David J Fazekas

President Barack Obama stood before the nation yesterday and explained our role in the allied forces air assault on Libya and its embattled leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi. While he recognized Americans' hesitation for more involvement in the Middle East, the President said that Libya represented a unique situation and a challenge to American ideas about freedom and human decency. Todd Zwillich, The Takeaway's Washington correspondent, has reactions from Washington to the speech. Dirk Vandewalle, professor of government at Dartmouth and the author of, "A History of Modern Libya," looks at how President Obama's speech will impact the current situation in Libya. 

President Obama has faced criticism from the left and the right regarding his decision to join coalition forces in enforcing a no-fly zone in Libya. The President addressed those critics last night in a speech to the nation, saying he was committed to keeping American troops off the ground. He also appealed to our morality by saying, “I refused to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action.” David Sanger, chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times, dissects Obama's speech in terms of policy and how it might play in the capital.

Syria is the latest in a list of countries like Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya, as disenfranchised citizens in that country have gone to the streets in recent weeks, to protest President Bashar al-Assad's eleven-year reign. The protests have been met with violence; dozens have been reportedly killed by security forces. In response to the protests, the government has repeatedly suggested it may lift the country's emergency law — which allows the leadership to arrest without cause or warrant among other powers — as a concession to protesters. But many are already calling it a bluff. 

Virginia Commonwealth University, ranked number 11, turned the college basketball world upside down yesterday, with an upset win over the number one Kansas Jayhawks, earning a trip to the Final Four of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. VCU now faces Butler, while Kentucky goes against Connecticut. Takeaway sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, believes VCU's huge upset and deep journey into the tournament will give the team a huge boost, with top prospects actually considering going to the school.

With support from coalition forces in the air, Libyan rebel forces have been able to recapture recent losses and are pushing towards Col. Moammar Gadhafi's strongholds. However, the U.S. is committed to passing responsibility on and Defense Secretary Robert Gates told NBC's "Meet the Press," "beginning this week or within the next week or so, we will begin to diminish the commitment of resources that we have committed to this." Marcus Mabry, editor-at-large of the International Herald Tribune, looks at how the impact of a U.S. drawdown could impact the situation in Libya.

Col. Moammar Gadhafi's military continues an assault on rebel forces and civilians, despite five days of bombings from coalition forces. In the Western city of Misurata, 40 people have been killed and 189 injured by Gadhafi's snipers and artillery, according to the rebels. The White House and Pentagon have repeatedly stated they want the violence against Libyan civilians to stop, and the bombings will not cease until that happens. However, there are a lot of questions about the campaign. Who is leading the campaign, particularly if Americans are going to step back? And further, who are the rebels that we're supporting?

New home sales numbers for February are expected out today, following Monday's release of existing home sales, which fell 9.6 percent according to the National Association of Retailers. With the economy improving, this breaks the usual mold of home sales and the economy mirroring each other. Louise Story, Wall Street and finance reporter for The New York Times is watching the housing market and the way different economists are seeing the decreased prices. Is it about housing affordability or a scary dip in the market?

Egyptians approved a referendum on constitutional changes over the weekend and ushered in a new era in the country, which will begin with parliamentary and presidential elections. The old ruling party and the Muslim Brotherhood seem to have the advantage heading into elections, but that could all change in an instant.

The weekend's news of AT&T's potential purchase of T-Mobile for $39 billion turned many heads, and had many consumers wondering what a merger would mean for prices, service, and coverage. To help us shed some light on this potential merger, we're joined by Carl Howe, director of research at the Yankee Group, an independent technology research and consulting firm.

U.S., British, and French coalition forces began Operation Odyssey Dawn Saturday, firing missiles into Libya to enforce a U.N. mandated no-fly zone. Tanks and air defenses were targeted to curb Col. Moammar Gadhafi's deadly assault on rebel forces. A building in Gadhafi's compound reportedly was hit by a missile, though the Pentagon insists this is not an attempt to overthrow Gadhafi. The New York Times' Elisabeth Bumiller looks at the weekend's events and talks about the Pentagon's plan.

Operation Odyssey Dawn began Saturday with coalition missiles targeting Moammar Gadhafi's tanks and air defenses. Is the United States leading this effort? Meanwhile, relief and rescue efforts continue in Japan and time is of the essence as over 12,000 people are still missing and 8,000 have been confirmed dead so far. 

The tsunami that hit Japan's coast, washed away streets, brought down buildings and wiped away landmarks, essentially erasing any map of the region. This poses an immense challenge to relief teams who have to work immediately and systematically to save victims.

Japan teeters on the brink of a nuclear meltdown following the 8.9 earthquake and the enormous tsunami. Meanwhile, many in the U.S. are pondering the state of our nuclear power plants if they ever faced a similar bout with mother nature. The U.S. is the home of 104 nuclear reactor sites, four of them along the west coast — famed for its fault line and earthquakes — one in Washington, two in California, and three in Arizona. 

The world is witnessing first-hand the potential dangers of nuclear energy, as Japan faces the threat of a nuclear meltdown at several power plants, including the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, just 140 miles north of Tokyo. An explosion rocked the plant in the following Friday's earthquake. President Obama has been pushing nuclear energy as part of his new and clean energy policy, but the current events in Japan could be a setback. How will the disaster affect the industry?

What's next in this battle for union rights in Wisconsin and the budget in Washington.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has received criticism for its incompetence in catching Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme, and now it faces an investigation in Congress. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will be calling in two key SEC players for a thorough grilling. David Becker, former general counsel for the SEC will have to answer questions regarding his involvement with Madoff as an investor, and SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro will have to answer why she allowed Becker to work on Madoff matters. Did the SEC have a conflict of interest in dealing with Madoff? 

Debit card "swipe fees" were one way that banks made billions of dollars a year. These fees were paid by retailers every time you used your debit card. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, Congress cut these fees significantly, to the great relief of merchants across the country. The Fed is now facing an April deadline to write the rules for the current lower fees, and banks are waging a war to try to reverse these cuts. Louise Story, Wall Street and finance reporter for The New York Times, explains how new rules could impact you as a consumer.

After a two year ban, military trials for Guantanamo Bay detainees will resume, the Obama administration said on Monday. The administration said it remains committed to closing the controversial prison; this is the same pledge we've heard from the president dating back to his campaign over two years ago. However, his efforts to close the prison have been thwarted by Congressional opposition to bringing detainees on U.S. soil for trials. What are the implications for such an order for Obama and for the detainees?

Whether or not to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya is becoming a hot issue in Washington. Many lawmakers like Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), are calling for a no-fly zone, as rebels in Libya face rough times against the better equiped Libyan armed forces. Callie Crossley, host of The Callie Crossley Show on WGBH in Boston, looks at what we can expect next in the Libyan crisis this week.

As prices at the pump go up, the government is considering tapping into our strategic oil reserves. Coming up on The Takaway, oil expert Lisa Margonelli says what makes sense in the s...