Michel Martin

Election Day is a week away and it seems everywhere you look, there's a new poll on TV, online, or the radio. But they don't all say the same thing. Host Michel Martin looks at why the polls vary, and what they tell us. She talks with Stanford University political science professor Simon Jackman.

Shirley Sherrod was forced out of the Department of Agriculture because of a misleading video. An edited clip appeared to show her saying she didn't want to help white farmers save their land. But the entire speech made it clear that Sherrod was actually saying racism is wrong. She talks with host Michel Martin about her book The Courage To Hope.

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MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. I'm Michel Martin. Later in the program, you have no doubt heard about the religious violence that's been plaguing northern Nigeria but you might not have heard about how a new university, led by an American educator, is hoping to play a role in bringing peace to that country as well as other difficult conflicts on the continent. We'll tell you more about it later in the program.

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MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. I'm Michel Martin. Later in the program comedian DL Hughley stops by and gives us his - how shall we say it - unique take on politics. That's coming up later. But before we get to the laughs we're going to take a serious look at energy prices. The U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts that the average price at the pump for this year will be $3.65.

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MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin, and this is TELL ME MORE, from NPR News. You probably know him from his hit sitcom "The Hughleys," which followed a black family adjusting to life in a white suburb, or his talk show on CNN or his many guest spots on other popular talk shows. Or you might know him from the mega-hit documentary "The Original Kings of Comedy," where he was featured along with Steve Harvey, Bernie Mac and Cedric the Entertainer. Here's a clip from that.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF COMEDY")

Millions of voters across the country could cast their ballots before Election Day. Some experts say early voting could have a disproportionate impact on certain voting blocs. Host Michel Martin discusses the issue with Professor Paul Gronke, founder of the Early Voting Information Center, and Republican strategist Lenny McAllister.

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MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. I'm Michel Martin. Coming up, when you were in school, did you ever wonder how your teachers were spending their weekends? Well, these days some of them might be hanging out on Twitter talking about you. Or at least how to be a better teacher and other issues in education. It's called Sat Chat and we'll tell you more about it and we'll speak with the man behind it in just a few minutes.

President Obama and Governor Romney have discussed the middle class a great deal during the debates, but the candidates haven't spent nearly as much time talking about the poor. To get a read on the state of poverty in America, host Michel Martin talks with Irwin Redlener, of the Children's Health Fund and Timothy Noah, a columnist for The New Republic.

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MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is TELL ME MORE, from NPR News. I'm Michel Martin. Coming up, we take a look back 25 years to the 1987 stock market crash, which some people still call Black Monday. We'll talk about how that even compares to the more recent market turmoil and if there's anything we can learn from it about market ups and downs today.

After Tuesday night's presidential debate, the journalists and commentators in the Beauty Shop weigh in on whether the verbal punches and tough tone between the candidates might turn off female voters.