CNN tonight hosts the final GOP Presidential debate before the Florida Primary on Tuesday January 31. The debate simulcasts on CNN International and CNN en Español. Details from CNN on what to expect follow below.

CNN Press Release: Wolf Blitzer to Moderate; Cooper, King, Burnett, O’Brien Anchor Special Coverage

Just days before Florida Republicans go to the polls to choose their nominee, the GOP presidential hopefuls will meet for a final debate hosted by CNN, the Republican Party of Florida and the Hispanic Leadership Network. CNN lead political anchor Wolf Blitzer will moderate the two-hour presidential debate which will take place at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville on Thursday, January 26 at 8 p.m. ET.

Blitzer, John King, Erin Burnett and Soledad O’Brien will anchor their respective programs live and in Jacksonville on the days surrounding the CNN debate. Anderson Cooper will anchor special, post-debate coverage.

Reporting from Florida in the final days before the primary will be chief political correspondent Candy Crowley, anchor Brooke Baldwin, national political correspondent Jim Acosta, senior political correspondent Joe Johns, correspondent Ed Lavandera, Miami-based correspondent John Zarrella, and CNN Radio’s Bob Costantini. On the campaign trail covering the GOP candidates are reporter-at-large Peter Hamby, political reporter Shannon Travis, and political producers Rachel Streitfeld and Shawna Shepherd. CNN chief political analyst Gloria Borger, senior political analyst David Gergen and CNN political contributors Alex Castellanos, Donna Brazile, Ari Fleisher, John Avlon will be on hand in Jacksonville to offer insight and analysis for all programming.

Four presidential contenders will participate in Thursday’s debate: former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. In addition to questions posed to the candidates by Blitzer and Florida Republicans in the audience, CNN will solicit questions and comments submitted in real-time from CNN.com, the CNN Politics fan page on Facebook and by using the #CNNDebate hashtag on Twitter.


CNN Digital

CNNPolitics.com will cover the Florida debate and primary and will be the online destination for all news and analysis related to the 2012 Elections. Users can check out the CNN Election Centerto track real-time election results and analyze the exit polls and results thus far from Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. CNN.com has also launched the GOP Delegate Calculator, which allows users after each caucus or primary to try their hand at predicting which candidates will win each state and eventually, the Republican presidential nomination. CNN.com will also continue to provide the CNN Electoral Map with the most recent predictions on battleground states as updated by CNN’s political experts as well as the 2012 Primary Caucus Calendar, an interactive datebook where users can slide over a specific month to see when states will hold their primaries and caucuses throughout the year.

CNN.com will live stream all of the events in Florida – the debate on Thursday as well as the events from the Florida primary next Tuesday. After Thursday’s debate, CNN.com will be live-streaming the Spin Room with CNN’s Jim Acosta. To engage and comment on election night news as it happens, users can view the CNN Politics Facebook page for political stories and photos of CNN’s favorite faces and also follow @CNNPolitics on Twitter for breaking developments all night.

CNN iReport, the network’s global participatory news community, will be asking for submissions related to the events in Florida, some of which will be shown on CNN.com and broadcast on CNN.

Across CNN’s mobile platforms, the latest election stories and opinion pieces will be available via CNN’s mobile website and on the CNN apps for iPhone, iPad, Android phone and Android tablet. The new Election Center section can also be accessed on CNN’s mobile platforms. Additionally, all apps will live stream the debate and carry live video of candidate speeches and events during the primary. On primary night, live results can be viewed on CNN's mobile website and in the CNN App for iPad.


CNN en Español and CNN International

CNN en Español will offer pre-debate analysis starting at 7.45pm hosted by anchor Juan Carlos López and joined by the network's panel of political contributors Maria Cardona, Roberto Izurieta and Juan Hernandez. At 8pm, the network will carry the debate live with simultaneous interpretation and will feature López fielding questions for the candidates from attendees of the Hispanic Leadership Network Conference taking place in Miami. The debate will be followed by 30 minutes of analysis with our political contributors and guests onsite in Miami.

The debate will also be carried live on CNN International.

CNN Domestic today debuted its new morning news block of "Early Start" and "Starting Point".

Early reaction to CNN's 5am show "Early Start" has been mixed on our forum with users commenting:

Lazlo: "It has potential to be a show that I could watch regularly when I'm up early enough."

Axl0706: "They are really working hard to come across as relaxed, cute and kinda funny. That's fine for their first show, but I hope they are going to cut it out starting tomorrow, because it's already beginning to be a little annoying."

Charles: "...the content isn't all that different from Wake Up Call, but we all know by now that CNN can never do a program with content that's truly unique from everything else on the schedule. Ashleigh and Zoraida appear to have good on air presence, but I really hope the light banter isn't permanent. I think it's in CNN's best interests to differentiate themselves from the other morning cable programs by focusing more on the news and less on anchor banter."

excel99: "Very good choice of anchors. Bright (at 5am!) and seemingly genuine chemistry. Encouraging to see the show not lead on politics. But very low 'volume' of stories, even as brief headlines. Wouldn't have wanted to watch to get updated on the latest news. Did not like the 'phoning someone up who wasn't warned in advance' feature. A best a gimmick, at worse it's what is expected from an entertainment show, not a news channel."

madaboutpenny: "Compelling reason to wake up extra early to watch this show? Not-so-much. Except I will say that this Zoraida Sambolin lady is super-solid. Ashleigh Banfield has always (and continues to) get on my nerves a bit. She's very... interrupt-y. And it's not just nerves."

Geoffrey: "...Also, the wake up call segment was weird. They teased this hugely famous person and it was Kerry Kennedy. Didn't exactly live up to the promotion and hearing someone who just woke up stumbling to come up with coherent thoughts for a few minutes is not what I want to see when I just wake up and turn on CNN. (Wolf Blitzer was the unlucky victim in the 6:00 hour.) And it didn't seem like they covered that many stories but, as someone said earlier, it could be because of Iowa (or it could just be what CNN and the rest of cable does these days: only a few stories an hour)."

Watch the first 30 seconds of "Early Start" below from CNN.



Meanwhile, "Starting Point" with Soledad O'Brien debuted with a live broadcast from Waveland Cafe in Des Moines, Iowa; kicking off CNN's coverage of Tuesday's Iowa caucuses. Watch the opening moments of "Starting Point" from CNN below.


"Early Start" with Ashleigh Banfield and Zoraida Sambolin airs weekdays from 5:00am to 7:00am (eastern) and "Early Start" with Soledad O'Brien airs weekdays from 7:00am to 9:00am (eastern).

CNN Domestic will kick off 2012 with two new programs debuting January 2.

"Early Start" with Ashleigh Banfield & Zoraida Sambolin will air 5:00am to 7:00am (eastern) weekdays and "Starting Point" with Soledad O'Brien will air 7:00am to 9:00am (eastern) weekdays.

CNN unveiled Twitter accounts for both shows on Thursday. You can follow @earlystartCNN and @startingptCNN for the latest from the show producers and hosts.

CNN has also released a video introducing new recruits Banfield & Sambolin. Watch the trailer from CNN below.

CNN Domestic will tonight debut the latest special as part of their "Black in America" series. The Soledad O'Brien documentary first runs at 8:00pm (eastern). Details from CNN below.

