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.

You can get hard hearted if you are carrying all your possessions on your head, you don't know where your children are and you have been separated from all your loved ones.

It doesn't get much clearer than that.

There's a very civil dustup today among Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist William Raspberry, Columbia Law Professor Patricia Williams, and award-winning author and history professor, William Jelani Cobb. Initially, our conversation focused on what personal responsibility Barack Obama might have to African Americans, but we segued to different views of personal and societal responsibilities of and to African Americans. Recently, Mr. Raspberry discussed the topic in a Washington Post column; we hear contrary views today from our other two guests. Like our panelists, not everybody is going to agree with him on this, so make sure you catch Mr. Raspberry's original column here. You can find Prof. Cobb's blog here, and here's a link to the Nation Magazine, where you can find several of Prof. Patricia Williams' columns.

There are a lot of things to be thankful for, including our delightful conversation today with Chef Daniel Young, former personal chef to NBA star Carmelo Anthony (the REAL reason you want to make it in pro sports). We get a different taste of thankfulness from some of our listeners. It's just an appetizer, because there's more to come tomorrow.

And, we loved her so much we had to bring her back. Slam Poet Gayle Danley returns with a holiday poem on gratefulness. Don't forget to check out her work earlier this week, and you'll see why we fell so hard for her.

That's it for me this week -- what a wonderful break from tight deadlines and strict time limits. It's obviously not possible for me during our regular newscasts to spend a long time talking about classical music and poetry or even to make light of scary economic news, such as deflation. But that's the joy of working with Tell Me More. The long-form interviews are the draw for any journalist, and we love that you love them too. We know that asking you to stick with us for a lengthy interview is an investment of your time, and the creative team here at TMM is focused on making every minute worthwhile. (Who knew Alvin Hall enjoyed shopping for handbag sales?)

I'm happy to have been here, and hopeful we'll talk to each other again. Be sure to stick around for tomorrow's program! Michel returns, bringing a wealth of Thanksgiving goodies, including more of your thoughts on gratitude.

-- Korva

You knew it. Lower prices are just too good to be true. Our regular financial guru, Alvin Hall and NPR's David Kestenbaum spell out the latest bad thing that could happen to us in a slowing economy. It's deflation, and here it is in a nutshell: falling prices, like we're seeing in stores today, make people wait for even lower prices in the future. So nobody buys anything. Retailers drop prices even lower to encourage shoppers. People continue to wait for even lower prices. Nobody buys anything. So retailers drop prices even lower....and nobody buys anything. Stores then go out of business because - nobody buys anything. People who worked in these stores lose their jobs. And then they join the ranks of people who don't buy anything. Ouch.

Our segment today on parenting focuses on grandmothers: I grew up with a grandmother who divided her time between my home and that of a nearby cousin. When she changed houses to stay with each of us children I used to tease her about getting "bed-lag", similar to jet-lag, because it always took her a few days to get comfortable. Many of my friends had some similar kind of arrangement. So I really hadn't thought much of the news that Michelle Obama's mother will accompany the First Family to the White House next year. I've found it interesting to eavesdrop on chatter about whether this is a good thing or a bad thing for the Obamas. I figured it was their thing, and not something that needed attention. Our guests today talk about why it is worth our attention and why kids can benefit.

Finally, Pat Lewis' CD crossed my desk earlier this year and I've been listening to it ever since. It caught my eye because I had my first full time radio job in Tucson, Arizona, the city that the Rillito River flows through. Or used to flow through, before the it mostly dried up. The river is now an arroyo, running only during the summer monsoon season, generally between the Fourth of July and Labor Day. There even used to be a group of dirt buggy drivers called the Rillito River Yacht Club; they met regularly to race along the arid river bottom. Pat's CD is part of a larger environmental and artistic effort in Tucson, to broaden awareness of the danger the Rillito and other southwest rivers face. The website - www.rillitoriverproject.org - is chock full of photos, videos and features Pat's music.

