Brief: Al Shifa Hospital goes dark, UN bombed, West Bank raids continue

On March 4th, Donald Trump will be heading to Washington, DC, and soon he and his supporters will also be returning to a court in Georgia. Heather Shaner has represented more than 30 Trump supporters charged with crimes related to the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. She tells The Take a bit about her clients, their motivations, and what she expects to see in the coming trials of the former president of the United States. In this episode:  Heather Shaner, Court Appointed Defense Attorney, Washington DC Federal District Court Episode credits: This episode was produced by David Enders, Ashish Malhotra and our host Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Tim St Clair mixed this episode. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. 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, and Facebook

28 Aug 202319min

It’s a story that brings together two powerful families in the Middle East. Musa al-Sadr, a revered figure in Lebanon’s Shia community, met with then-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on August 31, 1978. He was never seen again. His mysterious disappearance has sparked decades of theories and accusations. In the hopes of finally forcing an answer, Lebanon has held Gaddafi’s youngest son, Hannibal, in prison since 2015 – though he’s never been tried. He’s now gone on a hunger strike, but Sadr’s family and devoted followers say there should be no concessions until they find out what happened to the ‘vanished Imam’. In this episode:  Ali Hashem (@alihashem_tv), Al Jazeera correspondent  Episode credits: This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan, David Enders and our host Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. This episode was mixed by Tim St. Clair. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. 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, and Facebook

25 Aug 202318min

As Yevgeny Prigozhin captures global headlines, tensions are already high at Poland’s border with Belarus, which marks the edge of the European Union. On the other side, Belarus has been furthering its alliance with Russia as the invasion in Ukraine continues. Now, fighters from the Wagner mercenary group have camped out in Belarus, leaving those in border villages in uncertainty and fear. In Poland, border guards and soldiers are growing in number, and the Polish government has cracked down on people who they say are illegally crossing the border. So, how has all the tension been affecting the locals?  In this episode:  Dawid Krawczyk (@DJKrawczyk), producer for Al Jazeera  Episode credits: This episode was produced by Fahrinisa Campana and Chloe K. Li, with our host Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Tim St. Clair mixed this episode. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera AlDosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. 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, and Facebook

24 Aug 202321min

It’s known as one of the largest sexual abuse scandals in US history. Over 82,000 men came forward, all claiming to have faced abuse during their time in The Boy Scouts of America. In April, the Boy Scouts of America exited bankruptcy, meaning it is meant to begin distributing compensation to abuse survivors. Al Jazeera investigated one of the worst cases of abuses, in the state of Arkansas, with a charismatic scout master who eventually went to prison for life. In this episode:  Josh Rushing (@joshrushing), Senior Correspondent, Fault Lines Watch the Fault Lines documentary Scout Master: One of the largest sex abuse scandals in US history here. Episode credits: This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan and our host Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera AlDosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. 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, and Facebook

23 Aug 202319min

Ecuador’s elections were like nothing in its history. The assassination of a presidential hopeful left many asking if the increasing gang violence had passed the point of devolving into a narco-state. But every Ecuadorian is required to vote by law, and the result was a run-off that will be decided in October. Can Ecuador recover from this recent plague of violence by electing a new president, or is it too late? In this episode:  Lucia Newman (@lucianewman), Latin America editor, Al Jazeera Episode credits: This episode was produced by Amy Walters and our host Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin and Zaina Badr fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera AlDosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. 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, and Facebook

22 Aug 202322min

The situation in Niger continues to simmer after its coup in July, but Niger's fate is not only up to its new military leaders. Regional bloc ECOWAS held a summit in Ghana on Thursday and Friday to discuss next steps. Now, a majority of its member states are ready to take up arms, but ECOWAS is still pushing for a peaceful return to civilian rule. So, with potential peace or full blown war hanging in the balance, what’s next for Niger?  In this episode:  Adolphus Mawolo (@adolphmawolo), Al Jazeera producer  Episode credits: This episode was produced by Chloe K. Li with Sonia Bhagat and 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. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. 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, and Facebook

21 Aug 202319min

The Women’s World Cup final is this Sunday with England and Spain facing off for the trophy. The month-long competition has seen the end of several storied careers, but it’s also introduced the world to emerging stars that could inspire a new generation of fans. With the growth of viewership and enthusiasm, the women’s game has reached another turning point. How will the end of WWC 2023 shape the future of women’s football?  In this episode:  Faye Carruthers (@FayeCarruthers), host of women’s football podcasts for The Guardian and talkSPORT Episode credits: This episode was produced by Miranda Lin, David Enders and our host Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. 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, and Facebook

18 Aug 202319min

They’re the deadliest wildfires the United States has seen in over a century. Cutting through the Hawaiian island of Maui, the fires started on August 8 and have killed over 100 people. But with some 1,000 people still missing, the death toll is expected to rise. Among the destroyed areas is Lahaina, a historic city that served as the Kingdom of Hawaii’s capital in the 1800s. Wildfire experts and ecologists say factors related to climate change – high winds and drought – and other man-made changes to Hawaii’s landscape caused the fires. Such conditions could lead to similar disasters – so how will Hawaii protect its heritage for the future?  In this episode:  Kaniela Ing (@KanielaIng), National Director of Green New Deal Network and Co-Founder of Our Hawaii  Episode credits: This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra, Chloe K. Li and our host Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan and Zaina Badr fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera AlDosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. 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, and Facebook

17 Aug 202320min