By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

We're going to make full use of viewer mail tonight -- and we went through a mountain of it to air tonight's representative sample.  Our weeklong series generated the most interesting responses (I've read just about all of them) and we also plan to have some fun with other things people have written to us.

It has been a day of meetings here in New York -- I finally insisted on escaping the building (nowhere to go, just generically "out") and was able to walk exactly 3 blocks down 5th Avenue before the sheer crush of people became too much.  From November 1 to January 2, I do most of my walking in the street -- as many New Yorkers do -- as the sidewalks are jammed with visitors who, shall we say gently, don't walk at quite the same pace. 

Back in the newsroom, we started carefully watching the hostage situation in New Hampshire...and news on a number of other fronts.

When we next see you on Monday, it will be from Seattle. In the meantime, have a great weekend, and please join us for tonight's broadcast.

By Ron Allen, NBC News correspondent

It's been quite a week around here, and I've been fascinated by the feedback about our series on African American women. I think some of the stats --  like the 70% single parent birth rate in the black community -- are pretty shocking. I knew there were a lot of kids born to single moms, but that many? I think a lot of other people are amazed by that, too. And I think showing numbers like that to millions of people is pretty powerful. 

One comment said that our series is "not in-depth" enough. But in the context of a half-hour news program, these stories have been pretty long, and some have taken many more hours than usual to produce and edit. What you see on the Nightly News -- all 22 minutes of it -- is only a starting point. We're putting more effort than ever before into the web site so that hopefully we can offer more depth.You'll find plenty of longer pieces, related links, and web exclusive reports there. 

Someone wrote "please leave us alone" instead of doing a whole week about "how badly we're doing." I guess the glass is always half-empty or half-full. None of this information is best left in a closet, like some well guarded family secret. No one's trying to bash black men. Facts, as they say, can be stubborn things. Many of us feel that some of this is difficult to watch, and painful to get your head around. 

And, lastly, I read, "it begins the discussion." Better yet, hopefully, the discussion will continue. 

It's obvious that it's rare for a network like NBC to pay so much specific attention to the African American community.  So why do it? I think it's a sign that things are changing a bit, and day by day the folks who run this place are seeing the importance of covering stories that impact a wider range of people in this country. Some of that is the result of much deliberation, and frankly some of it just makes good plain business sense, especially in a country with a rapidly changing demographic pattern where people have many new ways to "consume" news and information.  

If you've been watching NBC News closely, you may have noticed there's been more diversity -- not just in stories like the African American women's series,  but in everyday stories on the newscasts. We're looking for experts, analysts, families, issues and perspectives from a wider range of people. In fact, there's a mandate to do it. No, I'm not naive. Yes, we still see a lot of black people in trouble. And yes, everyone around here knows there's more work to do.

I've not done a survey, but it feels like we're looking more like America.  Behind the scenes we're becoming more diverse as well.  

But here's the bottom line: I hope you see this series for what it's meant to be, an attempt to take a hard look at some issues of importance to the African American community that are usually ignored, and that's a good thing. Those of us reporting and producing the stories take all of this quite seriously, and are trying to understand the broader context it's all happening in. I hope it continues to be very successful. Because success builds on itself. I hope it generates tons of email. I hope those of you who hate what you see keep writing. Tell us what you think we should saying. I admit we can sometimes get isolated in our own world. I used to travel around the world a bit, and I understand there are a lot of different realities out there.  Because, frankly, the only way we're going to get things right is if more of you, and not the same old people, tell us what's happening.  

Hopefully, all of this has been an opportunity as well, for you to speak out, and for us to listen.

By Mara Schiavocampo, NBC Nightly News digital correspondent

I know a lot about interracial relationships. I'm the product of one. My parents - married over 30 years - are an interracial couple. My mom is Black, my father White. It's been interesting for me to tackle this issue in the piece "Love, In Black and White", because it gives me an opportunity to compare my parent's experience as an interracial couple in the 1960s to what's happening today.
 
I've heard the story a million times. When my maternal grandmother discovered that a White man was coming to take her daughter on a date, she decided to sabotage their budding romance. When my father knocked on the door my grandmother answered with a t-shirt full of holes. She was eating a hot dog - no bun - with her bare hands. She stripped my twin cousins, toddlers at the time, down to their diapers and had them run around the apartment like little hellions. She was trying to make a bad impression and scare off my father. Thankfully for me, it didn't work.

                        
                Mara's parents, Hazel and Rino, with paternal grandmother, Maria
 
They faced other challenges as a couple. On one occasion a group of thugs from my mother's neighborhood met my father at his car and issued a not-so-subtle threat, saying, "It would be a shame for anything to happen to your nice car." "Yes," he agreed. "It would." And he kept seeing my mother.
 
One thing that I always found interesting was that in my parent's case, the Black community was more resistant than Whites.
 
Overall, the women I spoke with for my story have had a much easier time dating interracially these days. When I asked about discrimination they answered with a collective shrug. But when pressed about the response from the Black community they did start to talk about people giving them a hard time. "People in our communities will put their hands on us and say, 'What are you doing?'" said Nikki Doughty, founder of the group Black Women Who Date Interracially. You can see more of that group discussion in "Girl Talk". 
 
If you haven't seen it yet, you should check out "Love In Black and White". In addition to the women I mentioned, we hear from Essence Magazine  Editor-In-Chief Angela Burt Murray, and many others. And after you watch, I hope to hear from all of you too.

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

The more people I mention this column to, the more people I find have already read it, passed it along and talked about it.  It's a fine and powerful piece of writing by Michael Wilbon on Sean Taylor.

We're putting together a broadcast tonight that features some interesting health news, politics (including fallout from last night's debate) and our continuing, high-interest series on African American women.  Tonight we have a pretty shocking report on heart disease...and race.

We hope you can join us tonight.

By John Rutherford, NBC News Producer, Washington

Among six U.S. casualties last week in Iraq was Army Spc. Melvin Henley, 26, of Jackson, Miss., who died of a single gunshot wound to his head, according to an Army spokesman. The spokesman would not say if the gunshot was self-inflicted. "It is under investigation," he told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.

But Henley's family told the newspaper he had been having trouble coping with a second tour in Iraq. "We know he was under stress," his uncle said. And Henley's wife said he had missed her terribly. "He hated to be away," she said. "We were everything to each other."

