taft. -- like of helen the life of helen taft. later, a conversation with supreme court justice ginsburg. >> helen taft was more ambitious about getting to the white house that her husband william howard taft and was willing to get personally involved with politics to get him elected. illness toe a series directly manage the white house, invited top classical musicians to perform their, and supported causes that matter to her. she also has one of the most visible legacies of all of the first ladies. trees thatcherry bring tens of thousands of visitors to washington every year. good evening and welcome to first ladies. the life of helen taft. her husband served in the white house. here to tell us about her life is her buyer for -- biographer lewis gould. you open the book by making the case that of the 20th century first ladies, she is the most of your that you say she deserves better from history. --my why she deserves better tell me why she deserves better. >> and she did things that were very constructive. the cherry trees, brin

taft adored him.when the break occurred he wrote letters every single day to his family which are absolute gold. he talks ,-com,-com ma it's the way we know how deep that rupture was especially for taft. he called them a puzzle with and a fat head. this relationship had been so strong. finally he was supposed to take a trip in the spring of 1912 before the nomination began to heat up. at the last minute when teddy threw his hat in the ring he said i can't go. i have to stay with taft. he needs me. he tells thaddeus canceled the shipping orders and taft says you have to go. now is your time to go. will be back when i really need you. he goes to europe and goes for four weeks and he comes back on the titanic. taft was stricken yet again. he felt like he was missing this man. this man as the ship titanic was going down was telling somebody who wrote a letter to taft said he had these letters that were in storage and he hoped maybe they would he remembered some day. they have been gold to biographers. >>

you would have thought that he would have seen that taft who he adored, thought taft had better personality he had not seen was that taft didn't like politics. you can't be president if you don't love it. teddy loved it every moment of every day. he couldn't wait to be in the center action. his daughter said he wanted to be the bride at the wedding and the course at the funeral and the baby at the baptism. all of the frustration that our modern presidents have, he would say, why, i love the presidency. and taft didn't like political fighting, didn't like to give speeches. he was -- he liked to be a deliberate person wanted to be on the court. that's what everybody said about fdr always a matter of temperament. >> dickerson: temperament question. you mentioned that president wilson was our on phd president now if you want to knock down candidate you call them academic, you suggest that they're detached. how did this man from the world of academia learn to use power, where did that come from? >> did he have a great gift that was oratory. possibly the greatest speaker of the day. he spoke as m

taft adored him.when the break occurred he wrote letters every single day to his family which are absolute gold. it's the way we know how deep that rupture was especially for taft. he recounted what taft was feeling is teddy started talking about him calling him a fathead. this relationship has been so strong. finally he was supposed to take a trip in the spring of 1912 before the nomination thing began to heat up. before teddy threw his hat in the ring he decided i can't go. i have to stay with taft. he needs me. he tells taft he has canceled his shipping orders and taft says you have to go. you will be back, don't worry, when i really need you. he goes to europe for about four weeks and comes back on the titanic and lost his life. taft was stricken yet again. everywhere he went he felt like he was missing this man. this man as the ship titanic was going down was telling somebody who wrote a letter to taft that he had these letters and he hoped maybe they would be remembered someday. they have been g

taft adored him. when the break occurred he wrote letters every day to his family which are absolute gold. and he talks the way we know how deep that was for especially for taft. he recounted what taft was feeling as teddy talking about. calling him a fat head. and the relationship was so strong and finally he was supposed to take a trip in the spring of 1912, before the nomination thing began to heat up, and then at the last minute when teddy threw his hat in the ring, i had -- he decided i can't go. i have to stay with taft. he needs me. he didn't want me to know but he tells taft he canceled the shipping order. and he said you have to go. you'll be back. he goes to europe, he goes for about four weeks, and he comes back on the titanic and lost his life. taft was stricken yet again. everywhere he went he felt like he was missing this man. and this man, as the ship titanic was going down, was telling somebody who wrote a letter to taft that he the letters in storage and hoped maybe they would be reme

what do you make of the taft name? why does the taft name mean so much in the republican party?>ion what's so interesting about that op-ed piece is that taft was obviously, by 1912, somewhat more conservative than roosevelt, and yet he still believed that government had a responsibility to ease the problems in the industrial age. he still believed that you had to break up the big trusts, that you needed food and drug legislation, that you needed to undo the railroad abuses. so the republican party at that time, under the leadership of both teddy and even taft, was beyond where it is today, which is a really interesting thing to contemplate. a hundred years ago, many of the problems the same as today, the gap between the rich and the poor, huge corporations eating up smaller ones, ordinary people having a gift time. unions just developing. and yet they had an answer. the collective will of the people had to deal with these problems. and they have to educate the country that was feeling like laissez-faire was a religious conviction. so it was an even harder thing then. but the dis

