Lately, President Donald Trump’s speeches and tweets have become more pointed and divisive as he attempts to appeal to members of his base. There are four crucial months until election day and the president is spending them emphasizing racial divisions and defending symbols of white supremacy. The move is at odds with a cultural moment of awareness about systemic racism and police brutality. Maya King, campaign 2020 reporting fellow at POLITICO, David Nakamura, White House reporter for The Washington Post, and Clare Malone, senior political writer at FiveThirtyEight share what they've observed in their reporting on the President's reelection bid. The killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis sparked an uprising for racial justice and renewed demands for police reform. Across the U.S., calls to defund the police and reinvest the funds into schools and mental health services have grown louder as the mission of police departments is reconsidered. Daniel Nichanian, founding editor, The Appeal: Political Report, shares where these proposals are taking place and whether or not it’s just a liberal city phenomenon. Plus, Cincinnati Council Member Chris Seelbach and founder of the Cincinnati Black United Front, Iris Roley reflect on the state of policing in their city and how effective their community-based model has been since it was enacted in the early 2000s. Check out our ongoing coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic here.  Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this segment. Don't have time to listen right now? Subscribe for free to our podcast via iTunes, TuneIn, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts to take this segment with you on the go. Want to comment on this story? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page, Twitter or Instagram.

Reckoning with Race in Public Media In the midst of a nationwide push for racial justice, public media is having a reckoning of its own. What Does the Latest SCOTUS Decision Mean for Birth Control Access? In a 7-2 decision, the court upheld a Trump administration regulation allowing employers to deny contraceptive coverage to workers based on religious or moral grounds.  SCOTUS Rules Against Trump on Tax Returns Case State prosecutors in New York will get what President Trump has long refused to give up voluntarily: his tax returns. What is the Business Side of Developing a Vaccine? The world is waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine and the US government is spending billions of dollars to develop one.  'Much Mucho Amor' Director on the Life of Legendary Astrologer Walter Mercado Cristina Costantini, co-director of a new documentary about Walter Mercado, joins The Takeaway to discuss the famed astrologer's life and legacy.

What Will COVID-19 Mean for Higher Education in the Fall? Colleges and universities across the U.S. are grappling with when and how to reopen in the upcoming school year, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.   Judges Around the Country Have Troubling Records, Yet They Still Serve on the Bench A new Reuters investigation looks at the lack of accountability judges face for misconduct. How Has Social Media Become So Divisive? Shoshana Zuboff, author of “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism," joined the Takeaway to discuss the role of social media in society and how it became the juggernaut it is today.  Will Coronavirus Put a Stop to the 2020 Baseball Season? Major League Baseball's opening day is fast approaching but will the virus keep that from happening?

COVID-19 Presents Major Economic Burden for Domestic Workers In recent months, even as some industries have gradually reopened, many domestic workers are still losing jobs and wages due to the pandemic. A Look at the U.S. Labor Market as Emergency Unemployment Benefits Are Set to Expire Halfway through the year and more than three months into the coronavirus pandemic, The Takeaway looks into how the US labor market is faring. Restrictions on Beach and Pool Access Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic Places of public recreation, including pools and beaches, have long been flashpoints of race and class conflict.  Judge Orders Shut Down of the Dakota Access Pipeline in a Major Blow to the Trump Administration The Trump administration was dealt a major blow on Monday when a district court said the Dakota Access Pipeline must shut down by August 5th. The Power of Fiction By and About Black People Best-selling author Jasmine Guillory joined The Takeaway to discuss the sudden interest in antiracism texts, the power of fiction, celebrating about Black lives, and more.

Parenting Challenges in the Era of COVID-19: Balancing Work and Kids Many parents across the country have gone months without childcare, juggling the tasks of being a parent with those of learning how to home-school on the fly. Vanessa Guillén Disappearence Raises Question About Sexual Assault in the Military Army specialist and Houston native Vanessa Guillén disappeared from her Texas base in April, and police now say she was brutally killed. What Does Annexation Mean for Palestinians in the West Bank? What does annexation mean for Palestinians in the West Bank? And how has U.S. public opinion shifted on Israeli policies? What a National Reckoning Over Inequality in the Workplace Means for the Girlboss Movement #Girlboss became the template for women in the workplace hoping to take back some of the power in corporate America.

When the COVID-19 swept the U.S. in March, it was hard to fully understand how society would fundamentally change. Since then, more than 40 million Americans have filed for unemployment. As states grapple with the uncertainty that comes with reopening their economies, Politics with Amy Walter returns to a conversation from April about what it's like to be entering the workforce at this time. Hannes Schwandt, assistant professor at Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy, shares how cohorts unlucky enough to join the workforce during a recession see a loss in lifetime earnings. Amanda Mull, a staff writer at The Atlantic, describes how disasters like pandemics alter the worldview of those transitioning into adulthood and how the current economic downturn has the potential to do the same for Generation C.  Judah Lewis was finishing the second semester of his senior year at Howard University when COVID-19 caused the school to close and classes to move online. The path to his last semester was not an easy one and now he feels like the rug has been pulled out from underneath him. Lewis talks to us about how the pandemic has jeopardized his post-graduation prospects and provides an update on his career plan. In May, activist and playwright Larry Kramer died at age 84. He'd devoted his life to advocating for the gay community during the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Kramer was an outspoken critic of the government's response to the crisis and famously criticized Dr. Anthony Fauci, who at the time was the face of the federal government's response, in the pages of the San Francisco Examiner. Dr. Fauci reflects on his friendship with Larry Kramer and how their bond influenced the rest of his career in public health.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez on his Approach to Flattening the Curve We speak to Miami, Florida's Mayor Francis Suarez about his plans to stop the spread of the virus. How Are Educators Rethinking U.S. History Education? The recent uprisings for racial justice have shed light on how the teaching of U.S. history has been lacking in the past and how we can fix it. Trump Administration Makes Sweeping Changes to International Media Outlets Voice of America, and other government-funded international media outlets, have been in a state of chaos since controversial Trump pick took over last month. Summer in the Age of COVID-19 How are you spending your summer?

Growing Ad Boycotts Are Pressuring Facebook to Stop Misinformation and Hate Speech Over 100 companies have pledged to pull their ads from Facebook, causing Facebook's stock to fall.  Puerto Rico's Domestic Violence Epidemic is Only Getting Worse As millions around the world face increased rates of domestic abuse amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in Puerto Rico, the pandemic of violence against women goes back for years. Artist Shaun Leonardo Wants to Expand the Conversation on Police Brutality Through His Work In March, the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland canceled an exhibition by artist Shaun Leonardo that depicted incidents of police violence. Now, Leonardo is speaking out. Is Contact Tracing Working in the U.S.? With more and more states continuing to reopen their economies, contact tracing is expected to play a critical role in slowing the spread of COVID-19.