"Editor & Publisher" Journal reports military suicides are a growing problem. "Some 130 are now officially listed as suicides in Iraq, but dozens more are being probed," E & P said, "and then there are the suicides in Afghanistan, and hundreds or thousands more back in the U.S." The journal said military suicides are usually announced as "non-combat" deaths that are "under investigation."

1. Air Force Staff Sgt. Alejandro Ayala, 26, of Riverside, Calif., was based in Kuwait, where he spent a day in August with his brother, Cesar, a Marine corporal returning home from Iraq. At day's end, Cesar said, according to pe.com, "We're not saying goodbye, just 'see you later' because we'll see each other back in the states." But it was their final goodbye. Ayala was killed Nov. 18 in a vehicle accident. He leaves his widow, Megan, and children, Alexandra, 4, and Matthew, 2.

The following three members of the 2nd Infantry Division were killed Nov. 18 by a suicide bomber in Baquabah, Iraq:

2. Army Pfc. Marius Ferrero, 23, of Miami came home on leave from Iraq earlier this month after his grandfather died. "He wanted us to give him a Thanksgiving dinner, and it seemed like it was a farewell," his mother told the Miami Herald. "Sometimes you have a feeling." Four days after he left, Ferrero was dead. "They were handing out some toys for the kids over there," his mother told NBC6, "and then this guy came over with a bomb jacket on, and he exploded himself."

3. Army Cpl. Jason Lee, 26, of Fruitport, Mich., was remembered as mischievous and a "free spirit" in high school. He joined the Army in 2004. "I don't have a problem with you joining the military," his father told Lee, according to the Grand Rapids Press. "But why the airborne, the infantry?" Lee answered, "I am big. I am strong. It's my calling, Dad. If it's not me, who else is it going to be?" Lee is survived by his widow, Lisa, whom he married a year ago.

4. Army Cpl. Christopher Nelson, 22, of Rochester, Wash., was always drawn to children, having grown up with seven brothers and sisters, so his family was not surprised he was handing out toys to Iraqi youngsters when he died. "He would ignore grown-ups and play with his little brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews," a relative told the Olympian newspaper. "Just a good-hearted guy." Nelson is survived by his 20-year-old widow, Angela.

5. Army Sgt. Alfred Paredez Jr., 32, of Las Vegas, died Nov. 20 in eastern Baghdad of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb. The bomb, known as an explosive-formed penetrator, also killed an Iraqi interpreter and wounded three other U.S. soldiers. "The patrol was returning to base after conducting an escort mission at the time of the attack," a statement from the Army said. Paredez was a member of the 1st Cavalry Division.

6. Army Spc. Melvin Henley, 26, of Jackson, Miss., was among the top 10 students in his 1999 high school graduating class. He joined the Army at age 17 and met his wife, Amber, just before deploying in 2003 on his first tour in Iraq. "We clicked really well, like crazy," she told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. "I knew I couldn't be without him." Henley, a helicopter mechanic with the 3rd Infantry Division, died Nov. 21 at Camp Striker in Baghdad of injuries suffered in a non-combat incident.

7. Army Staff Sgt. Jonathon Martin, 33, of Bellevue, Ohio, died Nov. 22 in Regensburg, Germany, of wounds suffered Nov. 9 in a roadside bombing in Jisr Naft, Iraq. Martin, with the 101st Airborne Division, was on his third tour in Iraq. He is survived by his widow, Rebecca, and children, Allura, Trenton, and Alaina. Hundreds of people turned out last Sunday for a benefit lunch in Bellevue to raise money for his family. They paid $10 apiece, and many threw in a few extra dollars.

Washington Producer John Rutherford is a decorated Vietnam veteran. He posts a weekly tribute to service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

By Chris Colvin, NBC News writer

Hi. Lots of reaction to the Republican YouTube debate last night, also some pooh-poohing of financial armaggeddonists everywhere (ahem) and a Christmas shopping tip from me to you.

The consensus winner of the debate is former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.. NBC's Chuck Todd and the First Read team say Huckabee "stepped up his game." Rick Klein of ABC's "The Note" called him "the most consistent and confident star of a scattered, fractured stage." And Vaughan Ververs of CBS's "Horsesrace" blog called him "thoughtful and eloquent." The blogs on the right tended to agree with the MSM on this one: Erik at RedState gave it to Huckabee. John McIntyre at RealClearPolitics says Huckabee is "for real." Andrew Sullivan says Huckbee is "who the GOP now are." Jim Geraghty of NRO's Campaign Spot gave Huckabee "place" and McCain the win. And last but certainly not least, Republican voters.. they thought Huckabee won, too.

And there's the subplot of CNN's question selection. Powerline's Scott Johnson (who gave the debate win to Romney) rounds up the criticism.

As for the blogs on the left, let's let Joe and John from Americablog's liveblog from last night speak for itself.

Now to the economy, and today's GDP revision-- a whopper-- Q3 revised up an entire percentage point to 4.9%. The WSJ's Economics blog has a different explanation (put on your thinking caps for this one.. and a Hat Tip to crispy&cole at CR)

Also out today, new home sales for October.. which somewhat perversely, ticked UP a tiny bit, but only because September's number (and August's for that matter) were revised DOWN, and hard. If you can find someone better at analyzing these numbers than CalculatedRisk, let me know. (And a periodic reminder, the commenters on CR are among the most intelligent on any blog anywhere. It's worth looking.) And this is, like, the ultimate housing nightmare/tabloid crime cross-over. (Nice find the ark, also at CR-- tolda their comments section was great.)

Ed Morrissey of Captain's Quarters gives a smackdown to those of us (yours truly included) who've been wringing our hands over the credit meltdown, based on today's GDP revision. Don't accuse the Financial Armageddonist of ignoring other points of view! (Psssst: recalulate the GDP # with an inflation measure that has some modicum of resemblance to reality, then get back to me.) Ditto on the smackdown, from Marketwatch's Chris Pummer, who says we're "talking ourselves into a recession." (I'd respond that psychology IS what free markets are made of, but then again I don't work for Marketwatch.) And even if you buy the GDP number with .9% inflation (last seen when Eisenhower was President), it appears it's all downhill from there.