we will talk about the tafts later on, but really briefly, how did they know the taft?> they were social friends. i do not think edith cared for mrs. taft so much. they were friendly during t.r.'s presidency. it is during 1910, after taft shows his hand as president that hostilities break out. >> next is a call from alexander in indiana. hello. >> i have a question about theodore roosevelt. >> i'm happy to hear it. can you tell us how old you are? >> i'm 12 years old. >> have you studied theodore roosevelt in school already? >> no. i have wrote a paragraph about him. he is my favorite president. >> why? >> because i think he did a lot for this country. >> can you name one thing? >> he fought in the spanish- american war. >> what questions do you have about him? >> did he believe in god and jesus? >> thank you. >> yes, he was a devout christian. >> in fact, incorporating religion into edith's life, we talk about her religion and how it informed her life, she argued for applied christianity. she would urge her husband to think about how his policies affected the poor. she

and this is william howard taft at the white house in dc welder and orval and other members as well that where was signed in her signature is actually on the back of the photograph. in the last thing that i want to show you was very special to me and that was another diary and this is from 1912 and he recorded the death from typhoid fever and he was only 45 years old when he passed away in the middle of the fights. and when they were were still conducting this business. so this was such a tragedy for orval and the family as well. at 315 he passed away, age 45 years and a short life full of consequence and unfailing intellect, great self reliance and great modesty, pursue pursuing his life steadily. and this was on thursday, may the 30th. it's a very formal and emotional tribute to his son. and a few days later, he actu

. >> fan taft ec. >> go to our website. check out more baby pictures go to hashtag oregon room. you will see them all. >> we will be right back after local news and weather. >> first, kathie lee and hoda drinking up.

taft. -- like of helen the life of helen taft. later, a conversation with supreme court justice ginsburg.

. >> there was robert taft as the to 20th-century once but the biggest was john calhoun and to the free civil war era so his committee quickly decided on the top three end they had a longer debate and then yvette back at that point george norris was a progressive but then there was a thought it could be a filibuster so kennedy had to back off so even then there was a hint of of filibuster. >> host: what would you say was one of kennedy's substantive pieces of legislation? >> he was very active on labor issues. it was thus a huge issue at the time it was the issue that he mastered now understanding the nuances of the of labor law with that complex political battle but to give some marvelous speeches with the french involvement algeria and how that u.s. should try to re-emerge in the cold war. the most compelling person that i expected and of course, had great contemporaries. head with a scoop jackson did was an interesting time. >> host: what was the relationship with lead did john said? >> guest: i spent time at the kennedy library at his file was thick with letters asking for better co

adams, jefferson, monroe, abraham lincoln, william howard taft.s america ready for an official atheist to be president? pick out your favorite on that list and tell me what justifies you to say they had atheistic tendencies? >> we have a wonderful letter from jefferson to a favorite nephew in which he says question everything, even the existence of god. and if you come to not believe in him, you will do virtuous things for the good feelings it gives you and for the affection you get from other people. taft was called an atheist right at the turn of the 20th century. and he didn't deny it. he just kept going to unitarian church which was a pretty agnostic place. lincoln after he died, several of his closest companions including his wife said he had no faith or hope in any of the meanings that we think of today, that he never let it pass his lips he believed in anything about the christian theology. so really overall, i wrote a book called "doubt a history." which tells about a religion all over the world throughout history. and it shocked me how mu

but president taft signed is for ms. catherine way, with best wishes from william howard taft. her signatures on the back of the photographic the last thing i want to show you, very special, is another diary of their father. this diary is from 1912, and in this diary nelson is recording the death of wilbur from typhoid fever. wilbert was only 45 when he contracted typhoid and passed away in the middle of the patent fight. they were still conducting business and running the right company. so this is a tragedy for orville and the family. and he says this morning at 3:15 a.m. wilbur passed away, 45 years, one month and 14 days. a short life full of consequence and unfailing intellect, great self-reliance and great modesty, pursuing it steadily, he lived and died. many calls, many telegrams. this was on thursday, may 30, 1912. very formal, emotional tribute to his son. a few days later he writes with a lot of shake your hand, wilbur is dead and buried. we are all stricken. it does not seem possible that he is gone. probably orville and catherine field has lost the most. they say li

