Closing in on the New Year. It was an eventful year for us -- the launch of our program over the air, the birth of our first TMM baby (to Planning Editor Alicia Montgomery), and we have another baby on the way ... not me, though! And there are other milestones; too personal to share, but cherished nonetheless.

To commemorate the end of the year, we've been offering conversations about fascinating people of 2007 (to us). There was no contest. It is totally unscientific ... totally a matter of impressions and interests, and folks we wanted to talk to.

We'd like to know who would be on your list.

And, we are not just looking backwards at 2007. Throughout January, we will be time-traveling -- looking back on important historical news that we think will captivate you, and looking ahead to what we anticipate will be some of the biggest stories.

Starting next week, new research about slavery in America. This will rock your world. It turns out there has been an explosion of research about the antebellum experience in America in recent years. We will acknowledge the end of the transatlantic slave trade next week, and in the weeks to come, by exploring what scholars are finding. The story did not begin, nor end, with Harriet Tubman.

Have a great weekend. Snag that last pedicure appointment before the holiday!

Just as we were about to go on the air came word that opposition leader and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was killed in Pakistan.

Our first obligation: find out the truth.

Our rule: our own sources have to confirm. We do NOT just go with the wires or CNN, however much we respect them. When we got the word that our editors felt comfortable confirming the death, then the question became: What do we know? Who can add value?

We were fortunate to get NPR's National Security Correspondent Jackie Northam into the studio, and to reach Shuja Nawaz, author of a Crossed Swords, a history of Pakistan's powerful army. Jackie is just back from a reporting trip to Pakistan, and Shuja Nawaz had just spoken to Benazir Bhutto. Needless to say, we'll have more as information becomes available and as we see opportunities to fill in any gaps and bring you voices you aren't hearing anywhere else.

Needless to say, this is a very important story. Pakistan is considered a crucial ally of the U.S. and the Bush administration in fighting the war on terror. And Bhutto, a controversial and polarizing figure, is -- was -- one of Pakistan's most popular political figures and one of the world's most prominent women leaders. Elections have been set for Jan. 8, and we'll certainly be following this story's the impact on the elections.

And we do not want to ignore another important political story. Kenya's elections are being held today for both president and seats in Parliament. It's a watershed election in many respects -- many women running for seats for the first time, the most closely contested in the country's history. Our Anchor Buddy in Nairobi, Mike Pflanz of The Daily Telegraph, tells us what we know so far. We don't expect results until tomorrow, but it will be a very important milestone in Kenya's history and the continent's. Kenya is one of the continent's largest economies, the scene of a horrific suicide bombing of the U.S. Embassy in 1998, a major tourist destination, and is waging a tough fight against corruption. We'll bring you the latest results as we get them.

And, don't let me leave you with doom and gloom. A reprise of our conversation with two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington, the director and star of The Great Debaters. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did...

Arwa here, still filling in for Lee Hill while he's out on vacation. Also, we had Jacki Lyden guest host the program today as Michel Martin took the day off for the holidays. Both Michel and Lee return tomorrow.

Housing Crisis in N.O.L.A.

Last week, violent protests erupted on the streets of New Orleans over a City Council decision to allow the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to demolish 4,500 public housing units. The city was in a housing crisis before Hurricane Katrina, and it only got worse after the storms. The City Council says it recognizes the urgent need for affordable housing, but prefers mix-income housing units to run-down, partially-destroyed low-income units that currently exist. Malcolm Suber is a local New Orleans activist, and he argues that the affordable housing buildings should stay.

The Housing Debate Continues

The debate over low-income vs. mixed-income housing is not just isolated to New Orleans. It's a discussion that has been ongoing for years throughout the country, especially as the number of people at risk of homelessness continues to be strikingly high. We invited two professors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to explain the pros and cons of decisions, like those made by the New Orleans City Council. Xavier de Souza Briggs is a professor of sociology and urban planning, and Larry Vale is the head of the department of urban studies and planning. Professor Vale explains that mixed-income housing isn't a bad idea in and of itself, but usually poor people get mixed out of the equation. Professor Briggs explains that New Orleans is an extreme case of the affordable housing crisis and that mixed-income housing can be successful if safeguards are installed.

Affordable Can Also Mean Green

And we continue our conversation on housing. Back in August we focused on green building efforts in New Orleans. Now we turn to another green movement. Jakada Imani heads a movement, Green for All, to better communities through the use of eco-power. He says urban communities can be revived from the inside out, starting first with climate change. Making homes more efficient does two things, he argues: it ultimately reduces the cost of energy bills and second, it opens up a new job market.

Let us know what you think about his initiative.

