finally, we have sheldon siegel. and sheldon siegel is a corporate lawyer who has written a series -- i think seven books now, a fictional criminal defense attorney named mike daley who actually lives here in san francisco. and he's written a series of books and these becomes have been shown and transcribed and read throughout the world. so we're going to start now with a clip, a video clip and then we're going to go to the panel. >> i think it is our national novel. if there was a national novel of week, this would be it for the united states. i think it's the favorite book of almost everybody you meet. >> the first time in my life that the book had sort of captured me. that was exciting. i didn't realize that literature could do that. >> i remember reading a copy of my aunt's in jamaica queens. it was the first book ever written by a white writer that discussed racism in ways that was complicate and sophisticated. -- complicated and sophisticated. >> a touchstone in american literary and social history. it's a stor

finally, we have sheldon siegel. and sheldon siegel is a corporate lawyer who has written a series -- i think seven books now, a fictional criminal defense attorney named criminal defense attorney named mike daley who actually lives

joining me now is senator sheldon whitehouse, democrat from rhode island. senator, thanks for coming on the show tonight. >> good to be with you, reverend, thank you for having me. >> senator, the other side of the aisle is clearly not focused on jobs. >> clearly. >> and they are -- let me just ask this -- are they trying to just hurt the economy on purpose? >> well, i think the president has said that they would rather see him fail than get the economy back on its feet. if you look at the vote that they just took in the senate the other day, we tried to move to proceed to the president's jobs bill. one we had moved to proceed, they could have offered any amendment they wanted. we would have had a discussion about it, we would have begun the legislative process process about jobs in america. they wouldn't open the door to that discussion. they slammed the door shut. they said no, we're not going to discuss it. as you saw, they moved immediately into the house to an attack on women's health rights. so trying to get them to focus on jobs in a real way is prov

paulette frankl, "lust for justice," tony serra, and sheldon siegal. so before we take a break, i do have a surprise. a few years ago, i guess six or seven years ago, i met an amazing artist. i was visiting his home. and he had created this wonderful sculpture. i immediately recognized it as being clarence. it turned out that he had created a number of just amazing sculptures of trial lawyers. and he went on to do one of clara fults, the first woman attorney in california and became the leader of the public defender movement. and just by happenstance, he called me and had this idea of encapsulating one of the greatest trial attorneys of our times. so, bill? is he here? this is not a magistrate. [laughing] -- not a magic trick. >> i've never met tony serra, so i have to make use of the internet to get a sense of who he was and the imagery. what clearly came over was his passion for justice. and in some cases almost a rage for justice. and initially when i started the imagery with the clay, i tried to show this passion for justice, this rage. but then i

[laughing] now, sheldon, you've written books about a fictional defense attorney. the stories that you tell really get into, i think, the issues and stories of our time. and that's why your books have been so popular. first of all, you know, how did you become a writer? why did you become a writer? and how did you end up writing did a criminal defense attorney in san francisco, of all places? >> i was not told i would follow tony serra. i need to go back and prepare a little more. [laughing] i learned something, too. i guess i better stand up. [laughing] i'm really honored to be here. i'm the toy department. i write novels about the types of cases that lawyers like tony handle. in the daytime i work for a big law firm of the type that tony probably would not hold in the highest of esteem, but i'm delighted to be here. you know, i think if you talked to most authors, they will tell you that there is something hot-wired into our system that says we need to try to tell a story. there is nothing at all in my background. i am an absolutely accidental writer. there is no

sheldon dutes has more. >> it is really not that bad, but it is cold, wet, messy, and not a good date for your car to die. >> carroll county look like a winter wonderland with the nor'easter moving up the coast. these no emergency plan prohibited people from parking in certain areas. there was enough heavy, wet snow to blanket all of westminster. >> there is snow all over the leaves and trees. along the side of the road and the roads have a lot of slosh which makes it has a does when you're changing lanes. not fun to be on right now. >> they predicted several inches of snow, which was accurate. >> very unseasonable. it is probably 1.5 months early, but what you going to do? >> slushy, wintery. >> the constant presence of snowplow's definitely helped. a lot of people were not concerned, but the timing caught them off-guard. people in carroll county are wondering what will come this winter. >> i just hope it does not continue like this and will stop until at least after thanksgiving. >> whether there is snow, rain, or sleet, we would love to see some of your pictures. wbaltv.com/ulocal.

