The Take
The Take
Al Jazeera
The Take is a daily interview-driven international news podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Malika Bilal. Each episode focuses on conversations with journalists and people directly impacted by the news of the day, offering our listeners the context necessary to understand what's in the headlines. With millions of global listens, it's clear the conversations we're having on The Take are worth hearing. And critics think so too. The show has won the Online Journalism Awards, the Signal Awards, Lovie Awards, and Anthem Awards, among others.
Brief: US pauses Iran strikes, Israel continues attacking Gaza
This week:  298 days into a ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 1,191 Palestinians in Gaza.  The US paused its attacks on Iran. Israel continued to strike Gaza. Israeli settlers and soldiers carried out attacks in the occupied West Bank. Israel has killed at least 73,305 Palestinians in Gaza since October 7th, 2023. In this episode: Rosiland Jordan (@RosJordan), Al Jazeera Correspondent Ibrahim al-Khalili (@_ibrahimalkhalili), Al Jazeera Correspondent Nour Odeh (@ZeinaKhodrAljaz), Al Jazeera Correspondent Episode credits: This episode was produced and mixed by Marthe van der Wolf. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Andrew Greiner and Munera AlDosari is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Joanne de Frias is Al Jazeera’s Head of Audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
Jul 26
5 min
Brief: US strikes Iran for 8th straight night, Iran kills US soldiers in Jordan
This week:  291 days into a ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 1,100 Palestinians in Gaza. The US continued to strike Iran, killing at least 50 Iranians in the past two weeks. Iranian strikes killed two US soldiers in Jordan. Israel continued striking Gaza and once more expanded the area it occupies there.  Israel has killed at least 73,250 Palestinians in Gaza since October 7th, 2023. In this episode: Tohid Asadi, Al Jazeera Correspondent Heidi Zhou-Castro (@HeidiZhouCastro), Al Jazeera Correspondent Moath al-Kahlout (@moath_kahlout), Al Jazeera Correspondent Zeina Khodr (@ZeinaKhodrAljaz), Al Jazeera Correspondent Episode credits: This episode was produced and mixed by Marthe van der Wolf. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Andrew Greiner and Munera AlDosari is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Joanne de Frias is Al Jazeera’s Head of Audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
Jul 19
6 min
Brief: US attacks Iran again, Hamas dissolves government in Gaza
This week: 284 days into a ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 1,093 Palestinians in Gaza.  The US attacked Iran multiple times. Israel continued killing Palestinians in Gaza as Hamas dissolved its government there. Israel has killed at least 73,221 Palestinians in Gaza since October 7th, 2023. In this episode: Tohid Asadi, Al Jazeera Correspondent Kimberly Halkett (@KimberlyHalkett), Al Jazeera Correspondent Ibrahim al-Khalili (@_ibrahimalkhalili/), Al Jazeera Correspondent Hani Mahmoud, Al Jazeera Correspondent Episode credits: This episode was produced and mixed by Marthe van der Wolf. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Andrew Greiner and Munera AlDosari is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Joanne de Frias is Al Jazeera’s Head of Audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
Jul 12
5 min
Brief: Iran holds funeral processions for late Ayatollah. Israel-Lebanon ceasefire tested in the south
This week: 277 days into a ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 1,066 Palestinians in Gaza. Iranians gather for funeral processions of the late Ayatollah killed in the Israel-US war. Israel-Lebanon ceasefire being tested in southern Lebanon. Israelis demanding inquiry into October 7 attacks. Israel has killed at least 73,090 Palestinians in Gaza since October 7th, 2023. In this episode: Tohid Asadi (@tohid_._asadi), Al Jazeera Correspondent Moath Kahlout (@moath_kahlout), Al Jazeera Correspondent Zeina Khodr (@ZeinakhodrAljaz), Al Jazeera Correspondent Nour Odeh (@nourodeh), Al Jazeera Correspondent Tareq Abu Azzoum (@abuoazzum), Al Jazeera Senior Correspondent Episode credits: This episode was produced and mixed by Marthe van der Wolf. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Andrew Greiner and Munera AlDosari is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Joanne de Frias is Al Jazeera’s Head of Audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
Jul 5
6 min
The path from Gaza to Trump's return