Wrapping Up with Football, Music Hits and the Death of a Jazz Legend

And as we wrap up today's show, we highlighted our first pick off our Most Fascinating of 2007 list. The Hawaii football team's miraculous undefeated season is landing them in the Sugar Bowl for the first time. We spoke with Bobby Curren about the team's season, and we'll continue to highlight more fascinating people of the year before 2007 comes to a close.

Then, NPR Arts Producer Felix Contreas highlighted some his favorite musical hits of 2007. Nat King Cole, Herbie Hancoc, and Cuban drummer Jose Luis "Changuito" Quintano make his list.

And finally, we pay a special tribute to Oscar Peterson. The great jazz musician died this weekend of kidney failure. His career lasted seven decades.

That's the show for today. Send us your feedback. Let us know which conversations you like the most and how you're spending your holidays.

iStock

Lee, here. Blogging from a freezing Milwaukee...

To keep in-step with the Season, we've prepared for you a special holiday gift of Tell Me More conversations. Enjoy!:

Christmas Eve

Star power, once again, graced our studios. We take a special peek at the new film (in theaters on Christmas Day), The Great Debaters.

Denzel Washington, who directed and starred in the film, paid a visit to NPR, as well as his co-stars: Jurnee Sollett (you might remember her as Eve in the 1997 film Eve's Bayou), Denzel Whitaker (a.k.a. the 17-year-old super kid; he's super mature, super enlightened) and Nate Parker (the studious actor also played Hakim in the film Pride, which debuted earlier this year).

We were also pleased to be joined by Ken Tolson, the grandson of Melvin Tolson, who's renowned work as an educator, poet and mentor is chronicled in the film.

It's the sophomore production with Washington as Director (his first was the emotional true story of Antwone Fisher in 2002).

Christmas Day

We take you inside the Advent Conspiracy. Sounds bizarre, we know. But, I think that's exactly why you'll want to tune in. Michel Martin talks to the folks behind the "conspiracy" to ask them all the questions you're probably wondering.

Also, hear from listeners who spend their holiday at the workplace.

(Speaking of which, how are you spending Christmas Day? If you don't celebrate, for whatever reason, or if you do, we want to know ... what's your tradition, if any? Please, do share...)

Finally, as the bow on our holiday gift to you, we'll spend Christmas with our Mocha Moms. They'll be joined by their children to tell us what the holidays mean to them.

Enjoy your gift! Send us your feedback. Let us know which conversations you like the most. And, don't forget to let us know how you're spending the holidays...

Amidst all of the holiday hustle and bustle, Tell Me More wishes you the Season's best -- from our family to yours. Cheers!

Arwa Gunja, here. I'm filling-in for web producer Lee Hill.

Following up on an interview we did on Tuesday on New Jersey's abolishment of the death penalty, we kept in touch with Sen. Ray Lesniak, one of the guests we had on to discuss the decision by the state. We wanted to give him an opportunity to continue the conversation, and so we invited him to post on our blog. Here is what he had to say:

Why did it feel so good to see the New Jersey legislature pass and Governor Corzine sign the bill I sponsored replacing the death penalty with life without parole? After all, in 1982 I voted to restore the death penalty. In 2000, I advised Jon Corzine -- then candidate for the U.S. Senate -- that he should change his opposition on the death penalty because it was an unpopular position. Shortly thereafter, I had a spiritual conversion to a belief that centers on the release of anger, resentment and the need for revenge. Relieved of those emotions, I was able to conclude that governments should not be deciding who should live and who should die, and that justice is served by replacing the death penalty with life without parole. At the bill signing, the governor's office was overflowing with family members of murder victims, clergy of many faiths and opponents of the death penalty. We were all filled with love and compassion, not for the murderers whose lives would be spared, but for a society that didn't need to take a life to do justice.

And to be fair, we gave the State Republicans a chance to respond. Here is a press release from the office of New Jersey Republican Sen. Gerald Cardinale:

Executions save lives. Recent studies by social scientists opposed to capital punishment show a direct correlation between criminal executions and lower murder rates. In fact, researchers at Pepperdine University in California show that for each execution carried out there are 74 fewer murders the following year. have proposed legislation giving the public the vote on a constitutional amendment that would have fixed the process involving New Jersey's murder deterrent. The approved amendment would have placed a limit on the very financially and emotionally expensive appeals process. I put my faith in the people of the State more than I do a lame-duck session of the current Legislature, which just narrowly passed the repeal of the State's death penalty. Other legislation of mine would have created a 'lingering doubt' clause in the death penalty statute, allowing closer scrutiny in cases for those suspected of crimes punishable by the highest form of murder deterrent -- a law which would have been more humane than the new law. Why didn't we let the will of the people decide this? Why didn't we make the process leading to a potential death penalty more humane? Why were the facts ignored? Eliminating the best deterrent to murder is nonsense.

