Brian Williams
By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor
Our travelling party of three took our seats on a redeye last night, from LAX to Newark on Continental Airlines. As we were getting settled in, we heard it. At first, we thought it was a ring tone. It was the district, instantly identifiable sound of a dog barking. Even people who KNEW they didn't have a "dog bark" ringtone checked their phones anyway...it was disjointed, eerie and sad...clearly the sound make by a dog in distress. Then we all seemed to realize it at the same time: the dog was in the cargo hold, in a cage, and not happy about it. The barking didn't stop after takeoff -- or even in mid-flight. As a dog lover, it was especially painful to hear, picturing someone's best friend in a dark cargo hold surrounded by luggage and in the cold temperatures of almost 40,000 feet.
On to music: Anyone who's interest in the Smokey Robinson song "Who's Loving You" was perhaps sparked by hearing several versions of it in conjunction with the Michael Jackson memorial and should listen to the version by the vocalist Terence Trent D'Arby. His personal story is interesting (former boxer in the Army) and his gifts were extraordinary...but his recording career was far too short.
With several of us shaking off the redeye, we're preparing tonight's broadcast...and we hope you can join us from New York tonight. We will end with a great Making A Difference report.
By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor
Today's post will have to be quick, as time is short and there's more travel ahead. After arriving in LA last night (early this morning) and then broadcasting from the Staples Center, we're back at our NBC News Los Angeles Bureau for Nightly News, then on a plane back to New York for tomorrow's broadcast. I just read one writer on the Web who summed up today's Michael Jackson proceedings as "exciting, sad and confusing all at the same time." While it's early yet where assessments are concerned, I guess I concur. Tonight we'll cover the meetings between President Obama and Putin... and Palin and Mitchell (no relation) and all the other news of the day, which we're compiling now, unsure of exactly what time zone we're in. I hope you can join us tonight from Los Angeles.
By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor
A rare sunny day in New York -- and first I'd like to thank Lester Holt for filling in for me last Friday so that I could enjoy a long weekend away with my family. Little did Lester -- or anyone -- know that they'd be landed a late-breaking story that day, by way of Alaska. It's one of our stories tonight, along with the President's day in Russia (Chuck Todd just called me from inside the Kremlin, where it was still light outside at 11pm) the preparations in Los Angeles, and the death of Robert McNamara...one of the key figures of the Cold War and Vietnam War.
We'll see you tonight from New York, tomorrow night from Los Angeles, and then, owing to the "miracle of the jet age," as Lady Bird Johnson used to call it, Wednesday night from New York again. To quote Vonnegut, "So it goes..."
We'll look for you tonight. We hope you can join us.
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 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
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.
By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor
After a long absence due to my workload and travel, I'll soon be updating my music site. Today here at 30 Rock, I interviewed Tony Dekker, the founder and ongoing heart and soul of Great Lake Swimmers. Their music has been described as earnest, airy, sensitive, delicate and restrained. In a word: mellow. But also thoughtful, interesting and carefully crafted.
My favorite song of theirs is a beautiful song called "Everything is Moving So Fast."
He talks about the song, his life and his music in the discussion we will post early next week.
Photo by Subrata De
On the broadcast tonight, we'll look at a surprising Supreme Court decision of interest to so many of us with children of school age. We'll also look back at the life and work of Farrah Fawcett, and much more. We hope you can join us.
By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor
While today's news features a story of a politician who got in trouble straying a bit far outside the protective "bubble," I witnessed a unique scene last night in Midtown Manhattan.
Following his invitation-only appearance at a question-and-answer session with Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair exited the venue and walked out onto the sidewalk, to discover a beautiful Manhattan early-Summer evening. Even though his security detail and waiting motorcade were apparently expecting to drive him the two-block distance to dinner, he clearly relished the opportunity to get some air... and perhaps a brief exposure to the wider world. Accompanied by the magazine editor, Blair took off down the sidewalk.. from my vantage point, I could see pedestrians pass him in the crosswalk -- and a large percentage of them recognized the man who led the U.K. for a decade. He loosened his tie and seemed to be enjoying the brief stroll, while two follow-on security agents with lapel pins and earpieces were seen hoofing after him at a brisk rate of speed (Blair had a team of men flanking him already) and the motorcade vehicles, strobes flashing, "shadowed" him, creeping along the street adjacent to where Blair was walking. It was almost a normal walk down the sidewalk.
We have a lot of news tonight -- really important medical news, an astounding political story from South Carolina and big word out of Hollywood. We hope you can join us.
By Brian Williams, Anchor and managing editor
This story caught my eye today: The Governor of a major Eastern Seaboard State, a big name in American politics, has disappeared. His wife has no idea where he is. He has put the Lt. Governor in charge, and taken off. At some level, you have to admire that (or is that just a guy thing?) -- but mostly, I'm amazed. He is said to be off "writing" something, but its just unusual. Now...if you don't mind, I'm going to ask my boss who, exactly, my Lt. Governor is. Kidding. If no one around the Governor is concerned, I guess we shouldn't be.
Many of you have expressed an interest in my music site and thank you for it. Sadly, starting with the White House special, I've been neglecting it and hope to get back into it with some fresh selections and playlists very soon. It's not as if there's a shortage of good, new emerging music or artists.
We have a great broadcast planned for you tonight. We hope to see you then.
UPDATES from NBC News:
Frank Adams, a deputy director in the South Carolina Lt. Governor's Office on Aging, tells NBC News that Governor Mark Sanford's chief of staff called over to the Lt. Governor's office within the past hour to say that the Governor's chief of staff has been in touch with Gov. Sanford and that he is fine. He provided no additional information.
In a later email to NBC News, spokesman to Gov. Mark Sanford, Joel Sawyer, elaborated:
"The governor put in a lot of time during this last legislative session, and after the session winds down it's not uncommon for him to go out of pocket for a few days at a time to clear his head. Obviously, that's going to be somewhat out of the question this time given the attention this particular absence has gotten. Before leaving last week, he let staff know his whereabouts and that he'd be difficult to reach. Should any emergencies arise between the times in which he checks in, our staff would obviously be in contact with other state officials as the situation warrants before making any decisions."