andas running against taft his predecessor teddy roosevelt who started the bull moose party. it helped wilson slide in the first time. the second time, it was one of the great collections of all times and it took weeks before final results were in. they were waiting for a few thousand ballots from california that made the difference. the end, a few thousand women votes. women had the vote in california but not in many other states .hat turned the tide for wilson wilson introduced so many progressive things, people wanted to put the brakes on. that is why presidents don't get to terms. they do too much, not always too little. a lot of people are concerned about the notion that we might not, for the for sea level future, see that kind of progressive president that we to see before the country needs it. >> i think he would fit in. tavis: could he sell to the american people? >> i think so. he had eloquent and integrity. we are not put into this world to sit still. we are put into this world to act. every now and then, we get some of these people that come along. wilson was one o

taft was called an atheist right at the turn of the 20th century. and he didn't deny it.g to unitarian church which was a pretty agnostic place. lincoln after he died, several of his closest companions including his wife said he had no faith or hope in any of the meanings that we think of today, that he never let it pass his lips he believed in anything about the christian theology. so really overall, i wrote a book called "doubt a history." which tells about a religion throughout history. and it shocked me how much this stuff comes and goes. there are periods of time where it seems impossible for atheists to coexist with religionists. but there have been many times when it's not. and for us we're just getting out of the cold war. it was much easier to be an american atheist out loud and proud in the first part of the 20th century. but with communist atheism, there began to be a treasonist sense to the idea of atheism. everything got kind of shut down, and that's when in the '50s god went on the money and god went in the pledge. but ever since the soviet union fell and th

here been inside the white house first under the taft administration and then shortly, taft introduced him to his successor wilson and pretty soon after the inauguration, wilson's sister fell down and grayson treated her and did a good job. and he was a virginian which went a long way with the wilson's. he was the white house physician. he was the one who treats him. they called in various consultant specialists, but grayson was the one who treated wilson. >> what was the extent of his condition? how badly had the stroke affected him? >> he had a blockage in an artery leading to his brain and this is usually not a fatal stroke, but it did immobilize him for a while. he probably would have recovered fairly rapidly had he not 10 days later suffered a second medical condition. he had prostate trouble and he had a urinary tract infection with a very high fever. of course they didn't have antibiotics at that time, they debated whether to operate, but the specialist felt that to operate on a 52-year-old man with high blood pressure and a stroke would have been very unwise. so they just decid

members of the air club that signed this from catherine wright with best wishes of william howard taft and her signature is on the back of the photograph. the last thing i want to show you, very special, is another diary of their father, this diary is -- from 1912 and in this diary nelson is recording the death of wilbur from typhoid fever. he was only 45 years old when he contracted typhoid and passed away in the middle of the patent fight. the wrights were still conducting business and running the wright company, this was a tragedy for orville and the family and milton wright this morning at 3:15, wilbur passed away age 45 years, one month and 14 days. a short life full of consequence, and unfailing intellect, in terrible temper, great self-reliance and great modesty, pursuing it steadily, he lived and died. many calls, many telegrams. this was thursday, may 30th, 1912. very formal emotional tribute to his friend. a few days later mills and actually writes a lot shakier hand, wilbur is dead and buried, we are all stricken. it does not seem possible that he is gone. probably orville a

something special to walk away with the gold medal. >> reporter: in bed force, mass marks jessica taft >> all right, jessica thanks so much. as you all know, jonathan the closer we get to the olympics a lot of more interest in sports like this, figure skating all those things come in to play, don't forget the luge. >> it's all coming. i can't wait. thanks, mark. >> sure. >>> still ahead on al jazerra america, astronauts repairing the space station and space walk mission was over sooner than expected. plus it's an ace mag show of technology, robots are being put to the test in miami. we'll have more on that when we come back. >> i think that there is evidence that if you have interactions with pharmaceutical companies, it does impact -- and there's actually pretty good studies based -- that have looked at physician prescribing patterns and interactions with big pharma. i think one of the luxuries i have is i'm in academic medicine, and we have a policy that we don't interact with pharmaceutical companies. so i hope that gives me a better perspective. and i think a lot of these doctors a

