Noel King

Updated at 6:50 PM

Noel King here, filling in on the night shift.

We added a second guest to our coverage of Toyota’s woes in the wake of a worldwide recall of cars with faulty gas pedals. LA Times reporter Ken Bensigner co-authored a series of investigative stories that probe Toyota’s safety record. Bensigner’s reporting has drawn accolades and raised even more questions about how Toyota handles consumer complaints. Observers and analysts are in a frenzy over Toyota's safety problems, but Producer Marine Olivesi reached out to several Toyota owners this afternoon - and couldn't find even one who was concerned about the recall.

We continue our conversation on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell with Michael Hyacinthe, a former member of the Naval Construction Battalion who has some ideas of his own on what the military's policy toward gay and lesbian members should be. And since Hyacinthe’s is just one point of view; we’ll play more of the responses that flooded into our spinvox line.

As Anna wrote earlier, we’re covering the kick-off of the National Tea Party conference in Nashville. Fordham political science professor Tom De Luca joins us to put the Tea Party movement in context. You might be surprised just how many similar movements the US has inspired in its roughly 235-year history.

The cash-strapped city of Colorado Springs is cutting back on services that many people consider basic: things like mowing public parks and picking up the trash. Instead, the city wants residents to pitch in and fill the services gap. We talk to Mayor Lionel Rivera about whether or not Colorado Springs is on its way to becoming a Do-It-Yourself city.

Finally, Haitian American author Edwidge Dandicat shared with us a poignant Haitian tradition – which she says is helping her cope with the devastation caused by a massive earthquake that struck Haiti more than three weeks ago. You’ll hear all about it tomorrow morning.

The Federal Housing Administration used to be a little-known government agency before the housing meltdown. But when Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac collapsed, the FHA started backing more and more loans to homeowners. Now, a growing number of borrowers are defaulting on loans backed by the FHA — and some are wondering if the FHA itself might soon need a bailout.

We find out how the agency is trying to weather the storm created by increased lending. We also get a first-hand look at how the housing crisis is affecting Cleveland, Ohio.

 

Ten American Baptists were detained in Haiti last Friday, where officials say they attempted to take 33 children into the Dominican Republic without proper documentation. The ten are members of an Idaho-based charity called New Life Children's Refuge, and they said their intent was to take the children to a hotel in the Dominican Republic that is doubling as a temporary orphanage.

This story is prompting considerable debate, with some saying it is a case of good intentions gone bad, while others say the American group's actions are nothing short of criminal.

The massive earthquake that struck Haiti nearly three weeks ago has left development economists and international aid workers scrambling for the best way to rebuild the country. Some want the United States to take the lead in a Marshall Plan-type recovery program, while others advocate leaving Haiti alone as much as possible. We find out how Haiti might best rebuild — and how the international community can help.

President Obama is sending a $3.8 trillion budget to Congress today. The new budget predicts an average deficit over the next decade of 4.5 percent of the size of the economy.

Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich says the budget is a direct political challege by the president to an unpopular Congress.

 

 

A conference on Afghanistan scheduled for this coming Thursday is expected to address ways that the U.S. and NATO allies might move forward on talks with the Taliban. The ideas run the gamut from striking certain Taliban leaders from a list of terror suspects to allowing the Taliban to form an above-board political party. Fotini Christia, professor of political science at MIT, joins us with her thoughts.

The Senate's robust health care reform bill is in jepoardy after Massachusetts elected Republican Scott Brown to fill the Senate seat left vacant by the death of Senator Ted Kennedy. David Leonhardt, economics columnist for our partner The New York Times, says there are really only two scenarios left at this point — and they hinge on whether the House will decide to forgive what members percieve as mistreatment by their colleagues in the Senate, and pass the bill.

The Tohono O'odham Nation that straddles Mexico and Arizona has found itself at the center of the region's lucrative drug smuggling trade. The reservation is at times overrun by smugglers, and some of the reservation's 28,000 members say they are afraid to leave their homes. Eric Eckholm is covering this story for our partner The New York Times. He reports on how this peaceful reservation now resembles what one tribal chairman calls a "militarized zone."

The Obama administration has lifted a ban on travellers with HIV/AIDS who wish to visit the United States. The controversial ban went into effect in 1987, when the US became one of on...

It may seem like we know everything about the natural world around us, but new species are being discovered every year. The man in charge of helping decide the most interesting discov...

Apple's iPhone continued to dominate popular technology this year. In today's "Best of 2009," The Takeaway talks to technology writer Marshall Kirkpatrick about his favorite iPhone ap...

The man who attempted to detonate explosives aboard Northwest Flight 253 had been reported to the U.S. embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, by his father, a prominent Nigerian banker who expres...

Concerns about the safety of airline travel are still running high this morning after a 23-year-old Nigerian man, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, allegedly attempted to detonate explosives...

With only two days until Christmas, holiday shopping has reached a fever pitch. New York Times business and finance reporter Louise Story says a new trend is sweeping holiday giving t...

Mexico City lawmakers Monday voted to legalize same-sex marriage in the capitol – a move that would also give same-sex couples the ability to adopt children. It was a stunning move in...

Increased international investment in U.S. properties is one sign that the global economic downturn is easing. But the Obama administration isn't pleased by all of the proposed invest...

Tuesday marked a day of opening arguments on the war in Afghanistan. General Stanley McChrystal fielded tough questions from the House Armed Services Committee. McChrystal said the pl...

The Federal government will spend $3.4 billion to settle a 13-year-old lawsuit over mismanagement of American Indian land and resource trusts. According to the settlement [PDF, 648k],...

The Walt Disney Company has returned to its 2-D animated roots with the lavish and romantic musical fairytale "The Princess and the Frog." The movie follows the adventures of Tiana, D...

Holiday office parties used to be a chance to network, kick back with colleagues, and attempt to avoid the perils of inappropriate attire and too much booze. For some offices, this en...