NPR: It's Raining McCain... Hallelujah

It's Raining McCain... Hallelujah

Going to dash out of the door ... heading with Executive producer Marie Nelson to Detroit and Wayne State University, where we're receiving the Helen Thomas Award. They're honoring us for our work on the show ... we're excited! Do you think if we tell the airlines about the award they'll bump us up into first class? No?

Douglas will take it from here ...

See you Monday,
Michel

Alright, Michel. Congratulations to you and Marie and the staff for the award. I'm sure there will be many more! Try for first class. I bet you can make it happen!

Just a few notes about our show today. Our weekly political chat was spicy as usual. We invited two journalists to weigh in - one from Politco.com; the other from the Philadelphia Inquirer. With the latest Iraq War assessment and Obama and Clinton looking towards the Pennsylvania primary, there was plenty to chat about.

We also took some time to reflect on the Rwandan genocide, 14 years later. We heard from Jean Marie Kamatali from Notre Dame University. He was there during the genocide and shared his insights about what it all means now.

And, in case you haven't heard, the pope is planning a big visit to the U.S. next week. We'll be following the story. Washington Post religion reporter Hamil Harris gave us a peak into his plans to meet with a Catholic leader in New York. And we talked to Harris about the passing of Bishop "Daddy" Madison, long-time leader of the DC-based United House of Prayer for All People - and a big name here in the African American community.

And of course - The Barbershop. The guys talk about an alleged cover-up by ICE of a racist incident at a Halloween party last year (a party goer allegedly came in black-face). Also, a liquor ad that has people talking about the US-Mexico border ... and where it once was. McCain also made his way into the conversation ... "It's raining McCain... hallelujah." Here's the YouTube video the guys were talking about ...

Coming up Monday ... we'll hear from Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai. She's decided to bow out of the Olympic torch relay. We'll talk to her about her decision and recent developments in Kenya. Then we'll hear from Atlanta judge Marvin Arrington. He's made headlines recently by requesting one-on-one conversations with African American defendants in his courtroom ... by asking everyone else to leave the courtroom, a move some have said is racially insensitive. Stay tuned.

Before we sign off - though of course we check and post comments 24/7 - we want to say goodbye to a member of our staff, our winter intern Tyrone Martin. Not only has he stuck close to Tell Me More and helped us with everything from booking to producing, he was also the host of NPR's most recent edition of Intern Edition. Congrats Tyrone and I know I speak for everyone when I say Thank You ... and Good Luck!! Don't forget about us.

I asked Tyrone to write a few words about his experience over the past three months. Here's what he had to say - and a shot of Tyrone with some of our staff.

"As I get ready to retire my red Sharpie, for a one-way flight to the Sunshine State, I find myself reminiscing on the great experiences and the excellent opportunities that this internship has afforded me. Words often lose their legitimacy when over used ... they become cliche ... but, I will forever be grateful of the wonderful people that I have been most fortunate to work with. So, I say Semper Fidelis to the entire crew at Tell Me More with Michel Martin. You do great work, quite close to perfection."

Argin Hutchins, Jasmine Garsd, Wendy Johnson, Tyrone Martin, Monika Evstatieva and Arwa Gunja

Teshima Walker

Keep in touch Tyrone.

Douglas Hopper

2:55 PM ET | 04-11-2008 | permalink

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"Nothing is assumed." That's the unofficial motto of Tell Me More, the new Monday-Friday talk show with host Michel Martin. Grounded in lively interviewing and compelling storytelling, the program seeks to present diverse new voices, cross borders, challenge conventional wisdom and discover how other people think.