regarding wilson, taft, and roosevelt? ? thank you. >> go ahead. >> well, -- 900,000 votes. >> he if mighty well. he was extremely important. i think he was more than just paprika in the big stew of that election. which was a really fascinating -- you know, there was an election really of ideas. and there was so much progressivism in the air. it becomes extremely important in wilson's life later on. he's one of the people who will be arrested under the wilson law, the alien and is and sedition laws. he was delivering the speech said i know i'm going to be arrested for this. and now i'll tell you. i have gone through the feature -- speech he gave. i keep looking for the sedition. i can't find it. he was basically telling the people some workers that this was a capitalist war, and that they did not have to be cannoned toker in it. and for that, he was arrested. he was put in jail, he was found guilty and went to the supreme court. they came down against him 9-0. he was in prison. it will tell you a lot about wilson. the war is

she examines theodore roosevelt and william howard taft and next is charles krauthammer and his estate, things that matter. you can watch this at booktv.org. and l.a. sun is number five on the bestsellers list followed by mark help earn with double down on the 2012 presidential election. and also the young lady who fought for education and stood up against the taliban. number eight, the book empty mansions followed by bill o'reilly and martin daugaard's take on the murder of jesus of nazareth and killing jesus. and let's explore diabetes and a collection of essays by david taveras. >> linda robinson is next. she talks about the role of u.s. special operations forces in the world today and argues that they will be this countries primarily sole military force. this is about one hour. .. who

reporting from manhattan, jessica taft, al jazeera. >>> coming up the neighborhood of watts in south.a. is pretty touch but another side shows an incredible collection of murals. as we go to break here's antipa -- anti-apartheid leader nelson mandela in his own words. >> never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will have the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world. the sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement. let freedom ring. god bless africa. i thank you. the anger all one sided? i hear rumblings from the people who cover the heat that the heat are not in love with players in the payer side, there is real hate here. >> there better be. they can really mess it up for them. when they dislike there, yeah, i think there is dislike but they've got the bravado. they got their chests out. it's still their game. but that's where the home court advantage is important, this game is important because miami used game seven to advance to the championship. they don't get one tonight, i mean, they don't get one

he nominated taft in 1912. so he is the alternative. in that year, the alternative to wilsonism wins. >> the hardings' personal trajectory came from small-town marion, ohio, where they were publishers of the newspaper. give us a short history of publishing a newspaper to national politics. >> yes, thank you so much. the "marion star" was a small paper when harding required it. he made it into a much more successful paper other time, thanks to the efforts of his wife, flarns. florence harding and he, we'll talk later about how they met but for the point of the discussion, how they got to 1920, she was a key element here. what happens is, they are working in the newspaper and it's going very well but it's a little dull for her. she'd like to see him get involved in other things. he does go on the circuit, he was a very good speaker. she thought he could go for bigger things. so he did. he ran for state senate, elected two times in ohio. tried to go further than that with a lieutenant governor. later ran for governor, was not successful bu

jess can taft is here now with big news. >> the florida state quarterback will not been charged. the ruling comes nearly a year after he was accused of raping a woman. they said there wasn't enough evidence to convict the quarterback. and jonathan martin is set to meet with the investigator for a second time regarding hazing accusations. martin left the team and is recently put on the noninjury list. >> still ahead, the u.s. security council approve as peace keeping force, to help end the violence in central africa republic. and how pittsburgh is transforming itself from steel city to tech city. using the day to to track possible regulars with nonterrorrists. pope front sis has formed an expert panel, one of the pan themes main duties will be to make the screening process for new priests much stricter. the prime minister of central africa republic is welcoming french military in the country. the decision was made just hours after chaos broke out. gun fights have spilled out into the streets of ban gi. it's president was ousted last march, today the u.n. security council approved

the task of cleaning that fabric, the inmates, falls squarely on 18 inmates who work in the laundry taftl james. >> we operate eight to ten hours a day. different things. fight, stabbings, a lot of stuff goes on here in santa rosa. it's a level 6 facility. >> some of the worst laundry comes from the los management units. >> violent inmates back there. you know what they're capable of. it's just a place you don't want to be. trouble with inmates, all in one building. >> the most hazardous laundry is washed separately from all the rest. >> these yellow bag, the ones that come in what we do, usually don't open them until we stick them into the machine. you know? this is daily. the blood and stuff from cutters and suicide. >> armando doctor, the close management one inmate recently contributed to the latest load of yellow bag laundry when he deliberately cut himself inside his cell. the damage was so severe, he need add transfusion to replace the blood he lost. two days later, he's cut again. >> bleed out there on the floor. appears inmate doctor has a self-inflicted injury to his left arm.