This has to be short. We are working on some FABULOUS programming for the Christmas and New Year's holidays -- we know that many of you will be traveling, out of your normal routines so you may not catch us the first time around. Either way, we hope you'll either catch us on the air or download us later ... if you miss us the first time.

I can't tell you everything we have coming up ... that would be wrong. But, here's a little hint: DENZEL!!! DENZEL!!! DENZEL!!!

Oh, sorry, was I getting a little excited? Um, sorry. Excuse me. Michel, get it together.

OK, what was I saying? Christmas, right...

There's an important new movie coming out Christmas Day about an important historical figure -- a towering figure who I say most of us have never heard of. But, that is going to change. Some star power, some history, we have it all.

Also, some really interesting stuff for Christmas Day and beyond: Who fascinated YOU this year? We'll tell you our picks and tell you more about them.

And as for today's show, we continued with our Thursday focus on international affairs. The U.N. Deputy Secretary-General, Asha Rose-Migiro was with us. She stopped through Washington last week. The U.N. is a big mystery to most of us. What exactly do those people do there? Migiro tried to peel back the layers a bit, and she told us some of her own fascinating story.

And speaking of fascinating, we spoke with William "Kip" Ward, probably one of the most powerful African-Americans you've never heard of. He is the only African-American four-star general currently in service, and he now heads the new Africa Command. We'll let him tell you what he's up to.

And for some light fare, chick-lit from India! Check it out ... ( if you don't know what that is, don't worry, we'll hook you up).

OK, gotta go. And have I mentioned that I still haven't finished my shopping?

Sigh...

Lee, here...

I would argue that many of you have heard something about the story that lead our broadcast today -- a woman, Sarah Kreager, according to authorities, was terribly beaten while riding public transportation in Baltimore.

But, perhaps it's fairer to note that many are expressing frustration over why this story hasn't been covered more in the news. At a glance, it seems to have all the elements of a headline story, with tense undertones -- a white woman is severely beaten, allegedly at the hands of black teenagers. (Kreager's companion, along with the black driver who came to her defense on the bus, were also allegedly assaulted.) Black leaders, such as Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon and U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), have strongly denounced the attack, as might be expected.

But is it fair to compare what happened in Baltimore -- either looking at the facts (many of which are still unclear), or just public sentiment -- to the situation in Jena, La.? Are folks quicker to assume this was a hate crime because of the perceived racial dynamics at work?

Interesting to note: At this point, hate crime charges have not been filed in the "Jena Six" ordeal (the timeline of those incidents includes the hanging of a noose), nor in the Baltimore case. Since news of the attacks on Kreager and others on December 4th, more incidents have surfaced involving patrons of public transportation in Baltimore.

We want to know where you come out on this. Before our reporting today, were you familiar with the story in Baltimore? If so, what was your initial reaction? ... Racially motivated, or a random, unfortunate attack on the innocent?

Tell us more.

Also...

Stay tuned, we're working on our list of fascinating people in 2007. We pretty much have it narrowed down. Wonder if you'll be surprised by our picks ... Any guesses?

Weird cocktail today, but we hope it worked.

We talked about holiday dilemmas ... Plus, news about why the death penalty was abolished in New Jersey. Whatever you think about the subject, I think you will find yourself riveted by State Sen. Ray Lesniak's account of why he pushed his state to repeal the death penalty. It was, he said, a matter of personal conviction, driven by a spiritual awakening.

How often does that happen? How often does a public figure say that?

It leads to all kinds of interesting questions, not all of which we could get to, not least of which is why Lesniak's personal convictions should drive public policy. But remember, this is an act of the legislature, signed by the governor yesterday.

We hope Lesniak will post something for the blog later, along with another lawmaker who strongly opposes repealing the death penalty. Until then, some numbers from the Quinnipiac University poll... They polled New Jersey residents extensively on the question. We had their assistant polling director on to help us sort out the findings.

And, holiday dilemmas. This was one of my all-time favorite shows. We had not quite wine women and song, but we did have wine diva Callie Crossley to help us get the lowdown on sparkling wine. And, we had etiquette guru Harriette Cole on to tell us how to conduct ourselves at holiday parties!

Enjoy!

(But don't make me read about you in the paper. Or rather, if I do read about you, be sure it's the Style section of the newspaper, not the crime page. ...And you know what? This time of year, you might want to stay out of the Style section, too. They're looking for bad behavior, and we don't want that.)

Rep. Julia Carson (D-IN)

Getty Images

Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman

Getty Images

We are off to the races, one week before Christmas ... trying to maintain that balance between acknowledging the season and ignoring the news, or following the news -- of which there is a LOT -- and ignoring the emotional temperature. As always, we take responsibility for thinking things through, but are interested in your views about how we're balancing things.