See you tomorrow,
Korva

Today we discuss what the incoming Obama Administration will need to review when it considers the detainee facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Should detainees stay in the military legal system devised by the Bush Administration, or not? Our guests today suggest we need an alternative legal method. Take a listen and see if you agree. The New York Times editorial pages say our existing federal criminal system is more than sufficient to manage the terrorists. Over the weekend, it published an editorial highlighting recommendations by Human Rights Watch. Take a look.

It was startling to me to come out of a conversation on torture and turn to Slam Poet Gayle Danley who brings her love of words to kids in elementary schools and juvie lockups. We can't seem to leave the topic of detention centers.

I wonder what would happen if we sent Gayle to work with the detainees at Gitmo. I wonder what the detainees would talk to her about. Sheepherding? Darkness? Thugs?

"Run to the school, Run from the thugs, I'm just like you, let this be the day that I say something that's gonna save a life."

I get scared, too, Gayle.

And, what you didn't get to hear after the mics were turned off on our conversation with Dr. Ro, Chef George Stella and Giant Food consumer advisor Andrea Astrachan was the plotting. These guys are really committed to getting the word out about healthy eating. I have no idea what they're up to, only that they want to work some more together. Only Dr. Ro was present with me in the D.C. studio. Andrea was in Boston and George way down in central Florida. There's something ironic about the interviewer leaving the studio so the guests can get down to the real conversation.

Finally, about rapper Q-tip's music selection: I love the Beatles. I am old.

Sasha Obama, left, Malia Obama and Michelle Obama (pictured in June 2008) face their own unique White House transition, as President-elect Barack Obama works to build his administrative cabinet. Many wonder whether the Obama girls will attend public or private schools during their time in Washington.

Getty Images

William "Bill" Ayers' relationship with then-presidential candidate Barack Obama was repeatedly questioned by Obama's opponents during a tense election season.

AP

The U.S. Department of Justice recently weighed in on a growing online discussion about crime statistics based on race, centered around figures referenced last month by David Duke in a TMM interview.

AP

I think back over this week and the word that pops into my head is INTENSE.

We had conversations about public and private school, and especially what it means for middle class minority parents -- like the Obamas -- to have that choice.

We talked about the role of the auto industry in lifting minorities into the middle class.

We talked about what we expect of Michelle Obama and what we see in her and, naturally, what we see of ourselves in her.

... Intense conversations with former Weather Underground leader William "Bill" Ayers, with filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles, with former civil rights attorney-turned Washington, D.C., powerbroker Vernon Jordan, as well as our panel of regulars: Leslie Morgan Steiner, Jolene Ivey, Rebecca Walker, and Anna Perez (who in her other life was former First Lady Barbara Bush's press secretary).

I found my head spinning, especially trying to keep up with all the threads our guests brought to us. I sat up until 1:00 a.m. one night finishing Bill Ayers book, and until 2:00 a.m. a couple nights later reviewing Melvin van Peebles' films.

As we close out this year and think ahead to the next. It all makes me think about that balance between the internal world and the external one, and how one influences the other.

Which matters most?

Writing it down doesn't capture how it felt; the emotion that surfaced, sometimes from surprising quarters. Real life, but concentrated. But these times are bringing out deeply felt experiences. Of course, some people don't want to hear about all that, which is fine. But as I say all the time: just because something does not interest you doesn't mean it has no reason to be heard.

And speaking of what needs to be heard, or what does not ...

Those of you who heard our conversation last month with former Ku Klux Llan leader David Duke may remember that he cited some statistics. The statistics referenced by Duke compared how many white women were raped by black men in the course of a year, versus how many black women were raped by white men. Now, you may ask (as did I) why he doesn't care about how many white women are raped by white men, and how many black women may have been raped by black men.

David Duke is a white supremacist (although he does not think he is). We thought it important to check on his facts, and so we have. We've updated the original Web page for the Duke interview with an audio statement by the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Thanks for your patience.

We featured a number of stories from around the globe in today's World Roundup. But one story in particular prompted TMM producer/director Rob Sachs to share from his personal experience. I'll let Rob take it from here.

Thanks, Lee. Rob Sachs, here ...

By placing their stories side by side, its clear that they often have much more in common than they might originally have realized.

Thanks, Rob.

