Hsi-Chang Lin

While Congress rushes to complete a sweeping financial reform bill later this week, the banking industry is pulling out all the stops for a last ditch effort to undercut the Volcker Rule—a provision that allows banks to retain some of their most risky businesses. The New York Times' finance reporter Louise Story explains who wins and who loses if the Volcker rule were to be put in place.

900 thousand people have seen their benefits expire since June 1st and that number could reach over one million people in the next few weeks. Congress has extended unemployment benefits many times, but this week, the Senate has has been deadlocked on how to pay for the upcoming extension. Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich explains the deadlock over the "jobs bill," and tells us why doctors are about to see their Medicare payments cut by 21 percent.

Since Mexico's President Felipe Calderón took office in December 2006, nearly 23,000 people have been killed as a result of the drug war that has engulfed many parts of the nation, and June might end up being the country's most violent month to date. Just this past weekend, the mayor of Guadelupe was shot and killed in front of his wife and child. And the violence just keeps getting worse.

President Obama’s "Build America" bonds were supposed to help cash strapped municipalities pay for roads, schools or construction projects, but they may be benefiting Wall Street banks as well.

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will tour the Transportation Security Laboratory in Atlantic City, NJ, on Wednesday. We talk with Napolitano about the cutting-edge screening technology being developed there for DHS, and get her thoughts on the Gulf oil gusher - and where she thinks responsiblity lies.

Tonight, President Barack Obama will deliver his first prime time address from the Oval Office. Like the State of the Union address, it's an important part of the modern president's conversation with the American people, and often marks a significant statement of policy. 

The treasury department announced yesterday that it will start sending the majority of its 136 million benefit checks through a system of direct deposits, eliminating the use of paper checks and postage. The move will likely save the U.S. government approximately $303 million during the first five years after the switch, and about $49 million dollars in postage.

Rescuers are still searching for victims missing after flash floods swept through a campground in southwest Arkansas on Friday, claiming the lives of at least 19 people, including six children.

Investment giant Goldman Sachs has faced mounting public disapproval and an ongoing civil fraud suit by the SEC this year, but that hasn't stopped their tradition of analyzing the FIFA World Cup and the countries playing in it.

The Pentagon is searching for Julian Assange, founder of the website Wikileaks, amidst concerns that the site could publish thousands of international cables from the State Department. The cables are allegedly part of a larger package of material given to Wikileaks by 22-year-old Army Specialist Bradley Manning. In late May police arrested Manning, an intelligence analyst in Iraq, accusing him of downloading confidential material from computers on his base and posting it to WikiLeaks.

We speak with Scott Shane, the National Security reporter for The New York Times. He says that while President Obama's administration was elected on a campaign of government transparency, it is actually following a doctrine of extreme media secrecy. Shane says Obama has, in two years, prosecuted more information-leakers than any other president in history.

Yesterday we spoke with Hanna Rosin, contributing editor the The Atlantic Monthly. Hanna wrote a recent article called "The End of Men" which predicted a major shift of gender roles in American life.  Takeaway listeners took to the phone lines and the web to discuss her points. Many argued, like listener Austin Murrey of Oklahoma City that Rosin's points come as no surprise as women have long held power in our society.  He writes:

"Clearly women still face challenges in the macro-social arena (business, politics, etc.) but in the micro-social world, particularly romantic relationships, I think women hold significantly more power than men."

Jury selection is complete in the murder case against former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle against an unarmed passenger, Oscar Grant, on New Year's Day 2009; but, while the case is moving forward, many activists are concerned about the jury's racial make-up. The shooter is white and the victim is black.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke had troubling words when he testified before the House Budget Committee on Wednesday. In describing the state of the economy, Bernanke said that the nation’s budget “appears to be on an unsustainable path.”  The New York Times’ Wall Street and finance reporter Louise Story, explains that the chairman’s critique is a serious matter, and discusses the possible further economic pitfalls that lie ahead.

With all of the attention poured on California's primaries for Senate and governor, you may have missed an even bigger vote that passed in the Sunshine State: 54 percent of California voters passed Proposition 14. Known as “the open-primary initiative,” Prop 14 will essentially do away with party-specific primaries, starting with the 2012 elections. All political candidates will run in a single primary; the two who receive the most votes will run against each other in the general election.

Eleven men were killed when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded on April 20th. Today the family members of those men will visit the White House to meet with President Barack Obama. We speak with Chris Jones, whose brother, Gordon, died in the explosion. Jones recently pleaded with BP CEO Tony Hayward with the emotional words, "I want my brother back."

President Obama has long held that Afghanistan is a key battleground in the War on Terror, and for that reason, has maintained a commitment to a mission that began back in October 2001. But the exact form of that mission is in flux.  

Tonight the most talented young writers and artists in America will gather on stage at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, where they will be awarded at the Scholastic Art and Writing’s Portfolio Gold Award.

Last night, voters decided the party candidates in four closely watched states: Arkansas, California, Nevada, and South Carolina and seven others. But for many candidates the election battle is only just beginning. Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich looks at how the primary winners will fare in November's ballot. Sharron Angle's win in Nevada is both a victory for the Tea Party and for Harry Reid, who has been preparing to face-off against the conservative candidate.

In the latest test of the power of party establishments and anti-incumbent fervor, eleven states held primary races last night. In Arkansas, Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln narrowly defeated a challenge from Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, who had the support of organized labor. In California, two female former CEO's won commanding victories. Former eBay CEO, Meg Whitman took the Republican gubernatorial primary against Steve Poizner, the state's insurance commissioner. Whitman will go on to challenge Jerry Brown, the current state attorney general and former governor. And in California's Senate primary, former Hewlett-Packard CEO, Carly Fiorina won against former Congressman Tom Campbell. Fiorina will face Sen. Barbara Boxer in the fall. California has not sent a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 1988.

Today's primaries may feel local, but they are getting a national push. Sarah Palin visited South Carolina on behalf of gubernatorial candidate, Nikki Haley. Palin's appearance catapulted the candidate to the head of the polls. Nevada's Senate primary is also a Tea Party election, according to Takeaway Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich. There, Tea Party candidate Sharron Angle seems positioned to win the primary, which will pit her against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. This bodes well for Reid as Tea Party candidates have a hard time winning national elections.