CNN Press Release: The New Promised Land – Silicon Valley Debuts Sunday, Nov. 13 at 8:00p.m. and 11:00p.m. ET & PT

While much of the country struggles to emerge from a recession, California’s Silicon Valley is booming, and technology companies like Facebook, Skype, and Apple are seeing their valuations soar. CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien reports that the ownership of this digital bloom is mostly young, white, and male. For her fourth Black in America documentary, O’Brien asks why, according to industry analyst CB Insights, less than one percent of all venture capital money went to digital startups with African-American founders in 2010 – and she profiles a unique, technology-focused “accelerator” developed to help African-American digital entrepreneurs secure funding to establish their businesses.

Black in America: The New Promised Land – Silicon Valley will debut on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 8:00p.m. ET & PT and replay on Nov. 13 at 11:00p.m. ET & PT. It will also replay on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 8:00p.m. and 11:00p.m. ET & PT on CNN/U.S.



The NewMe accelerator program, founded by friends Angela Benton and Wayne Sutton, is a collaborative of African-American start-up founders with Internet-based businesses – the first such business accelerator of its kind. NewMe’s ultimate mission is to diversify the technology industry by accelerating the participants’ business ventures. Participants seek venture capital investment and are mentored by prominent people from within the industry.

O’Brien follows the progress of the eight former strangers after they were selected to live together for nine weeks in a modest, three-bedroom house in Mountain View, CA, from June to August of 2011. The entrepreneurs were provided with free office space and attended regular networking events hosted by NewMe’s sponsors. The participants come from varied backgrounds and experiences, and include:

Tiffani Bell (PencilYou.in) of Fayetteville, NC, a 26-year-old Howard University computer science graduate and computer programmer for a family business;

Angela Benton (GetCued) of Charlotte, NC, a 30-year-old single mother of three who co-founded NewMe and publisher of Black Web 2.0, which focuses on African-Americans working in new media industries;

Crisson Jno-Charles (fetchmob) of Queens, NY, a 26-year-old former technology sector specialist at a hedge fund who is collaborating with his girlfriend;

Hajj Flemings (GoKit) of Detroit, MI, a 39-year-old mechanical engineer laid off from GM and married father of a 1-year-old;

Anthony Frasier (Playd) of Montclair, NJ, a 25-year-old former “big box” store clerk and online gaming fanatic;

Wayne Sutton (Vouch) of Raleigh, NC, a 36-year-old father and partner at NewMe;

Pius Uzamere (becouply) of Washington, DC, a 27-year-old MIT graduate who is also developing his start-up with his girlfriend; and

Hank Williams (Kloud.co) of New York, NY, a 46-year-old, Ivy League drop-out who founded a $40 million dollar music-sharing platform, Clickradio, as well as other Internet companies.

The participants have given up family and creature comforts to focus on the pursuit of their dreams, but the official launch of the program was inauspicious. They gather for what they are told is an informal welcome reception at Google. In fact, the reception turns out to be a “Dragons’ Den,” a presentation opportunity for their business plans in front of their mentors and sponsors. It does not go well.

“I said to myself that they weren't ready,” says mentor Navarrow Wright to O’Brien, when she asks for his frank assessment of the Dragons’ Den presentations. Wright told the NewMe participants that their lackluster presentations were not well-received. His response to Williams, who offers reasons for the poor performances:

“You can make those excuses and at the end of the nine weeks, not be where you need to be. But you got to recognize, the only person that was in control of that fault was yourself,” Wright told the group. Wright founded GlobalGrind.com, a successful digital publisher of hip hop industry news and celebrity gossip, and is now the chief technology officer of Interactive One, the digital arm of syndicated, minority-owned radio company, Radio One.

Among the potential investors is Ron Conway, known as an “angel investor” – a person who provides capital to fledgling start-ups. Conway’s past Silicon Valley successes include Google, Twitter, and PayPal. He acknowledges would-be entrepreneurs face an uphill climb to secure the sought-after dollars from his firm. “We only invest in one out of 30 companies that we see,” he tells O’Brien. “That’s pretty brutal; I have to admit that a lot of it is who you know,” says Conway.

Digital entrepreneur and investor Michael Arrington, former editor of TechCrunch and founder of CrunchFund, has been previously outspoken in his beliefs that Silicon Valley is a meritocracy, but he acknowledges to O’Brien that it’s not a perfect one. Mitch Kapor, founder of Lotus Software Company and Kapor Capital takes that view further – that the tech industry is not immune to cultural biases:

“There is something in the dynamic of the start-up world that is quite meritocratic. People do start out on the outside and move to the inside by virtue of what, what they do. But is that really true? Is that true for African-Americans?” Kapor asks O’Brien rhetorically. “I have not been in the room recently when somebody said, ‘Oh, that’s an African-American-led company; I'm not going to invest there,’ but I guarantee you, from personal experience, that’s what people are thinking…The part that is meritocratic is great – and there’s a big part of it that isn’t. And so, please, let’s not fool ourselves and pretend otherwise in some self-congratulatory kind of way.”

The NewMe program concluded with “Demo Day,” a high-stakes formal presentation by participants before an audience of potential investors. Viewers will learn late in the documentary which start-up received expansion funding.

CNN Press Release - Ashleigh Banfield and Zoraida Sambolin Co-Anchor 5-7am; Soledad O’Brien Anchors 7-9am

CNN will launch a new format of news and conversation in the morning, including a 7-9am ET show anchored by award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien in 2012.

O’Brien will anchor a new conversational ensemble program that explores top issues of the day while opening the conversation to people from all walks of life. O’Brien will continue to be a special correspondent for long-form documentaries at CNN.

“I couldn’t be more eager to return to daily news, to bring conversation and context to CNN viewers in the morning. I welcome the opportunity to give voice to people who aren’t often heard, and stories that are sometimes overlooked,” says O’Brien. “I love telling people’s stories, and I’m looking forward to bringing the perspective, heart and storytelling that have worked well in our documentaries to a morning audience”

“CNN has the opportunity in the morning to cover a wider range of stories from broader perspectives,” says Executive Vice President of CNN Ken Jautz. “We are planning to offer something original in the four-hour morning block to complement our direction in primetime.”

"This is an exciting time to be relaunching our morning show, with the morning television audience more up for grabs than it has been in years," says Executive Vice President and Managing Editor of CNN Mark Whitaker, who will oversee development of the new program. "With CNN's global reach and this unique cast of superb journalists as anchors, we have the opportunity to do something truly fresh and different."

Ashleigh Banfield and Zoraida Sambolin will anchor from 5-7am ET, kicking off the new CNN morning block with a new program covering a broad spectrum of the day’s news from two highly personable and passionate journalists.

Shannon High will join CNN later this month and will be executive producer of both programs. Most recently, High was the executive producer of development for NBC Peacock Productions, and before that served as MSNBC’s vice president of daytime program development, and vice president and managing editor. At MSNBC she developed The Dylan Ratigan Show and oversaw Morning Joe and daytime news. An award-winning producer, High has worked in local news in Miami, Houston and Charlotte as a manager and producer.

“I've dreamed of joining CNN for more than 20 years. It’s the gold standard of news -- the brand, the people and the product. I am excited to be stepping back into a daily anchor role with such a prestigious team, and I can't wait to get started!" says Banfield.

Sambolin adds, “I am completely thrilled to be coming to CNN. Ashleigh is an accomplished journalist with an incredible wit and dynamic personality. I look forward to collaborating with her and working together to inform, enlighten and build a strong relationship with our viewers.”

