Douglas Brinkley, professor of history at Rice University and author of Cronkite, explains what the historical precedent is for Obama's second term and for storm response.

Douglas Brinkley, professor of history at Rice University and author of Cronkite, talks about his biography of the news anchor called "the most trusted man in America."

President Obama called for a shoring up of the country's middle class and criticized the concentration of wealth in the U.S. during a speech Tuesday in Osawatomie, Kansas. The town was the site of Theodore Roosevelt's famous "New Nationalism" speech, which, a century earlier touched upon many of the same themes as President Obama's address. But Obama's speech comes on the heels of the Occupy Wall Street movement, the GOP Primary, and the inception of his 2012 presidential campaign.

Coming up, the legacy of Sargent Shriver- the founding director of the Peace Corps, the politician and Vice Presidential candidate, and civil society leader. Shriver died yesterday at the age of 95, and The Takeaway hears from Douglas Brinkley, Professor of History at Rice University.

The weekend’s shooting reminds us how common assassination attempts on politicians are in our country. And while people spar back and forth about whether Jared Loughner is crazy or whether he is political, there’s another conversation to be had: Why does radicalism become attractive to people? And how has the brew of high-voltage rhetoric, accessibility of weapons, and a dash of encouragement lead people to commit atrocious acts that, at times, have drastically changed the course of our nation? 

When future generations look back on this election, the first after President Obama's dramatic victory in 2008, will they see it as a repeat of the 1994 Gingrich Revolution? An unraveling of the Obama agenda? Or a chance for the president to rebrand himself?

President Obama will announce the departure of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel later today. As the right hand man to the president, Emanuel championed Obama’s causes behind the scenes and brokered deals to push through legislation. But his wasn’t a flawless record. Critics argue that Emanuel’s pugilistic nature often attracted negative attention to himself, and that his focus on short term goals squandered some of the political capital the president carried into his first term.  

Two disasters, two presidents, one city. Even though the Gulf oil spill hasn't directly hit New Orleans, it's hard not to think of the disaster in the context of the Hurricane that hit the same region five years ago. Historian Douglas Brinkley says its residents are in a state of "permanent stress." But, he says, he's more angry now because this disaster was man made. New Orleans is Brinkley's adopted home town and he assesses President Obama's response so far.

President Barack Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” according to the Nobel Committee in Oslo. We talk with the BBC's Lars Bevanger in Oslo, presidential historian Douglas Brinkley and New York Times correspondent Sheryl Gay Stolberg for their reactions.

Tomorrow, in the midst of a string of health care town halls, President Obama is squeezing in a family trip with Michelle and his daughters. The Obamas will visit the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Park. The former mayor of West Yellowstone, Montana, Jerry Johnson, tells us how the locals are responding to the impending presidential visit.

We are also joined by historian Douglas Brinkley, author of The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America, with a look at the nation's national park system and the ecological streak that makes up President Teddy Roosevelt's lasting legacy.