eleanor he was out of office four years and pushed into office with one of his cronies william howard taft that proved to be a disappointment he was more interested in the business community and theodore decided he wanted to run again. the party did not want him to read was against tradition to run a third term but he broke from the party and forms the progressive party he was asked about his health and his condition and he said ims strong as a bull moose and that was the mascot. the bull moose party in the republican party split the vote will send only one with 41 percent in 1912 but he won. then he had to find a cabinet. you look for your political cronies and give them positions. a newspaper publisher wanted to be postmaster general because they're required very little work and gave the opportunity to appoint postmaster's all over the country to give you a lot of political clout. he said i am sorry but there is someone else i will make postmaster general but there is a job open for years -- for you as secretary of the navy. he knew no naval terms and had never sailed to north carolina w

pulpit written by historian doris kearns goodwin, focusing on the relationship between roosevelt and taft. booktv covered an event you can watch online. number seven is human miracles and the author provides advice for spiritual healing and empowerment. and the guinness world records 2014, it is number eight. the latest book from malcolm gladwell. you can see the book at booktv.org. finally, at number 10, sarah palin, good times and great joy, which highlights the importance of great values during the holiday season and these are some of the best-selling nonfiction books according to "the wall street journal." >> peter arnett and julie jacobson talk about the associated press and the photographic history of the vietnam war and the state of war photography today. the book vietnam, the real war, includes 300 photographs by photographers. >> hello, thank you for coming on tonight. i was a child during the vietnam war and living in turkey when my dad was reporting for the armed forces radio. he remembers the war much more vividly than i do. but for both my father's generation and for my gener

. >> i'm jessica taft.g up in sports, we look ahead to one of the most intriguing matchups of week 17 in the nfl. >> in case you didn't know it, today is the day before christmas and we've got a live picture of the neighborhood in brooklyn new york where that house is clearly in the christmas spirit with some festive decorations and candy contains on the lawn. >> good morning, everybody. welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm david shuster. the obama administration is giving people a one day extension to sign up for health insurance under the affordable care act. those looking to register have until the end of today to complete the on line forms needed in order to be covered by january 1. in south sudan, the united is sending an additional 150 marines to help evacuate americans pinned down by the increasing violence there. the u.n. court council is set to vote today whether to double the number of troops in the war torn country. >> in egypt, several explosions at the local police headquarters in the city ha

robert taft with the candidate of the traditional republican. basted eisenhower, and let you run in the republican party will take over and will be handed the isolations the victors that you want in europe with a great cause during the war will be undone. that's what god grant into politics. >> my question is for john. your book deals with a long period of time and kind of behind the scenes of history and politics. i was wondering what percentage of across in your research and work that most surprised you or intrigue you? and also, what event that perhaps is not very well-known? >> the girlfriends. [laughter] but maybe that's not surprising. it's often been said about john hay backing everybody in the gilded age -- that he knew everybody in the gilded age of the presidents, the major robber barons, every significant author, mark twain, william dean howells, who wrote the first significant review of portrait of a lady for his great friend, henry james. and i guess the point is he wasn't collecting friends so much as they were collecting him. and

. >> there was robert taft and the 220th century ones. and he is the great triumvirate of the civil war. his committee decided en masse and kennedy would prefer a man by the name of george wants to be the leading progressive. there were some that could save you want when the filibuster that. so he had to filibuster that and there were some subtle heads and transients about. >> what would you say is one of his most substantive pieces of legislation in the senate? >> he was very active in labor issues and chairman of the labor subcommittee that he really does entail and he was a huge issue and he mastered it at the time. and he understood this better than anyone. and so it was part of foreign policy. and this includes algeria, and the whole battle with the soviet union and how the u.s. should try to emerge in the cold war. so he was interesting. and he was a more compelling person than i expected and had some great contemporaries and he worked with people like richard russell and it was a really interesting time with some great senators. >>

although there was a very strong conservative current running through the country with mccarthy and bob taft from ohio and so on, a lot of the young people who came back from that war were very much in the jet stream with arthur about what liberalism should and do because they had been witness, obviously, and they were fighting in europe and japan about what happens when it goes the other way. so there was an entirely different climate about the place of liberals. in 15 seconds i'll tell you the story i was just telling stephen. right after the war, our family moved to a are remote part of south dakota where they built this enormous hydroelectric dam in the middle of nowhere at extraordinary expense and changed the lives of everybody who went through there. the first can kids who were going to college, went to work there, they're now coming back at doctors and engineers and other things. and that was very much a part of the currents that were running through america in those days. i especially want to say something just to -- about the importance of historians who get out and touch and feel