Since joining the network in 2003, O’Brien has reported breaking news from around the globe—including the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, hurricane Katrina, and the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. In addition, she has produced award-winning documentaries, including the acclaimed Black in America, Latino in America and Muslim in America. Earlier this year she was part of a CNN team that won an Emmy Award for their reporting of the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. O’Brien came to CNN from NBC, where she anchored the network’s Weekend Today show from 1999-2003. She was named Journalist of the Year by the National Association of Black Journalists in 2010. That same year she launched a personal foundation with her husband, the Soledad O’Brien and Brad Raymond Foundation to send underprivileged youth to and through college.

Banfield has covered national and international stories including live reports from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, England, Israel (West Bank and Gaza), Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia. Most recently, she was a correspondent for ABC News, reporting for Good Morning America, 20/20 and Nightline. Prior to ABC, Banfield anchored and hosted three programs on TruTV (formerly Court TV); Banfield and Ford: Courtside, Hollywood Heat and Disorder in the Court. As a correspondent for NBC News from 2000-2004, Banfield reported for The Today Show, NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw and Dateline. She received Emmy Award recognition for her groundbreaking 9/11 coverage from Ground Zero in New York City.

Sambolin was the Weekday Edition co-anchor of NBC5 News Today in Chicago and special assignment reporter and fill-in news anchor for Telemundo Chicago. She also served as host of Un Buen Doctor, a weekly Spanish language medical series airing on cable stations worldwide. Before joining NBC5, Sambolin was the creator and Emmy award-winning host and executive producer of Small Talk for Parents on WYCC-TV and Nuestros Ninos on WSNS-TV from 1999 to 2002.

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively-syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.

CNN Domestic tonight debuts the latest installment of its "In America" series, with Soledad O'Brien reporting the story of female flyweight fighter Marlen Esparza, after the International Olympic Committee allowed the last female sport excluded from the games, women’s boxing, to be added to the 2012 London games. Details from CNN below.

CNN Press Release: CNN Takes on Female Boxing – the Last Frontier of the Olympics – in New Latino in America Documentary

CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien traces the U.S. Olympic dreams of female flyweight fighter Marlen Esparza. The International Olympic Committee has finally allowed women’s boxing for the 2012 games, the last female sport excluded from the world’s most prestigious sporting competition. The one-hour documentary reflects the lives of girls who typically box in this country – generally young women from ‘blue collar’ backgrounds, often women of color who must focus and train against a backdrop of challenging family struggles. Frequently, they must also fight for acceptance in their communities for their competition in traditionally a man’s sport, as a pathway to success for themselves and their families, and positive recognition for their communities.



For In Her Corner: Latino in America, O’Brien profiles Houston-based, Mexican-American fighter Esparza. Esparza aims to push aside negative stereotypes of her community, while pursuing her dream to represent America for Olympic Gold. In Her Corner debuts on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 8:00pm ET and PT, and replays Saturday, Oct. 1 at 8:00pm ET and PT.

Mentally and physically strong, tough, beautiful and smart, at age 11, Esparza fell in love with a sport traditional Latino communities frequently don’t approve of for girls: she loves to box. She is fully focused on being a part of her sport’s historic entry into the 2012 Olympics – and coming back to the U.S. with Olympic Gold. At age 21, Esparza has focused on boxing for a decade – winning her first national championship at age 16, she has shunned friends, boyfriends, and even deferred college for boxing. There are just five phone numbers programmed into her mobile phone: her mother, father, two siblings and her coach. Esparza is known as a ‘pressure fighter’ – a boxer who aggressively pursues her opponents in the ring for unqualified victories. Now, a five-time national champion, Esparza hits so quickly and so hard that she has to spar with men – even at only 112 pounds.

“I want to put a stamp on it – ‘this is Marlen’s’,” she says in the documentary. “When they raise my hand, that’s definitely my favorite part.”

At the age of 12, Esparza asked Rudy Silva to be her coach. A cop by day and boxing trainer at night, Silva patrols a mostly-Latino high school known for high rates drop-outs and gang members. He insists the kids at his gym be strong students, and at night trains several dozen kids, including his own 10-year-old son. The goal is to graduate – and boxing seems to encourage winning in the classroom and in the ring. Although initially Silva was reluctant to train a female boxer, he eventually grew to appreciate her persistence and natural talent.

Silva says, “I actually tried for about two weeks to break her...I was pushing her so hard...In a few weeks, I was making some of the guys quit!” He continued, “This girl is going to make it ... she has the heart of a champion.”

David and Carmen Esparza, Esparza’s parents, are her biggest fans. By her side and cheering her on at every match, her father is surprised to see their daughter do something he always wanted for his sons. Reluctant at first to get behind his daughter’s ambitions, he now thinks she is the next Julio Cesar Chavez, making great sacrifices to pay for a sport with little financial backing.

Carmen Esparza and her daughter work side-by-side at a dental office to support her family and help fund her boxing efforts. Though her mother wanted her to want to be a doctor, she supports Esparza’s dreams.

Standing in Esparza’s way though are her fellow competitors who share her Olympic aspirations. Chief among them is Cristina Cruz, a brassy, easy-going, 23-year-old Puerto Rican Latina from Hell’s Kitchen raised by her grandparents with a formerly-incarcerated mother who is in and out of her life.

Cruz says, “I wake up every day thinking about it...This is a sport: someone has to lose,” as she and Esparza separately begin their paths towards the 2012 Olympic games in qualifying competitions in Colorado Springs, home of the U.S. Olympic team.

O’Brien tracks their training, their competitions, watching them inspire each other – and the families, communities, and fans that are following them along the way.

Additional reporting and video excerpts from In Her Corner: Latino in America can be found at www.cnn.com/inamerica. CNN Student News is producing an Educator and Parent Guide for the documentary, which will include discussion questions and a learning activity.

TVNewser has details of possible changes at CNN's American Morning, with Soledad O'Brien coming back to anchor the last 2 hours of AM and former Court TV and current ABC News freelancer Ashleigh Banfield joining to anchor 2 hours before Soledad. If this happens, where does this leave Ali Velshi? Will he had back to Atlanta to his spot on CNN Newsroom? Remember, CNN Newsroom is losing an hour when the new fall schedule debuts.

CNN Domestic has moved forward the premiere of Soledad O'Brien's next "In America" special. Originally scheduled to debut next Thursday, 'Beyond Bravery: The Women of 9/11' will now first air at 11:00pm (eastern) this Monday, September 5.

The details - including a preview of the special - from CNN below.



CNN Press Release: Among the heroes of September 11th were female rescue workers who raced to the Twin Towers in the wake of the attack. Anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien tells the stories of female law enforcement officers, fire fighters, EMS workers and others who spent their lives defying macho stereotypes as they fought for access to jobs that require them to risk their lives for others. Among the heroines is an African-American probationary firefighter whose company lost 7 of the 343 that died that day, and a young mother and decorated police officer last seen directing others to safety just before the WTC collapsed. O’Brien profiles these unsung heroes and, of the survivors, reports their present-day health struggles, their continuing mourning, and their determination to be prepared for the next attack.

This documentary now debuts MONDAY, Sept. 5 at 11:00 pm ET & PT and replays on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 9:00pm ET.

UPDATE: Live coverage of the dedication is on hold as the proceedings are postponed due to impending impact from Hurricane Irene.

CNN Domestic has released its coverage plans of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial dedication in Washington, D.C. scheduled for this Sunday. Coverage will include the broadcast of the dedication ceremony live, as well as two documentaries. Details from CNN below.

