for smiley, the duty was tough. but the mission in his mind was sound. >> every day that i woke up, despite me not getting any sleep the last 24 or 48 hours meant that i was doing something for the country, meant i was making a positive difference. not only in another country's life but my own country's life. i was protecting my wife back home. my family, my brothers and sisters. that the impact that i was continually making was making a difference. >> reporter: and so one april day smiley didn't flinch when his platoon rolled up on a nervous looking man driving a suspicious looking car. >> i yelled at him to get out of his car. he looked at me. he faced me, raised his hands up like nothing is wrong but he still wasn't moving and doing anything. then he kind of pulled away from me. >> reporter: so the last thing you remember is what? >> the last thing i remember is seeing that man's face. and his hands in the air. in all honesty that's the last thing i remember seeing in my life. >> reporter: at that moment the driv

from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. first up tonight, our conversation with iconic filmmaker ken burns. starting september 28 on pbs, catch the latest project called "baseball: the 10th inning," picking up where his documentary left off in 1994, including the impact of steroids on baseball. it also, the increasing role of women in the american politics with political writer rebecca traister air, looking at the influence of women in the 2008 campaign and her new book, "big girls don't cry." filmmaker ken burns and author rebecca traister, coming up right now. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i'm james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference, you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and answer,

from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. tonight, the coach of the new orleans saints, sean payton, and he led them to their first super bowl win for the first time. the saints have become a metaphor for the great american city rebirth. "homes a great new book, team: coaching the saints and new orleans back to life," and that is coming up, right now. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i am james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference, you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance proudly supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer. tavis and nationwide insurance, working to improve financial literacy and the economic empowerment, " one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and with contributions by viewers like you. thank you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: i am sorry. yes, you can keep rolling. i am trying to introduce the coach, and i got distracted, so let me do the introduction first, and the

i'm tavis smiley. good -- tonight, a conversation with actor tim robbins about his play about jamestown over 100 -- 400 years ago. his play is called "break the whip" and is produced by a very successful theater company, the actors gain. if we are glad you have joined us. a conversation with tim robbins is coming up right now. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i am james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference, you help us all live better. >> 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 your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: please welcome tim robbins back to this program. the actor and director also serves as writer for a play called "break the whip" about jamestown. here is now a scene from "brea

from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. first up tonight, a conversation with health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius. this marks the anniversary of health-care reform, and new measures take effect. secretary sebelius on what these measures mean for you and your famil. also tonight, the conversation with a co-founder of the huffington post, arianna huffington, and she has a new book out called "third world america." kathleen sebelius and arianna huffington, coming up right now. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i am james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference, you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment, one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible

tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment, one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: john boyd, jr. is president of the national black farmers' association. he held a press conference to highlight the failure of the congress to approve a settlement. he joins us tonight from new york. good to have you. >> good to be here, and i want to thank you for being involved with the black farmers and continuing to raise the issue. tavis: it is my pleasure, and i wanted to have you on tonight because after years of dealing with this, all that needs to happen is for congress, when they come back from labor day recess, to vote on what has already been agreed to. they simply need to have the courage to cast a vote for a settle

from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. first up harold ford jr.. he is the chair of the organization, and he also has a new book. also, from the grammy award winning group maroon 5, adam levine. they are out with their new cd. that is coming up, right now. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i am james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference -- >> thank you. >> you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment, one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: a few programming notes. tomorrow night, a conversation with geoffrey canada and david guggenheim. then later in the week, james ellroy, and robert reich would join us with seal. we also will have nancy brinker.

i'm tavis smiley. with midterm elections now just two months away polls show democrats on the verge of losing control of the house with the potential for significant losses in the senate as well. so first up tonight a look at what a divided government might mean for the country and its impact on president obama's bid for a second term with susan page. also tonight, oscar-winning actor martin landau stops by. he stars in the movie "lovely still," a film he also produces. we're glad you could join us. >> all i know is his name is james. he needs extra help with his reading. >> i'm james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference. >> thank you. >> you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley with every question and answer. nationwide is proud to join tavis in working with literacy. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: eight weeks from tomorrow, ame

from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. president obama marked the end of the iraq war last night with a prime-time address from the oval office, but numerous questions remain tonight about the american long term commitment, so first of tonight, a conversation with john burns, a former baghdad chief for "the new york times." also with us tonight, laura lippman, with her new novel "i'd know you anywhere." john burns and author laura lippman. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i am james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference, you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis smiley in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment, one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] >> ending this war

. >> nationwide insurance proudly supports tavis smiley. tavis and nationwide insurance, working to improve financial literacy and the economic empowerment that comes with it. your side ♪ >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] >> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley at pbs.org tavis: always pleased to welcome philip seymour hoffman to this program. he has established himself as one of the best of his generation. his latest project is called "jack goes bowling." also directs and produces it. here now is a scene from the movie. >> [inaudible] >> i am almost getting there. >> may be a little good night kiss? >> maybe. >> nothing overwhelming. >> ok. >> good night. it is your directorial debut of a film. we have a monitor in the studio. i saw you look at it. you looked away. what do you think of your work? >> it is funny. i have been watching it for a long time. lots of things become an obsession but when you are directing something y

from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. tonight, our conversation with tennis great venus williams. after becoming the first african-american to reach tennis' world no. 1 ranking, she has been in the force -- she has been a force in the game nearly 15 years. she has teamed up for a new book about harnessing your competitive spirit. it is called "come to win." our conversation with venus williams, coming up right now. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i'm james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference, you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and answer, nationwide insurance is happy to help tavis improve of financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: always pleased to have venus williams on the program. she is out with a new book about the intersection between sports an

from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. tonight, our conversation with former tennis great andre agassi. he created a foundation that created a model charter school in his hometown of vegas. last year, the school graduated its first ever class with every single senior going to college. he now has a best-selling autobiography, "open." his thoughts on the u.s. open and other topics in our conversation, coming up right now. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i'm james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference, you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and answer, nationwide insurance is happy to help tavis improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: always pleased to have andre agassi on the program. he becam