winter's at the foster manchin next to you dupont circle fair their grabby dinner every night with his taft common cleveland, wilson, a carnegie, they were the dinner partners at 10 years old. of course, they did not participate in the conversation but they've sort -- absorbed so much and it was a trading to join the american eats. but alan dulles who started attending the dinners when he was eight years old had a wonderful have it it is interesting he became that head of the cia after dinner was over he would go upstairs invite a little report about what he thought everybody at the dinner. but only what they said but what he thought they really meant. [laughter] so he was already into psychology. he later wrote in fact, the fishing trips were very influential fourth to push him towards a career that he calf in covert action because you catch the fish you play him and drove him and reel him in until it gets to the point he is almost grateful to be caught. this is what he took from his fishing trips going to the highest levels of care can be leached at a young age. later in the dulles brothe

for the conservative they chose robert taft to have passed away, a stalwart republican senator from ohio. when it came to the progress of there were decisions. kennedy very much wanted to select george norris, a very kind of aggressive, popular senator from nebraska. but the current senator from nebraska had had some run-in's and said, you're not going to select him. in fact he wrote a letter was looks an awful lot like a threat of a filibuster if kennedy actually went forward and suggest to him. and also styles bridges was on the committee. so they ended up doing -- choosing robert from wisconsin. so this was a project that -- and it was interesting for me to just read the paper work, try to piece together the deliberations of the committee and just see the kind of inquisitive, thoughtful aspect of kennedy. he was writing letters, some of his friends who are historians trying to get there sense of things. it was something that he just really, really loved. i think his work on a solidified his reputation as kind of this sentence, you know, and house historian. i think it was also very po

. >> jessica taft joins us now with sports.ory that is warms the heart this time of year. >> absolutely. as much money as athletes make, you love when you see them give it back. john kidna played for the seahawks, bengals, lions and cowboys, but didn't start the season on the dallas roster. with tony romo's injury likely taking him out of sunday's whipper take all game against the eagles, he will be back in the big d. and not forgetting those he left behind. >> when former quarterback john kitna found out he was returning to dallas as a backup, he decided to put his money where his heart is, in the classroom. he will donate his game check to lincoln high school in at a coma washington where he has been a math teacher since retiring from the nfl in 2011. >> john's a very generous person. we're in the weight room he and his wife donated to the school. >> he has been teaching where his son is a quarterback. now he is making a quick return to the big stage. >> i run the high school scout team, so, you know i keep throwing and worki

for the conservative they chose robert taft to have passed away, a stalwart republican senator from ohio. when it came to the progress of there were decisions. kennedy very much wanted to select george norris, a very kind of aggressive, popular senator from nebraska. but the current senator from nebraska had had some run-in's and said, you're not going to select him. in fact he wrote a letter was looks an awful lot like a threat of a filibuster if kennedy actually went forward and suggest to him. and also styles bridges was on the committee. so they ended up doing -- choosing robert from wisconsin. so this was a project that -- and it was interesting for me to just read the paper work, try to piece together the deliberations of the committee and just see the kind of inquisitive, thoughtful aspect of kennedy. he was writing letters, some of his friends who are historians trying to get there sense of things. it was something that he just really, really loved. i think his work on a solidified his reputation as kind of this sentence, you know, and house historian. i think it was also very po

taft came to call. the first ladies were very supportive of each other. >> what was their inauguration like? >> it was a little bit tense. it was ruined by the vice president who took the opportunity to berate the senate for blocking legislation and making everything so difficult. coolidge found that very unseemly and was disappointed. he thought his vice president dawes lacked discipline. he himself had served only the president and given a very short inaugural address when he was vice president. it was a day that wasn't as happy as they expected it to be. >> did they have an inaugural ball and a parade? >> i'm thinking not. he ball was cancelled the time the ball quass canceled. and that was one of the things, what shall we wear, there won't e an inaugural ball. . >> we do have this wonderful photograph and used on the front over and it is grace and president coolidge traveling together and what seems to be iconic is the expression on both of their faces, the president looking very serious and grace l

discussion with doris kearns goodwin author of "the bully pulpit" theodore roosevelt, william howard taftat great introduction and welcome to this great book fair now in its 30th year. let's hear it for at wardrobe