CNN Press Release: CNN’s chief political correspondent and anchor Candy Crowley, anchor T.J. Holmes and anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien will anchor live coverage of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial dedication in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, August 28th. Also reporting from the memorial will be D.C.-based correspondent Athena Jones.

Beginning at 6 a.m. (ET), Holmes will anchor CNN Newsroom from Washington, D.C. From 9a.m. to 1p.m. (ET), Crowley anchors a special edition of State of the Union. CNN’s coverage of the dedication ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. (ET).

CNN will broadcast Freedom’s Foot Soldiers: A Conversation with T.J. Holmes Saturday, August 27at 7:30 p.m. (ET). Holmes exclusively interviews Dr. King’s friends together in the basement of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta to reflect on the life of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement then and now. In the very revealing, sometimes emotional interview with Juanita Abernathy, Xernona Clayton, Rev. Jesse Jackson, U.S. Representative John Lewis (D-GA), Rev. Joseph Lowery and former U.N. Ambassador Dr. Andrew Young, these “living legends” spoke of Dr. King’s desire to quit the movement and concentrate on writing and preaching, and the message the monument sends.

On Sunday, August 28 at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. (ET), CNN will air the documentary MLK: Words That Changed A Nation, reported by O’Brien. For this documentary, O’Brien interviewed Dr. King’s closest confidants, including Dr. Young, Rep. Lewis, and activist Dorothy Cotton, for their behind-the-scenes insights into many of the historic events of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. They discuss the arrest of Rosa Parks, Dr. King’s win of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize and Dr. King’s time in a Birmingham jail for his participation in a nonviolent protest for civil rights. MLK: Words That Changed A Nation includes an examination of Dr. King’s private library of papers, letters, and speeches that reveal his personal philosophy and theology, as well as his doubts and fears – as he and those around him created a peaceful revolution that forever changed America.

Leading up to this historic memorial dedication, CNN will broadcast coverage through the day, entitled Building the Dream beginning Thursday, August 25, with interviews from the witnesses of the assassination of Dr. King; a conversation with the survivors of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing (an attack that killed four girls in Birmingham, Alabama); a sneak peek of the collection being compiled for The National Museum of African American History and Culture; a look at the women behind the Civil Rights Movement; and the personal side of Dr. King from the eyes of his driver and personal assistant Tom Houck.

CNN Domestic yesterday announced four new specials that will form part of the network's programming to mark the tenth anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks. Drew Griffin, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Soledad O'Brien will front three of the specials, while the fourth is Time/HBO presentation. Details from CNN below.

CNN Press Release: During the week leading up to the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, CNN will premiere four one-hour productions on its domestic network. In investigations led by chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, investigative correspondent Drew Griffin, and anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien, CNN is reporting new insights into the health consequences experienced by the first responders working at New York’s Ground Zero, examining the events of that day through the eyes of people who were on the front lines of one of America’s most tragic days, and profiling several unsung heroines who saved lives on that day. A fourth presentation from TIME in association with HBO features a collection of TIME magazine oral histories from people who experienced the events of that day as they unfolded, and their reflections as the nation reacted in the days, months, and years afterwards.

“It was a day that changed us all and CNN is leveraging its unmatched resources to cover remembrances from around the nation and the world as we look back on 9/11 and what it means a decade later,” says Bart Feder, senior vice president of programming for CNN. “In addition, these documentaries tell stories we feel will evoke pride in the heroism and bravery of the Americans who risked their lives, and some who sacrificed themselves on that day to save others. And, they present an opportunity to remember the difficult work of first responders – and our servicemen and women on the front lines overseas – who continue to try to keep this nation safe each day.”

On Tuesday, Sept. 6 at 11:00pm (replay on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 8:00pm), CNN will debut FOOTNOTES OF 9/11, featuring interviews with people who went to work on Sept. 11, 2001 – and unexpectedly became part of history. Each of the eight people profiled by investigative correspondent Drew Griffin for this documentary is mentioned in The 9/11 Commission Report – their unique experiences are drawn from the 1,742 footnotes of that report and offer critical detail to the tragic events of that day – are literal and figurative footnotes to one of America’s darkest days. They include ticket agents who checked in some of the terrorists, a maintenance technician who answered a call from one of the planes under attack, and the Lt. Col. in the Massachusetts Air National Guard – also a United Airlines pilot – who scrambled to provide defense to New York, and faced possibly having to shoot down a passenger plane.

On Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 11:00pm (replay on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 9:00pm), DR. SANJAY GUPTA REPORTS: TERROR IN THE DUST, will examine how responders who breathed in the toxic dust and noxious fumes at New York City’s Ground Zero are coping with the health effects of the attacks. The environmental hazards at the World Trade Center disaster site – mercury from fluorescent light bulbs, dioxin and benzene emitted as the jets burned, asbestos from the building materials, and more – have caused severe respiratory ailments, immune problems and, some suspect, a greatly increased cancer risk. Among those who speak to Dr. Gupta are two brothers – firefighters who searched for survivors in the pile of the collapsed towers – one whose lungs are now failing and the other who appears to have had no permanent physical effects. Ten years after the attacks chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks to first responders who continue to experience emotional trauma. Dr. Gupta’s investigation includes never before broadcast footage of the collapse of the Twin Towers, the medical consequences of the killer dust, and safety recommendations for future crisis responses.

BEYOND BRAVERY: THE WOMEN OF 9/11 will air on Thursday, Sept. 8 at 11:00pm (replay on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 9:00pm), and profiles the sometimes overlooked female rescue workers who raced to the Twin Towers in the wake of the attack. Anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien looks at the work of these rescue workers over the decade following their life-altering experiences. Among the stories of these heroic women of New York’s Ground Zero is an African-American firefighter whose company lost seven of the 342 firefighters who died that day. She is pushing to recruit more women to this dangerous job, even as the number of female firefighters has dropped to less than one percent of the NYFD. O’Brien also speaks with the family of a decorated police officer and mother who was photographed rescuing survivors just moments before the collapse of the towers. O’Brien reports the present-day health and emotional struggles of these unsung heroines and hears about their determination to be prepared for the next attack – and to restore hope.

On Friday, Sept. 9 at 11:00pm (with replays on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 8:00pm and 11:00pm), CNN will premiere a special presentation from TIME in association with HBO, BEYOND 9/11: PORTRAITS OF RESILIENCE. Captured in words and moving images, this documentary features untold stories drawn from 40 women and men who led and sacrificed for America in the hours, days, and months that followed the attacks. Working with the editors of TIME, award-winning photographer Marco Grob produced an astonishing set of portraits which are coupled with dramatic recollections from government leaders, survivors of the towers, and first responders.

Kathleen Johnston, Brian Rokus, and Bud Bultman produced FOOTNOTES of 9/11, Stephanie Smith and Roni Selig produced TERROR IN THE DUST, and Rose Arce and Geraldine Moriba produced BEYOND BRAVERY.

CNN Press Release - Battle for Blair Mountain: Working in America airs Sunday, August 14 at 8:00pm ET & PT on CNN/U.S.

Sharples, West Virginia – population: around 100 people – is ground zero in the fight over an issue of importance to every American who has ever plugged in a computer, watched a television or taken a hot shower. Around 50 percent of electrical power in the United States is produced by coal. Across the nation, a schism that separates pro-coal and pro-environment movements over mountaintop removal, a destructive yet highly effective form of strip mining, is deepening.

