Calif. Assembly Speaker Karen Bass On Life, Career
Grassroots activism has made a big difference in the life of Karen Bass. In the 1990s, Bass was a working single mom, trying to get control of her crack-ridden South Los Angeles neighborhood.
She founded a group called the Community Coalition; it propelled her to the California State Assembly in 2005.
Last May, Bass became the first black woman to be named assembly speaker.
She talks with Farai Chideya about her rising profile and her new level of responsibility.
Geoffrey Gardner
7:33 PM ET
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07-29-2008
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Anti-Muslim Bias in Presidential Race?
iStockphoto.com
One of the great things about doing this show is getting to do topics that bounce off the headlines, but go a bit deeper into social issues. Today we tackled politics and Islam.
Today we asked the question: why so many Americans think -- wrongly -- that Senator Barack Obama is Muslim ... and why do they find that idea disturbing? Have the senator and his staff themselves shown an uneasiness with Islam? And what about Senator McCain?
A Pew Center poll recently found that one in ten Americans believe that Obama is a Muslim. The poll numbers we don't have are whether people who think he's a Muslim would vote for him. Last month, two Muslim women in headscarves were barred from sitting behind Obama's podium at a Detroit rally. The campaign apologized.
So, does Senator Obama's refrain that he is a "proud Christian" show uneasiness with being painted as a Muslim? What about Senator McCain, who last year said in an interview that a grounding in the Christian faith is key to the leadership in the White House. "This nation was founded primarily on Christian principles," Senator McCain said, adding that when it comes to electing someone to the White House, "I prefer someone who I know who has a solid grounding in my faith."
To help us explore presidential politics, culture, and Islam, we spoke with Imam Zaid Shakir, a resident scholar at the Zaytuna Institute in Berkeley, California. He converted to Islam while he was in the military. We also talked to Julia Shearson, the director of the Cleveland, Ohio, chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Imam Shakir argued that the international threat of terrorism has been unfairly expanded so that all Muslims are seen as suspect. He said:
"With Muslims being identified generally speaking with terrorism ... then Muslims become painted with this broad brush and a lot of stereotypes are generated, and with the incidents of September 11, 2001, I think that trend was accelerated."
Julia Shearson made the case for religious pluralism being a part of politics, saying:
"Muslims are part of the fabric of American life. We all know that there's no religious test for higher office. We know that America was established purposely this way by our founders. We know that there have been Muslims in the Americas since 1320. There were Muslims coming on the ships with Christopher Columbus in 1492. ... Our voice, and our insights, our opinions should be taken into account, particularly at a time when the United States has difficulty understanding the Muslim world."
Now, that may be true, but I have seen (and plan to report on) tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims on the grassroots neighborhood level. In some cases, I'm talking about American-born black folks -- some Muslim, some Christian -- who share a neighborhood, and a race, but religion seems to be a wedge.
Would love to hear from people who live in neighborhoods where this is an issue, and of course, get everyone's views on how they see the issue of Islam and the election playing out.
Farai Chideya
6:16 PM ET
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07-29-2008
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Headlines: Bush Condones Execution of Military Man
Bush: Former Army Cook's Crimes Warrant Execution
President Bush declined to commute the death sentence of Ronald A. Gray, an Army cook who was convicted of multiple rapes and murders, saying that his crimes warranted execution. This marks the first incident in 51 years where a president called for the death sentence in regards to an individual in the U.S. military.
Ads Putting Candidates Over an Oil Barrel
As voters getting angrier about rising gas prices, the GOP is bracing itself for an onslaught of ads attacking their vast array of oil company connections. Oil companies are beginning to worry about how much power they will have in Congress and the White House after Election Day.
Ex-Newark Mayor Faces 20 Years for Corruption
Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James receives his sentence today for his corruption conviction. Federal prosecutors were seeking up to 20 years, but such a sentence seems unlikely.
Continue reading "Headlines: Bush Condones Execution of Military Man" »
Blake Bishton
2:40 PM ET
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07-29-2008
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Share Your Stories of Addiction
Geoffrey Bennett, NPR
In August, we'll kick off a new, month-long series on addiction. We'll hit issues like drugs and alcohol, but we'll also delve into lesser known topics, the physiology of addiction, and interventions.
To that end, we're soliciting your stories. Have you or a friend/family member suffered from or battled back from addiction? If you are open to speaking with us on the air, please leave an accurate e-mail address -- which will not be made public -- and we'll get back to you.
Geoffrey Bennett
1:04 PM ET
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07-29-2008
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Oliver Stone's 'W.' Trailer Released Online
Last we checked, this isn't supposed to be a comedy ... but Thandie Newton as Condi Rice (1:10) sure is special.
Geoffrey Bennett
12:05 PM ET
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07-29-2008
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