Friday, February 28 – Friday, March 7

This week, President Obama unveiled his new “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative at an event held at the White House. The program pairs foundations and corporations with young men of color in an effort to help them reach their full potential. Garance Franke-Ruta, the Washington editor for Yahoo! News, joins us to discuss the details of the new initiative.

Organizations like the Gates Foundation, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund are intended to support fledgling economies and help end global poverty. But are these “experts” doing more harm than good in poor countries? New York University economics professor William Easterly raises the question in his new book, “The Tyranny of Experts: Economists, Dictators, and the Forgotten Rights of the Poor”.

Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden’s legacy extends far beyond the basketball court. His true legacy is that he was a great life coach. Sportswriter Woody Woodburn had extensive contact with Wooden and shares the wisdom that Wooden shared with him in a new book, “Wooden & Me: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help ‘Make Each Day Your Masterpiece”‘.

In his 3-minute sports drill, George Johnson offers his take on an NFL committee’s proposal to implement a 15-yard penalty against players who use racial and homophobic slurs on the field.

Nick Moss and Michael Ledbetter are top-tier Chicago blues singers and guitarists—and it’s something of a miracle that they share the stage at all, considering the life-changing experiences they both had as teenagers. Moss seemed destined for a life in sports. As a high school athlete, he was being recruited by colleges for his talent in wrestling and football. Ledbetter was already making music in his teens, but making his mark in opera, not blues. Today, they lead The Nick Moss Band, and they join us to share their latest project, “Time Ain’t Free”.

The implications of the uprising in Ukraine that drove out a notoriously corrupt government and forced its ousted president to go into hiding are potentially dire. However, there’s also the potential that, when the dust clears, Ukraine will emerge with new hope for a bright future. Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, helps examine the issues confronting the Eastern European country.

Stokely Carmichael made history one night in 1966 when he stepped onto a Mississippi stage and called for “Black Power.” Neither his life nor the civil rights movement would be the same after that speech. Peniel E. Joseph, a history professor at Tufts University, offers a revealing portrait of the controversial and charismatic activist in his new biography, “Stokely: A Life”.

If you’re in the market for a car, there are plenty of makes and models to choose from at a wide range of prices. Some people pick the best-looking cars; others choose based on gas mileage or engine power. Everyone wants the best bang for their buck. This week, for our regular segment, “Five Things You Should Know About…”, Phil Reed, senior consumer advice editor at Edmunds.com, offers five tips on buying a car.

In 1922, a 21-year-old trumpeter from New Orleans named Louis Armstrong boarded a train to Chicago, where he hoped to find his big break in the music business. Over the next decade, he made his mark, not by finding his big break in music, but by, in effect, breaking music. Armstrong’s talent and virtuosity broke all the established rules of the industry. Thomas Brothers, a music professor at Duke University, describes Armstrong’s work and influence in a new book, “Louis Armstrong: Master of Modernism”.