Which brings us, with apologies to Ed and Chris, to the Armageddon update. The New York Times cuts to the heart of the issue on page 1, in the right-hand lead position. Commercial credit is drying up and the implications for the economy are serious. Yves at Naked Capitalism sums up 2 days of Bloomberg reports on a financial nightmare unfolding in Florida. Its short-term investment pool (a money-market type fund) incurred some major losses and now there's been a "run" on the fund. This is money that used for stuff like.. paying teachers' salaries. (And big Hat Tip for Scott Gerstein for the Bloomberg tip yesterday.) Blogger Hellasious at SuddenDebt has cracked the code of the Credit Default Swaps (CDS)market and if you can get your mind around it, it becomes clear why he's calling said market, with a notional value of $45 Trillion, the Phantom Menace. (Hat Tip: rich at CR)

Savvy bottom-fishing hedge fund Citadel picked off some of floundering e*Trade's assets today for 27 cents on the dollar. Which raises the question of who's making boatloads of money from the current credit mess. Bloomberg reports on the latest Hedge Fund Manager sweepstakes.. and note Citadel, with performance fees that are on track to top a billion dollars this year, is in FOURTH place.

Now to Christmas shopping and, (if you'll pardon the digression) if you asked me who won the debate last night, I couldn't tell you, frankly, because part of the time it was blaring across the living room I was simultaneously engaged in a game of Lucky Ducks with a 3 year old. If you're game shopping for your 3 year old this year, my advice would be, avoid Lucky Ducks unless you enjoy battery-powered quack-induced migranes and the fact that 3 rounds of Lucky Ducks is about all you can keep your kid interested in before the Ducks start flying, and, when one comes in contact with your eye socket, it hurts. A lot. If I had only had today's New York Times yesterday! Because the Times reports that toddlers don't want to play Lucky Ducks. They want computers, cell phones, and video games.. and not "pretend" ones either. But bless Scott Reeves at Minyanville who says bah-humbug! to the electronic toy thing.

And blogger Jon Swift has some modest proposals for journalists everywhere. Read it. Learn it. Live it.

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

We're working on a number of things that we hope will be worth a look on tonight's broadcast, including my interview with Tony Blair, and our latest report on African-American Women. But for the moment here at the Daily Nightly, we'd like to extend special birthday wishes to Jon Stewart. He's 45 today, though you wouldn't know it to look at him. You may recall that Jon once hosted a show on Comedy Central called The Daily Show. The sad truth is that we haven't seen Jon -- or Jay, Dave, Conan, Stephen and the rest, including the gang at SNL -- since the writers' strike knocked them all off the air 24 days ago.

Life has gone on without them, of course, but not for the better. Word is that talks have resumed, and we hope that means the strike will soon be over. But in the meantime -- for weeks now -- much vital comedic work has gone undone. There has been no one to skewer the pompous or ridicule the self-important; no one to blow the lid off the story, whether the story has a lid or not. No one, in short, to slip a banana peel under the body politic. There's a presidential campaign going on, for goodness' sake -- not to mention stories about OJ Simpson and Miss Puerto Rico. There is so much out there to poke fun at -- so much that demands to be poked fun at -- and it is simply going unpoked. This is no laughing matter.

The serious fact is that Jon Stewart and his colleagues in comedy -- along with the writers who support them -- serve an invaluable purpose by skewering the pompous and deflating the egos of the high and mighty. They function almost as a separate branch of government. We need them, and we miss them

While they're away, here are a few web resources to tide us all over. In the meantime, happy birthday, Jon. And best wishes for a happy return.

YouTube: Not the Daily Show   

YouTube: Colbert Report writers 

Late Show writers' blog  

Picketer's blog  

Missing Jon Stewart  

TV Week: Strike Central  

National Journal article

Article about Daily Show writer 

New York Times piece on SNL writers   

By Mara Schiavocampo, NBC Nightly News digital correspondent

By Rehema Ellis, NBC News correspondent

When I was asked to participate in this series about African-American women I thought it would evoke a lot of responses from a lot of people.

It has.

I have read almost all of the blog entries that we've received. Many of them were complimentary. But some were angry or disappointed in Part One, which I wrote, saying it had not lived up to all of their expectations.

Still, I am glad you watched and even more grateful that you took time to give us feedback about what was aired. I can't respond to every one of the blogs individually, but I do want to share some insight on the origin of the series in an effort to explain why we are focusing on African-American women this week.

Mark Whitaker, senior vice president of NBC News, who happens to be African-American, came up with the idea. He suggested that if we look at the major accomplishments of the nation's 13 million African-Americans in education and in the workplace we would find women leading the way. He then asked us to take a look at what the consequences of that achievement are.

So, from the initial discussion it seemed like we were going to do two stories. But as producers, editors and correspondents continued to talk, it became clear that this should be a whole week of stories that cover a wide range of issues concerning African-American women: from education, employment, and politics, to relationships and health care. Even addressing those topics we were fully aware that so much more would be left out. For example: many people asked in their blogs why we are not addressing the issues concerning African-American men.

To that point I can tell you that NBC News will continue reporting on stories and issues that affect the different groups in this country, that includes African-American men.

But I should also tell you this. At NBC News, like at all news organizations, we do stories all the time about particular topics. We focus on an element of that topic and then report on it. We know at the end of any segment there is more to be said. But we hope, as we've seen in this case, that as we touch on a subject, important discussions begin, or continue, across the country. Right, wrong or indifferent, talking is good.

I for one am proud that we are looking at a topic this week that mainstream media rarely reports on: African-American women. Certainly a topic that millions of Americans are thinking about in a lot of different ways. The evidence is in your blogs and emails.

I hope this week you will watch all of the stories in the series and continue to let us hear from you.

 

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

I hope you'll forgive me, but it's been a busy day around here -- too busy to write a proper blog. I sat down for a conversation today with presidential candidate John Edwards; we'll have that for you on the broadcast as part of our "Making of a President" series, and we'll be posting the full interview on our website. We'll also have the latest on the shaky economy, as well the as next installment in our series of reports on African-American women. We've been getting some great feedback on that subject; thanks for all the emails. We'll also have the news out of Annapolis on the big Middle East peace conference President Bush hosted there today. I asked my colleague Andy Franklin for his thoughts about that, and he's written the piece below. Have a look, and please join us tonight for the Tuesday edition.