dot com right now we want to you to tell us what you think is the significance of the lodge sheldon's really it's just a for half of you believe the event is about media hype and really changes a little affair think the swap is an indisputed hamas victory and deals a blow to the jewish state either a fifth think it's about netanyahu needing into a deal to win public support in a small fraction think it's a genuine step toward peace in the middle east cast your vote at our team dot com. u.s. chief diplomat hillary clinton says washington hopes to see ousted libyan leader colonel gadhafi captured or killed soon and stephen came during her an unannounced visit to tripoli with a mission to offer aid to the and support the country's new rulers professor paul sheldon foote from california state university who's worked in a number of arab countries as clinton's added today is to be expected. well as you know. america and many others a large interests economic interest in libya which is actually amazing because gadhafi was doing everything that the west wanted in fact he was wasting his peopl

he was actually named sheldon and he had on the walls national geographic maps. i spent my child looking at them. i should have been over the man at this. instead, we are never going to see a girl in here. it became the second least desirable or attractive person in the apartment. very exciting for me. i was not true to my "maphead" routes and this was a pleasure because i did get to meet with a lot of people who were geographically geeky hobbies. i got to hang out in the bulk of the library of congress which is very cool like three football fields of cabinets full of maps. the library and took me around, here's a map of a plantation in virginia. george washington drew it. this amazing treasure trove. and people using the gps revolution -- multimillion-dollar military satellites to find tupperware hidden in the woods. pacific northwest creation in portland. the company that maintains the web site last year -- who else did i get to hang out with? national geographic kids. washington, more than any other state. these kids are amazing. it was like a middle school. i

sheldon dutes has more from police head quarters in towson. >> police say they found a suicide note in the home, but they won't say who wrote it or what it said. police say the family members made the grusome discovery inside this home. >> they were mayor yifment he was 84 years old, she was 85. they died of gun shot wounds. they wrote a note. loved ones wiped away tears as they spent most of the afternoon combing through this murder-suicide. >> i knew john, and he didn't seem like the type of person that would do that. he was strong. i >> i didn't think that would be possible with these two people. they were good, kind people, and it's just a very strange thing to even talk about. >> ben has known the couple for over a decade. >> you aren't going to stop something by saying "hi," but -- >> the people did have problems with their health. neighbors are in shock up and down the block. >> that is a shame. his wife, she sues used to take a ride over to the cemetery in her wheelchair every day. >> while neighbors hold on to fond memories of the couple, detectives continue to investigate thi

sheldon dutes has more on palmer's wife's emotional plea in solving this case. >> i will never forget how i found him. when i come in the house, you never expect to find your husband dead in the basement. when -- i left him making a sandwich in the basement. >> someone came into her home and stabbed her husband sterling multiple times. he was 78 years old. >> unfortunately there is little evidence to go on to describe what exactly happened. whether it was a robbery or some other motive. >> i lost my best friend and my husband. i'm lonely. i couldn't imagine being without him. >> this weekend marks the one-year anniversary of sterling's death, and evelyn said she still hangs on to fond memories of her husband. >> shopping. yep, shopping and watching the judges on tv. that's what we used to always do. >> police say they initially had some encouraging leads, but none of them panned out. >> i can tell detectives are working, but it is hard when nothing is being done. >> we are confident someone will come forward and share the information they know. >> she is making an emotional plea to so