CNN documents the intense struggle over mountaintop removal in Battle for Blair Mountain: Working in America, debuting on Sunday, August 14 at 8:00pm ET and PT, with a replay on Saturday, August 20. Anchor and Special Correspondent Soledad O’Brien examines the fight over Spruce One, the largest ever proposed mountaintop removal site in the U.S. When O’Brien’s team first arrived in Sharples, W.V., nearly everyone in Appalachia was waiting to see if the Environmental Protection Agency was going to allow Spruce One’s permit to proceed, citing Clean Water Act violations.

Several groups were invested in the fight: coal miners who wanted to keep the jobs they’ve had for decades, the green activists who oppose all coal mining and a coalition of people who would like to see mountaintop removal replaced by less damaging mining practices. Coal companies and politicians, such as EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and Senator Joseph Manchin (D-WV), had plenty to say about the outcome, too. O’Brien and her team tell the story from all sides.

“I see what’s down here and what’s down here is still beautiful, still pretty clean,” Linda Dials says confidently. “I don’t have any problems what so ever with the water or anything else,” says the miner’s wife.

Linda and her husband James Dials have deep roots in the coalfields of southern West Virginia. James works in mountaintop removal and is proud of his job reconstructing mountains. He blames this fight on outsiders who simply don’t understand a coal miner’s way of life. Like most miners today, James and Linda feel under attack. They see efforts by environmentalists and the EPA to limit mountaintop removal as a threat to coal mining jobs everywhere. Linda is passionate and dedicated to protecting her community and their coal. With her husband’s job on the line, she finds herself on the frontlines of the fight as a coal activist.

On the other side of this battle is Billy Smutko, the son and grandson of a coal miner. He has lived in the same community as the Dials for his entire life. Although he never went into the mines himself, he knows the importance coal mining has had in building his area. However, he thinks mining can be done more responsibly. In his eyes, a job is temporary but the destruction mountaintop removal has wrought will be forever.

“… I am environmentally concerned for my children, and my grandchildren, and every generation after that,” Billy Smutko tells Soledad while surveying the aftermath of a mountaintop removal project. “It’s all about jobs right now. In two weeks we get a pay day,” he says mimicking the attitude of his neighbors. “In 30 years, what do you get?”

Chuck Keeney, a local community college professor, says he has witnessed the destruction that coal has brought to the lives of his students. An outspoken opponent of the influence of the coal industry in Appalachia, Chuck has made it his mission to save Blair Mountain from the bulldozers and blasts of mountaintop removal. Blair Mountain is across the valley from Spruce One. Chuck Keeney says he’s following in the footsteps of his great grandfather who led the original Battle for Blair in 1921 at time when miners were still fighting for a decent wage and a steady job.

Additional reporting on the mountaintop removal debate and video excerpts from The Battle for Blair Mountain: Working in America can be found at www.cnn.com/inamerica. CNN Student News is producing an Educator and Parent Guide for the documentary, which will include discussion questions and a learning activity. The guide will be available on www.CNNStudentNews.com prior to the debut of the documentary as a companion viewing aid and teaching tool.

Michelle Rozsa is the senior producer, Ron Howell is producer and Dave Timko is producer/editor for Battle for Blair Mountain: Working in America. Geraldine Moriba is the executive producer for CNN’s In America unit.

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively-syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.

CNN Domestic will premiere the latest installment from the 'In America' series in August. Details, including a sneak peek of the program, below.




CNN Press Note: CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien reports on a battle that is dividing communities in West Virginia and beyond. On one side are coal miners, their families, and the mining industry who are collectively supportive of mountain top removal – a destructive, yet highly-effective form of strip mining. On the other side of this debate is a mix of interests: community activists, environmentalists, and the EPA feel mountaintop removal threatens the environment; and still others feel the practice threatens future coal mining. All sides feel their arguments support a way of life that has existed for generations. With nearly 50 percent of America’s relatively inexpensive electrical power still coming from coal, it’s a battle whose outcome affects everyone.

CNN will premiere two new specials this weekend, including Soledad O'Briens latest installment of the 'In America' series. Details and airtimes from CNN are below.


CNN Presents: Inside The Mission: Getting bin Laden

CNN’s Chris Lawrence reports on the inside story of the mission to get bin Laden. With debriefs from an array of CNN's most experienced reporters around the world, the special report examines the complex military and intelligence decision-making process that led to the daring capture and killing of the world's most wanted terrorist inside Pakistan on May 2, 2011. CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr, CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen, CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry, senior political analyst Gloria Borger, and senior international correspondent Nic Robertson dissect the long hunt for bin Laden from the mountains of Tora Bora to the compound where he met his end. Former CIA director Michael Hayden, military interrogators, and Former CIA officer Gary Berntsen contribute first-hand knowledge from their experiences tracking bin Laden on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border.


Education In America: Don't Fail Me

CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien follows a national high school robotics competition called FIRST to answer the questions about the future of education in this country and what IS working. Tracking the progress of three teams from three different states across the country, she learns more about the success areas and the gaps in the nation’s preparation for future competitiveness. Only 31 percent of American college students actually graduate in four years, and the most recent international tests ranked U.S. high school students at 17 in the world in science and 20 in math.



Airtimes (eastern):

Saturday, May 14, 2011

8:00pm – 9:00pm: CNN Presents: Inside The Mission: Getting bin Laden
11:00pm – 12:00am: CNN Presents: Inside The Mission: Getting bin Laden


Sunday, May 15, 2011

2:00am – 3:00am: CNN Presents: Inside The Mission: Getting bin Laden
7:00pm – 8:00pm: CNN Presents: Inside The Mission: Getting bin Laden
8:00pm – 9:00pm: Education in America: Don’t Fail Me
11:00pm – 12:00am: Education in America: Don’t Fail Me


Monday, May 16, 2011

2:00am – 3:00am: Education in America: Don’t Fail Me

Soledad O'Brien's latest special debuts this weekend on CNN Domestic. Details from CNN follow.

CNN Press Release: CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien examines the lives of Catherine Middleton and Prince William in a documentary that explores how the future King and Queen have been influenced by the legacy of his mother, Princess Diana, and are forging a very modern royal marriage. O’Brien chronicles their friendship-turned-romance, and how they are preparing for an “ordinary” married life in North Wales following their nuptials.

CNN Presents: The Women Who Would Be Queen debuts Sunday, April 24 at 8:00pm ET & PT.



Speaking about young Prince William’s early life, Christopher Andersen, author of several books about the royal family, tells O’Brien that sometimes Princess Diana’s eldest son was a witness to his parent’s troubled marriage. Andersen suggests the prince’s early sad family experiences may yield insights into his deliberation for his own romantic life, and to what drew the prince to his fiancée.

“William became sort of ‘the fixer’ ... here’s this little boy when his mother locks herself in the bathroom after an argument with Charles, and she’s sobbing, and here’s little seven-year-old William slipping tissues under the door and saying, ‘I hate to see you sad, Mummy’ ... so ... he meets Kate and Kate exposes him to a happy family for the first time ...stability,” Andersen tells O’Brien in the documentary.

Young Diana and young Kate are described by friends as painfully shy. Princess Diana was said by many who knew her to have long nursed a crush on Prince Charles, and friends of Kate Middleton have related that, similarly Kate long admired William from afar. And in 2000, both Prince William and Katherine Middleton spent portions of their “gap” years, between secondary school and university, in volunteer service in Chile, though ironically, the two were on separate missions and never met.

Kate is said to have switched her initial selection of Edinburgh University to St. Andrews University shortly after the palace announced that Prince William would be attending university there, though later, it would be Kate who would encourage struggling student, Prince William, that he could indeed make it through their challenging courses. They both completed their studies in art history there.

