2023 in Review: The US-Mexico border in a post-Title 42 world

Why did life happen on Earth? And how did it begin? Even the world’s most advanced space scientists still don’t fully understand these questions, but a mission by NASA called OSIRIS-REx hopes to fill in the missing chapters from Earth’s origin story. The spacecraft traveled billions of kilometers to the asteroid Bennu, which researchers describe as a time capsule from the earliest days of the solar system.  In this episode:  Colin Baker (@airlockben), Al Jazeera News Editor  Zack Gainsforth (@zgainsforth), Space Scientist, UC Berkeley Pierre Haenecour (@stardustpierre), Cosmochemist, University of Arizona Ashley King (@ashleyjking85), Planetary Scientist, Natural History Museum Episode credits: This episode was produced by Miranda Lin and our host Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal. Shrijan Pandey, Zaina Badr and Kara Dauletkanova fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

16 Jan 202420min

US President Joe Biden is facing dissent from all corners as Israel’s war on Gaza rages on and regional tensions escalate. As the 2024 election season gets into gear, protesters are targeting both the president and his cabinet members. The Take goes behind the scenes of the Biden administration, where diplomatic staff privately say their expertise is being ignored, while a feud between two of the team’s most public faces is bubbling to the surface.  In this episode:  Kimberly Halkett (@KimberlyHalkett), Al Jazeera White House Correspondent Akbar Shahid Ahmed (@AkbarSAhmed), HuffPost Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Episode credits: This episode was produced by Negin Owliaei with our host Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

15 Jan 202422min

We are coming to you on Sundays as Israel's war on Gaza continues. This week: As Gaza marks 100 days of war, Israeli bombing brought the death toll near 24,000 Palestinians. And there was another communications blackout. Demonstrators worldwide called again for a ceasefire. In this episode: Hani Mahmoud, Al Jazeera Correspondent in Gaza Mansour Shuman, Khan Younis Resident Stephanie Dekker (@StefanieDekker), Al Jazeera Correspondent in Occupied East Jerusalem Paul Brennan, Al Jazeera Correspondent in London Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

14 Jan 20246min

Every Saturday, we revisit a story that’s in the news again. This originally aired on February 17, 2021. Designating Yemen’s Houthi rebels as a “foreign terrorist organization” was one of the last foreign policy decisions of the Trump administration. It was a move that many aid agencies feared would push the worst humanitarian crisis in the world into further chaos. Now, weeks later, the new administration under President Joe Biden has walked it back. So just how big a shift is this for US policy towards Yemen, and what does it mean for Yemen’s war? In this episode:  Abubakr Al-Shamahi (@abubakrabdullah), Journalist Sultana Begum (@sultanabegums), Norwegian Refugee Council Episode credits: This episode was updated by Amy Walters. The original production team was Alexandra Locke, Dina Kesbeh, Amy Walters, Ney Alvarez, Stacey Samuel, Natalia Aldana, Negin Owliaei, and Malika Bilal.  Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

13 Jan 202415min

The International Court of Justice is now hearing a case brought by South Africa, accusing Israel of genocide. Rulings by the ICJ are legally binding, but the court has no way of enforcing them. So, will it make a difference as the Israeli war on Gaza goes on? In this episode:  Thamsanqa Malusi (@MalusiThami), South African Lawyer James Bays (@baysontheroad), Al Jazeera Diplomatic Editor Episode credits: This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra, Sarí el-Khalili, and Fahrinisa Campana with our host Malika Bilal. Sonia Bhagat fact-checked this episode. Special thanks to Anade Situma. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

12 Jan 202415min

As the world sees the largest pro-Palestine protests on record, the interest in owning a keffiyeh is skyrocketing. Hirbawi is the last known factory making keffiyehs in Palestine. So how is that changing Hirbawi and the meaning behind the keffiyeh? In this episode: Wafa Ghnaim (@tatreezandtea), Palestinian Dress Historian  Azar Aghayev (@hirbawiusa), US Distributor for Hirbawi  Episode credits: This episode was produced by Chloe K. Li with our host Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan and Zaina Badr fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Joe Plourde mixed this episode. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Browse the Hirbawi factory's website.  Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

11 Jan 202420min

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have shown no sign of backing down with their attacks in the southern Red Sea on ships they say are linked to Israel. Despite warnings from the US, UK, and other countries, the Houthis vowed to continue attacks in solidarity with Palestine and against Israel’s military assault on Gaza. So, how much of an impact does this have on the global and Israeli economy?  In this episode:  Laleh Khalili (@LalehKhalili), Professor of Gulf Studies at University of Exeter Episode credits: This episode was produced by Sarí el-Khalili, Fahrinisa Campana, and our host Malika Bilal. Ashish Malhotra and Khaled Soltan fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik, and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

10 Jan 202419min

Sheikh Hasina has won a fourth straight term as Bangladesh’s prime minister. The daughter of the country’s founding father earned her own reputation as a pro-democracy leader. But in recent years she has been accused of cracking down on critics, with the opposition boycotting this year’s elections and calling them a sham. In this episode:  Tanvir Chowdhury (@tanvirbengal), Al Jazeera Bangladesh Correspondent/Producer Episode credits: This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra and Miranda Lin with David Enders and our host Malika Bilal. Fahrinisa Campana, Amy Walters and Khaled Soltan fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

9 Jan 202417min