it is fan taft ec.also ahead, one of our all time favorite phenomenal actors. one of the greatest and most versatile guys, john goodman is in the house. >> don't forget to head to today.com for the first orange room award. the most memorable viral moments, the pet of the year and digital standoff. >> we are collecting toys on the plaza. this is matthew schuller from "the voice." good morning to you. >> it's a pleasure to see you. >> this guy holds the record for the fastest four chair turn in blind audition history. he sang the blind you a dichlths all four chairs turned around in less than a second. >> christina made such an impassioned plea for you last night. so many people believe in your talent. >> i am honored. christina aguilera, she is an amazing artist and she taught me so much. >> sometimes when someone like you comes on the show and you have been sent home, we feel sorry. i am looking at you, you have a no. 1 song online in terms of a video. you are still in college. what do you plan to do? >

as we head into the afternoon expect upper 50s low 60s with a bit of a warming trend on taft as a cushion highlighted here 7 day around the bay forecast and talk about the potential for record- breaking warmth. ball by next thursda keeping an eye on the weather and the air quality around the bay area. joining us live is kron four's jackie sissel, he's in the oakland hills this morning. san rafael bank robbery vo sub-oncam vo a bank heist and police chase ends with shots fired at a north bay shopping mall. the suspect is now under arrest and in the hospital recovering from surgery. the robbery happened yesterday morning at a novato bank of the west. this is vidoe from out helicopter partnership with abc 7 news. police say the suspect gave the teller a note and asking for cash. then fled in a sliver saturn. the suspect lead authorities on a chase down 101 which ended here. when the driver crashed into a pole by the northgate shopping center. and the suspect took off running. it is unclear if this person, only described as a white male, fired back at deputies. officials are still trying to d

>> well, there was robert taft and robert -- [inaudible] were the two 20th century ones. but the big ones were john calhoun, daniel webster, henry clay, the great triumvirate of the pre-civil or war era. so kennedy's committee quickly decided on the top three, webster, clay, calhoun. they had a longer debate on the next two, and even back at that point kennedy would prefer a gentleman by the fame of george norris -- by the name of george norris, but there were some hint that is the nebraska senators might filibuster, so he had to back off. even back then there were some subtle hints of filibusters in the senate. >> what would you say was one of president ken pity's most substantive pieces of legislation in the senate. >> well, he was very activity on labor issues, and that was the one domestic issue that he really, really dug into. it was a huge issue back at the time. it was the one maybe domestic issue he mastered, and even his contemporaries said he understood the nuances of labor law better than anyone. it just seems he got caught in a complex kind of political battle

over the veto of president truman, republicans pushed through the taft/hartley act, a comprehensive bill that cut a broad range of union activity off at the knees. since the beginning of a long enralphing of federal labor law that weakened service sector unions in particular. as big box stores and malls spread out, union workers became even harder. fast-forward to today, one in 20 retail workers is represented by a union. the laws protecting workers rights are so rarely enforced that more and more we're seeing workers taking to the streets. trying to win support from the public, from community leaders, from lawmaker, from anyone they can, they try to win back some of the power and protections they once had. i want to bring in josh barrow, politics editor for business insider, salasie at the national employment law project, theresa gellar duchet, at the new school, and richard wilson, employee working at a walmart in chicago for over two years, he's also a member of our walmart, an organization that supports workers there. and i should point out i've been talking with and working with som

as the quote from taft -- mark twain had one. other people's problems or vices -- this is insanity. host: what would be a solution in your view? caller: legalize all drugs. you do not have to advertise them. why are we putting human beings in cages? host: you're talking about all drugs? caller: right. methamphetamines were the most prescribed drugs in the 50's. the most drug addicted segment of american society is middle-aged women. look at the blacks who go to jail. they make up 13% of the population. 13% of illegal drug users. 74% are incarcerated. you can look at the 2010 act -- 52% of crack users are white. 38% are black. 88% of those incarcerated are black. host: you seem to have a good knowledge of this. is this a topic that has been of interest? caller: i have been studying it for years. the stat that got me was the one i just told you about the blacks. host: margie is in leavenworth, kansas. caller: good morning and happy new year. i'm glad you asked this question. i think that the war on drugs succeeded greatly. they got what they wanted. capitalized punishment in our count

jessica taft with more. >> when jim abbot pitched a new-hitter against the cleveland incidentens, he did more than just cement himself in baseball history. the yankees pitcher born without his right hand became an inspiration for those who thought having a disability meant they couldn't go after their dreams. >> i don't know if i can put into words all that baseball has meant to me on a number of different levels. it just provides a wonderful message to people, that it doesn't matter how you do it, it matters if you can do it. >> 20 years later, joe rogers, a senior hockey player at notre dame looks back on that no hitter and the message. he was born without the use of his right hand. when rogers met his idol, there was an instant connection. >> when i was 16, i was invited to an awards banquet where he was receiving a lifetime achievement award. it was crazy to see my childhood idol right before my eyes. i shook his hand and talked you with him for a while. seemed like i was the only person in the room even though we were surrounded by lots of other people. >> even though it's prese

