Joseph Capriglione

Some years just seem to have less impact than others. But 2011 held the Arab Spring, the death of Osama bin Laden, Occupy Wall Street, protests against austerity measures and the ousting of Berlusconi, as well as the end of the Iraq War. Which events of the past year will make it to the history textbooks, and which will be esoteric stories we confuse our grandkids with?

Although some GOP hopefuls have been informally campaigning since this time last year and Barack Obama announced his campaign for reelection back in April, the January 3rd caucus will be the true beginning for the 2012 presidential race. This year, $5.9 million has been spent on TV advertising alone in Iowa. With no heavily favored Republican candidate, the strategy for turning fundraising dollars into actual votes has yet to reveal itself.

A woman has never been elected to Congress or held the governorship in Iowa. The only other state to hold this dubious distinction is Mississippi. Several studies point to cultural factors, such as the state's older population and evangelical lobbying groups. But nearly a century after women's suffrage and three years after Iowa legalized gay marriage, the Hawkeye State's problem seems to lie deeper.

The week starts out on an ominous note as the Congressional "super committee" charged with reducing the national debt announces that they will not reach a deal. What went wrong during their negotiations, and where do we go from here? How will markets react? Also, the Euro crisis rages on as another government falls in Spain with the election of a new Conservative party. Finally, another GOP debate, the start of the holiday shopping season, and Thanksgiving traditions from Takeaway guests.

On Monday, Politico reported that Herman Cain was accused of sexual harassment by two female employees while he was head of the National Restaurant Association. The women left their jobs after reaching settlements with the industry group. Cain vehemently denied the accusations later in the day at the National Press Club in Washington, but went on to make contradictory statements about the incidents on Fox News.   

The White House is planning to boost its military presence in the Middle East when the final troops leave Iraq at December's end. The new plan comes in light of the Iraqi government's refusal to allow American forces to remain in the country after the previously agreed-upon deadline, which goes into effect at year's end. The additional combat units would be stationed in Kuwait, and the U.S. views them as a hedge for stability in the event of a collapse in security in Iraq or a move of aggression by Iran.

A federal judge signed off on the $1.25 billion settlementbetween U.S. Department of Agriculture and African American farmers who say the agency discriminated against them by denying them loans and other forms of assistance. The case dates back to 1997 and gives tens of thousands of plaintiffs a chance to have their day in court. The Takeaway is joined by Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association president Gary Grant, whose organization has been leading the fight for this compensation for more than a decade.

Ramita Navai is a reporter who spent two weeks undercover in Syria. She tells The Takeaway about her experience and she's also the star of the upcoming Frontline documentary "Syria Undercover." Today the New York Times is reporting that Turkey is sheltering members of the Free Syrian Army, an armed opposition group attempting to bring down the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The group has been staging attacks inside Syria and plotting those same attacks from a camp that is being actively guarded by the Turkish military. Turkey says it is protecting the group out of humanitarian concern, but the move underscores the changing political landscape of the region.

Markets around the world rallied on the news that European leaders had reached an agreement to solve the Euro zone debt crisis. The Dow Jones ended the day up 339 points and stocks appear headed for their best month since 1974. Was this the equivalent of Europe avoiding a Lehman Brothers-type disaster, or was yesterday just the latest in a series of dramatic rallies followed by steep declines that we've seen in this year's up and down market?

Recently we spoke with David Kennedy about combating gang violence. Kennedy founded a project called Operation Ceasefire that helped reduce gang violence nationally. Today, we're speaking with a police officer who has also had success in reducing gang-related crime. Los Angeles police chief and former NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton joins us to share his experiences. During his tenure heading the two largest police departments in the U.S., Bratton has presided over precipitous drops in crime.

Two Cornell researchers used a large-scale study of posts on Twitter to track the world's mood shifts, and the discovered a pattern that transcends nationalities and climate. The study focused on Tweets from two million people, in 84 countries, posted at all times of day, month, and year. They found some fascinatingly similar patterns. Might their study have any implications for the way people do research going forward?

President Barack Obama addressed a joint session of Congress and television viewers across the country last night, presenting a $447 billion package of tax cuts and new government spending meant to increase jobs in America. Obama urged Congress to "pass this jobs plan right away." After the speech, House speaker John Boehner said "The proposals the president outlined tonight merit consideration." Will Obama's plan pass through Congress and, more importantly, will it work?

President Barack Obama addressed a joint session of Congress and television viewers across the country last night, presenting a $447 billion package of tax cuts and new government spending meant to increase jobs in America. Obama urged Congress to "pass this jobs plan right away." We asked our listeners to submit questions they have about the jobs plan, and the likelihood that it will pass.

Nearly a week after Hurricane Irene tore through the East Coast, many towns are still in the midst of the massive flooding that followed the storm. The city of Paterson, New Jersey is one of the places that the storm hit hardest. The low-lying city of about 150,000 sits along the banks of the Passaic River, which is dealing with the highest floods it has seen in more than a century. President Obama is scheduled to survey the damage there this weekend.

Former vice president Dick Cheney has never been shy when it comes to criticizing his political enemies. Yet the longtime public official is also a notoriously private man. In his new memoir, "In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir," Cheney opens up about some of the inner workings of the often-secretive Bush Administration. In an interview with NBC's Dateline to promote the book, Cheney promised "heads will explode all over Washington."

Many eyes are on Jackson Hole, Wyoming today, as the markets wait on remarks from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. It was at last year's Fed Symposium that Bernanke laid the groundwork for the Fed to buy $600 billion in treasury bonds to stimulate the deflating economy. Many are hoping that this year, the Fed will unveil another economy-boosting plan. Conferences like the Fed retreat at Jackson Hole or Davos weren't always considered backdrops for major policy announcements. When did this change? And why?

It's an understood rule of presidential politics: win over independent voters in November, and the election is yours. But who are the independent voters? Many people think of them as white, educated, socially liberal and fiscally conservative. That may be true of some independents, but the group as a whole is changing and diversifying, and now many Americans who are ethnic minorities are identifying as independents. In 2008, less than 60% of self-identified independent were white, according to American National Election Studies.

Last week, the Obama administration announced a dramatic shift in its deportation policy for undocumented immigrants. The Department of Homeland Security will narrow its focus when it comes to deportation efforts, deporting only those undocumented immigrants who have criminal records or pose a threat to national security. Those with clean records will be able to apply for work permits. The department is also suspending any previously assigned deportations for immigrants who have not committed crimes beyond immigration violations. It's a big step for the administration, which has already set a modern record for deportations.

Fighting continues today in Tripoli between rebel forces and Gadhafi government loyalists. Yesterday, the rebels stormed Gadhafi's compound, but the Libyan leader remains at large. The raid by the rebels effectively ended Gadhafi's 42-year reign. As Libya enters a period of transition, many are wondering NATO's future role in the country. NATO's involvement in the Libyan civil war began as a humanitarian intervention, but its efforts went on to play a vital role in crippling Gadhafi's army, allowing rebel forces to eventually advance into Tripoli.

The FBI, police and citizens of the city of Jackson, Missippi are debating whether the white teenagers who robbed and murdered James Craig Anderson, a black man, were motivated by racism. The case has prompted many to consider race relations in the state, and it's troubled history with race. The suspects' lawyers say it was just an act of teenage stupidity, but prosecutors say the killing was a premeditated racial killing. The U.S. Justice Department has begun an investigation into the case. Kim Severson has been reporting on the case for our partner, The New York Times.