Six People You Should Hear Today

Douglas here ... Lots to say about our show today. Six great guests you should hear before your day is over. But first, our fearless host Michel Martin is back! Michel, how's it going?

I'm back after taking a short break last week. My thanks for Korva Coleman for sitting in so I could do so. Although I'm kind of annoyed. How much did you love Gayle Danley and the Moms conversation about having Nana move in? I hate it when they have so much fun without me ... but now of course I am swamped trying to catch up. So I'm going to turn it over to Douglas.

I hope everyone had a peaceful and enjoyable Thanksgiving, those who were able. Needless to say we are mindful of the fact that many people around the world did not. Obviously we are trying to figure out if there is more we can add to the coverage of the terrible situation in Mumbai. And we also learned over the weekend that clashes between Christian and Muslim "gangs" may have left as many as 400 people dead In Nigeria. We're trying to figure out what that's all about too.

But one thing we are surely thankful for is that all of our colleagues in Baghdad survived the attempt on their lives when a bomb attached to their vehicle exploded. Yes, we are thankful about that.

Thanks Michel. Nice landing.

Barack Obama announced his national security team today. He tapped his former rival Senator Hillary Clinton to be the Secretary of State. And in a move that has ticked off some democrats, he asked Bush appointee Robert Gates to stay in his position as Defense Secretary. Obama introduced a few other people as well, including Susan Rice for the UN Ambassador slot and Jim Jones as a foreign policy adviser. NPR Political Editor Ken Rudin and BET Washington Bureau Chief Pamela Gentry discuss Obama's latest picks and reaction to how his future administration is shaping up.

It's World AIDS Day. We're kicking off a week of coverage with a conversation about the plight of children with HIV. Some 15 million children are living with HIV. Pamela Barnes, President and CEO of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, has her say about what needs to be done to curb the epidemic and care for children already living with HIV.

Caitlin Schroeder is a freshman in high school this year. In many ways she's just like all the other teenage girls. But Caitlin just finished what for many people would be an unimaginable endurance. She underwent a painful and long-term procedure to add some five and half inches to her stature. An amazing story featured this week in the Washington Post Magazine. Caitlin and her mother Jennifer Anduha explain how they made the decision -- and how they survived the challenge.

And finally ... Malia and Sasha Obama are about to move into the White House, becoming America's newest 'First Children.' What kid wouldn't want to live at 1600 Pennsylvania ... right? Hear what Curtis Roosevelt has to say abut the experience. He's the grandson of President Franklin Roosevelt and wrote about growing up in the White House in his new book Too Close to the Sun. For Curtis Roosevelt, it wasn't just the actual White House that intimidated him as a child, it was living in the limelight of his grandfather. Take a listen and let us know what you think.

Did you grow up in someone's shadow? And how did you cope?

And be sure to tune in tomorrow. Money Coach Alvin Hall dishes out some advice for those of us tempted by the holiday spending frenzy.

Douglas Hopper

2:44 PM ET | 12- 1-2008 | permalink

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2:44 PM ET | 12- 1-2008 | permalink