By Lester Holt, NBC News anchor
It's suddenly becoming a busy Friday, with late word Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is resigning from office. This opens up a host of questions about what's behind the timing and what's next for a woman who's been seen as a formidable force in national Republican politics.
We're also finally getting some firm guidance as to plans for a Michael Jackson public memorial.
Brian is taking the holiday off, and I will see you later for NBC Nightly news.
By Mark Potter, NBC News correspondent
Philadelphia, MISS. -- In the 1960s, when he was a child, James Young used to hide behind the couch in his family home as armed Ku Klux Klan thugs prowled through town terrorizing blacks after nightfall. Decades later, Young was elected the first black mayor, by a multi-racial majority in a much different time and place. His swearing in was this morning. "It's just unbelievable that it could happen to me," he said. "Who would have thought that I would be the mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi?"
Although Philadelphia has changed dramatically since the '60s, much of the world still remembers it as the site of one of the worst moments in the history of the U.S. civil rights movement. In June, 1964, three young civil rights activists-- Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner-- were murdered on a dark and lonely road by Klansmen, after the three had come to town as part of the Freedom Summer movement, an effort to register blacks to vote. (See archival video from iCue here.)
The killings threw a harsh national spotlight on Philadelphia and led to an intense FBI search for the bodies and the killers, which was dramatized in the 1988 movie, "Mississippi Burning."
Philadelphia is intent on revising its image and washing away the stain. "I've always believed in this town, this community and know that there was an underlying decency," said Jim Prince, the publisher of the Neshoba Democrat, the local newspaper. "I think you've seen that sort of decency raise up here in electing James Young."
"The community has emerged together to make things better for everybody in Philadelphia," said Nettie Cox, a long-time resident and political activist who is African-American.
Watch an interview with James Young
Mayor Young, who is also a minister at an area church, agrees that times have changed for the better and that his election is an important symbol of that. "It's a heart change. Has every heart changed? No. But the majority are moving in the right direction."
With his election in a town that is 55 percent white, Young insists he will govern fairly and represent everyone here. The memory of the slain civil rights workers weighs heavy on him. "We can't forget what they gave up and sacrificed, their families. It's a constant reminder."
That memory is also why so many people from around the world have been electrified by Young's election. He has been called from all over the United States, Europe and Japan. "After listening to so many calls and e-mails from elderly, white, black crying on the phone and me being choked up because they're crying, and the more they do it, the more I realize, my God, this is something extraordinary that happened before us," he said.
Watch the NBC Nightly News report here.
By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor
I found this to be the most amazing piece of journalism I ran across today -- believe what you will of Saddam's comments, but if true, it certainly changes the arc of history a bit and clears up some fictions, perhaps. It's well worth a read.
Great posts from all our readers last night. I join you in mourning Karl Malden -- what a giant. I was glad to see that most of those who took a "swing" at the issue agreed with me on grunting in tennis -- except for Sam Maier, who committed the ultimate e-mail sin, the incomplete dis! Sam, I get that it was intended as a dig, but help a brother out...what did you mean? I can take a punch...I just didn't know how it was supposed to hurt.
Anyhoo -- I imagine this is getaway day for all those of you lucky enough with somewhere to go and relax and enjoy the July 4th weekend. If we don't see each other: have a happy and healthy holiday. Perhaps this, sent to me by a Medal of Honor recipient, will help you keep the true meaning of Independence Day in mind:
***
4th of July
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men
who signed the Declaration of Independence?
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors,
and tortured before they died.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army;
another had two sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or
hardships of the Revolutionary War.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes,
and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.
Eleven were merchants,
nine were farmers and large plantation owners;
men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence
knowing full well that the penalty would be death if
they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and
trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the
British Navy. He sold his home and properties to
pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British
that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.
He served in the Congress without pay, and his family
was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him,
and poverty was his reward.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer,
Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown , Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that
the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson
home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General
George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed,
and Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.
The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying.
Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill
were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests
and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his
children vanished.
So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and
silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.
Remember: freedom is never free!
I hope you will show your support by sending this to as many
people as you can, please. It's time we get the word out that patriotism
is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer,
picnics, and baseball games.
***
Keep our troops in your thoughts as well, past and present. I hope you can join us for the broadcast tonight.
By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor
We're going to mark the anniversary of the Walkman tonight, and we came across a piece of writing from Hans Fantel in the New York Times, December 20, 1979. Can you imagine reading this passage today, about the effect of a personal stereo?
"The listener is sonically isolated and psychologically removed from his surroundings. Schubert on Conrail unquestionably helps in traversing the South Bronx."
Where to begin? The gender specificity of "his" surroundings? Conrail? Remember Conrail? You can still see the old logo on a couple of grizzled veteran engines along the track siding. Best of all, what did he just say about the South Bronx?
It's wildly unfair to apply modern standards to criticize a piece of journalism written in another era -- but my intent here is merely to show, using just 21 words, how much change there's been since then.
To another change: nobody used to grunt in tennis. Ever. While my theory is that it's a tributary of our societal trend toward the celebration of self (I will throw down over any challenges to my theory, but without grunting), it has reached ridiculous levels at Wimbledon this year. While I don't play or follow tennis, I thought former NBC Sportscaster Len Berman had some good, provocative reporting on the subject on his blog today.
