Jillian Weinberger

Many U.S. cities that once depended on manufacturing — cities like Detroit, Cleveland and Binghamton, N.Y. — experienced job loss and a decline in population years before the Great Recession began. John Hockenberry grew up outside of Binghamton and watched a great, vibrant city fall. IBM, once a major employer in the area, moved its factories overseas, and other businesses followed. Today, downtown Binghamton is filled with empty storefronts and houses.

Formula One racing attracts fans all over the world, and back in the '80s and '90s there was one man who everybody wanted to see race: Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna. Known for being a charismatic risk taker on and off the track, Senna's legions of fans were shocked when he was killed in a crash during the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994. A new documentary called "Senna" tells the story of his life. The film won the World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary at this year's Sundance Festival.

Listen As the tenth anniversary of September 11 approaches, our host John Hockenberry decided to focus his summer reading on novels about 9/11. This week's pick touches upon how we m...

This week we're talking about ways to fix the economy. President Obama is currently on a bus tour, talking to voters in Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota about his plan to boost the economy. Back in Washington the Congressional "super committee" has begun talks over how to find $1.5 trillion in spending cuts. And here on The Takeaway, we're asking listeners to share their ideas.

Our summer book club continues today with host John Hockenberry's first pick for August. John sees summer reading as an opportunity for challenge. He spent one summer reading the Russian literature, and the following summer he devoted his reading to Charles Dickens. This summer, as the tenth anniversary of September 11 approaches, John decided it was time to tackle a few of the recent novels that deal with that tragic day. His first pick is Jonathan Safran Foer’s "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." The novel follows nine-year-old Oskar Schell in the years after his father dies in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Foer sat down with John to discuss his 2005 novel.

Babies start to smile at around five weeks old; an ability that can influence many things they'll do for the rest of their lives. Social psychology research finds that the way we smile seriously affects how we're perceived by others. Jurors are more likely to believe smiling defendants. Smiling waiters get more tips. And parents are likely to pay more attention to smiling children.

Three days after Standard & Poor's downgraded the U.S.'s credit rating, local small business owners fear a return to the Great Recession.

Every Friday, Movie Date podcast co-hosts Kristen Meinzer and Rafer Guzman talk about the weekend's new releases. The biggest debut this weekend is a remake of a film that comes from a long line of remakes: "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" opens today. (The movie’s director and unconventional star, Andy Serkis will appear later this morning on the program.) Also opening this weekend is "The Change-Up" a new bro-mance starring Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds, and "Magic Trip," a documentary about Ken Kesey and the Merry Prankster’s drug-filled road trip in 1964.

Does unemployment affect males and females differently? The economic downturn has been called a "mancession." Are we now in the midst of a "he-covery?" According to the Pew Research Center, men lost more than twice as many jobs than women during the Great Recession, but the recovery has reversed that trend. Between June 2009 and May 2011, men gained jobs while women continued to lose them. What accounts for the unemployment gender gap, and will the trend continue?

The federal government plans to release new unemployment figures on Friday. Will July's numbers be as dismal as June's? All week, The Takeaway is speaking with experts, employers, and out-of-work Americans about unemployment-related issues. Today, we're discussing foreign workers. With unemployment hovering around 9.2 percent, why do so many seasonal employers choose to hire workers from outside the U.S.?

These days, almost every computer and cell phone has software to download or record and save our favorite songs. Of course, it wasn’t always so simple. Thomas Edison created the first phonograph in 1877, an invention that recorded sound on tinfoil-covered cylinders. But many of the recordings from Edison's day were lost to history — until the founders of Archeophone Records stepped in. 

When times are tough, Americans often turn to comic books. The so-called Golden Age of Comics in the U.S. began with the Great Depression, when out-of-work Americans were desperate for superheroes and role models. Our appetite for Superman and the Green Lantern only grew as Hitler marched across Europe. And Americans aren’t the only ones who need superheroes in difficult times. Our guest for this segment is the author of "The 99," a comic book series published in Kuwait and translated into nine languages. "The 99" follows Islam-inspired superheroes as they fight evil dictators and extremists.

Partisan fighting over the debt ceiling on Capitol Hill has affected more than just the markets. Over the weekend, Congress failed to pass a funding extension for the Federal Aviation Administration, following a disagreement over cuts in subsidies. As a result, the U.S. government was forced to suspend collection of federal airline taxes, at a loss of approximately $200 million per week. The F.A.A had to furlough 4,000 employees, and airport modernization projects worth billions of dollars are now on hold.

Our book club continues today with Celeste Headlee's second pick of the summer. S.J. Bolton is one of the most successful mystery authors writing today. Her third novel "Blood Harvest" is everything Celeste thinks a summer book should be: intriguing, suspenseful, fun — and, of course, well-written. The book centers on the mysterious disappearance and death of several young girls in a town in the British Moors.

Until recently, few medical schools taught what most of us call "bedside manner," the ability to empathize and compassionately care for patients. Even fewer schools considered prospective candidates on their ability to communicate with patients. But now a growing number of medical schools are evaluating students through the Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI) in addition to M-CAT scores and grade point average. The MMI tests for ethical reasoning and communication ability. 

Author Barry Estabrook decided to write about tomatoes because they almost killed him. He was driving in Naples, Fla. when a few tomatoes bounced off the cargo truck in front of him, narrowly missing his windshield. At the next stoplight, he was amazed to see that the tomatoes littering the street were unscathed after falling off a truck that was traveling at 60 miles per hour. How did the tomato— once summer’s tastiest treat — become the bland specimens available in most grocery stores now? And how can we fix it?

Major League Baseball's All-Star Game will take place in Phoenix, Arizona this year. The state has been the focus of national controversy over a recent law concerning unauthorized migrants, and 30 percent of league players are Latino — which means politics may overshadow the game. Groups on both sides of the debate are planning to make statements to spectators. George Vecsey, sports columnist for The New York Times, talks about the dynamic of the game.

In 2002, a Harvard University sophomore found evidence in the university's archives of a court that sough out and punished gay students. This scandal is the backdrop for "Unnatural Acts," a new play at the Classic Stage Company in New York. 

The eighth season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" premieres this Sunday on HBO. The show hinges on star Larry David’s inability — or refusal — to follow social cues. Most of the characters respond to David's antics with passive aggression. But there is one character who consistently faces Larry head on: Susie Greene. Known for her filthy mouth and tendency to scream at other characters, Susie is one of the long-running comedy series' most beloved characters.

Our summer book club continues today with Celeste's first pick for July. Tea Obreht burst onto the literary scene this year with her first novel, "The Tiger’s Wife." The book explores one woman’s family history through historical myths and realities in the Balkans region.

At the age of 25, Obreht has already done what many authors hope to achieve a lifetime. In addition to critical acclaim for "The Tiger’s Wife," she also won the Orange Prize this year, making her the youngest person ever to do so.