tavis: david simon is the guy behind -- we will claim it right now, the new hbo hit. d, good to have you on the show. >> from your mouth to god's ear. tavis: that is our show. thanks for watching, and keep the face. -- keep the faith. >> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley at pbs.org. tavis: hi, i am tavis smiley. join me next time with benjamin barber. that is next time. we will see you then. >> there are so many things that wal-mart is looking forward to doing, like helping people live better, but, mostly, we are looking forward to helping you build stronger communities and help, the best is yet to come. >> nationwide insurance proudly supports tavis smiley. tavis and nationwide insurance, working to improve financial literacy and the economic empowerment that comes with it. >> ♪ nationwide is on your side ♪ >> and by contributions to pbs stations by viewers like you. you're a pbs station fromthank you. your previous edition kcet public television] national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-

actor wendel pierce and producer david simon. why a major television series about a disaster, all from new orleans. >>> and now, the chairman of the republican governors' association, haley barbour of mississippi. we met him in the patio of a classic french quarter restaurant, broussards. governor, a lot of what we heard at the southern republican leadership conference has been about how good it looks this november. how good does it look this november for republicans? >> candy, the political environment for republicans this first half of april 2010 is better than it was the first half of april 1994, when we won 54 seats in the house, took control of the house, the senate, and more than 30 governorships. >> you going to take control of the house and the senate? >> we would today. the problem is, the election is not today. >> don't you wish? >> that's why i make the point, today the environment is better than it was in '94. developed in a little different way. the people of this country are very agitated, republicans are energized,

we caught up with the creator, david simon and actor, wendell pierce, in the french quarter.ith something that i read a quote from you. "either we have something to say or we don't." what do you have to say with trema? >> it is about culture. the last show, "the wire, was about how power and money route themselves in an american city. this is about what we are capable of as an urban people. we are only going to get more urban as the century goes on. we are very am biffle lent about that. there is a lot of negative. maybe i am part of that with "the wire." that was not my intent. there is a lot of negative con know nations associated with city living. that's the question for the next 20th century, how we are going to live together. new orleans is the triumph of the creole, we are the mutts, the beautifully miss edge nated people who are americans. new orleans is a triumph in that sense. >> reporter: if you are not from new orleans and much of the country has moved on from katrina, what is in this that brings you to this series? >> well, as david was saying, the culture of new

david simon that's been in the series for hbo on post-katrina new orleans and the battle to come backmething to me in an interview which struck me that great countries don't abandon their great cities. is there a feeling in detroit that a great country has abandoned a great city. >> i think there's a lot more hope in detroit. there's no doubt. the analogies between new orleans and katrina. they had a natural disaster that was immediate. our hurricane has been an economic hurricane. but the impact on the citizens has been similar in the loss of population, the loss of jobs. and really the hollowing out of this great city. but it's fantastic and it's not that detroit has to be the same size, they're trying to right size the city. so they're doing unique things, like urban farming -- taking a lot of the vacant land and turning it in to farming, which is sort of an interesting thing when you think about a city -- but abandoning cities is absolutely not the option. michigan and detroit, the only thing that separates detroit from michigan is a comma. >> let me turn to politics -- one of our

david? >> thanks, simon. we haven't seen a deal that proves it, but all signs are that in the financing market for lbos it is back to the future. this week we learned that the junk bond market set a record for volume in march at $38 billion, surpassing the november 2006 record of $36 billion. yes, november of '06. remember that day? both days? we saw the first clo deal in more than a year at the same time that leverage loan market hit a 21-month high. meanwhile, the inclusion of some dubious financing practices started to creep back into the market. a $ 25 million bond deal for the leverage gun maker freedom group included a pay in kind provision allowing the borrowing to pay interest by issues more debt. picking to, they're called, something we often saw back in the '05 through '07 period. we also saw a lot of covenant light and bridge equity back then. one wondered whether they can't be too far behind now. so much for long memories. even if the financial markets are showing signs of froth, the deals themsel

david simon is probably right. on a national level, monica comes to national security and intelligence, i do not see that as a problem. i think there will be another big organizations and i think we will have enough power and wealth and influence and popularity. the government is not necessarily as rich and powerful for trusted by the people. we are not necessarily in an adversarial relationship, it is not necessarily a zero sum game. just look at the associated press and their state and local coverage. it is very disheartening. if anybody has a solution to that, you will be rich beyond your wildest dreams if you can figure that out because i think that is the major gap in journalism. >> i am sure that we have people out there in the audience that are dying to ask some questions of these panelists. is that all right to go to questions? >> yes. bucs all right, go ahead. what i wanted to follow-up on the discussion from earlier about the increasingly threatening moves by the federal government in the last decade or s

david simon is probably right. on a national level, monica comes to national security and intelligence, i do not see that as a problem. i think there will be another big organizations and i think we will have enough power and wealth and influence and popularity. the government is not necessarily as rich and powerful for trusted by the people. we are not necessarily in an adversarial relationship, it is not necessarily a zero sum game. just look at the associated press and their state and local coverage. it is very disheartening. if anybody has a solution to that, you will be rich beyond your wildest dreams if you can figure that out because i think that is the major gap in journalism. >> i am sure that we have people out there in the audience that are dying to ask some questions of these panelists. is that all right to go to questions? >> yes. bucs all right, go ahead. what i wanted to follow-up on the discussion from earlier about the increasingly threatening moves by the federal government in the last decade or s

. >> david stewart is the author of "impeached: the trial of andrew johnson and the fight for lincoln's legacy" simon& schuster publisher. ♪ >> coming up next booktv presents "after words," an hour-long discussion with the author of a new book. this week financial fraud investigator harry markopolos author of "no one would listen" talks about the ponzi scheme of bernard madoff 10 years before it became widely known and to get the scc and the fed to know. he's interviewed with nicole gelinas and author of "after the fall: saving capitalism from wall street and washington." >> host: hello. i have the honor to be here thi