For the past few days, live video from Kiev's Independence Square has been streaming in real time, giving people around the world a first-hand glimpse at the scope and scale of the protests.

Talks have resumed in Vienna between Iran and six world powers to try and cement a nuclear deal. Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, has insisted that Iran has the political will to reach a deal. Such optimism contrasts with remarks from Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has poured cold water on these talks and said they would likely fail to deliver an agreement. Thomas Erdbrink, Tehran Bureau Chief for our partner The New York Times, weighs in on whether or not a deal can be reached.

Last year, Syria agreed to eliminate its stockpile of chemical weapons, and now the regime's deadline to give up its entire arsenal is looming. To date, Syria has released less than 5 percent of its chemical weapons—and there's evidence that the Syrian regime is deliberately stalling on its agreement for political purposes. Reuter's correspondent Anthony Deutsch has been reporting on the delays in Syria's compliance. He joins The Takeaway to discuss the delays and whether they are politically motivated.

Throughout the 1990s, meth was produced by the government of North Korea. But these days it’s ordinary North Koreans who have set up their own labs and are manufacturing and distributing it. In North Korea, “meth is offered as casually as a cup of tea,” according to LA Times Beijing Bureau Chief Barbara Demick. She joins The Takeaway to explain why the government stopped producing the drug, and how entrepreneurs have since picked up the business.

On the surface, crowdfunding science research provides an opportunity to close the divide between the scientists and the general public. But how effective are these efforts? Heather Goldstone, science editor with our partner WGBH, has been reporting on new crowdsourcing in scientific funding. Ralph Keeling, director of the Scripps CO2 and O2 programs at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, is also tapping the power of crowdfunding. He joins The Takeaway to explain his efforts to help fund his work.

More college students than ever want to become entrepreneurs, and universities across the country have been racing to meet the increasing demand for formal training in the subject. But can you really teach someone to become successful? 

More than 1,000 people have been killed in the violence in South Sudan that erupted last month, following a power struggle between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy, Riek Machar. The Takeaway talks with Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation at Tufts University’s Fletcher School, about the roots of the current crisis. Deb Dawson, of Fargo, North Dakota also weighs in. Dawson works closely with Sudanese Lost Boys and Lost Girls both in the U.S. and abroad.

On Tuesday, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor temporarily blocked the Obama administration from forcing some religious-affiliated groups to provide health insurance coverage of birth control or face penalties as part of the Affordable Care Act. Joining The Takeaway to explain what this means for the law is Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center.

Thousands of children are believed to have been separated from their families in South Sudan because of the recent fighting in the country, according to the aid agency Save the Children. Fiona McSheehy, Save the Children’s Country Director for South Sudan, discusses the charity's work in two UN compounds in the capital city of Juba, where displaced civilians have sought refuge. 

After almost a year in office, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren tells The Takeaway she knows she can make a difference. “For all the things that are broken around here, the truth is there are a lot of tools in the tool box to make change,” she says. Helping the unemployed is high on Warren's agenda. The Massachusetts Democrat recently introduced a bill that would prohibit companies from checking the credit history of potential employees. Warren argues that an individual's credit rating does not accurately reflect his or her potential to do a good job and often discriminates against women, seniors, students and minorities. Her legislation could face opposition from certain business groups, though.

Though Detroit seems to be in dire straights with its recent bankruptcy filing, there might actually be another piece of America that’s even worse off: Puerto Rico. The U.S. territory is facing massive debt, a potentially crippling bond ratings cut, a gaping hole in its massive pension fund, and a towering unemployment rate bolstered by federal entitlements. Ingrid Vila, chief of staff to Puerto Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla, joins us to discuss Puerto Rico's options.

Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the Philippines last month, killing nearly 6,000 people and injuring more than 26,000. In the aftermath of the crisis, relief workers headed to the region to try and help millions of people affected by the storm. Dr. Selwyn Mahon, a disaster medicine fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, reflects on his experience in the devastated city of Tacloban.

More than 5 million Americans suffer with Alzheimer’s disease and by 2050 that number is expected to nearly triple. All this week, our partner WGBH has been exploring efforts by leading researchers in labs around the country who are trying to find better treatments and ultimately a cure for Alzheimer's disease. The Takeaway talks with WGBH and WCAI senior reporter and editor, Sean Corcoran about his series: "Desperate for a Cure: The Search for New Alzheimer's Treatments."    

For a few years, archaeologists have been excavating a site in Nepal that is said to be Buddha's birthplace. And they now say that they've found evidence of a Buddhist shrine there that dates back to sixth century B.C. Robin Coningham has published his research and findings in the journal Antiquity. Coningham is a professor of archaeology at Durham University in England and joins The Takeaway to explain this revelation.

JPMorgan Chase secretly recruited the daughter of China's former prime minister, Wen Jiabao, as part of a bigger strategy to gain influence with the country's ruling elite and promote the bank's status in China. According to our partner The New York Times, JPMorgan paid a consulting firm run by the prime minister's daughter, Wen Ruchun, who used the fake name "Lily Chang." All of this comes at the same time that U.S. authorities are investigating the bank and its practices. The Takeaway speaks with New York Times reporter Ben Protess.

Efforts to end the long-running conflict in Syria have proved elusive. Retired Ambassador Wolfgang Petritsch was the European Union’s chief negotiator at the Kosovo Peace Agreement talks and, as former high representative of the international community for Bosnia and Herzegovina, he also oversaw implementation of the Bosnia peace accords. The Takeaway talks with Petritsch about the potential for securing peace in Syria.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments today over a strategy commonly used by unions to organize workers. The practice involves pressuring an employer to sign a "neutrality agreement." This case is just one of two major organized labor disputes the Court is scheduled to hear. The other involves a worker who objected to being asked to pay fees to a union she didn't support. Benjamin Sachs, a Harvard Law School professor, explains the legal arguments in both cases.

What's Watson been up to since becoming a champion on “Jeopardy!” back in 2011? It turns out that IBM's supercomputer has been busy helping cancer patients, and medical students to become better doctors. And because of advances in machine learning, Watson is an assistant that just keeps getting smarter. The Takeaway considers the success of Watson’s flourishing career in the field of medicine with the help of the host of WGBH's “Innovation Hub,” Kara Miller.

David Pogue hosts the NOVA series "Making Stuff," which begins tonight at 9 PM Eastern on PBS with the episode “Making Stuff: Faster.” Other episodes in the series, produced by our partner WGBH, include "Making Stuff: Wilder," "Making Stuff: Colder," and "Making Stuff: Safer." Pogue, a tech columnist for our partner The New York Times, joins The Takeaway to discuss the latest cutting-edge "stuff" in science and technology innovation.

How did Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and so many other famous American superheroes emerge from a niche comic book industry created to escape the woes of the Great Depression? The Takeaway talks with Michael Kantor about his new film, “Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle,” and Phil Jimenez, a comic book artist and writer featured in the series. The film considers the evolution and lasting cultural legacy of some of America's most popular cultural icons.