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 your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: please welcome tim robbins back to this program. the actor and director also serves as writer for a play called "break the whip" about jamestown. here is now a scene from "break the whip." [drums beating] ♪ tavis: when you called me and asked me to come down to rehearsal to check this out. -- to check this out, i had no idea what i was going to see. imagine a piece about jamestown that does not mention pocahontas or -- >> or john smith. tavis: i was talking to our producer. i was curious how many times you have been on the program. you have been here a few times now and the majority of your appearances on our show have been to promote plays that you have been involved in, interestingly. not to promo

tavis: hi, i am tavis smiley. join me next time for our interview with tim robbins on the jamestown settlement. we will see you then. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i am james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference, you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer. literacy and the economic empowerment that comes with it. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org- >> be more. pbs. >> susie: the recessis

. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment, one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: a few programming notes. tomorrow night, a conversation with geoffrey canada and david guggenheim. then later in the week, james ellroy, and robert reich would join us with seal. we also will have nancy brinker. tonight, we kick off the week with harold for junior. the former tennessee congressman is now the chairman of the democratic leadership council, dlc, and and he has a new book, "more davids than goliaths." >> everyone should see that. what guggenheim and canada have done, it is inspiring. i hope people see it. >> it is a moving film. one thing i am sure that geoffrey and davis and i i am sure will talk about is that it i

from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. tonight, our conversation with one of the most successful singer song writers and the music business, sheryl crow. her latest project is a celebration of r&b music called "100 miles from memphis." she is also a breast cancer survivor who last month opened the sheryl crow imaging center in los angeles. our conversation with sheryl crow, coming up right now. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i'm james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a tavis smiley. with every question and answer, nationwide insurance is happy to help tavis improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: pleased to welcome sheryl crow to this program. the multi grammy-winning singer- songwriter has started a tour in support of her latest project, "100 miles from

. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and answer, nationwide insurance is happy to help tavis improve of financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: always pleased to have venus williams on the program. she is out with a new book about the intersection between sports and that success even for everyday people. the book is called "come to win,"and features essays from bill clinton, billie jean king, and so many more. venus is always welcome on this set because she designed the set. if you look closely every night in the credits, you will see a company called the star -- you will see v starr listed in the credits. she and her company designed a whole thing. seven years later, it is holding up. >> it is holding up. thank you for not changing at. tavis: i cannot afford to change it. >> it was your

. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide is proud to join tavis a. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- tavis: max lucado is a renowned preacher who sit -- preaches in san antonio. he is a best-selling author whose books have sold more than a 55 million copies around the world. his latest text is called "outlive your life: if you were made to make a difference." thank you for joining us. i was immediately struck by this book because of the title. how is that possible? >> i think that it is. down deep, we all want to. we all want to leave -- leave a legacy. we want to do more than just live. we want to make a difference while we are here. for some people, life is tough. how could i do more than put food on the table? one of the secrets in life that you have discovered, we really live a better

. >> 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 your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: i am pleased to welcome hugh laurie to this program. he continues his role on one of tv's most popular and you need from us, "house." the show does kick of it seventh season this week. airs every monday at 8:00 on fox. here now, a scene from "house." >> i want to move on, and i cannot. all i can think about is you. i just need to know if you and i can work. >> you think i can fix myself? >> i don't know. >> i am the most screwed up person in the world. i love you. i wish i didn't. but i cannot help it. tavis: here lari, good to have the on the program, sir. -- hugh laurie, a bit too heavy on the program. while the clip was playing, you have them turn the monitor around. you have a problem watching y

. >> 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 your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: u.s. special envoy george mitchell is on an emergency mission to rescue the latest efforts for peace in the region. i am joined from jerusalem by ethan bronner. thanks for your time, a bit too heavy on the program tonight, sir pitt >> is a pleasure to be here. tavis: let me start with the obvious, the thing that has raised this level of concern so high tonight on the scale. israel, on sunday, allowed the moratorium on jewish settlements being built in the west bank, that allow that moratorium to expire. let's start with that. why did they let it expire, knowing they are now in the midst of peace talks and it would do exactly what it has done now, which is to ratchet up the tension? >> i can give you

from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. geoffrey canada is the president and ceo of the harlem children's zone and he is the center of a new project. the sellout -- the film is a look at education in 20th- century america. the film is now open in select cities. "waiting for superman" is coming up right now. >> all i know is his name is james and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i am james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference, you help us all a better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. nationwide insurance is on your side. >> and by contributions from their pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. tavis: geoffrey canada is the ceo of the harlem tilden's zone. he is at the center of a wonderful new project from davis guggenheim called "waiting for superman." the film is a look at the state of public education in this country. >> one of the saddest days of my life was when my mother told me superman did not exist. i was a comic book readers. i read comic books. i love them. even in the death of

. >> 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 your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- tavis: winning of the award for lead actress in a comedy series, edie falco told the audience she was not funny. the former "sopranos" star took the emmy for a show that is sometimes funny and sometimes dark. >> i am off the clock. >> i don't mind. >> four minutes till brain damage. >> we need some help. >> i got it. [grunting] >> are you all right? tavis: fair to say this is a dark comedy? >> i think that is fair. [laughter] tavis: how the mix comedy with medicine? >> i just say the words. it is the riders that do it. tavis: what attracted you to it? >> i think jackie is funny. she is smart. she is strong. she is scary and complicated and unpre