After their graduations, their romance took on more public visibility – and became more complicated. Reminiscent of Princess Diana, paparazzi aggressively followed Kate, and Prince William worried about Kate’s safety. The prince entered his military training, and sometimes Kate was alone for long periods. Prince William broke off their relationship in 2007, after seeking counsel from his father. Of course, the world knows the couple later reconciled and the documentary gives details of their engagement, including how and where the prince popped the question.

O’Brien describes the ways in which the couple has seemed to pursue a strong foundation for marriage – living together for a time, taking premarital counseling, and preparing for a simple early married life far from Buckingham Palace. O’Brien also reports on the moving ways in which the couple is honoring the legacy of the prince’s mother in their marriage ceremony, including Prince William’s selection of the engagement ring for his bride-to-be, and in the location the couple will take their vows, Westminster Abbey.

Also featured in the documentary are interviews with Oliver Baines, a friend of Kate Middleton’s days at boarding school; Mary Clarke, Lady Diana’s nanny; Arthur Edwards, who has photographed both princes' lives during his 30-year career at The Sun newspaper; Berkshire pub owner and Middleton family friend John Haley; long-time friends of the couple Jules Knight and Richard Dennen; Dr. James Colthurst, Lana Marks, and Mary Robertson, long time friends of Princess Diana; Malcolm Sutherland, leader for Kate Middleton’s and Prince William’s separate Chilean volunteer service expeditions; Penny Walker, Lady Diana’s music teacher; Charles Warren, one of Prince William’s lecturers at St. Andrews; and Ken Wharfe, bodyguard for the royal family.

Airtimes for CNN Presents: The Women Who Would be Queen on CNN Domestic (all times Eastern):

Sunday, April 24, 2011

8:00pm – 9:00pm
11:00pm – 12:00am

Monday, April 25, 2011

2:00am – 3:00am

Saturday, April 30, 2011

8:00pm – 9:00pm
11:00pm – 12:00am

Sunday, May 01, 2011

2:00am – 3:00am


Airtimes for CNN Presents: The Women Who Would be Queen on CNN International (all times GMT):

Saturday, April 23, 2011

11:00 - 12:00
19:00 - 20:00

Sunday, April 24, 2011

00:00 - 01:00

Piers Morgan, Anderson Cooper, Richard Quest and Kiran Chetry will anchor CNN's multi-platform coverage of the Royal Wedding of British Prince William and Kate Middleton. English DJ and television presenter Cat Deeley, will also join CNN as special correspondent and host on the day. The details from CNN are below.

CNN Press Release: CNN To Provide Global, Multi-Platform Coverage of the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton

Live from London, CNN will globally televise the biggest royal wedding event since Charles married Diana – from the ceremonial to the personal, from what is happening at Westminster Abbey to the reactions of those around the world.

On the day of the wedding, Friday, April 29, beginning at 4 a.m. ET, CNN’s special live program will be anchored by Piers Morgan, Richard Quest, Anderson Cooper, Kiran Chetry and special contributor Cat Deeley, noted British broadcaster and fashion expert, across CNN/U.S. and CNN International. CNN will live stream various angles of the day’s events on CNN.com, including views from inside the Abbey as well as the parade, via the CNN Apps for iPhone and iPod touch, iPad and Android tablet.

Leading up to the big day, Piers Morgan and Anderson Cooper will anchor their nightly programs from London. CNN will also broadcast a documentary on Catherine Middleton anchored by Soledad O’Brien, as well as weekly special reports from Richard Quest, among others. Highlights of CNN’s Royal Wedding coverage include:

• Premiering Saturday, April 2 at 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET: Richard Quest will anchor four half hour specials throughout the month of April. A Royal Wedding will air Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET on CNN/U.S. and CNN International.

• Sunday, April 24 at 8 p.m., 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. ET: CNN/U.S. will premiere The Women Who Would be Queen, a look at the life of Catherine Middleton, the woman who will someday become Queen of the United Kingdom. Featured in the documentary are Jules Knight, close friend of the couple from the origins of their fairytale romance during their university days at St. Andrews, and Arthur Edwards, longtime royal photographer, who has chronicled the princes' entire lives during his 30-year career at England’s The Sun newspaper. Edwards has captured the princes’ childhoods, how they’ve coped with the tragic loss of their mother, and their transition into manhood. The documentary also explores the ways in which the future King and Queen have honored the life and legacy of Diana, Princess of Wales. CNN Presents: The Women Who Would be Queen is reported by anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien. The documentary will debut on CNN International on Saturday, April 23 at 8 p.m. ET and replay on CNN/U.S. on Saturday, April 30 at 8 p.m., 11 p.m., and 2 a.m. ET.

• Monday, April 25 – Friday, April 29: Piers Morgan will broadcast his nightly show Piers Morgan Tonight at 9 p.m. ET from London with a mix of topical guests and newsmakers on both CNN/U.S. and CNN International.

• Monday, April 25 – Friday, April 29: Kiran Chetry will co-anchor American Morning 6-9 a.m. ET live from London for CNN/U.S.

• Wednesday, April 27 – Friday, April 29: Anderson Cooper will anchor Anderson Cooper 360, also live from London, at 10 p.m. ET on CNN/U.S. and CNN International.

Additionally, CNN International will feature live programming from location with Richard Quest for Quest Means Business and Connect the World with Becky Anderson, while HLN’s Brooke Anderson will co-anchor Showbiz Tonight from London. Glenda Umana and Marta Altoona will provide coverage for CNN en Español. John Sepulvedo will report from London for CNN Radio.

“Calling upon their years of interviews with the Royal Family, Piers and Richard will share their knowledge and insights across CNN. Along with CNN’s user-generated community of iReporters, CNN is uniquely positioned to share a first-hand account of the Royal Wedding across our networks and platforms,” said Tony Maddox, executive vice president and managing director of newsgathering for CNN Worldwide.

For those away from the TV screen, CNN has launched The Wedding Planner, a special section at www.cnn.com/wedding that includes explainers, profiles, photo galleries, on-demand video from CNN’s reporting on the topic, and exclusive content from CNN’s royal reporting team. Additionally, CNN has launched Unveiled, a blog covering all the chatty details that St. James’ palace isn’t commenting on – from the great dress mystery to the official iTunes release of the wedding vows, available at www.cnn.com/unveiled.

CNN iReport, the network’s participatory news community which has received a submission from every country on the planet, will contribute to CNN’s coverage of the pending nuptials in a wide variety of ways, including:

· Royal Wedding iReporter Contest: On April 11, CNN will announce the name of one lucky U.S.-based iReporter that will be sent to London to cover the wedding. iReporters can go to http://ireport.cnn.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=572959, to submit a 90-second video explaining why they should be chosen;

· Royal Wedding assignments – Beginning on April 22, iReport also will invite people to share their experience and take the visual pulse of the audience through a series of lighthearted and fun assignments, such as calls for photos or videos of a proper English breakfast, fashionably over-the-top hats and instant reaction to the bride’s wedding dress; and

· CNN iReport Open Story: Royal Wedding – Also on April 22, CNN will reveal its Royal Wedding-themed iReport Open Story, which feature select photos and videos from iReporters and CNN journalists, placed along an interactive timeline and map to paint a comprehensive picture of the event through the eyes of the many people who experience it.