Long and Winding Road

2008 is just around the corner, and it promises to be a year to remember. The seemingly endless presidential campaign will produce actual nominees in 2008, and eventually, a new president. 2008 is also the year of the Beijing Olympics, as well as the 40th anniversary of one of the most eventful years in our history, 1968. We're sure to hear a lot about that in the months ahead. But 2008 will also mark another milestone -- the 60th anniversary of the birth of Israel, which was proclaimed as a state on May 14, 1948. That means that in a region as old as civilization itself, the state of Israel is a relative youngster. Two years younger, in fact, than President Bush himself, who was in Annapolis today presiding over a Middle East peace conference that was replete with the sort of high hopes and low expectations that we've come to associate with such gatherings. For the six decades that the Arab-Israeli conflict has festered, the only peace the region has known is the kind that comes when antagonists pause to reload their weapons.

Not that people haven't tried, as they are doing today in Annapolis. In fact, the most spectacular Middle East peace overture of them all came 30 years ago this month, when Egyptian President Anwar Sadat made his dramatic visit to Jerusalem -- a first for an Arab leader. It was a breakthrough famously facilitated by none other than Walter Cronkite -- who, knowing that Sadat was interested in visiting Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin was interested in inviting him, managed to get back-to-back interviews with both on November 14, 1977. (Where was President Jimmy Carter when he heard the news of Begin's invitation? Attending a football game -- in Annapolis). Cronkite got Sadat and Begin to go public with their courtship, and six days later Sadat was standing before the Israeli parliament -- something unimaginable until that moment -- an Arab leader telling the Israeli people, "In all sincerity I tell you we welcome you among us with full security and safety." Israel and Egypt did eventually make peace, but Anwar Sadat paid with his life, assassinated by Islamic extremists four years later. (Just as Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was killed by an Israeli extremist in 1995, two years after shaking hands with Yasser Arafat).

A lasting peace may yet come to the Middle East, and the efforts of all those gathered today in Annapolis might even help hasten that day. But for almost sixty years now, that part of the world has found a way to break the hearts of those who hold such hopes -- not just once, but over and over again.

By Chris Colvin, NBC News writer

Hi! Back from a lovely holiday, and lots going on in the financial world, politics, and right here in our own news media backyard.

Starting things off with the WSJ wrap-up of Citigroup's big cash infusion, which comes at a steep price (11%) that some analysts say reeks of desperation. The NYT's Dealbook blog crunches the numbers. And CalculatedRisk sums up nicely in a comment on his blog: "Citi clearly needed to raise capital. Their ratios are low - and they have more losses coming, and pier loans piling up, and - if the Superfund SIV fails - they might have to put the SIVs on their balance sheet. This was a needed move - although I'm surprised by the terms - clearly Citi is desperate." CR commenter mp is even more succinct: "Citibank has essentially become a subprime borrower!" And Fortune's Peter Eavis gets to the heart of the matter, Citi's SIV exposure. (Hat Tip: FFDIC)

The other big news today: Home prices plunged 4.5% year-over-year in the third quarter-- giving more credence to economist Robert Shiller's warning that prices will fall 30% nationwide before the housing market bottoms out. Of course some think prices need to fall even further to get back in line with incomes and take the bubble top valuations back to the point where the bubble started. More on the Case-Shiller numbers from Marketwatch, which focuses on the fact that prices declined in every region of the country. CalculatedRisk points out that the L.A. Times asked this very question this morning ("How Low Will Prices Go?")

And some discouraging news on retail sales: after a disappointing Thanksgiving week, stores are ready to slash prices. (Start looking for the term "Grinchmas.") Another sign of the times: Winnebago shipments drop for the first time in 6 years. Bloomberg says motor home/travel trailer shipments have been a reliable indicator of economic downturns for 3 decades.

And catching up son some stuff that happened last week: Alan Greenspan said he has no regrets about his term as Fed Chairman and that no one saw the subprime implosion coming. And a NYT front-page story about Goldman-Sachs got me thinking about those stellar Q3 results everyone's admiring now. Scroll down in this post from the Daily Reckoning to see one take on how Goldman made money the old-fashioned way: by shorting their own customers. The Reckoning's Adrian Ash doesn't see a problem with Goldman short-selling mortgage products even as they were selling them to other customers, but Marketwatch's Hank Greenberg does. And hey now that we know Goldman has been making a killing on the short side, what should we make of their forecast that the housing market is going down hard and lending will contract to the tune of $2 Trillion? But hey Goldman's not the only one making money being pessimistic. A California hedge fund has returned 1000% so far (yes that's 10 bucks for every buck you put in) shorting mortgage debt.. and psssst take a look at what this hedge fund manager thinks of this country's banking system right now.

But you know, it's not going to be a Grinchmas on Wall Street this year. Bloomberg reports that despite the fact that shareholder equity overall is down $74 billion, Wall Street bonuses are expected to hit $38 billion this year, an all-time record. On the other hand, in Cleveland, 6,000 people applied for 300 jobs at a new Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Now to the news media.. the Mainstream Media.. as it has become known, and an object lesson in how the blogosphere is changing the way the MSM operates. (And I say this at the risk of sounding hopelessly naive to the many people who think the "corporate media" exists to push a political agenda-- if that's true, I'm either too stupid or too low on the food chain to be able to actually demonstrate it.) Anyway. Salon's Glenn Greenwald has engaged in a fairly brutal takedown of something TIME columnist Joe Klein wrote about Congressional Democrats' updates to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act-- which turned into a series of posts that culminated with Greenwald today demanding answers from Klein's editor. (And incidentally, raising the issue of a false story one of our competitors ran with back in 2001, which had a particularly nasty resonance in our newsroom-- and for which there was never an apology or any accountability.) Believe me, I'm not pointing this out because it involves competitors. Browse around the archives of  DailyHowler.com or MediaMatters.org if you want to see harsh criticism of us. The point is, journalists, particularly in Washington, aren't going to be able to repeat partisan spin that contains falsehoods as analysis without being called on it anymore. And as Greenwald notes, it's rather telling that the calling-out is coming from the blogosphere and not the actual Democrats who Klein misrepresented. Maybe that's why there is a blogosphere to begin with.

And here's an appropriate way to end today: you know that parallel universe you sometimes feel like you're living in? It might really exist! (Hat Tip: Raw Story)

 

 

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

The "breaking news" banners are up on all the cable networks as a result of what we learned toward the end of our afternoon editorial meeting, when our own Kelly O'Donnell called in from the White House to report a health abnormality regarding the vice president.  While to simply report that he was taken to George Washington University Hospital is a bit misleading, because his doctor is based there, it does appear he has an electrical problem with the upper chamber of his heart -- an irregular heartbeat.  Many Americans live regular lives with such a condition (ideally one that is properly treated) but because Vice President Cheney is who he is -- doctors are taking all precautions.  We are right now re-arranging the broadcast to fit this story in -- we also have stories tonight about transportation, politics, the economy, Russia and more including the first of our special series on African-American women.  Because my time is short and the hour is late, I'm thrilled that this is one of those days when my friend and co-conspirator Andy Franklin has written the great piece below.

