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.
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
7 snips
Mar 8, 2026 • 6min
Brief: Israel and US continue to strike in Iran, Israel closes all Gaza crossings
Zein Basravi, Al Jazeera senior correspondent on energy impacts; Zeina Khodr, Al Jazeera Beirut reporter covering evacuations and security; Mohamed Vall, Al Jazeera field reporter in Iran with on-the-ground observations. They discuss strikes in Iran and risks to civilians. They cover Israel closing Gaza crossings and the resulting aid crisis. They describe Lebanon evacuations and regional energy shocks.
18 snips
Mar 7, 2026 • 26min
Another Take: What is Iran’s right to resist regime change?
Hamid Dabashi, Columbia professor of Iranian studies and comparative literature, reflects on Iran’s deep history and political trauma. He revisits the 1953 coup, critiques claims about nuclear threats and foreign 'liberation', and argues for diplomacy and disarmament over bombing. He also discusses how attacks would strengthen hardliners, erase culture, and misunderstand Iranian agency.
19 snips
Mar 6, 2026 • 25min
How is the US using Anthropic's Claude AI in Iran?
Heidy Khlaaf, Principal Research Scientist at the AI Now Institute focused on AI safety in critical systems. She traces how Anthropic and OpenAI tools are funneled into military decision support. Short takes cover LLM roles in targeting, risks like hallucinations and automation bias, company ties to defense, and debates over meaningful oversight versus PR safety claims.
17 snips
Mar 5, 2026 • 22min
What the world is getting wrong about what Iranians think
Yara Elmjouie, AJ+ senior producer who reports on Iranian public opinion and social media. She describes communication blackouts and how she gets updates from inside Iran. She talks about the mixed emotions on social platforms and the danger of binary frames. She explains verifying fast-moving footage and the stark costs of conflict for people inside the country.
12 snips
Mar 4, 2026 • 24min
Why Washington can’t stop Trump on Iran
Patty Culhane, an Al Jazeera correspondent covering U.S. politics from Washington, breaks down Capitol Hill's maneuvers around war powers. She recounts D.C. celebratory culture after strikes. She outlines congressional voting dynamics and political math. She discusses restricted press access, Pentagon limits, and how casualties and optics could reshape public opinion.
8 snips
Mar 2, 2026 • 17min
Why Iran’s system may endure the US–Israel strikes
Ali Hashem, Al Jazeera correspondent and regional analyst with frontline experience in Iran and Lebanon, offers on-the-ground political analysis. He describes recent U.S.-Israeli strikes and potential escalation. He explains why Iran’s system was built to survive leadership loss. He examines succession debates, Hezbollah’s calculations, and the unclear horizon of this conflict.
8 snips
Mar 1, 2026 • 23min
‘The Truth Social war’: the US playbook for war with Iran
Imran Khan, Al Jazeera senior correspondent with deep Middle East reporting experience, breaks down the outbreak of war with Iran. He describes reports of strikes in Tehran and the announcement of Khamenei’s death. He covers how negotiations unraveled, Tehran’s retaliation and red lines, and the role of Truth Social in the information war.
13 snips
Mar 1, 2026 • 6min
Brief: Day 2 of US and Israeli strikes on Iran, Supporters mourn Khamenei
Nida Ibrahim, Al Jazeera correspondent in the Occupied West Bank reporting on the human cost of interceptions and movement limits. Manuel Rapalo, Washington correspondent covering the U.S. framing of strikes on Iran. Victoria Gattenby, producer who filed the obituary tracing Khamenei’s rise. Tohid Asadi, Tehran correspondent on succession and interim control. Multiple short reports on strikes across Iran, succession process, regional diplomacy, and hazards from interceptions.
Feb 28, 2026 • 24min
Another Take: Imani Barbarin on disability rights, COVID and Gaza
Imani Barbarin, a disability advocate, writer and social creator, speaks about disability justice from her perspective as a Black disabled woman. She explores broad definitions of disability, contrasts medical and social models, and outlines how COVID became a mass disabling event. She also connects ableism to politics, public health and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Feb 27, 2026 • 17min
Aaron Bushnell, Gaza and the meaning of ‘no longer complicit’
Lupe Barboza, an organizer who volunteered with Aaron Bushnell, shares firsthand memories of his activism and character. They discuss Aaron’s self-immolation in protest of Israel’s war in Gaza. Short segments cover how the livestream was found and verified, friends’ reactions, media framing, historical parallels, and online reverberations.