What happened inside the White House after October 7, 2023 changed the course of Israel’s war on Gaza and reshaped the Democratic Party. After three primary elections that could indicate the future of the Democratic base, a new book by Akbar Shahid Ahmed reveals the inside story of how the US administration never wavered on its support of Israel and planted roots for the return of Donald Trump. In this episode:  Akbar Shahid Ahmed (@AkbarSAhmed), Journalist and Author of ‘Crossing the Red Line’  Episode credits: This episode was produced by Tamara Khandaker and Sonia Bhagat, with Spencer Cline, Jana Dabliz, and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Alexandra Locke.  Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhemm. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer.  The Take production team is Marcos Bartolomé, Sonia Bhagat, Spencer Cline, Sarí el-Khalili, David Enders, Tamara Khandaker, Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, Catherine Nouhan, Alex Roldan, and Noor Wazwaz. Our host is Malika Bilal.  Our editorial intern is Jana Dabliz. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Andrew Greiner is lead of audience engagement. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
Jun 30
27 min
Mehdi Hasan: Disrupting democracy’s decline
Mehdi Hasan has had a front seat to US and UK politics for decades. With the UK facing yet another change in prime minister a decade after Brexit, and the US looking ahead to its next vote with the midterm elections in November, we get his take on this moment and why independent journalism is needed more than ever.  In this episode:      Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan), Editor-in-Chief, Zeteo Episode credits: This episode was produced by Sonia Bhagat and Alexandra Locke, with Tamara Khandaker, Spencer Cline, Jana Dabliz, and our host, Malika Bilal.  Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer.  Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
Jun 29
20 min
Brief: Iran launches retaliatory strikes on US targets. Israel and Lebanon agree on new framework
This week: 270 days into a ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 1038 Palestinians in Gaza. Iran launches retaliatory strikes on Bahrain and Kuwait. Israel and Lebanon agree on new framework. Iran needs hundreds of billions for reconstruction. Israel has killed at least 73,051 Palestinians in Gaza since October 7th, 2023. In this episode: Resul Serdar, (@ResulSerdarAtas), Al Jazeera Correspondent Mohamed Vall, Al Jazeera Journalist Rob McBride, Al Jazeera Correspondent Nida Ibrahim, (@nida_journo), Al Jazeera correspondent Tareq Abu Azzoum, (@abuoazzum) Al Jazeera Senior Correspondent   Episode credits: This episode was produced and mixed by Marthe van der Wolf. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Andrew Greiner and Munera AlDosari is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. And Joanne de Frias is Al Jazeera’s Head of Audio.   Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
Jun 28
7 min
Another Take: Qatar’s World Cup, from the inside out
Every Saturday, we revisit a story from the archives. This originally aired on October 24, 2022. None of the dates, titles, or other references from that time have been changed. The World Cup is about to head to the Middle East for the first time. Ever since it was announced back in 2010 that the tournament would be held in Qatar, the country has been getting ready to host the world’s biggest sporting event. In this episode, the first in The Take’s coverage of the World Cup, we look at some of the preparations for the tournament, their associated controversies, and a preview of what we might expect after kickoff. In this episode: Tony Karon (@TonyKaron), AJ+ Editorial Lead Sohail Malik (@SohailAJE), Al Jazeera Reporter Episode credits: This episode was updated by Sarí el-Khalili. The original production team was Negin Owliaei, Chloe K. Li, Ruby Zaman, Alexandra Locke, Amy Walters, and our host, Malika Bilal.  Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Andrew Greiner is lead of audience engagement. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
Jun 27
23 min
How did Colombia's election split a nation in two?
Colombia just had the closest vote in its history. A right-wing political outsider with a Trump endorsement beat a left-wing veteran by less than a point. What does this mean for Colombia, and for the Latin American left? In this episode:  Teresa Bo (@TeresaBo), Al Jazeera Senior Correspondent Episode credits: This episode was produced by Marcos Bartolomé and Sonia Bhagat with Spencer Cline, Jana Dabliz, Catherine Nouhan, Noor Wazwaz, and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Alexandra Locke.  Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
Jun 26
19 min
The children Gaza lost
A UN inquiry has documented the scale of child deaths in Gaza since October 2023. It lays out mass killings, destroyed hospitals, and blocked aid, even accusing Israel of war crimes and possible genocidal acts. What does accountability look like now? In this episode:  Chris Sidoti, UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory Episode credits: This episode was produced by Fahrinisa Campana with Marcos Bartolomé, Tamara Khandaker, Jana Dabliz, and our host, Kevin Hirten. It was edited by Noor Wazwaz. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
Jun 24
27 min
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