Facebook users also can stay informed of all aspects of CNN’s coverage leading up to and during the event via the CNN Royal Wedding fan page at www.facebook.com/royalweddingCNN.

CNN - ‘Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door’ airs Sunday, Mar. 27 at 8:00pm ET & PT

From New York to California, since Sept. 11, 2001, fears of radical Islam, terrorism, and “Sharia law” have fueled opposition against mosque projects and launched a national debate around religious freedom protections. Murfreesboro, Tenn. has just over 100,000 people, 140+ churches, and one mosque. For decades, Muslims have lived and prayed in Murfreesboro without incident, yet in June 2010, when the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro sought county approval to build a new 53,000 square foot Islamic center to include a school, a gym, a cemetery, and a mosque – construction plans were met with some support from residents (Muslim and non-Muslim), but also with suspicion and street protests, and even national attention when televangelist Pat Robertson voiced his opposition to the proposal.

Read more »

CNN continues breaking news coverage of the earthquake in Japan. The network has advised of their current deployments and coverage plans for the rest of Friday.

CNN Press Release: An 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit northern Japan on Friday, triggering tsunamis and sending a massive body of water filled with debris that included boats and houses inching toward highways. A tsunami in the Pacific was moving closer to other shorelines in other countries like Hawaii and Guam, said CNN meteorologist Ivan Cabrera.

CNN's Tokyo-based correspondent Kyung Lah (@KyungLahCNN) has been covering this story since it broke in the 1aET hour. CNN's Seoul-based correspondent Paula Hancocks (@phancocksCNN) has also joined Lah in Japan. Both teams are currently en route to Sendai, Japan, which is located near the quake's epicenter.

Additional CNN correspondents heading to Japan to cover this developing story include:

CNN Hong Kong anchor Anna Coren
CNN's national correspondent Gary Tuchman
CNN's Atlanta-based correspondent Martin Savidge
CNN en Español's Fernando del Rincon
CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O'Brien
CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta
CNN radio correspondent Steve Kastenbaum

Watch video from CNN's Tokyo bureau while the earthquake struck:


CNN International started broadcasting breaking news at 1am ET live from Tokyo and Atlanta.

CNN started simulcasting CNN International at 1.12am ET when the extent of the earthquake became known.

***

CNN International/CNN-US simulcasts

Friday, March 11 (all times eastern):

3-5p.m. John Vause and Brooke Baldwin
5-7p.m. Kristi Lou Stout [sic] and Wolf Blitzer
7-8p.m. Kristi Lou Stout [sic] and John King

CNN-US primetime will be live throughout the evening:

8:00 pm In the Arena
9:00 pm Piers Morgan Tonight
10:00 pm Anderson Cooper 360

*Subject to change.

CNN Press Release - ‘Pictures Don’t Lie’ zooms in on controversial legacy of Ernest Withers – Sun., Feb. 20, 8:00pm ET & PT

Photographer Ernest Withers documented the struggles and the victories of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s through shocking and inspiring images that evoke the injustice and the rage of that history even today. Along the way, he himself became an icon.

When Withers photographed the grotesquely mutilated body of Emmett Till, slain for allegedly whistling at a white woman, the photos rocketed across the country and around the world in magazines and newsprint – notably in JET and LIFE magazines, and the Chicago Defender – forcing the nation to focus on that amplified vision of injustice. Withers himself was so moved that he vowed to attend each day of the trial and photograph those accused of the lynching.

After Withers died in 2007, documents secured through a Freedom of Information Act request, submitted by journalists the Memphis Commercial Appeal, revealed that in addition to taking photographs, Withers was also a paid informant for the FBI. Withers even had a code name, “ME 338-R,” a designation for “Memphis Racial Informant.” A paper trail has emerged suggesting Withers gave the FBI sensitive information on leaders of the movement, their meetings, and their activities – part of the FBI’s official, “Ghetto Informant Program.”

CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien tells the story of the secret life of Ernest Withers in Pictures Don’t Lie, debuting on CNN/U.S on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 8:00p.m. ET and PT; it replays Saturday, Feb. 26, at 8:00p.m. ET and PT.

King biographer David Garrow tells O’Brien, “There is no doubt whatsoever, the available documentary evidence, which includes both Mr. Withers’ name and his informant coding number – that matches up with dozens of FBI documents – nails it, 100 percent – case closed.”

Withers himself told no one of his contacts with the FBI, not even his family, and his now complicated legacy yields an array of reactions. Withers’ family members describe feeling “devastated” and considered cancelling plans to turn his former Memphis photography studio into a museum. Entertainer and activist Dick Gregory tells O’Brien, “This man...his danger was – he was all over the place,” referring to the physical danger that Withers may have presented to leaders in the Movement, specifically to Dr. King.

Former U.N. Ambassador and former Atlanta Mayor Dr. Andrew Young holds a different view, suggesting that even if Withers was an informant, his photographs were critical to the Movement’s success: “...it would not have been the Movement without the pictures...basically, he was the guy,” Young says.

O’Brien dissects the never-before-seen-on-television documents from the FBI with those who were there at the time of critical events. A digital feature describing the story of how the documents came to light will be reported on www.cnn.com/inamerica, along with a photo gallery of Withers’ iconic images and video excerpts of the documentary. An audio podcast of the documentary will be posted following the premiere airing of the documentary. CNN Student News is producing an Educator and Parent Guide for Pictures Don’t Lie, which will include discussion questions, and a learning activity. The guide will be available on www.CNNStudentNews.com.

The senior producer of Pictures Don’t Lie is Cameo George. Tina Matherson and David Matthews are associate producers; Erika Colin is production assistant. Geraldine Moriba is the executive producer for CNN’s In America unit.

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively-syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.

Soledad O'Brien's memoir - "The Next Big Story" - went on sale Tuesday. CNN.com has published an excerpt from book.

The story begins in 2006, just after she has obtained exclusive access to Martin Luther King Jr.'s papers and has reported on them for CNN's America Morning.

On this American Morning, I have an exclusive look at a man at least half the world admires. I feel like what he is saying speaks to me. I am energized, a new member of the quarter million people who joined him on the mall, and a new recipient of the grace he handed out in Selma.

Then, out of nowhere, The Reverend Jesse Jackson calls with an invitation to meet and talk and it brings my reverie to a halt. We greet warmly and sit. A young, clean-cut security guy hovers near by. He stays close enough to be summoned for a quick question but not close enough to overhear. I notice the china is clinking, like real good china. I have four small kids so I never hear that particular sound. The restaurant is on the first floor of a famous hotel and the place is nice. The Reverend Jackson begins talking in his strong Southern accent. His voice is very low. He says "call me Jesse but that's something I feel like I cannot do." I am confident he doesn't remember the first time we met. It was my job in 1989 to escort him through his live shots at WBZ TV around Boston Nelson Mandela's historic visit to the U.S. I was his "babysitter," the one making sure no other media plucked him away. He was our contributor. He whispers something. He is speaking so low I can barely hear him. I strain to get closer.

Even though I am not sure what he is saying, I can tell he is angry. Today he is angry because CNN doesn't have enough black anchors. It is political season. There are billboards up sporting Paula Zahn and Anderson Cooper. He asks after the black reporters. Why are they not up there? I share his concern and make a mental note to take it back to my bosses. But then he begins to rage that there are no black anchors on the network at all. Does he mean covering the campaign, I wonder to myself? The man has been a guest on my show. He knows me, even if he doesn't recall how we met. I brought him on at MSNBC, then again at Weekend Today. I interrupt to remind him I'm the anchor of American Morning. He knows that. He looks me in the eye and reaches his fingers over to tap a spot of skin on my right had. He shakes his head. "You don't count," he says. I wasn't sure what that meant. I don't count -- what? I'm not black? I'm not black enough? Or my show doesn't count?

