Todd Zwillich

There are primaries happening today across the country - in Oregon, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Kentucky. We look closer at the race in Kentucky where a Tea Party favorite, Rand Paul, the son of Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.), is leading in primary polls over GOP establishment candidate Trey Greyson..

• Washington Takeout: Supreme Court Nominee Elena Kagan hasn't left much of a paper trail, but that could change. We talk to Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich about the reams of paper the Senate will soon be sifting through to get a better sense of her record, and what Senate Republicans might be hoping to find. [Read the Senate's full questionnaire for Elena Kagan (PDF).]
• Sports Takeout: In the NBA and NHL Conference finals this week, historic teams are going against upstarts. We talk to Takeaway sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin about old wounds, fresh blood, and best bets.

Retailers are currently charged when they swipe a card, and for small purchases the swipe fee can be more than the profit. Yesterday's amendment to the financial regulation bill says the credit card companies can't prevent retailers from changing the price depending on whether the customer is using a card or paying cash. Ultimately, this could lead to fee regulations by the federal government. Takeaway Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich explains.

Todd brings tape of Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) in the week when Solicitor General Elena Kagan became the next nominee for the Supreme Court.

• 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)

Top executives from BP, Transocean and Halliburton – the three companies involved in the massive oil spill that continues to spew in the Gulf Coast – testified on Capitol Hill yesterday, pointing fingers at each other and deflecting blame from their own firms.

Senators were clearly not amused by all the blame game in full swing. "There's this transference of liability, or finger pointing," Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said. "There's going to be plenty of time to figure out who is to blame, who is at fault.”

• FINANCIAL TAKEOUT:  The head of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission warned that it will take time to get to the bottom of last week’s precipitous, if brief, market correction that lead the Dow index to drop almost 1000 points in under an hour. The New York Times' Wall Street and finance reporter Louise Story says that hasn’t stopped the country’s top securities regulator from announcing plans to put in place safeguards from preventing a repeat “flash crash.”
• KILLINGS IN CHINA: A string of brutal attacks on schoolchildren in China has the country reeling. This morning, seven kindergarten children and one teacher were killed after a man attacked them with a meat cleaver. The Chinese government has clamped down on reporting on this most recent story in order to avoid copycat attacks. Damian Grammaticas, BBC reporter in Beijing, fills us in.

It's only been a day since President Barack Obama nominated Elena Kagan to succeed retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, but political forces on both sides of the aisle have already begun to scrutinize the nominee. Takeaway Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich explains what we can expect to hear from both sides as the confirmation hearings get underway and helps detangle the legitimate concerns from the political rhetoric.

Congress will face public pressure this week as it tackles a series of hot-button issues. In the House, the Financial Services Committee has called for a hearing on the "flash crash" that took place last Thursday when the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell nearly 1,000 points in just 30 minutes. And Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is hoping to get the financial reform bill complete by the end of the week.

Todd interviews Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune, who considers whether the Deepwater Horizon oil gusher betters or worsens chances for Congress to pass a climate bill this year.

• Washington Takeout:  Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich explains how the oil spill that threatens the business and environment of the Gulf Coast region is also threatening Congressional Democrats who hoped to pass a sweeping energy and climate reform bill. 
• Listener Responses: We hear what you had to say about the Times Square bomb attempt and what you think about surveillance cameras in public places in the wake of the incident.

• WASHINGTON TAKEOUT: White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs called Saturday's attempted car bombing in New York City's Times Square an act of terror. Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich tells us why and how the politics of terrorism are playing a role in the White House's response.
• SPORTS TAKEOUT: Takeaway sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, recaps last night's action in the NBA playoffs, previews tonight's games, which includes Game 2 between the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Lakers.

• WASHINGTON TAKEOUT: Despite sliding approval numbers, a deeply divided Congress and a full plate of national catastrophes, President Obama displayed his lighter side when he roasted Washington, D.C.'s political and journalistic elite at the Washington Correspondent's Dinner. Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich tells us who got hit the hardest by the president's jibes.
• SPORTS TAKEOUT:  Takeaway sports correspondent Ibrahim Abdul-Matin previews the NBA finals. Will there be a LeBron James/Kobe Bryant showdown next week?
• LISTENERS RESPOND: Ideas about the good and bad from last week. And why our listeners love Detroit.

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.

Black Farmers are on Capitol Hill this week lobbying for payment of a $1.2 Billion settlement ordered to them by a federal judge. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are on their side, so why is it so hard for them to get their check? Todd Zwillich speaks with Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) about some of the bureaucratic snags facing groups who don't have the money for lobbyists.

After blocking the debate for three days, Republicans in the Senate finally agreed last night to let Democrats move to a debate on the financial overhaul bill. However the Republicans still oppose much of the overhaul bill and have enough power to ultimately filibuster its passage.

Thousands of African-American farmers are still waiting to receive $1.25 billion in government settlement money stemming from years of discriminatory loan practices by the United States Department of Agriculture. Congress had until March 31 to appropriate the funds but went on a two-week recess without addressing the issue. Takeaway Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, joined a group of black farmers during a frustrating day on Capitol Hill as they tried to find out if they would ever get paid. 

• WASHINGTON TAKEOUT:  Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich tells us why Washington lawmakers are ready to face-off against social networking giant Facebook and its Internet ambitions.

• SPORTS TAKEOUT: Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, Takeaway sports contributor, highlights the NHL playoffs as he recaps the game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Phoenix Coyotes, and previews game seven between the Montreal Canadiens and the Washington Capitals.

Senate Republicans held their caucus together and blocked debate on a bill to re-regulate the financial industry late Monday afternoon. Only one Democrat, Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, joined the GOP in a procedural move to prevent the bill from coming to the Senate floor. Other Democrats indicated that they would delay the rest of their agenda in order to keep bringing the bill back, perhaps as soon as Tuesday.

• CONGRESSIONAL TAKEOUT: Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich discusses the new sense of urgency in Washington for immigration reform, and how the Democrats' agenda might get disrupted as a result.
• LISTENERS TAKEOUT:  Friday, we talked to Todd Wilbur, a cookbook author turned master in the art of cloning secret recipes. This morning, we hear your take on what makes you keep or share kitchen secrets.