T.J. Raphael

Three decades of icy relations between the U.S. and Iran may finally be starting to thaw. In his address yesterday on the first day of the U.N. General Assembly, President Barack Obam...

Last night The Takeaway talked with Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, Dr. Zalmai Rassoul, who many believe has a chance to succeed Hamid Karzai as the president next year. It was a cha...

Seantor Ted Cruz’s faux filibuster against funding Obamacare lasted through this morning—his marathon entered its 15th hour at 4:41 a.m. ET and there was still no end in sight. Ron Ch...

The Senate is set to vote on a House budget that would defund Obamacare tomorrow. Congress must authorize new government spending by October 1—less than a week away-- or risk a partia...

Labor Unions were nothing short of a major force in the passage of the Affordable Care Act, so it may surprise you to learn that at the ALF-CIO's convention earlier this month, Terenc...

As world leaders gather this week in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly, Iran is making gestures of conciliation. The nation released 11 prominent political prisone...

Nairobi is the youngest big city in the region, and also one of the fastest growing. Mwangi S. Kimenyi is a senior fellow and director of the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings...

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and is typically held during the last week of September. Banned Books week is designed to highlight the value of f...

This week is Banned Books Week. But how does someone actually ban a book? Today The Takeaway hears from Mike Holzknecht a lawyer and parent who's joined in opposition against certain ...

This fall may be the U.S.'s first opportunity for real and lasting change with Iran. Joining The Takeaway to discuss the way forward between the U.S. and Iran is Haleh Esfandiari, dir...

The NFL gives fans around the nation something to cheer about for several months each year. But the NFL doesn’t just give, they also receive—in some cases millions of dollars in subsi...

Former Chinese Communist Party heavyweight Bo Xilai has been found guilty of corruption, embezzlement and bribery charges. A court in Jinan sentenced the former leader of Chongqing to...

California, in particular is expanding the rights of its 3.5 million legal non-citizens, allowing them to sit on juries, monitor polls for elections in which they cannot vote and even...

The siege at the Westgate shopping center in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, is in its third day. At least 62 people have been killed since the assault began on Saturday. The attack is link...

We've started a discussion about names and race. Specifically, how names may identify our racial and economic profile. Nikisia Drayton decided not to name her child a name that would ...

The new play "Noor" takes center stage in the plight to bridge the divide between Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The playwright, Akbar Ahmed, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the Unite...

Charlie Malave and Ezra Lange, members of the Chicago-based band "Schwinntonation," hear in bikes something that many of us miss: music.  Bike Harp, Basscycle, Little Poppy, Cricket, ...

This week, we preview two wide releases and a limited release documentary. First, we talk "Prisoners," the Hugh Jackman, and Jake Gyllenhaal thriller, then Ron Howard’s racecar action...

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is set to arrive in New York early next week for the United Nations General Assembly and it’s anticipated that Rouhani will present to the U.N. an Ira...

Pope Francis says that the Church has become "obsessed" with abortion, gay marriage, and contraception. Reverend James Bretzke, professor of Moral Theology at Boston College School of...