Today, I won't lie to you, we scrambled. That's because we had a show we were quite happy with, but we found out over the weekend that both Rep. Julia Carson (D-IN) and actor/activist Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman had died.

Rep. Carson was (how else to put it?) a pistol. If you never heard her speak anywhere else, you may remember her at the Washington, D.C. memorial service for Rosa Parks. She brought down the house.

Carson had it honest -- her mother dropped out of school in the second grade and she, herself, raised children on her own and somehow managed to turn that experience into one of passion, purpose and conviction. Before being elected to Congress she had run a social service organization. In an interview with NPR when she was elected to Congress in 1996, this is what she said about what it meant to her to become a member of Congress.

My mother dropped out of school when she was in the second grade. She lost her own mother when she was only four years of age, and for someone like me to be able to walk life's journey into the halls of the United States Congress, as an elected member of that body, it's most overwhelming. And that's the point that we have to get around to more politicians in this country who are sitting on a throne believing that they are the hierarchy, and that anybody that didn't walk the same road that they have walked, live in the same neighborhood that they'd lived in, has no business in society, in terms of a contributing way, and that is a point that is very personal to me.

(I would love to have linked to the clip for you to hear, or played it on the air. Sadly, it was recorded on a format different than what we are using today and we couldn't find a copy in time, but you get the drift.)

Rep. Julia Carson. she died of lung cancer at the age of 69. You can listen to our remembrance of Carson here.

And we also wanted to acknowledge the death of Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman. You probably know him from Dances with Wolves -- he played Ren bears, a Sioux Leader who befriends Kevin Costner's character. He conveyed warmth and dignity and strength. Here's what one friend of mine had to say about him:

He was the closest thing to a 'holy man' since Frank Fools Crow, a traditionalist. He could straddle both worlds and still get the message across.

And you can hear more about Westerman from Kevin Gover. He is the just-installed head of the National Museum of the American Indian.

And then, a conversation with A. Scott Bolden. If you've ever lived in D.C., then you understand what I'm about to say: Washington, D.C. is an international capitol, the center of the national government, but it is also a small town, actually. In my view, D.C. is a couple of small towns that overlap. One of the small towns is made up of many of the people who run things here -- the lawyers, the judges, the business people, the trade association folks -- the the so-called local "movers and shakers." Scott Bolden is one of them. And when I tell you my jaw dropped when I read his piece in this Sunday's Washington Post Magazine, you can believe it. We go to the Post magazine just about every week to sample some great writing and interesting stories. It turns out that Bolden, a very prominent D.C. lawyer, former head of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce and city council candidate, fathered a child out of wedlock and did not acknowledge her for 18 years ... and, then, she came back into his life, and he into hers. Bolden writes about it in this week's magazine. We talked about it.

It's a very personal piece. Totally unexpected. This is one of those subjects ... I really want you to read the piece, listen to the interview ... and tell me what you think.

Tomorrow, we hope to have a conversation about New Jersey's decision to abolish the death penalty ... and reflections on Christmas -- Mocha Moms style.

Lee, here...

Leaving you with more pics from our chat with cast members of The Perfect Holiday. In case you didn't catch it when it aired, you can SEE and HEAR the lively conversation here.

Cheers!

(Photo credit: Trina Williams, NPR)

End photo (l-r): Marie Nelson (TMM), Gabrielle Union, Morris Chestnut, Michel Martin (TMM), Queen Latifah, Faizon Love, Teshima Walker (TMM) and Lee Hill (TMM)

FRIDAY! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Made it ... Whew!

I fear I say this every Friday, but only because it's true ... limping to the finish line. I'm not going to lie. This job is tiring -- in and out of the studio all day, preparing in-between. And no, it's not picking cotton (as my dad would say). But, yeah, that's work if you do it the way we do it.

And let's not get confused because being a mom is a job, too. And then we have Christmas things to do. And let's be real about this, too -- not to stereotype, but is there any man out there who sweats Christmas the way women do? Is there? So, yes, I am tired, dadgumit.

Not to get belligerent or anything.

Speaking of belligerent, it got HOT up in here with today's Barbershop! The fellas reacted to the rise in births to unmarried women. A new record was set in 2006. (Just to refresh your memory, here's the original story and report (pdf), which we reported on Monday.)

What I liked was the array of opinions -- strong, but respectful, not hateful. I think you got the sense of concern from each of these men about what all this means to kids and families, but some strong disagreements, which, frankly, I bet many of you have had -- either among friends or families, or just in your own head -- which is: Is the increase in single parenting by choice a good thing for society, a bad thing, or just a new thing? ... A new family style with all the variation of the traditional family?