I was both angry and embarrassed, which rarely happens at the same time for me. Jesse Jackson managed to make me ashamed of my skin color which even white people had never been able to do. Not the kids in the hallways at Smithtown or the guys who wouldn't date me in high school. I remember the marchers behind me at the trial about the black youth/kid who beat the Latino baby. The folks that chanted "biracial whore for the white man's media," even they didn't even make feel this way. I would just laugh. Biracial, sure, whore, not exactly, white man's media, totally! Whatever. But Reverend Jesse Jackson says, "I don't count?"

I am immediately upset and annoyed and the even more annoyed that I am upset and pissed off. If Reverend Jesse Jackson didn't think I was black enough, then what was I? My parents had so banged racial identity into my head that the thoughts of racial doubt never crossed my mind. I'd suffered an Afro through the heat of elementary school. I'd certainly never felt white. I thought my version of black was as valid as anybody else's. I was a product of my parents (black woman, white man) my town (mostly white), multiracial to be sure, but not black? I felt like the foundation I'd built my life on was being denied, as if someone was telling me my parents aren't my parents. "You know those people you've been calling mom and dad -- they aren't really your parents. What?" The arbiter of blackness had weighed in. I had been measured and found wanting.

It knocked me off my equilibrium for a bit, the first time that had happened to me since that guy in a bar back on the West Coast pinched my butt during my first live shot.

After two weeks of stewing, I sat upright one day and made a decision. This man is wrong. I am a product of my own life. That's one of the wonders of America, you have the right to define yourself regardless of what little box someone wants to shove you in. He is certainly right that CNN doesn't have enough people of color on the air, even the bosses say that and spend their time trying to fix it. But "you don't count"? Screw that. Of course I count. Who is he to say that? My experience is not universal -- no one's is -- but it is legitimate. I get to be whom I am outside and in. But I was embarrassed that I didn't call him back and ask what he meant. I (like my mother) like a good fight. So I should have called him up and said, "What the heck does that mean"? But I didn't. I slunk away. Annoyed. And more annoyed that I never forgot his words. I look at other mixed race people now and wonder. Did their parents slam their identity into their head as mine did? Or do they get to drift around in some amorphous category. Jesse Jackson caught me off balance.

It wasn't until recently that I called him and reminded him of what he'd said to me that day. I had done 4 documentaries on race in between the two conversations. He was totally surprised and barely remembered the details. He had not known I was black! He said he honestly did not know, that when he said I didn't count he was alluding to the fact that he thought I was a dark-skinned someone else. That is how precise the game of race is played in our country, that we are so easily reduced to our skin tone. That even someone as prominent in African American society as Rev. Jackson has a box to check for black and one for white. No one gets to be in between. I thanked him for his candor.

But that day I couldn't say a word to Rev. Jackson. I run into the man all the time. We are invited to the same events. We kiss at functions but still I say nothing. I see how deeply people respect him. Al Sharpton tells me Jackson taught him civil disobedience. Roland Martin credits him with paving the way for Obama. Jackson sat at lunch with me telling me how he hates always being asked to talk only about black issues, hates to be tagged as only the black expert, never the guy negotiating peace or brokering deals with Wall Street. He lashes out at people who define him by the color of his skin. It matters that they don't see inside him. It mattered to me that he didn't see outside me.

You can read the second part of the excerpt on CNN.com here.

CNN Press Release: CNN Commemorates the Fifth Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with Special Programming throughout the Month of August

This month marks five years since Hurricane Katrina roared ashore in Louisiana and Mississippi, killing over 1,800 people and displacing many more. Just as residents were rebuilding their cities and towns after the storm, the Gulf oil disaster has crippled the region's fishing and tourism industries. CNN programming throughout dayside and into primetime will commemorate the 5^th anniversary of the storm with special coverage across all platforms that will chronicle how communities, people and businesses have changed over the past five years and how far the region has come in their rebuilding efforts.

CNN Heroes: Coming Back from Katrina,hosted by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper kicks off CNN’s coverage and checks in with past CNN Heroes who are still in the area including: 2008’s CNN Hero of the Year Liz McCartney and her progress rebuilding homes with her group The St. Bernard Project; Top Ten CNN Hero Tad Agoglia and his First Response Team of first responders to natural disasters; 2009 Top Ten CNN Hero Derrick Tabb and his Roots of Music program for New Orleans kids; as well as additional new interviews with others in New Orleans who are doing great things to help rebuild the city. The half-hour special premieres Saturday & Sunday August 14^th & 15^th at 7:30pm ET. CNN International will broadcast the special on Sunday, August 22^nd at 7am, 2:30pm and 10pm ET and Tuesday, August 24^th at 8:30am and 12:30pmET.

New Orleans Rising, reported by CNN’s In America anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien, is an in-depth look at how five years after the hurricane; even a united and highly successful middle-class community like Pontchartrain Park struggles to rebuild. The one-hour documentary, premiering on August 21^st at 8pm ET& PT, tells the story of actor and accidental developer Wendell Pierce. Pierce evacuated his elderly parents from their Pontchartrain home before the storm, and it became his mission to lead a charge to return his beloved childhood community to its former glory. While heagreed to lead the effort, Pierce had no experience as a neighborhood developer. But being ‘Pontchartrain to the core,’ he assembles a home-grown team of experts and forms a non-profit community development corporation. CNN documents his battle against bureaucratic red tape, miniscule financing and residents reluctant to return. Terence Blanchard composed and performed the theme music for New Orleans Rising. CNN International will broadcast New OrleansRising on Sunday, August 22^nd at 3pm ET.

In 2005, CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta reported from the darkened, flooded hallways of New Orleans’ Charity Hospital with doctors and nurses who had refused to abandon their patients during the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. For Sanjay Gupta M.D. (airs in two parts on Saturday and Sunday, August 28^th & 29^th at 7:30am ET), Gupta revisits the now-shuttered Charity Hospital with Dr. Ben Deboisblanc, the last doctor standing at Charity following the storm – and learns how the terrible storm has affected his life. Caring for patients during Katrina turned out to be a reprieve of sorts, his 20-year marriage ended shortly before the storm, and living alone and depressed as he battled to rebuild Charity, he discusses with Gupta the challenges many in New Orleans with medical needs have faced five years ago – and now.

CNN.com will feature a special section commemorating the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina at www.cnn.com/katrina. The site will feature select video packages and photos from New Orleans Rising and CNN Heroes: Coming Back from Katrina. Additionally, the section will showcase the rebuilding effort by featuring select photos and videos from CNN iReport, the network's user-generated news community. At CNN iReport, users can find dozens of CNN images taken in 2005 and early 2006 of the aftermath of the storm. iReporters can share information about the neighborhood or area where each photo was taken in the comments section, as well as download the image. Those iReporters located in the Gulf Coast region are encouraged to print the downloaded image, find its original location, and take a photograph lining the old photo up to the present-day view. iReporters can upload these dramatic, past-meets-present photos here.

CNN en Español senior correspondent Juan Carlos López will go back to New Orleans to talk to the families that he encountered when the powerful hurricane hit the coast. He’ll find out where the communities are in their rebuilding efforts. Live coverage will begin Thursday, August 26^th and continue through Monday, August 30^th.