As Time Goes By

There haven't been many movies made so far about the war in Iraq -- or the war in Afghanistan.  And the ones that do get made usually struggle to find an audience. That was pretty much the case during the war in Vietnam as well; most of the movies we associate with that war -- Apocalypse Now, Platoon, The Deer Hunter -- came out years after the war itself was over. That wasn't the case with World War II. Perhaps because it was a more popular war, or because it was fought in an era before television, the Second World War was repeatedly dramatized and mythologized on the big screen even as its battles were being fought. One of the best examples of that also happens to be one of the most beloved films of all time: Casablanca, which premiered in New York City on November 26, 1942 - 65 years ago today.

By Kerry Sanders, NBC News correspondent

 

No Name Key, Florida-  I'm not a hunter. I've gone hunting, and enjoyed the camaraderie. I respect the skill involved in the hunt.  Still, at the end of the day, it's not my thing.

What surprised me to discover is the puny Key Deer was almost wiped out by hunters.  This, of course, was a long time ago when perhaps we didn't understand the delicate balance between man and nature.  But then again, not so long ago that someone realized if man didn't do something, the Key deer would be gone.

 

In 1939, Florida outlawed the hunt.  That didn't go over well with some hunters. They kept up, and overnight went from hunters to poachers.  And that's where Jack Watson enters the picture.  A hunter himself, Watson who was a presence wherever he would go, decided to save the Key Deer.  Hired first by a local group and then by the federal government, Watson protected the deer with a hard edge.

 

When he found a poachers boat, but couldn't find the poachers, he set the boat of fire and then left. His son, Jack Watson, Jr. says his father was a gruff character who enjoyed giving poachers a little discomfort.  With the boat destroyed, the poachers were stuck on the island where they were hunting.  Watson took off on his boat.  A day later when he returned, the poachers, half-eaten by mosquitoes, promised Watson they'd never hunt the Key Deer again.

 

If you hike a path in the Nation Key Deer refuge http://www.fws.gov/nationalkeydeer/ , go to a ball park here, or look at the street signs, you'll see the name "Jack Watson" immortalized. 

Visitors who see his name may not know who he was, just that he was someone important.

"Important" doesn't say it well enough.

 

Without Jack Watson, there's a good chance the only Key Deer we would be able to see today would be in a picture. I rather like taking a picture with the dog-sized deer myself.

By Rehema Ellis, NBC News correspondent

Editor's note: Rehema's report airs on tonight's broadcast, in Part One of our series, African American Women: Where They Stand

For years, Black women have told their daughters they may have to take care of themselves without a husband so it's imperative that young women develop skills.

By Janet Shamlian, NBC News correspondent

It was heartwarming to hear from Nightly News viewers who watched Friday's Making A Difference report on "Our Military Kids" and asked how they could help.

By Peter Alexander, NBC News correspondent

I'm Peter Alexander sitting in for Lester tonight. Hope you're enjoying a long holiday weekend with family and friends. My family -- 90-year-old grandmother included -- was kind enough to join me in

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

For those wanting to stop the needless hacking apart of Thanksgiving turkeys, it turns out there is a solution: the New York Times how-to carving video, which we mentioned at the end of the broadcast on Monday, proved itself to be a panacea for many -- it was the most-emailed story on the paper's website yesterday, and I can tell you from our own household: it worked.

We've been following the drama in the cold waters of the Antarctic all day and we're thankful all were saved from the cruise ship that sank after hitting an iceberg. We're also following the retail industry, politics and the situation in Bangladesh. We have what we think is a very good newscast to air tonight. I hope you have a good weekend, and I'll see you back here on Monday.

By Janet Shamlian, NBC News correspondent

Editor's note: Janet Shamlian's report runs on tonight's broadcast.

Days like this are the most painful. While classmates throw a football in the backyard with dad, the children of our service people at war are separated from a parent this Thanksgiving weekend. There might be a phone call or visit by web cam, but there's no holiday from the stress these kids live with every day.. knowing mommy or daddy is in harms' way.

An estimated 115,000 American children have a parent serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. Beyond the struggles of separation, many of these families also face  financial challenges. Those little extras like piano lessons or soccer that provide diversion can be out of reach at a time when kids are most needy.

Tonight on our Making a Difference segment, you'll meet a mom who recognized this need. With the help of friends and neighbors, she launched a program that's helped thousands of boys and girls across the country. "Our Military Kids" provides grants to school-age children of deployed National Guard and reservists in chunks of no more than $500. It's not a lot of cash, but it is enough to pay for something special: whether it's dance lessons, horseback riding or tae kwon do. The money can also be used for tutoring and counseling.

For Dawn Bocanegra and her three daughters, a little has gone a long way. When I spent the day with them in Manassas, Virginia, Dawn explained that without the grants, her girls would have had to do without Janie's guitar lessons, Sadie's painting class and Gracie's tutoring.. activities that offered structure at a time everyone felt a little lost without Daddy. "It's really helped us survive the deployment," Bocanegra told me.

The Bocanegra's just received a gift thousands of military families dream of -- Jorge Bocanegra returned from Iraq last week. He sat down to Thanksgiving dinner with his wife and daughters, grateful for his blessings.. hopeful for his friends still waiting to come home.

By David Gregory, NBC News Chief White House correspondent

I'm David Gregory sitting in tonight for Brian - Happy Thanksgiving. I'm mixing a little family fun and work today. I took my wife, in-laws and three young children to see the Macy's Parade on the west side of Manhattan this morning. That was an experience! Rolled over a few feet with the SUV-like double stroller (sorry) before catching a wonderful view of the parade from a friend's apartment. My son, who worried we would be late and miss it, was pleased and that is the name of the game.

We'll try to capture the day from here in New York and around the country on this Thanksgiving by looking beyond the fun and family to see what people are doing for others in great need. This is a tense time in the country, on the verge of a busy campaign season and a multi-layered financial crisis that has many retailers wondering just what kind of holiday shopping season they are going to have.

