Nate Persily

NUTRITION TAKEOUT: The average American consumes about 1,200 milligrams more sodium a day than they should. Too much sodium in our diets could lead to hypertension and heart disease. To combat this, the FDA is proposing a ten year plan to cut down the amount of salt in our foods. Marion Nestle, an NYU nutritionist […]

We wrap up our series, ‘Frustration Nation,’ with a look at solutions to government gridlock. Can we move away from filibusters? Should we rehaul our election rules? Should we get rid of the Senate altogether?

‘Gridlock’ is a term that went from engineering jargon to everyday lingo during a transit strike in 1980. Now it’s used to describe the situation on Capitol Hill. We find out how stuck Congress really is and look at new ways to break the deadlock.

A relatively innocuous (albeit negative) documentary on Hillary Clinton released during the 2008 election may lead to something bigger than itself. Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will return from its summer vacation to hear a case instigated by the film.

Are Senate confirmation hearings a chance to assess the character of the nominee, or just a chance for senators to impress their constituents? The Takeaway talks to Nate Persily, a professor of law and political science at Columbia University.