Tell Me More on Xtra HD

The debate over gun control continues to dominate the headlines. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate doubles the number of African-American members by welcoming William 'Mo" Cowan. He replaces John Kerry. Host Michel Martin talks politics with Republican strategist Ron Christie and Keli Goff, political correspondent for The Root.

The winter may not be over, but economists are looking to spring for good news when it comes to jobs. Host Michel Martin speaks with NPR Senior Business Editor Marilyn Geewax about whether a strengthening housing market could boost stalling jobs numbers.

It's Super Bowl time and the Barbershop guys are serving up some dish with those wings. Host Michel Martin and the guys discuss how one 49ers player is in hot water for anti-gay comments. They also talk about why some people still hate the Ravens' Ray Lewis, more than a decade after he was cleared of murder charges.

President Obama recently backed proposals by the "Gang of Eight" senators to overhaul the nation's immigration system. Host Michel Martin takes a look at how some border towns could be affected. She speaks with Scott Smith, the Republican mayor of Mesa, Arizona, and David Coss, the Democratic mayor of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Host Michel Martin and editor Ammad Omar open up the listener inbox. They discuss musician Emeli Sande's rise in the U.S. charts, and get feedback about an interview on mental illness and gun violence.

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

We turn now to an all-too-familiar story of violence here in the U.S. In Chicago, 15-year-old honor student Hadiya Pendleton was shot and killed on Tuesday. She was the 42nd person killed in Chicago since the beginning of the year. Last year, there were more than 500 killings. And a number of these murders, particularly of young people, brought the city to tears, but Pendleton's death has brought national attention because she recently performed with her high school drill team at the president's inauguration in Washington, D.C.

Gabourey Sidibe burst onto the Hollywood scene in 2009 with her Oscar-nominated performance in Precious. Now she's hosting the new season of AfroPop, a documentary film series on public television. Sidibe talks to host Michel Martin about the series, her career, and the secret meaning of her name.

It's been two years since Hosni Mubarak was ousted as Egypt's President. Today, there's new leadership, but the country is still in turmoil. And some Egyptians wonder if things are changing for the best. Host Michel Martin speaks with NPR Cairo Bureau Chief, Leila Fadel, to learn more about the new Egypt.

Transcript

CELESTE HEADLEE, HOST:

I'm Celeste Headlee and this is TELL ME MORE, from NPR News. Michel Martin is away. Now, we want to tell you about a performer who may have been a big part of your life when you were still in short pants, if I can use that expression.

Before there were OzoKidz and Raffi filling packed houses, there was Ella Jenkins. For more than 50 years, she's been using the power of song to educate children and teach them lessons about life and the importance of staying active.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "STOP AND GO")

After years of false starts, national leaders finally seem ready to overhaul the nation's immigration system. A group of bipartisan senators released a new immigration proposal this week and President Obama seemed to endorse it. Guest host Celeste Headlee asks a former immigration official, does the proposal offer real solutions?

Transcript

CELESTE HEADLEE, HOST:

This is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. I'm Celeste Headlee. Michel Martin is away. Coming up, we'll talk about how to protect kids' privacy when it comes to social media and how some of the old rules aren't keeping up with new tech. That's in just a few minutes.

Transcript

CELESTE HEADLEE, HOST:

Finally, you know those movies you and pull out time and time again when you have nothing else to watch? Our colleagues at WEEKENDS on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED regularly ask filmmakers and actors about the movies they never get tired of watching.

Today, one of the founding members of the rap group the Wu-Tang Clan shares one of his favorites.

(SOUNDBITE OF THEME MUSIC, "THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY")

A significant number of American workers are dipping into their retirement accounts to help pay for everyday expenses, despite warnings that it could seriously compromise their financial health. Host Michel Martin speaks with Washington Post reporter Michael Fletcher about the consequences of tapping retirement funds early.

President Obama wants the nation to produce 8 million more college graduates by the year 2020. But can it be done, and how much would it cost? Host Michel Martin puts those questions to Anthony Carnevale, Director and Research Professor of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

From tablets and iPhones to Twitter and Instagram, technology is changing the way children interact with the world. Host Michel Martin talks with a roundtable of parents about encouraging digital exploration, while keeping kids safe.

What if your child's internet cruising could have a valuable use — helping educators tailor lesson plans in school? Social media expert Rey Junco tells host Michel Martin about a potentially revolutionary educational tool, in Tell Me More's new series 'Social Me.'

Tell Me More's "Social Me" series looks at how young people interact online — with a focus on online identities, privacy issues and breakthroughs in Internet-based learning.

Throughout the series, Rey Junco shares his research as a faculty associate at the Harvard Berkman Center for Internet and Society. He tells NPR's Michel Martin that there's more to online identities than the constant cycle of headlines about cyberbullying, "slut-shaming" and "catfishing."

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Coming up in the program we will have the first of a series of conversations we're having this week about how young people are using social media. We're calling the series Social Me and that will be later in the program.

Al Roker, the veteran weatherman on NBC's Today show, endured years of indignities as an obese teenager and throughout his television career. Then, in 2002, he had bariatric surgery and lost more than 100 pounds. But deciding to have the procedure, which is potentially life-threatening, wasn't easy — and neither was keeping the weight off afterward.

Putting guns in schools may make people think more of Terminator than teaching. But Emily Richmond of the National Education Writers Association says that it's time to step back from the hysteria. She talks to host Michel Martin about practical ways to make schools safer.

The fact that President Obama's second inauguration took place on the same day as the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday felt right to many people, but some critics say the comparison is all wrong. Host Michel Martin and the Barbershop guys weigh in on that and other news.

As the leader of an African-American church, Korean-American pastor Peter Chin has also chosen to live in a predominately black neighborhood. It hasn't always been easy, but Chin tells host Michel Martin how he has worked through issues with his family, his congregation and himself.

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Coming up, first lady Michelle Obama has taken on issues like childhood obesity and support for military families in the first term, but some feminists argue she should be doing more. We'll look at the politics of being first lady in just a few minutes.

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. I have some thoughts about that strange story involving Notre Dame football star Manti Te'o and the girlfriend who actually didn't exist. It's my Can I Just Tell You essay and it's in just a few minutes.

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

President Obama is just beginning his second term in office and we've been looking at some of the unresolved issues and unfinished business from his first four years. This week, we're turning our attention to foreign policy. Yesterday, we talked about the conflict in Syria. Today, we want to focus on another country where the Arab Spring uprising was not successful. It's a small island that often does not get a lot of attention, but plays an important geopolitical role in the Middle East. We're talking about Bahrain.

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Coming up, the Supreme Court case that established abortion rights in this country is now 40 years old, but the political and cultural fights about abortion are going on still. We'll talk about this with our panel of women commentators. That's our Beauty Shop roundtable and that's in just a few minutes.

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Coming up, President Obama's vision for reducing gun violence includes improving access to mental health care. So we decided to ask two mental health professions who've thought a lot about violence, especially gun violence, for their perspectives on what kinds of changes they think would be helpful.

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

As President Obama starts his second term, host Michel Martin takes a look at his foreign policy agenda. She speaks with NPR's Juan Forero about upcoming opportunities and challenges in Latin America — from drug trafficking, to changes in leadership, to the evolution of the U.S. relationship with Cuba.

Award-winning comedian Margaret Cho is doing a new tour called 'Mother.' It's centered on her own immigrant mom, who has always been a main character in her act. Host Michel Martin speaks with Cho for a special Tell Me More 'Moms' segment.