We will also check in on the troops tonight - they are especially missed on the holidays. Their work in Iraq - particularly on a dangerous Baghdad street - is paying off.

I hope you will tune in tonight. Brian is back tomorrow. I'll have his desk straightened out by then.

By Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor

Among the stories in our broadcast tonight: with the dollar reaching another record low against the Euro today, Europeans are streaming into New York. There's proof of this story three floors below us: the lobby of 30 Rock, the plaza beneath the tree, any store or restaurant in Midtown Manhattan. I had lunch today next to an Irish couple -- I met three families from Ireland in Midtown last night. During a two-minute walk to the office this noon, I heard the voices of Scotland, France and Brazil. While much of Broadway is dark, the stores are packed and money is changing hands.

It's probably a good time to thank those of you who have emailed us with kind sentiments for the Thanksgiving holiday...its a good time to take a breath, pause and be with family and friends. If you'll allow me a night off with my family, (and please tune in to see my friend David Gregory, who will be substituting tomorrow night) I'll see you back here Friday night. We've got a great broadcast prepared for this evening. I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

By Ian Williams, NBC News correspondent

Editor's note: Ian filed this blog post from Kalika Bari, Bangladesh. His report airs tonight on the broadcast.

We could hear the angry crowd well before the yellow, squat government building came into view.

It was under siege from two to three hundred desperate cyclone survivors, jostling and shouting as they clambered for a share of the first aid to arrive in the village since the storm hit six days ago.

"We need more, we need more," said one man. "One hundred per cent of the people in this village were affected by cyclone Sidr. Everybody needs help. Everybody."

Inside the government building, a team of agitated aid workers was handing out high protein biscuits through a barred window – three boxes per family. Faces were pressed against the window; outstretched hands implored them for more.

Policemen were trying to keep the crowd at bay.

Within an hour all the biscuits had gone, but not the angry crowd, who remained demanding more help, and taunting a policemen who urged them to return to what remained of their homes. An aid worker promised that more aid would arrive tomorrow.

This was the scene we found in the village of Kalika Bari, where almost every house is damaged. Up to 20 people died here. Corrugated tin roofs and uprooted trees still litter the roads and fields. Most crops were destroyed; the shredded stumps of banana trees line a narrow river.

Villagers recalled harrowing stories of escape. One fisherman showed us the injuries to his chest, lacerated after twekve hours clinging to a tree.

We also heard complaints about government storm warnings. Though these warnings did get a million people out of harm's way, Jehangir, a local teacher told us many in this village didn't know about the approaching storm.

"The people here are illiterate, they don't have television or radio, they did not know the storm was coming," he said.

He also showed us the battered village school where he worked, its roof ripped off, walls and windows destroyed. Yet in what remained of one classroom a small group of children continued to study.

The main school building was sturdier. It had been deliberately built to serve as a storm shelter and eight hundred people did huddle in there on that terrifying night, as the one hundred and fifty mile per hour winds battered their homes.

Kalika Bari is in south-west Bangladesh, in the one of the worst hit areas. It took several days to clear the roads, but traffic is now moving, and a local ferry service should start tomorrow.

Relief workers insist that large amounts of aid are now flowing into Bangladesh, but from what we have seen on the ground here, it has yet to arrive in large quantities in shattered villages like Kalika Bari.

 

By John Rutherford, NBC News Producer, Washington

U.S. military officials in Baghdad are thankful this week for a sharp drop in roadside bombings, which account for two-thirds of U.S. troop deaths in Iraq. The number of IEDs found last month in Iraq fell to the lowest level in two years, partly because Iran is apparently living up to a pledge made last summer to block the flow of explosives across its border into Iraq.

"We have not seen any evidence that weapons continue to come across the border into Iraq," Maj. Gen. James Simmons said in Baghdad.

Still, five of the eight American combat deaths last week in Iraq were caused by roadside bombs.

1. Army Sgt. Joseph Vanek, 22, of Elmhurst, Ill., had three goals when he returned home from Iraq: go to college, find an apartment, and buy a motorcycle. "He was a young man," explained his father on fayobserver.com. Vanek had his sister read him the classified ads. "He didn't want to pay more than $500 a month for a place," she told the Daily Herald, laughing through her tears. Vanek, with the 82nd Airborne Division, was killed Nov. 12 by small arms fire in Baghdad.

2. Army Capt. David Boris, 30, of Pottsville, Pa., asked students at Pottsville High School for a favor, and they complied. "He said, 'Would you consider adopting my platoon, sending them care packages because some of the men never receive anything?'" one of the teachers told WNEP. Boris, a West Point graduate, was a platoon leader in Afghanistan with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. He was killed Nov. 12 by a roadside bomb in Bermei. Boris leaves his widow, Jamie.

3. Army Spc. Adrian Hike, 26, of Callender, Iowa, was injured in 2005 by a suicide bomb attack in Iraq. After several surgeries, he recovered and began a tour in Afghanistan. He had recently talked of re-enlisting when his tour was over. Hike died in the same bomb blast that killed Capt. Boris. "All the sudden it just hits you that you'll never see that child again, never get to hug him, hold him, give him kisses," Hike's mother told KETV. "I'm just overwhelmed."

4. Army Spc. Ashley Sietsema, 20, of Melrose Park, Ill., planned a career in medicine. "She had it all mapped out for what she was going to do each year when she got back and what hospital she was going to get her training at," a relative told the Chicago Tribune. Sietsema, a combat medic with the Illinois National Guard, was killed Nov. 12 when the ambulance she was driving rolled over and hit a tree in Kuwait City, Kuwait. She is survived by her husband, Max.

5. Army Sgt. Christopher Kruse, 23, of Dodge City, Kan., enjoyed hunting, fishing, working on cars, and throwing darts. Kruse, with the 2nd Infantry Division, was killed Nov. 13 by a roadside bomb in Mukhisa, Iraq. "We had many great times in Little League baseball where I coached him," read an entry in patriotguard.org. "He had grown up to be an outstanding young man." Kruse is survived by his widow, Courtney, and two sons, Christian and Josh.

6. Army Cpl. Peter Schmidt, 30, of Eureka, Calif., died in the same bomb blast as Sgt. Kruse. Schmdit had written in MySpace: "I look forward to being back home again and enjoying some of the small parts of civilized life I took for granted before. Things like supermarkets with well-stocked shelves, ATMs that let you access your money more than once a month, people not shooting at you every time you are outside, and wearing whatever clothes I want."

