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Whose America?

Several of you commented in this blog on our coverage Wednesday of workplace raids to round up illegal immigrants. Rather than address those messages, I’d prefer to share with you some of my experiences in covering this story.

While so much has been reported about immigration in this country, and we might think we understand the issues, I realized as I was working on this story that the immigration problem is so big and so complicated -- and so emotional -- it defies anyones ability to tell it all in a single story.

All we can give you is a snapshot of the problem in a 22-minute broadcast  But, it's the complexity of the issue that explains in some measure why there's been no reasonable immigration reform.

Some might think "Why the difficulty, after all? We have immigration laws, some people have violated them so kick them out."

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Witnessing what works

Often, when you go into a pediatrician's office the toys get all the attention.  But I saw a different and exciting reality at Boston Medical Center's pediatric clinic. The waiting room looks a lot like children's hour at a library with a volunteer reading to kids who are six months to five years old.

It's part of a literacy program designed by doctors working primarily with low-income patients who don't have money to buy books for their children.

My producer, Christina Jamison, and I recently spent a day at the clinic in preparation for a story airing tonight on NBC Nightly News, in a series called "What Works."

This program, called Reach Out and Read, works -- promoting early childhood literacy. Studies show kids in the program score 4 to 8 points higher on vocabulary tests.

It was absolutely wonderful to watch the children, parents, volunteers and doctors interacting around the books. Without lollipops or stickers, or toys, kids were smiling during a doctor's visit and the energy was generated all around the books, parents and learning.

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Speaking to Muslim youth in London

LONDON - There are 1.6 million Muslims in Britain and since last summer's London suicide bombings they've been living under an intense spotlight. Now with the arrests in the alleged airline bombing plot there's been a lot of talk about what can be done to combat extremism. The problem: There is no one voice that speaks for the very diverse Muslim community here. People can't seem to agree on what's the best course of action.   

Hoping to hear some of the voices, we took a camera Tuesday into East London, which is one of the city's most established Muslim communities. (Click to read the story that aired on Nightly News.) We talked with two young women. They're both 18 years old. With no hesitation, they denounced the violence and told us they've joined a community youth group that's working to speak out against extremist views. We also talked with the man who heads up the community youth group. He told us his biggest obstacle is in reaching the young people in the community.  Finally, we spoke with a man who's studying to become an Islamic cleric, or imam. He talked to us about his frustration and how religious leaders like himself are having almost no success in swaying people away from extremists. You can watch the video as cut for Nightly News, plus extended interviews with the teens, the youth leader and the student, here.

Photo caption: Eklima Begum and Navida Quadi during their interivew with Rehema.

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Understanding at Heathrow

One of the things that we are discovering here at Heathrow Airport is that people are now being informed that there is going to be a new norm when you go to the airport. We thought that was already the case after 9/11, but today marks the beginning of another new reality people are going to have to get accustomed to when traveling. 

Here at Heathrow Airport, Europe’s largest airport, passengers are being told that they can only carry things on-board that can be seen through a see-through plastic bag. That means just the essentials like travel documents, passports, tickets. That does not include cell phones, laptops, or any electronic equipment at all.

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TWA 800, 10 years later

When we spent the day in Montoursville, Pa., I was struck by how much people in this small town give deference and respect to families of the victims of TWA flight 800. And, as nearly everyone suggested, that's exactly the way it should be. Today, 10 years after the tragic explosion that killed all 230 people on board that flight, this community is still struck by the devastating loss of 21 of its own. Sixteen members of the Montoursville High School French club and their five chaperones were off on the trip of a lifetime heading to Paris. For many of the teenage students it was their first journey overseas and for some others it was their first time on a plane. 

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