We're preparing the broadcast for this Wednesday night, and we sure hope you can be with us.
By Kevin Tibbles, NBC News correspondent
Tonight's "Making a Difference" report doesn't come with bells and whistles. And, in my opinion, that is what makes it so special. It is a straightforward story about two longtime friends who grew up "without" on the streets of Chicago.
"I don't remember a time when I didn't know Charlie," says George Maltezos, a mental health counselor.
Maltezos and Dr. Charles Martinez are both in their seventies, both retired and both working harder than ever. That is, in part, because this inseparable pair never forgot what it was like growing up in households that could not afford healthcare. "Charlie" even tells the story of suffering a football injury as a kid and worrying about how his folks were going to pay for fixing him up. Sixty-odd years later that story still resonates.
So, after building successful careers in healthcare, neither one wanted to hang it in retirement. Instead, they've opened a tiny community clinic in a working class neighborhood. They treat patients in need, cajole specialists into donating services and badger the drug companies for low-cost prescriptions. And it doesn’t cost the folks who come to see them a dime. Thanks to George and Charlie, some four hundred people, who otherwise would likely go without any medical attention, are looked after. Getting a clean bill of health, without the bill.
For more information on the Old Irving Park Community Clinic, go to http://www.oipcc.org/
By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor
Last weekend, I attended Mass at the same church in Rhode Island where John F. Kennedy was married. Having read about the family and the event for years, it was a thrill to sit beneath those old timbers, to inhale the atmosphere and see the interior and exterior, largely unchanged since that day when the young couple exited to huge waiting crowds. As a history buff, "tactile" history is what I love best: holding a letter signed by FDR, running your finger over the signature and realizing that's as close as you may get to some of our great historical figures. So: my favorite story in the morning papers -- all of the morning papers -- was this story in the New York Times -- about the places some of us pass by every day that played a role in history. I recently took a drive through London looking for known bullet and explosion pockmarks from WWII -- while it's not for everyone, it's great if it's what you're into.
Right now we're well into preparations for the broadcast. We hope you can join us. Tonight: Part two of Richard Engel's great reporting, and a Making A Difference report.
By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor
Slate magazine over the weekend posted a terrific remembrance of Michael Jackson and another on the death of Kodachrome. There's a dark take on life in New York magazine's blog -- some of the quirks of timing through history where celebrity deaths are concerned.
We're also remembering one of my favorites as a veteran talk-show viewer from the '60s and '70s -- Fred Travalena.
Otherwise, we hope you can join us for our Monday broadcast -- as we start another week.
By Lester Holt, NBC News anchor
We've lost a lot of famous names over the past week: Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson – and today we were surprised to hear another household name has died, TV pitchman Billy Mays. Like “The King of Pop,” he was just 50 years old.
Billy Mays certainly didn't travel in the show business circles of the others, make movies or records, but he had taken his rightful place as a cultural icon. If you've spent any time in front of the television the last few years, you've probably seen his commercials, pitching everything from cleaning products to kitchen knives. Even if the name isn't familiar, chances are his distinctive loud voice is. We'll tell you more about him, as well as a rough commercial airline flight he was on yesterday that could be connected to his death.
We're also reporting new developments in the investigation into Michael Jackson's death. In addition, we’ll have my conversation with one of the victims who will speak at tomorrow's sentencing of crooked financier Bernie Madoff.
I hope you will join us for NBC Nightly News.
By Lester Holt, NBC News anchor
I've covered plenty of celebrity deaths – some of them were people I truly admired, and whose deaths filled me with sadness.
The death of Michael Jackson however, has somehow felt more personal. I never met him, and for all the accounts of his kindness and gentleness that friends and associates have spoken of, like many of you, I could never ignore some of the more troubling aspects of his life.
What I cannot ignore, however, is that I grew up with the entertainer Michael Jackson. We are seven months apart in age. The first 45 record I ever owned was the Jackson's Five's "I Want You Back." I remember the night in 1969 when my family and I watched the Jackson Five's debut on the Ed Sullivan show. I danced around the house to his music – I knew the lyrics, and like a lot of ten-year-old boys at the time, I wanted a little of what he had.
My life moved on, and while I remained a fan, over the years I didn't think a lot about Michael Jackson, but his music was always there. When his songs came on the car radio my hand would instinctively reach to turn up the volume. And 40 years later, his music was still on my iPod on the day he died. Music connects us all in ways often hard to define. Michael Jackson's music became a series of mile posts in my own life, and it's sad to know those markers can only now be viewed in the rear view mirror.
Our coverage of Michael Jackson, and the day's other top stories, continues tonight on NBC Nightly News. I hope you'll join me.
By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor
That was the title of Robert Dallek's towering biography of Lyndon Johnson -- but as titles go, it keeps ringing in my head as a way of describing the loss we've been covering, and the life and talent of Michael Jackson. I thought this was as good a review of his artistry as I've seen today (balanced, maybe a tad passionless) and thanks to Andrew Sullivan's blog, may I suggest this as the best way to remember who Michael Jackson once was.
Our coverage continues tonight. We hope you can join us.
