Take Part Live

Meghan Mccain and Jacob Soboroff do something with the news. Weeknights at 10PM ET / 9PM CT on Pivot TV

[takepartlive]

I know—we're sad TakePart Live is gone too. But never fear: we've got the same content going over at TakePart.Tumblr.com. 

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[jacobsoboroff-deactivated202010]

Happy Hanukkah. Don’t mind the tree. #yolo

[elizabethtinafeys-blog]

Amy Poehler: Life coach.

[lookdifferentmtv-deactivated201]

Never stop being curious. 

[chicagotribune]

Youths drawn into prostitution while living at residential facilities

A world of sexual exploitation seems to be accepted as a fact of life at some of the large residential treatment centers that get millions of taxpayer dollars each year to care for Illinois’ most destitute and troubled young wards, a Tribune investigation found.

The prostitution emerges against a backdrop of violence at the facilities where the threat of sexual coercion is common, residents frequently square off in fights, destroy property, abuse medications and attack peers or staff, government records show.

[rtamerica-blog]

Congress to block marijuana legalization in DC

The Republican-led US House is using a crucial spending bill in an effort to block legalization of recreational marijuana in Washington, DC, where a ballot initiative last month received nearly 70-percent support.

The Republican-led US House is using a crucial spending bill in an effort to block legalization of recreational marijuana in Washington, DC, where a ballot initiative last month received nearly 70-percent support.

[nbcnightlynews]

BREAKING NEWS: Senate report finds CIA enhanced interrogation techniques were ineffective

[skunkbear]

The New Horizons spacecraft just woke up from a nine year nap. It’s three billion miles away from home, and it’s about to fly within a few thousand miles of Pluto, giving humans their first up close view of the dwarf planet.

[takepartlive]

See what Baratunde, Mary Katharine Ham and Seena Jon had to say about the lack of indictment in Eric Garner's death. 

[jacobsoboroff-deactivated202010]

"Injustice system" feels more like it all-too-often.

Eric Garner’s final words.

Via John Green.

[takepartlive]

The talented Nigel Barker joined us last night to discuss his work with The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation for World AIDS Day.

[rtamerica-blog]

Obama seeks purchase of 50,000 police body cameras

President Barack Obama announced Monday that he will seek $263 million in order to better train police officers – and a large chunk of that money will fund the purchase of roughly 50,000 body cameras.

Additionally, the White House said that the controversial Pentagon program that transfers old equipment – including vehicles and other military gear – will remain largely intact, though more money will be used to improve training and reform law enforcement agencies across the United States.

Specifically, President Obama pledged to use $75 million to purchase tens of thousands of body cameras for police departments. That money can buy up to 50,000 cameras for the roughly 750,000 officers around the country.

[nbcnightlynews]

Giant red ribbon hangs from The White House to mark World AIDS Day http://nbcnews.to/1yaOg0r

[npr]

If Noelle Johnson had a bachelor’s degree, she’d be able to live closer to work, she says. She wouldn’t have to spend so much of her free time hustling for babysitting gigs. She’d shop at the farmers market. She’d be able to treat her sister to dinner for once. She and her husband could go on trips together — they’d be able to afford two tickets instead of one.

There are dozens of ways that not having a college degree and dealing with student loans affects Johnson’s life.

Johnson, 27, lives in Manassas, Va., and commutes 90 minutes each way by bus and train to Arlington, Va. She likes her job as an office manager at a nonprofit, and makes around $40,000 a year — about $10,000 more than the national average for people with some college education, though the capital region has a higher cost of living as well.

But young college graduates make $58,000 a year, on average. And after nine years of changing schools, trying to choose a major, dealing with an illness and managing tuition costs, Johnson has about $20,000 in student loan debt and no degree to show for it.

For Millions Of Millennials: Some College, No Degree, Lots Of Debt

Photo credit: James Clark/NPR

[takepartlive]

These Kids Solved World Hunger! 

[takepartlive]

Loved having model Ashley Graham on the show last night to discuss body image with us! 

[latimes]

Today the mayor of San Francisco is a dog

[takepartlive]

The city is championing animal rights by declaring a Chihuahua-mix, Frida, the city’s mayor.

[npr]

"In some places, tests — and preparation for them — are dominating the calendar and culture of schools and causing undue stress for students and educators."

The quote comes not from an angry parent or firebrand school leader but from Education Secretary Arne Duncan. Of course, he’s the guy currently in charge of a big chunk of those tests: the No Child Left Behind requirement of annual standardized testing in grades 3-8, plus once during grades 10-12.

And those tests are just the start. Lately everyone from the president on down has been weighing in on the question: Are kids really being tested too much? And their answer, mostly, is a big “Yes.”

Meet “Jordan,” an 11th grader in Florida. By graduation, he’ll have taken 113 standardized tests.  

Testing: How Much Is Too Much?

Credit: LA Johnson, Anya Kamenetz, Elissa Nadworny and Alyson Hurt/NPR