I mean who are we kidding? Don't we all know so-called "traditional" families who are not doing well, and single parent households who are holding it down just fine?

... But isn't it also true that single parent households, especially black and, to a lesser extent, Latino, are among the poorest?

And, isn't it also true that...

Continue reading "More on the Single Parenting Conversation" >

Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE)

Getty Images

Today, as we like to do, we turned our attention to international news.

I don't know about you, but I loved the discussion about the upcoming ANC elections in South Africa. I loved that both of our guests were very well informed, had strong views, respected each other (and disagreed) on some key points. I felt we got not just a texture of the race, not just the usual geopolitical blah, blah, blah -- which is important, sure -- but also a feel for how the race is playing out with people. How it feels.

I got a sense of the candidates as real flesh and blood people, thanks to our guests. I hope they'll come back.

And, I also appreciated Sen. Chuck Hagel's coming on. I saw him at CBS' Face the Nation a while back (Mother's Day to be exact). We were both on the show, but not at the same time. We were all hanging out in the green room and I thought at the time, I'd love to have him on. Thanks to our planning editor Beneva Schulte's persistence, we made it happen.

Although I do wish we could get these Members of Congress to come down to the studio. The phone is okay, but it's distant somehow. Their schedules are horrible, so I don't blame them. And there's a reason the political chat shows are all on the weekend -- it's the only time the members are not running around like hot peas on a griddle. It's crazy. Have you ever been to an event up there on Capitol Hill? You're going along and all of a sudden somebody whispers something to somebody, and they all jump up and run out of the room to go vote. Or the President calls or something ... Or they have to go to a committee meeting ... Or they have to meet constituents who just stop in unannounced ... It's crazy.

Still. I'd like to hear how you think leaders should grapple with the question of accountability with the intelligence agencies. I heard the Senator kind of grappling with it out loud. But I'd like to hear from you, especially those of you with experience in this area. A former CIA officer has just gone public with his knowledge of an interrogation session that used techniques many consider torture. The agent says that the session yielded important information, but he thought the cost was too high -- both to the people doing the work and to the country. He said, we're better than that. How do we draw the line?

... And speaking of drawing the line, there were some in my office who thought my question to Sen. Hagel about the Republicans skipping the debates on minority issues was random and not really his issue because, after all, he's not running for President. I'll let Beneva explain her opposing views:

So, after making sure I got my paycheck this week -- I decided to take on the boss. I'm outing myself ... I'm the "some in my office" Michel mentioned who didn't think we should ask Hagel about Republicans skipping debates on minority issues. My argument is the elevator question: if you're on an elevator with someone and you have a chance to ask them one question, what should it be? We were on that elevator in the last few minutes of the Hagel interview, and I think we should have asked him if he thinks there is a place in the 2008 Presidential race for an independent candidate. Hagel is one of the names most often mentioned (along with Bloomberg) as a possible candidate for that third party bid. Voters are asking for change in this election (it's why Sen. Obama is rising in the polls in the early states) ... We had a shot at asking Hagel about this and we didn't. I think it was a missed opportunity.

Uh, yeah, Beneva, which Bob Schieffer asked him about back in May on his show Face the Nation. So there...

Ah, ok Michel, is it my fault this has been going on for a whole year!?!?!

[OK, Michel, Beneva ... it's Lee here. I'm editing this, so the back and forth has to STOP. Driving me nuts].

I obviously disagree because, as a member of the party, I thought he might have an opinion about how his colleagues are conducting their campaigns, just like I have an opinion about how some of my peers commit (-er, I mean conduct, journalism). And, as this is a show that tries to focus on issues of particular interest to minorities. But what do you think? Should I have asked him about whether he and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg are still talking that independent talk instead?

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times (not quite the worst, but you get the idea).

Our program today veers between the lighthearted and the harder edges of our society.

We start with a new poll (pdf) by New America Media. Polls are always controversial and subject to debate, but we found this one so interesting we felt we had to bring it to you. It's about how African Americans, Latinos and Asians see each OTHER (as well as whites). The pollsters believe it is the first of its kind to ask these groups these questions in this way. It's multilingual. People were interviewed in their language of choice -- whether English, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese or Tagalong. I cannot possibly summarize all the findings here, but the poll found that each of these groups -- black, so-called "brown" and "yellow" -- have some very negative attitudes about each other and very different views about race. Large majorities of blacks and Hispanics think racial tension is a real problem in this country; only 37 percent of Asians thought so. Asked whether they would EVER vote for an African American for president, 37 percent of Asians said ... no, they wouldn't.

And nearly half of all Hispanics and Asians said they are afraid of blacks because they are responsible for the majority of crime (I am assuming they didn't mean securities fraud, predatory lending and Enron, but I digress) and nearly half of all blacks said they feel threatened by Latin immigrants.