. >> we know the train has been going taft.sident that biden is in japan, working to smooth tensions between that country and the china, complain in a claiming rights over the islands in the east china sea and the japan doing the say. we've seen war a words and military planes flying over thized. coming up, we talk with an expert on the region on what the vice president will be able to accomplish during his time overseas. >> imagine being stopped by the police more than 200 times. this is what happened to one florida man. he's been dealing with this for the last four years and now his employer wants to take action over what he says amount to say able profiling. we'll have that story coming up, too. >> data recorders show that a commuter train was traveling 82 miles an hour just moments before it derailed. it is almost three times the speed limit for the curved section of track where the train derailed just outside new york city. right now, workers are using heavy equipment to lift the trains back on the track. once finished, tr

>> el, there was robert taft and robert concern. [inaudible] were the two 20th century ones.but the big ones were john calhoun, daniel webster, henry clay. the great triumvirate of the pre-civil war era. so kennedy's committee quickly decided on the top three, webster, clay, calhoun. they had a longer debate on the next two, and even back at that point kennedy would prefer a gentleman by the name of george -- [inaudible] to be the leading progressive, but there was some hint that the nebraska senators might filibuster, so kennedy had to back off. so even back then there were some subtle hints of filibusters and delays in the senate. >> what would you say was one of president kennedy's most substantive pieces of legislation in the senate? >> well, i would say two things. first of all, he was very active on labor issues. he was the chairman of a labor subcommittee, and that was the one domestic issue that he really, really dug into. it was a huge issue back at the time. he mastered it. it was the one maybe domestic issue he mastered, and even his contemporaries said that he und

. >> winter olympics just around the corner, 49 days to be exact, jessica taft counting each and every day. >> it's getting cold, that's how i know it's getting close. the countdown is on. for american bobsled driver steven holcomb, it wasn't the something he knew he would compete for. >> steven holcomb has been competing since 1988, struck gold also the driver of the four man team in vancouver in 2010. it was the first such win for the americans since 1948. the win was particularly sweet for holcomb, who had to overcome a rare eye disease before his gold medal dreams could come into focus. >> i had a degenerative eye disease, a slow thinning of the cornea, causing them to bulge out. you slowly go blind over time. everything was goal well and taking off, it just caused isolation. i with drew and fell into a deep depression, then when it finally hit rock bottom. >> to say he hit rock bottom is an understatement, as he struggled with his vision and with keeping his disability a secret, the gregarious bobsledder with drew from friends and family, even tried to take his own life. >> you'd

jessica taft is joining us now for a look back at the year in sports. >> it's amazing the year in sportschange the land scape of sports as we know with all the headlines. one is including that groundbreaking moment when n.b.a. player publicly announced he was gay, becoming the first male in a major sport to do so in this country. here are other moments we won't likely forget. >> from lance armstrong coming clean about cheating to manti te'o discovering his girlfriend neve existed, sports moved from the back page to the front page and story lines turned serious with an incident at oscar pretoria's house. >> he he has been arrested. >> the man who overcame his handicap to rocket to fame shot and killed his girlfriend in the dead of night. he claimed he thought she was a burglar. he will stand trial in march. >> boston's big evidence event were shaken by explosions that killed three and injured 180. after the alleged bombers were hunted down, boston's pro sports team led the way in really aing a shaken city. soon, it would be another boston athlete dominating the headlines. >> aaron hernand

. >> fan taft tick. >> his story first aired on "nightly news." we talked about it on "today."g i don't need any more donations, this is great. he would like those fwundz funds to go to all organizations to people who are blind. >> so others may benefit from his unfortune. >> we are happy, those two need to be together. clearly t. dog saved his life. they should be inseparable. >> a great ending. we are so happy. we suspected that would happen t. american people stepped up. >> it's the holidays, 'tis the season, right? >> a lot of people are talking about this morning "duck dynasty," that largely popular show in doubt. phil robertson for comments he made about homosexuality. phil robertson called homosexuality sinful. he said, quote, just morph out from there the bestiality the male prostitutes the drunkards, they will not inherit the kingdom of god. >> he said much more than that. >> the fact that i don't think there is any doubt the show is in any jeopardy. they have already taped the fourth season. it's airing now. i don't think a & e will pull the show off the air. >> barba