You really want to know how the working mommy thing goes down? Here it is:

I'm supposed to be here at 6:30 a.m. This morning was especially critical since I was asked to do a quick interview on CNN that would be aired live, just about an hour and fifteen minutes before we ourselves go to air (our first broadcast feed is at 9 a.m.).

Normally, I would never even think of stepping out of the building -- not even for a few minutes -- while we were preparing to go to air. I'd fight you over a fire alarm (but I WOULD go, I would, I swear). But through the miracle of technology (and guest scheduling) all of our guests for today's show were actually recorded yesterday or, in one case, a couple of days before (as he was on the way to London). So, we thought, yes, we can. ... Get to CNN and get back here in time to do right by our show.

Why even bother? Well, they wanted to talk to us about yesterday's special collaboration with the online publication The Root, where we talked about Michelle Obama and what it means to be, and have, the first African American First Lady. We had four great guests who published four essays on The Root, and we talked about the essays in our regular MOMS segment.

So we were excited that CNN wanted to talk to me and TMM regular Jolene Ivey about our contributions. Marie Nelson (our executive producer) and I decided it was worth it to twist ourselves into a pretzel a little bit before our own airtime to make the CNN appearance work.

I picked my outfit the night before. I got the last minute hair lecture from Marie ("put some product in there, don't play no games"). I was ready. I was pumped. I was walking out the door, and ...

Both kids came flying out of their rooms, "Waaahhh!"

"Mommy, can you sit with me?"

"Mommy, where's my drink?" "Mommy, my dolly fell behind he bed."

"Waah."

I tried to take the practical way out. "Mommy is going to be late," I said.

Still, "Waah!!!"

I tried to be a diplomat. "Daddy is still in bed," I said. "Go get in bed with him."

Waaah!

So, yes, I caved.

I took off my shoes and went in their room cuddled with them both for a few minutes. Thankfully, my husband heard something going on, so he came stumbling out, did a quick assessment of the situation, set up the distraction, took up the cuddle position ... and I slipped out.

(Thanks, Billy!)

I raced out the door, tried to obey all laws and came careening into NPR. I dropped my bag and looked at my TMM scripts before CNN started burning up my phone to ask, why wasn't I in the car?

I said, "what do you mean?" (I pretended I already was, sorry CNN!)

But then, in a minute, I was in the car, so ...

I made it.

And that's how it really is.

I know it's not pretty, but it all worked out, right?

Wrapping up a long day, so this will be quick.

Tomorrow on the program, a name that probably needs very little introduction: William "Bill" Ayers.

Remember, during the presidential election season, an alleged relationship between Ayres and now President-elect Barack Obama was the source of much contention on the campaign trail.

Well, Ayers has something to say about that whole controversy, and how Obama chose to respond.

Finally, a shout out to the New Media Institute. The annual conference is a brainchild of the National Black Programming Consortium, and they're meeting this week here in Washington, D.C., this week. Today, I was honored to speak to the group -- along with NPR's Andy Carvin and Sarah Handel -- during their visit to our NPR studios. The focus: NPR's travels into the world of multimedia journalism.

(To learn more about NPR's "transformation", check out the recent piece in the American Journalism Review.)

Needless to say, I learned a good deal from them.

More to come, so meet us back here tomorrow.

And in the words of Marie Nelson, our executive producer, onward and upward ...

Also tomorrow, a Wisdom Watch conversation with Washington, D.C., powerbroker Vernon Jordan.

And, voices from Israel and Palestine ...

In acknowledgement and commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel, a new book captures 60 voices -- half Israeli, half Palestinian. The the book itself is in English, Arabic and Hebrew. Amazing to look at. Tomorrow, we will have two voices from the book and the author, editor.

And that's not all, but all I have time for now because I have to get to work.

But finally, a programming note. If you listened to our Faith Matters segment Friday, you heard us talk about faith and how it sometimes conflicts with end-of-life care. We focused on the story of Motl Brody, a 12-year-old Jewish boy who suffered a brain tumor, which left him brain dead. He was on life support after doctors concluded they'd unsuccessfully done all they could to save him. His parents opposed any decision to remove him from life support, citing religious convictions. Although without most of his faculties, their son's heart was still beating.