On the other hand, significant numbers of all groups pushed back against the negative attitudes. And all the groups expressed optimism about the future relations of these groups. Go figure. What does it all mean? We couldn't possibly sort it all out so we made a start. If you have a minute, read the poll for yourself, see what you think, and see if you see areas for further discussion. AND, if you'd like to take part ... the wonder of radio. If we can get you to a telephone we can get you involved in the discussion.

Then...

The Perfect Holiday! The Queen, Latifah, was in the house along with her crew from the new film. It opens today, we had a lot of fun. They stopped by last week so we couldn't keep the love to ourselves. We invited an in-studio audience of NPR folks and friends. Enjoy it! We even had snow for their arrival ... it was so Christmassy!

Tune in (or log-on) to tomorrow's broadcast. A piece of Hollywood -- Queen Latifah, Morris Chestnut, Gabrielle Union and Faizon Love -- pays a visit to Tell Me More for a lively conversation about the new movie The Perfect Holiday. Here's a sneak peek at the chat...

And, begging to differ. We'll look at a new survey that suggests America's ethnic groups are more divided than united. It's sure to spark a truckload of opinions. The pollster behind the survey will join us tomorrow...

This will be quick because we have a lot in the works -- Oprah, Univision ... Univision, Oprah.

Trying to channel that bad David Letterman joke from the Oscars a few years back ("Oprah, Uma"), but I can already tell it's falling flat.

We faced a dilemma this morning. There was important new data about an increase in the teen pregnancy rate and we wanted to give some attention to that report. It's the kind of story I just don't think you can toss off in a sentence or two. We decided we HAD to hear from a numbers person, a person who works in the community and a teen. But, there were ALSO two significant (we thought) political stories over the weekend -- the GOP debate on Spanish-language network Univision Sunday night, and Oprah Winfrey's appearance on behalf of White House hopeful Sen. Barack Obama. We also had the interview with Zelma Redding planned because today is the 40th anniversary of the tragic death of her husband -- the great Otis Redding. (He was only 26 when his plane crashed killing everybody on board with the exception of two band members.)

So what do we do?

We decided to lead the program with a recap of the Univision debate, our logic was this: everything we could tell you about Oprah today was exactly what we could tell you on Friday, which was that huge crowds are expected (29,000!), but nobody knows what it really means for the Obama campaign. Whereas, with the Univision debate, the Republican presidential contenders who have taken such a hard line on illegal immigration had to face an audience fare more sympathetic than most in a state critical to their hopes for general election victory. Plus, it was an opportunity to introduce a new voice to you -- Luis Clemons, Editor of CandidatoUSA, an online publication to track the Latino political scene. I think you'll agree he's somebody we want to hear from again.

I'm still missing Oprah, but I am left feeling like we'll know more about what her appearance really means once we have some numbers or see some results. Maybe I'm rationalizing, but at least you know what our thinking was/is.

I am sure there will be lots of opinions about our interview with "Makaiya" (that is obviously a pseudonym). We decided, with consultation, that it was best not to use her real name because she is underage (17) and not under the care of an adult guardian at the moment. All I can say is that there is more to say ... and we wish her the best.

I also want to point out the interview with Zelma. We didn't have time to get into all of her business but one thing you should know is that, in contrast to the sad story we so often hear -- musical genius left a pauper by bad planning, bad advice, and so on -- not true here. Otis left his family significant property. A good thing, too, because Zelma was only 24 when he died ... with three small children. How she coped? We'll never really know. But she gave us a few hints, and one of them was that she seems to dearly cherish the memory of her husband and his music, which we all cherish today. That was a treat...

Now, we have some figuring out to do for tomorrow -- a major Supreme Court case ruling on crack cocaine sentencing, and the sentencing of suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. (If we decide to pursue that story I'll need to get sub host in here because, as you know, my husband is representing him.)

We have a lot of think about so let's get to it.

Happy Friday, everybody.

I know it's Pearl Harbor Day, too, so that might be tough for some folks. I was listening to Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac this morning while getting my show together. Keillor talked about the fact that some Navy personnel at Pearl Harbor were just training on a new radar system when it picked up the waves of Japanese planes heading toward the island. Personnel members asked what it was they were seeing and what should they do about it. Their supervisors told them to ignore it, saying that it was Americans returning from a training exercise. And the rest, as they say...

I am, against all reason, addicted to Writers Almanac, which is not just about poetry, by the way, but about history and culture. It's very eclectic and very, dare I say it, democratic. You'll hear about everything from Willa Cather to Terry McMillan, to Lord Byron. I didn't want to like it, I'll confess, because I react against things I feel I'm being told to like. When I first heard ABOUT it (without having heard it), I felt like, OK, great, more elite culture you're supposed to like ... shove it down our throats, but then, of course, I actually listened to it. And the rest, as they say...

