Massachusetts Voters Head to the Polls

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Reports from the field indicate that in many polling places, Massachusetts voters are turning out in droves to cast ballots in the special election to fill Edward Kennedy’s senate seat. Democrat Martha Coakley and Republican Scott Brown are locked in a pitched battle that political pundits are calling a referendum on President Obama’s plans for health care reform, which hangs in the balance. We speak with Here and Now’s Monica Brady-Myerov.

Drug Official Calls for Treating Addiction like Chronic Illness

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We don’t use the phrase “War on Drugs” much these days. The new drug czar, Gil Kurlikowske, wants to shift the focus from the law enforcement to prevention and treatment. Both he and his second-in-command, A. Thomas McClellan, know about addiction. Both have family members who have struggled with it, and Dr. McLellan lost a son to addiction. We speak to Dr. McLellan about his work and research.

Haiti Day 7

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The latest from Haiti as thousands of people have queued up outside the U.S. Embassy desperate to leave, while thousands more continue to leave the capital. The BBC’s Matthew Price reports on the latest situation in and around Port au Prince.

• Here & Now’s Cristina Quinn visited a Haitian Church and met with relief organizers in Boston to see how people in the third largest Haitian community in the U.S. are responding to the crisis.  You can find her video below.

Private Firms Take up Rescue and Security Operations in Haiti

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Private search and rescue teams are operating in Haiti searching for specific people who are missing. We speak with Dan Richards of Global Rescue, one of the firms that’s in Haiti now.

• How to Help: Earthquake Relief for Haiti
• The number for Americans who are looking for information about family members in Haiti is 1-888-407-4747

A Conversation with Guitarist Julian Lage

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We reprise our conversation guitarist and composer Julian Lage. At the age of 21, he released his debut album “Sounding Point”, which has been nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz album.

Music from the show

• Dntel, “Last Songs”
• Christian McBride, “Theme for Kareem”
• Charles Mingus, “Open Letter to Duke”
• Clint Mansell, “Farewell”
• The Wee Trio, “Flint”
• Kar-Kar Madison, “Boubacar Traore”
• Freddie Hubbard, “Gibraltar”
• Julian Lage “All Purpose Beginning”
• Julian Lage “Familiar Posture”
• Julian Lage, Chris Thile, and Bela Fleck “The Informant”
• Julian Lage “Clarity”