sheldon dutes has the answers. >> we think about snow 24-seven. >> highway officials say they were ready to go. >> we make sure that if leaves are blocking drainage, it won't calls problems. >> officials are asking drivers to slow down and allow plenty of drivers to get to their destinations. >> it is not a hunker down storm. >> spokesman rob depfment ould says they have been taking advantage of opportunities to clear the roads. >> if you have wet snow on top of heavily treed canopies, that could bring the trees down to our power lines and cause power outages. >> most folks are not letting the threat of snow ruin their weekend plans. >> and depsh sheldon dutes, wbal-tv 11 news. >> and you can track storms where you are. just go do www.wbaltv.com. >> a burger king manager. officials say volera shot and killed patty ayella shortly after the manager opened the restaurant. volera is accused of entering the county illegally after being deported for a robbery conviction. >> two murders at a state mental hospital in a week. one patient murdered another at clifton t. perkins hospital in jessup.

nd lose his - 3 sheldon iiliams...// was surprised,,, when he was taken out.../ of...es... on... eitherrside.../ wwere his father... shaved his hair.../ shorter. ...// áábbuáá... the... school says.../ the parts...// are...'designs"...// ááandáá that's against... school rules...// áásoáá... the... school... used...// ápermanentá... in.../ some sppts...// - "if the parent give you permission toodo such things then it's okay toodo that, but &pto just take the initiitive and to saa i'm just gonna coloo his hair with a permanent markerr that was very disrrspectful." disrespectful.""i was kinda mad. reporter: why did it make you mad?because i dont want no sharpieemarker innmy ha" hair." the school.../ admits...// it... phould've cclled... sheldon's... family...// before... coloring...// him... in... &pdid you mmss your blackberry? ssrvice outrage started three days ago oveeseas.... ann eveetually spread to the u-s. u-s.service was finally restored this mmrning.and issuing a great big apology.... refund.a black eye for blackberry, assit tries to gain lost ground in the smmrt

sheldon dutes, wbal-tv 11 news. >> several other new laws also took effect in maryland. for a complete list, visit our web site at www.wbaltv.com. >> one person is dead this morning after an accident on interstate 836789 it happened at 11:45 on the northbound lanes of the j.f.x. near the harrisburg expressway. two vehicles were involved. no word if there are injuries. >> two men were shot overnight in the capitol circle area of the city. both men are from annapolis and both are in the hospital this morning. investigators are saying no arrests have been made in this case. >> the red cross is helping several families displaced by a two-alarm fire in columbia. firefighters were called to the 12000 block of paw tuxent -- pautuxant highway. >> water restrictions have beend [brief technical difficulty] >> a man died from listeria poisoning after eated a tainted cantaloupe. >> it is mind boggling. >> a -- an official says mr. wells bought the cantaloupe from a produce market. >> and we'll have information on -- medical information regarding babies and sleeping. >> and the insta

sheldon dutes has more from police head quarters in towson. >> police say they found a suicide note in the home, but they won't say who wrote it. >> police say the family members made a grew so many -- grusome discovery. >> they were married. they were 84 years old. they died of gun shot wounds. there was a note. >> investigators won't say what the note said. loved ones wipe ad way tears as they combed through the parent murder-suicide. >> i knew john, and i didn't seem like the type of person that would do that. he was strong. >> i didn't think that that would be possible with these two people. they were really good, kind people, and it is just a very strange thing to even talk about. i mean, there is probably a lot more to it. >> ben has known the couple for a decade, and was walking his dog in the area earlier in the day. now he's wondering if he may have been in the right place at the right time. >> i was going to check on them. i was going to stop by and say "hi." >> it is unclear what prompted the shooting and who did it. he says the couple did have problems with their health. >>