But I digress. Happy Friday, again .... and that means it's time for our Political Chat, Faith Matters, and Barbershop conversations ...

Both our guests for the political chat slogged through the snow to get to the studio -- we love you for that.

For Faith Matters, another conversation in our weeklong series on doing good -- this time, a more abstract conversation about what good means and how to achieve it.

And, because it is our job to keep you up-to-date on everything HIP, we have hip HANUKKAH music for you. Tell me if it doesn't rock the house.

In the Barbershop, the guys talk more about the news of the week. They had a lot on their minds.

So, if you're doing your Christmas shopping this weekend, good luck out there. If you're celebrating Hanukkah, Happy Hanukkah. Invite us to your party next year.

And, next week, we have a big treat for you.

So here I was, last night, getting ready to leave, all happy with today's show because we were FINALLY going to talk about some things that have been percolating for a while -- the Iraqi refugees in Syria and Jordan, the teddy bear story out of Sudan, the story of the rape victim in Saudi Arabia and important new leadership at the World Bank (most Americans only think about the Bank once a year when demonstrators descend to hurl abuse at their annual meeting, but this is an incredibly important institution in the developing world). Plus, more diverting stories ... Edward Ball, who wrote about his discovery of his family's slave-owning past, has a new book. He discovered some locks of his family members' hair and had them tested ... and more on genetic testing with a man who specializes in those of African ancestry.

And what the heck happens? Some guy shoots up a shopping mall in Omaha. YIKES. Of course, my first thought is: how awful. How terrible for the families. Then my second thought is ... what do WE do?

By WE, of course I mean Tell Me More. Do we switch around the show? What do we dump? ... What do we keep? Who can we get/what can we add?

I have to tell you that our first instinct is almost always ... change the show. But then we ask ourselves a second question, what can we uniquely offer? What can we share with you that you will not have heard elsewhere, even in our own newscasts. That is often why you will not find breaking news on the program, other than in the newscasts that begin each program. Our principal is: what can we tell you that you didn't just hear?

Today, though, tested that resolve ... so many great stories -- the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran (the intelligence agencies, as a group, say IRAN is NOT building a nuclear weapon, after all ... a total change from just two years ago), the news from Omaha, a terrible, yet remarkable story out of Detroit (a very young girl is shot six times while trying to shield her mother from a gunman, yet both manage to survive).

What do we change, what do we add?

We decided this morning to take the long view, that the stories we covered are stories with lasting meaning and long-term consequence -- often pushed to the back precisely when more dramatic stories grab the headlines.

We hope we made the right decision. Let us know if you agree...

Gabrielle Union

Getty Images

Lee, here.

So today was a big day for the show. Four of Hollywood's most beloved stopped by and hung out for a bit -- Queen Latifah, Morris Chestnut, Gabrielle Union and Faizon Love. They sat with us to talk about their new movie, The Perfect Holiday. ALL of them were pleasant and, genuinely, seemed like good people to shoot the breeze with ... and ask a few tough questions.

But, folks, they almost had to call EMS when the lovely Gabrielle Union greeted me with such a beautiful smile. She's so gracious ... and (gotta say this) so, breathtakingly, gorgeous. In this business, it's not uncommon for us to see and talk to "big names" quite often. But I have yet to meet the likes of Ms. Union.

OK, enough of that. But I'm just saying...

(Standby. The actual interview, complete with video and photos from the casts' visit, is on its way.)

Moving on...

I want to address a blog comment we received in response to our story (and blog post) yesterday on one reporter's allegations of being treated unfairly by the New York City Police Department. Here's a comment from dirtyblues:

Is the depth of most usa black adult males so shallow -- that a legal request for information from police officer (of color) is consider[ed] a de-humanizing experience -- requiring a federal civil rights case? This incident shows just how 'razor-thin' the self-esteem is of the usa black male professional class at all levels...

Let me share my story. Spring 2003, I was in New Orleans on business -- pre-Katrina, of course. I'd just had dinner with some colleagues and was walking (not stumbling ... I'd not had any alcohol) back to my hotel, alone, from the French Quarter. It was late evening, but before 10 p.m.

...So I'm walking down the street, minding my own business when a squad car stops alongside me, two cops hop out and begin to question me asking, "Where are you coming from?"

I answered.

They asked, "What are you doing out here?"

Answered that, too.

Adding to the drama, about two minutes later, another squad car pulls up. Two more cops join in the questioning. (You can imagine where this is going...) Long-short: they made me put my "hands on the car" and frisked me -- went through my pockets, wallet, etc... After learning that I live in Washington (and work in the media), they let me go ... almost immediately.

