Philadelphia Story,” “An Affair to Remember,” and “North by Northwest.” And to this day, he is the gold standard for the male movie star against whom actors like George Clooney are compared. But in 1966, at the age of 62, he hung up his hat, and focused the rest of his life on being a loving father to his only child, Jennifer Grant. Grant is the author of a new book, "Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of My Father, Cary Grant."

Takeaway host, John Hockenberry reflects on the "Mothers of Invention” panel at the FIRST Championship in St. Louis. He moderated the panel and talked to the moms of a few brilliant sons. He spoke with the mother of musician, will.i.am, Segway inventor Dean Kamen, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and educator and innovator Salman Khan. When did these moms know that their children were special? When they were in the crib. Jackie Bezos (Jeff's mom) says "I think I knew early on that he was wired differently ... when he tried to take his crib apart with his screwdriver, that cinched it."

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and this week, during which all eyes are on the accomplishments of the president, we look at his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham. A teenage mother, she married and divorced twice, had two children, and eventually went on to earn a PhD and work in international development. New York Times writer Janny Scott has written a new, comprehensive biography of Dunham called “A Singular Woman: The Untold Story of Barack Obama's Mother.”