Motl Brody died on Saturday.

For many, this case demands such serious reflection, both religiously and ethically. Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld sent me an e-mail today, and directed me to a recent sermon of his on this subject. I think it's worth sharing ...

It's not just the McCain campaign sniper fire that seems to be directed at Sarah Palin, there's also the lingering angst over Proposition 8 in California, and news that, thank goodness, Thanksgiving is coming.

And speaking of Thanksgiving ...

We want to know, what are you thankful for?

Have you had a Thanksgiving you'll never forget?

Last year, we recorded your observations and sprinkled them throughout our Thanksgiving Day program. They were just the seasoning we needed to make that program special, so we are at it again.

Call, write or blog. We want to hear from you. We especially welcome your calls, because we may want to use these observations on the air. Connect to the TMM comment lineon 202-842-3522. And, please, do remember to leave your name and how to find you if we need to call you back.

Now, get busy (please), have a great weekend and remember that we are grateful to you!

As you probably know, we try to focus on international news on Thursdays in our international briefing. For the next couple of weeks we are going to try making rounds to the embassies to hear what representatives of a number of countries have to say about what they what they hope and expect from an Obama administration. We are plan to focus on Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean; we feel that most major news organizations go to the European capitals first, we want to round out that perspective.

And I was very happy to get that postcard from Kabul. The writer, Gayle Tzemach, has a forthcoming book about women entrepreneurs. Tzemach has been visiting Afghanistan off and on since her days as a student at Harvard Business School. Anyway, Gayle sent me an email when she arrived on her latest trip and just after Election Day she sent us her latest postcard.

We want to hear from you.

We always hoped that our listeners would keep us up to date on their travels. And, yes, we do care about the food and sightseeing, but we're more interested in those nuggets that tell us something about a place, about which we are not hearing anywhere else. It's the reporter's eye, if you want to call it that, but you don't need a title.

Let us know. Keep us in mind the next time you get on a plane somewhere interesting.

And, speaking of listening ...

James Lipton.

Are you one of the 89 million people who watch Bravo's "Inside the Actors Studio"? Do you ever find yourself wondering about the guy behind the blue cards, James Lipton? Well the 200th episode of the program just aired this week, and Lipton is also out with a new memoir, Inside Inside.

I confess, when I learned that he interviews his subjects for three and four, and even five HOURS, I felt kind of deflated. Our 20-minute visit just scratched the surface, and to be honest it does just scratch the surface.

I did my best, check it out. And do watch the anniversary show with Dave Chappelle, if you can.

And what can I say about our girl, PINK???

Thanks, Lee. Jasmine Garsd, here ...

Today's show was a discussion about how far minorities have come in the U.S., yet how much backlash there continues to be.

Our opening conversation was with Tony Asion, executive director of El Pueblo, and Kevin Johnson, Dean of Law at UC-Davis. This conversation gave us a window into how civil rights activists continue to deal with threats against their life. And it's not just activists. As we heard on the show today, hate crimes against Hispanics have been on the rise.

Why do you think this trend, confirmed by the FBI, is happening? And how should it be combated?

We also featured a discussion with John Rogers, an example of how far minorities have come in the U.S. Rogers heads Ariel Investments, the nation's first African-American owned mutual fund. His investment philosophy is grounded in patience, discipline and independent thinking and was recognized this month by the National Council on Economic Education.

Something that struck me about the conversation is what an important role Roger's parents had in making him who he is today. His father encouraged him to become involved in the world of financing. This reminded me of a conversation I had the other night, with a friend of mine who is working at an elementary school in one of Washington, D.C.'s most socio-economically depressed neighborhoods.

My friend's biggest question (she just started at this job): how to instill this type of thinking in young, talented students who come from broken homes, where basic survival trumps school work every day?

And speaking of role models, we visited with Washington Post fashion writer Robin Givhan, hairstylist Anthony Dickey, and historian Catherine Allgor, for a discussion on future First Lady Michelle Obama, her unique style (hey, don't forget to check out our fashion slideshow) and what type of role model she will be.

Overall, what type of impact do you think Michelle Obama will have as First Lady?