So, dirtyblues, is it really a matter of being shallow? I must say, I found the experience very dehumanizing. I, probably much like Leonardo Blair of the New York Post, can't help but wonder ... What if I was a "local," or had no professional affiliation that could be perceived as a threat to whatever their motives might have been that night? I certainly didn't leave their presence affirmed by what I learned as a child -- "policemen are your friends..."

And, did race play a factor?...

Continue reading "Hollywood Comes to TMM, More on 'Stop and Frisk'" >

Profiling. Stop and Frisk. Driving while Black...

How are you reacting to this? Are you rolling your eyes and saying, "Oh, that again?" ...Or are you saying, "Yeah, that's right. What about that?"

I point it out because this is not simple arithmetic, as in one plus one equals two. It is just inescapable that where you stand on questions like this often depends on where you sit. One less-discussed result from the recent Pew Poll (pdf) on racial attitudes (conducted in association with NPR) is that Blacks have a very different view of law enforcement than whites do...

Pew Poll: Young people, regardless of race, have the least amount of confidence in local police. Only 16% of all blacks under the age of 30 consistently express trust in police on all three measures, compared with 26% of those blacks 65 years and older. While whites have significantly more confidence than blacks in local police, young whites are skeptical...

I am guessing this was probably less discussed (although we did talk about it) because the other results were so interesting ... but also because that perspective is so well known.

I am raising this because our lead story this morning is both new and not new. How many times have you heard a Black/African American or Latino man -- especially a young man -- complain of his treatment by the police? And, how many times have you heard the police say it didn't happen, or get over it? We have a story like that this morning ... a young reporter for the New York Post, Leonardo Blair, talks about how he was treated by the NYPD when he got home from work last week. He wrote about it in the Sunday paper.

Usually, the situations we hear about involve an interracial dynamic. But in the case we talked about this morning, everybody involved was black or Latino. So, we thought it a good idea to add another voice to the mix, and that would be Stanley Couch, a well-known writer and columnist who kind of gives no quarter to anybody. He raises the question of how to balance the real need to fight crime -- much of which is black-on-black or Latino-on-Latino -- with a need to respect the rights of law-abiding citizens.

Also, we have the additional benefit of hearing a perspective from the New York City deputy police commissioner for public information. Hear his take on the interaction between Blair and the two police officers.

And later, on a happier note (it's the holiday season), ways to do some GOOD. We'll have a variety of perspectives this week. We start in New York and then travel south. There's a program called DonorsChoose, where you can decide how your money gets spent on projects for school kids around the country. In other words, it's an version of our Ordinary Oprahs. We'll have more for you over the week.

Merry, merry and Happy Hanukah, which begins tonight. Send me some gelt if you have any left over ... the good kind.

Sean Taylor

Getty Images

Happy Monday. I hope you all had a fine weekend.

A bittersweet day in Washington and Miami today. Washington Redskins football player Sean Taylor was laid to rest in Miami. The whole team was there...

Now I know what some of you are thinking because I've heard it at the grocery store and I've read it on the blogs. Some of you are saying, look, if it was MY mother or brother nobody would notice (a man said this to me last week when I was in the checkout line). And some of you are saying ... what about the men and women in Iraq? Why is this more important?

I'm going to push back on both of those themes.

We WOULD notice. On this program we've made it our business to notice the violence going on around us: our interview with Anwan Glover of HBO's "The Wire," whose brother was murdered just a few months ago; our ongoing coverage of the murders in Philly ... in Delaware, in Baltimore; our conversation with Valencia Muhammad, a former D.C. school board member, who lost two sons to gun violence and is active in the conversation on gun control (and not on the side you might think); and our conversations about "snitching." I think we've been there, and we will be there.

But there is no question that this awful death has struck a chord. The facts are now known -- Taylor confronted burglars in his home in the early morning hours last week; one of them shot him, he died soon after ... his fiance and baby cowering under the covers.

In the early days, a theme seemed to emerge: was Taylor somehow complicit in his own death? Were his brushes with the law a factor in his murder? It turns out that none of that was true, but what was true is that Taylor was a black man killed in his own home by other black men who wanted to take what he had.

So is this about celebrity? ... About envy?
Is this about the low regard for life among too many young men?
Is it about being in the wrong place at the wrong time (in the middle of the football season, Sean wasn't expected to be home)?
I don't know -- all of it ... none of it?

Here's what I do know: if something makes you ask that many questions, if it haunts you in this way, then it is something to talk about.

I recommend the pieces by the two columnists we had on today -- David Aldridge and Omar Kelly...

Continue reading "Sean Taylor Coverage ... Fair?" >