7. Army Pfc. Casey Mason, 22, of Lake, Mich., worked for Lux Funeral Home before enlisting in the Army in 2006. An MP with the 8th Military Police Brigade, Mason was killed Nov. 13 by small arms fire in Mosul, Iraq. "The last thing I told him was to come home safe," Lux's owner told the Mount Pleasant Morning Sun. "No one ever dreamed this would happen." Lux handled Mason's funeral when his body was returned home to Michigan.

8. Army 2nd Lt. Stuart Liles, 26, of Hot Springs, Ark., graduated from Fountain Lake High School, earned a liberal arts degree from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, and entered the Army in 2006. Liles, a platoon leader with the 82nd Airborne Division, died Nov. 13 in Bagram, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered in a non-combat incident that was under investigation. He is survived by his widow, Aubre, and daughter, Aurora, of Raeford, N.C.

9. Army Spc. Derek Banks, 24, of Newport News, Va., always had a smile on his face and was voted "most popular" his senior year in high school. "All Derek ever wanted was to be loved," a friend told the Newport News Daily Press. Banks, with the Virginia National Guard, died Nov. 14 of wounds suffered Oct. 25 when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He is survived by his widow, Sheena, and 2-year-old son, Derek Jr.

10. Army Sgt. Kenneth Booker, 25, of Vevay, Ind., was killed Nov. 14 by a roadside bomb in Mukhisa, Iraq. His parents got the news the same day his mother mailed him a Christmas package. The package contained a little Christmas tree, a movie, Christmas music, a Christmas mug, and cocoa. A note said Christmas was coming to him since he couldn't be home for Christmas. "I didn't know he was already gone when I sent it," his mother told the Madison Courier.

11. Army 2nd Lt. Peter Burks, 26, of Dallas was remembered as always mature, even as a youngster. "He was like a little adult," a friend told the McKinney Courier-Gazette. "He was very grounded, very serious." Burks graduated from Texas A&M University and worked as a tour guide in France and for several Dallas sports teams before joining the Army in 2006. A member of the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, he was killed Nov. 14 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad.

12. Army Sgt. Mason Lewis, 26, of Gloucester, Va., left in May with the 3rd Infantry Division for his second tour in Iraq. His mother couldn't shake a bad feeling, despite praying and praying. "He told me of the horrible conditions over there in Iraq and what a very ugly place it was," she told the Washington Post. Lewis was killed Nov. 16 in a training accident with Iraqi troops. "He was up on a roof," his mother told the Post. "All I know was that he fell."

13. Army Sgt. Steven Ganczewski, 22, of Niagara Falls, N.Y., got a lot of resistance from high school guidance counselors. "They didn't understand why someone with his potential would join the Army," his father told the Buffalo News. But he loved the Army, serving five tours of about three months each in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. An Army Ranger, he died Nov. 16 in Balad, Iraq, when he fell from a helicopter. He leaves his widow, Rachel, and daughter, Makayla, 2.

I want to thank those who have thanked me for writing these tributes. I appreciate your comments. I hope someday soon there will no longer be a need for any more tributes.

Washington Producer John Rutherford is a decorated Vietnam veteran. He posts a weekly tribute to service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor

I was the recipient today of several emails from well-intentioned people, telling me I was being attacked in parts of the blogosphere for something I wrote and said on the air in last night's broadcast. It was a closing piece about Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip celebrating their 60th anniversary. I noted this accomplishment, especially in this era when, as I put it, marriage seems "under attack" as an institution. My meaning?  Our national divorce rate, which is currently somewhere between 40 and 50 percent. Others took it upon themselves to decide that I was somehow attacking gay marriage. The simple fact is that nothing could have been  further from my mind, as many others easily understood. In fact, one comment shared with me today came from a respected member of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, who said, "It seemed to me he was talking about the sky-high heterosexual divorce rates. Marriage IS under attack -- by straight people. It had nothing to do with the gay marriage movement."

The upside of the web today?  The emails I've received from my fellow loyal Springsteen fans. Yes, I'm proud to say that my wife and I (tacit, embedded defense of marriage!) have been to three concerts so far on this tour: Meadowlands, Madison Square Garden and Boston. It just gets better every time.

I hope you can join us for tonight's broadcast. Until then, here's an interesting take on a couple of things that happened today, from my colleague Andy Franklin.

A Pardon and a Star

Two American traditions played out today, in ceremonies on opposite ends of the country. In Washington, President Bush pardoned the National Thanksgiving Turkey. In Hollywood, the Munchkins were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We call them American traditions because it's safe to say that these two rituals take place nowhere else on earth.

The idea of teaming up presidents and turkeys (your punchline here) got its start 60 years ago, with President Harry Truman. Contrast this to the United Kingdom, a place with a lot more experience in the tradition business: 60 years ago today, they were enacting the centuries-old ritual of a royal wedding (between Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip; see above). America's own turkey-presentation ritual got its start as a way for the poultry industry to push its product during a time of peak demand. What better way to sell Thanksgiving turkeys than to have one pose for pictures with the president? The notion of the president "pardoning" the bird – sparing it from being killed and eaten after the photo-op – actually took hold later, although the "pardon" has now become a central element of the ritual.

The White House turkey presentation takes place every year, but the president himself is not always the recipient. Richard Nixon got out of it after the 1970 turkey got agitated and spoiled the photo-op. (A Washington Post article headlined "White House Flap" said in part, "Reporters at the presentation in the Rose Garden witnessed what seemed to be mutual dislike: the president stayed well back of the agitating wings; the turkey gave the President a baleful red-eyed glare.")

The following year, Nixon chief of staff Bob Haldeman (a former advertising executive who knew lousy PR when he saw it) kept the president off stage – as indicated by the following conversation, recorded by Nixon's White House taping system: 

Haldeman: It's turkey presentation time again, and I thought we'd present it to Mrs. Nixon this time, because they're presenting a dressed turkey rather than a live turkey. They finally wised up on that. Totally asinine bringing that wild turkey into the room. 
Nixon: Very good. (laughs)
Haldeman: I got you out of that.
Nixon: (laughs) The turkey story. It's always so silly.
Haldeman: That's a bad one, anyway. In the first place, it's an unsympathetic story. People don't like the idea of killing birds –
Nixon: A beautiful white turkey –
Haldeman: They put that beautiful bird there, and say I'm gonna kill and eat it. And it's always a stupid picture.
Nixon: Hoo-hoo, God. All pictures with animals, except dogs. King is the only good picture I've ever seen of a dog.
-- Executive Office Building, November 18, 1971

"King" was Nixon's Irish setter, King Timahoe. Four days later, a live turkey was in fact presented to Mrs. Nixon at the White House. President Nixon himself never again participated in the ritual.

