Marine Olivesi

Central to the Syrian peace talks is the question of how the international community should deal with President Bashar al-Assad, particularly as the evidence of war crimes continues t...

For one Syrian seeking asylum in Brooklyn, the violence in his homeland was reason enough to go back home.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11th in South Africa. This is the first time an African country is hosting the Cup, and the entire continent has caught soccer fever.

Internal documents released to The New York Times last week show that BP reported problems mid-March with the undersea well that exploded a month later. However, the company delayed the testing of a critical piece of equipment – the well’s blowout preventer. And some BP engineers expressed concerns about the oil rig's safety as far back as 11 months ago.

It has been nearly six weeks since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, sunk, and started to spill oil in the Gulf. There are many aspects to the story, and it’s easy to get distracted by the live feed webcam of the underwater oil spill and the hourly reports on BP’s latest attempts to fix the leak. Yet a larger question looms on the horizon: how different will life be on the Gulf Coast be for residents and visitors once this mess is over?

Congressman Ed Markey, chairman of the House energy commitee, came out strongly yesterday against BP, accusing the oil company of under-estimating the leak in order to pay smaller fines. "I think that without question if the word criminal should be used in terms of an environmental crime against our country, what's going on in the Gulf of Mexico is going to qualify," Markey said on "Face the Nation."

Julie Mason, White House correspondent for the Washington Examiner says some Democrats now expect President Obama to follow Markey's footsteps.

• North Korea/South Korea: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the situation between the North and South "precarious" and has expressed support for measures to punish North Korea for its attack on a South Korean warship. BBC correspondent, John Sudworth reports from Seoul.
• Listeners Respond: We brought you a story Friday about how a team of scientists in Maryland had developed the first synthetic living cell, new living bacteria created from non-living parts. Today we hear what you think of the issue. Is this science or science fiction? 

Since last month’s explosion on the Deepwater Horizon well, it seems like everyone has an idea for how to clean up the spill. BP spokesman John Curry told us on Friday that its call center had received 74,000 calls and 19,000 emails with recommendations for cleanup technology – everything from advice to services to equipment.

Over the past few weeks, the debt crisis has unfolded with violence and drama in Greece and the European Union. We take the pulse of the Greek-American community here in the U.S. and hear how problems back in Greece are affecting those who live here.

Anti-incumbent fever has taken down two Washington heavyweights in less than a week. First, there was the surprising caucus defeat of three-time Republican Senator Robert Bennett in Utah last Saturday. Then fourteen-term Democratic Rep. Alan Mollohan, from West Virginia, became the first House incumbent to lose his primary race this year. Now, many are wondering if incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter, Republican-turned-Democrat, will be the next to lose his primary.

In Great Britain this week, a center-left political party — the Liberal Democrats — played the power broker in recent elections, teaming up with new PM David Cameron's Conservative Party to create the first coalition government in Britain in 70 years. Could a third party ever play kingmaker here, in the United States?

A new NBC/WSJ poll suggests that many people wouldn't object: More than 80 percent see problems with America's two-party system, and nearly one third of the country believes that America needs a third party.

• FINANCE TAKEOUT: New York Times finance correspondent, Louise Story, explains a new investigation into eight banks which may have misled ratings agencies in order to inflate the grades of certain mortgage securities.
• LISTENERS RESPOND: Yesterday we discussed the benefits and risks of drinking raw milk. Our listeners shared their strong opinions about whether milk should be raw or pasteurized.
  

• WASHINGTON TAKEOUT: Elena Kagan paid her first visit to Congress as Barack Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court yesterday. She met with some of the Senators who will help decide her fate. Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich tells us about this "senatorial version of speed dating."
• SPORTS TAKEOUT: Ibrahim Abdul Matin recaps an exciting game seven upset in the NHL conference semifinals last night, when the Montreal Canadiens upset the Pittsburgh Penguins to continue their Cinderella streak through the playoffs.

(You can follow Todd on Twitter @Todd_Zwillich)

President Obama announced yesterday his nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. If confirmed, Kagan would be the third woman and the third Jew — the highest number ever of either group — to sit in the high court. She would also become the court's fourth New Yorker. And for the first time in history, there would be no Protestant justice.

But how much do all of these diversity numbers matter? What attribute is most important for a Supreme Court justice?

• OIL SPILL TAKEOUT: We check in with Captain Kathy Wilkinson, who operates an eco-tourism business in southern Mississippi. She describes the nervous anticipation in the air as Mississippians wait for the oil slick to break on the coast. Check out her blog post for more on the spill's business impact.
• LISTENERS RESPOND: Over the phone and on the web, Takeaway listeners weigh in on the oil spill and share their favorite movie moms in honor of Mother's Day.

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.

New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said yesterday that the bomb found in an S.U.V. Saturday evening in Times Square was amateurish and flawed, but could have been deadly.

 

Democrats unveiled a framework for immigration reform yesterday, just as cities across the country are bracing for big May Day protests by Immigrant advocacy groups. The groups are hoping to put pressure on Washington to speed up changes to current laws, which some say endanger families with members that have come to the U.S. illegally.

President Obama will deliver the commencement speech at the University of Michigan tomorrow. The university expects a majority of the students to attend along with 80,000 friends and family members. And as Jake Smilovitz, editor in chief of the student-run paper, tells us that expectations run high, considering the school's history of ground-breaking presidential speeches. Lyndon Johnson, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, and John F. Kennedy have all taken the stage at U of M.

Tuesday, the board of supervisors in Santa Clara County, California, decided to take a step further in the fight against obesity: they banned toy giveaways with kids' meals that don't meet certain nutritional standards. (Overall calorie count and salt content chief among them.)  This is the latest attempt in a series of measures taken by counties, cities and states to combat obesity, and is widely seen as specifically targeting McDonalds' Happy Meals.