-- Jasmine Garsd

Most of the men in my family are veterans. In my father's generation, the generation of WWII and Korea (and in my younger uncle's case, Vietnam), that was the norm. But as we have transitioned to an all-volunteer army, that has become less common. In some communities and families, of course, military service is common. But many people no longer know anyone personally who is serving or has served in uniform.

This isn't to say that there are not other ways to serve the country--I think our diplomats, our Peace Corp volunteers, missionaries, our covert operatives, politicians are all public servants and they all have a role to play in keeping the country safe . But today is the day we set aside to recognize those who have served in this particular way, and it's fitting, I think, as we continue to fight two wars and to confront terrorism, that we acknowledge those who have worn the uniform, and their families.

I also think it's fitting that we had the stories of two very different public servants today:

Madeline Albright, former Secretary of State in the Clinton Administration and former United Nations Ambassador. She's offering her thoughts on what the next President should do, as she puts it, to restore America's reputation abroad. We talked about the new book she has out that expands on those ideas and we talked about it (hint: CLOSE Guantanamo Bay and rejoin the climate emission talks are two of her suggestions).

We also heard from "Buffalo Soldier" Joseph Stephenson (who happens to be the father of our regular parenting panel contributor Jolene Ivey), who talks about serving in the all-segregated army and coming under fire.

To all those who serve, in uniform or out, both here and abroad, we thank you.

President George W. Bush, left, First Lady Laura Bush, Michelle Obama and president-elect Barack Obama stand outside the Diplomatic entrance of the White House on November 10, 2008 in Washington.

TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images

 

Lee Hill, here ...

As I'm posting this entry, President-elect Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, are meeting behind closed doors with President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. Although Mr. and Mrs. Bush have both called to congratulate the Obamas on winning the U.S. presidency, this afternoon's face to face meeting is a first since last week's election.

The Obamas' young daughters, Sasha and Malia, are not in attendance.

The meeting is an attempt to show that the presidency should be above partisanship but it also serves as the future commander-in-chief's first major step forward since emerging as the victor in a long and, often, tense race to the White House.

President Bush extended the invitation for today's visit at a press conference on November 5, in which he also congratulated his successor with the following remarks:

It will be a stirring sight to watch President Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their beautiful girls step through the doors of the White House. I know millions of Americans will be overcome with pride at this inspiring moment that so many have awaited so long. I know Senator Obama's beloved mother and grandparents would have been thrilled to watch the child they raised ascend the steps of the Capitol -- and take his oath to uphold the Constitution of the greatest nation on the face of the earth.

So, what are they talking about in there? Earlier today, White House press secretary Dana Perino described the agenda for the visit, during which include Laura Bush will give Michelle Obama a personal tour of the Executive Mansion, as "very private."

We may never know everything that was discussed today. We can live with that.

But, seriously. We all know that this past campaign season wasn't exactly the bipartisan love fest that today's meeting -- judging by the photo above -- might attempt to convey. Remember, Obama's "more of the same" slogan describing his Republican opponent Sen. John McCain --- the "same" being President Bush? And, President Bush, although not surprisingly, supported fellow Republican McCain's presidential bid over Obama's.

The point: the two families are not the best of friends.

Of course, the visit is part of the changing of guard, and has been a tradition for years, but one can't help but wonder if there's any awkwardness in the air during the short visit.

Would you feel awkward during such a "visit" -- as either the host or the guest?

And, what do you think they're talking about, aside from essentials explicitly related to the transition?

The weather?

It's not like they can go and meet the neighbors.

But maybe they really are laughing, hugging and singing "Kumbaya."

Politics, gotta love it.

On Tuesday, Nov. 4, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, pictured above with wife Michelle, became the nation's first black president-elect.

EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images

 

It was an exhausting and exciting week for many people; now the real work begins.

Next week, we are going to keep taking a look at the challenges -- both political AND cultural --facing the next President and his family. We started with Gen. Wesley Clark (ret.) today and we are going to keep it moving.

For example -- the first African-American first lady -- what special challenges does she face? We have several newsmakers lined up, names whom you know.

You won't want to miss a day. Trust me.

Have a good weekend.