Meanwhile, Hollywood continued today with its tradition – placing stars in the sidewalk and naming them for entertainment figures. This is also a tradition that has commercial roots. Fifty years ago, a group of Hollywood business owners got together and decided the neighborhood needing spiffing up. They came up with putting stars in the sidewalk, and the idea took hold. Today it was star number 2,352 – in honor of the Munchkins, the diminutive stars of "The Wizard of Oz." There were 124 actors playing Munchkins in that classic film. A few of them were actually children, but most were adult "little people." We're told that eleven of those adult Munchkins are still alive, and seven of them were present for today's ceremony, which took place outside Grauman's Chinese Theater, where "The Wizard of Oz" premiered in 1939. Sadly, all of the principal stars of the film – Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Margaret Hamilton and the rest – are gone. (They are not only merely dead, they are really most sincerely dead). Toto too; the Black Cairn Terrier named Terry who played Toto died in 1944 at the age of ten. "The Wizard of Oz" was just one of 13 films Terry appeared in; perhaps one day he will have his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Until then, our congratulations to the members of the Lollipop Guild, the Lullabye League, as well as to all those Munchkins who remain unaffiliated.

By Robert Bazell, Chief science correspondent

In the news about stem cells out today, part of the great fascination for me rests with the idea that we are learning more and more about one of the great wonders of life. How does a fertilized egg – a single cell – become the complex organism that is a mouse, an octopus or – yes a human being. That's what this is all about. The quest for that answer led scientists to find embryonic stem cells – cells that can grow indefinitely in the laboratory and have the potential to become heart, liver brain, kidney or any part of the body. They had first been discovered in mice and then when they were found in humans in 1999, the great speculation about their potential to cure disease arose – as did the controversy because scientists obtain them from embryos.

The complex choreograph of cells that starts with the fertilized egg involves many signals telling cells when to start growing and when to stop. When those signals go awry in a child or an adult the result is the unrestrained growth called cancer. That is why among many things, studies of stem cells reveal a grat deal about cancer.

The current wave of studies began last year when Dr. Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University found that only four genes put into mouse skin cells created cells that behaved just like embryonic stem cells. Imagine only four genes can unwind the entire series of events starting with the fertilized egg and make a skin cell behave like an embryonic cell!

In today's work Yamanaka and Dr. James Thompson's group at the University of Wisconsin show that the same can be done with human skin cells You can read the actual research papers here (http://images.cell.com/images/Edimages/Cell/IEPs/3661.pdf) (http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1151526)

There will be lots of discussion whether these discoveries will end the need to use embryos to get embryonic stem cells. One reason they might not gets back to cancer. The genes that cause the adult cells to revert to the embryonic state have a great potential to make the cells cancerous.

But let those discussions and the research continue. We can stand back at marvel at all we are learning about that wondrous thing called life.

A five-part series to air beginning Monday, Nov. 26

Throughout the week of November 26, "NBC News With Brian Williams" will take a look at the issues facing African-American women across our nation in a new series "African-American Women: Where They Stand." The series will cover a wide-range of issues from their role in the '08 Presidential race, to the increased health-risks that they need to be concerned about.

Monday's installment will discuss African-American women's progress in the education field. Nearly two-thirds of African-American undergraduates are women. At black colleges, the ratio of women to men is 7 to 1. And that is leading to a disparity in the number of African-American women who go on to own their own businesses. Rehema Ellis will talk to educators, students and businesswomen about why this disparity exists.

Dr. Nancy Snyderman will discuss the increases risks for breast cancer for African-American women on Tuesday. Mortality rates for African-American women are higher than any other racial or ethnic group for nearly every major cause of death, including breast cancer. Black women with breast cancer are nearly 30% more likely to die from it than white women. Premenopausal black women are more than twice as likely to get a more aggressive form of the disease. And, not only are African-American women more likely to die from breast cancer, but they're less likely to get life-saving treatments. Dr. Snyderman will profile one of the only oncologists in the world who specializes in the treatment of African-American women with breast cancer.

Wednesday, Ellis will look at relationships within the African-American female community. Many agree the gender disparity in education and business among African-Americans is having an effect on relationships that African American women have. Some even say the implications could redefine "Black America's family and social structure." In the past fifty years, the percentage of African-American women between 25-54 who have never been married has doubled from 20% to 40%. (Compared to just 16% of white women who have never been married today). Ellis sits down with the members of a Chicago book club and talk about this difference and how it impacts them.

On Thursday, Ron Allen will take viewers to South Carolina -- the first southern primary state -- and ask the question: Will race trump gender or gender trump race? In South Carolina , black women made up nearly 30 percent of all democratic primary voters in 2004. This year, polls show a significant number are undecided, torn between choosing the first African-American or first female Presidential candidate. Allen talks with the undecided, as well the state directors for the Clinton and Obama campaigns, who happen to be African-American women.

To close the series on Friday, Dr. Snyderman will raise the frightening statistic that African-American women are 85% more likely to get diabetes, a major complication for heart disease. And, like breast cancer, more black women die from heart disease than white women. Dr. Snyderman will profile a leading expert and a unique church-based outreach program in South Carolina that seeks to spread the word about heart disease risks to black women congregants.

Mara Schiavocampo, Digital Correspondent for "Nightly News," will address two hot topics in the African - American community: interracial dating and the impact of hip hop music on black women (For those of you who attended NABJ this year, Ms. Schiavocampo won the Emerging Journalist of the Year Award). Interracial dating is a growing trend in the African - American community. An Essence.com poll found that 81% of participants approved of black women dating non- black men. According to a U.S. Census Bureau report in 2000, 95,000 black women were married to white men. In 2005, that number increased to 134,000. Schiavocampo will talk to experts about the trend and discuss how this defines the "Black family" of the future.

Schiavocampo will convene a panel of leading black men and women from the hip-hop industry for an engaging discussion on whether hip hop lyrics and videos positively or negatively affect black women. The roundtable also will address how these portrayals are affecting relationships between black women and black men.

Click here for more reports, videos.