now sheldon dutes has more. >> the roads are not that bad. this stuff is pretty disgusting.wet and messy and not a good day for your car to die. >> even though it is only the end of october, carroll county looked like a winter wonderland as the nor'easter moved up the coast. for most of the day, the county was under an emergency plan. there was enough snow to blanket westminister. it makes it hazardous when you are changing lanes. >> so not fun to be out right now. >> by nightfall, snow was still falling in the area. snow evident from the accumulation. >> very unseasonable. it's probably a month or a month and a half early. what are you going to do? >> slushy, wet, nasty. >> even though the roads were slick from the vippings precipitation, drivers did not have a hard time getting around. a lot of people were not concerned about the snow, but folks are hoping this is not a foreshadowing of what's to come this winter. >> i hope it doesn't continue like this, that it will stop for a while, at least until november. >> whether there was snow, rain, or sleet at your house, we woul

sheldon dutes explains. >> his life changed forever in 2008. >> she was stopped at a light. a tractor-trailer driver came over the hill. he was texting his company at the time. he hit all of the nine cars and killed them instantly. >> they were determined to change the culture of texting and driving in maryland. he advocated for stricter laws after his daughter's death. " we became obsessed with letter-writing. we made a lot of phone calls and a lot of research. we became a pest. we kept trying and trying. >> he was successful with the band that passed in 2009 and the one that goes into effect today. you could get pulled over if you are caught reading a text message, and will. the first offense is $70. a second offense is 200 -- $110. the law does not apply to people who text 911 or use gps devices. >> i am not naive enough to think people will stop this, but it helps. we need to create awareness every day. we need to create education campaigns that will change the culture in the united states. >> several other laws also took effect in maryland at midnight. for a complete li

sheldon dutes, wbal-tv 11 news. >> hard to believe we're dealing with this now. don't forget you can track storms using interactive radar at any time. go to www.wbaltv.com and click on "weather." >> frederick police charged a convicted felon with the march murder of a burger king manager. officials say verella shot and killed the manager shortly after she opened the burger king. >> maryland health officials making changes at a state mental hospital after two murders there in one week. state police say one patient murdered another at clifton t. perkins hospital in jessup. officials now say the hospital will undergo a complete safety overhaul. >> it is the second murder at the maximum psychiatric hospital in a week. the third in 18 months. one patient killed another at clifton t. perkins hospital last night. the autopsy shows the 40-year-old victim died from multiple blunt-force injuries. just last week another patient, vitaly davidov, was charged with murdering his roommate. >> hospitals are places for healing, not violence. >> josh sharpstein from the department

the current speaker, sidney sheldon -- sheldon silver, i am so sorry about that. and there is a portrait of al smith. >> the came from the same district. they both are democrats. they both were speakers of the assembly. it is interesting when you talk about -- it is almost 100 years ago that smith was speaker. 100 years later we have a speaker from the same district and political party. the neighborhood is still a very diverse neighborhood. smith became speaker on a fluke. new york state reapportionment was so heavily weighted in favor of republicans, that his democrats rarely held in this chamber. he was here 12 years and was only in the majority twice. it only became democratic once in the 1930's. they had to go to the 1960's before the democrats took over. i think smith would be proud that they finally got equal representation. they changed the system to make it one-man, one-vote. you could then allow new york city to send its proper amount of legislators to new york and has resulted in another manhattan speaker. >> we talked with speaker sheldon silver about a

sheldon continues our team coverage. >> the process is still under way. there are about 100 people gathered here at the corner of wyck and pratt. they have got their signs and what he said the message. this protest is much smaller compared to the one we have seen in new york. the frustrations are similar, though. there are here to get their messages across. >> jenny went away to college in the spring and did something she never thought she would do, move back home with her parents. >> right now, i have zero income, although, hopefully that will change. >> her story is similar to a lot of the people that have been rallying for the occupied baltimore -- occupied baltimore protest. >> it is generally a rallying cry for the people in this country were tired of being poor, were tired of being downtrodden, and more tired of policies that favor the rich. >> although the organizers said the protest is not have one particular ideology, they hope it will be an opportunity for people to come together and talk about ways to address local concerns. >> everything is go

finally, we have sheldon