I have reluctantly taken the plunge and created a Twitter account (twitter.com/ktlafbuckley). I did it a week ago and my initial feeling is Facebook (where I'm FJ Buckley) is better, but we'll see. I don't spend a ton of time on Facebook and I doubt I'll spend a ton of time on Twitter, but I do hope it'll help me to stay connected with you and what's on your mind. I'm also hoping it'll help me to keep you informed about the show on a more regular basis.

If you saw me giving away the Mystery Office Prize on the air this morning and wondered what the heck it was about, here's the background. On the Morning News yesterday, the Cyberguy was on with us and suggested that I give a gift to a new "follower" (Don't like that word, by the way. I don't see myself as a follower, do you?). Anyway, I said on the air that I would give a "Mystery Office Gift" (something from my office) to one new follower. Hundreds of folks started following and I decided to pick one of the first to sign up--a MrsLowell as she's known on Twitter. Mrs. Lowell is a teacher who was recently married, according to her Twitter bio. So here's what she won:

* A cheesy signed publicity shot of yours truly (signed to her students)

* A CNN lapel pin

* A green tea packet (I drink green tea during the shows)

* A Peace Corps calendar

* A KTLA keychain

* A book from a onetime Morning News guest (Peter Scott) "There's a Spouse in My House: A Humorous Journey Through the First Years of Marriage"

* A computer mouse with Michaela's picture and my picture embossed on it (provided in a segment by Lawrence Zarian)

We had a little fun with it. Thanks to all of you who are now following my tweets. I better go now because I've got to go write a new one.

Kobe Bryant finally allowed himself a smile, allowed himself some joy last night in the closing minutes of the Lakers win against Orlando in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Did you see how high he jumped as the final buzzer sounded? He wasn't the only person jumping for joy last night. Lakers fans everywhere went crazy as the Lakers won their 15th NBA title. Unfortunately, a few (described accurately by LAPD Chief William Bratton as "knuckleheads") went a little too crazy setting bonfires, engaging in vandalism and chucking rocks and bottles at police officers. At least 25 people were arrested.

Four years ago this month, I was in Tehran to cover the election. All eyes were on Iran as reform-minded candidates for president promised change if elected. There was great anticipation in the U.S. that maybe this might be a pivot point in our relationship with Iran. In some ways, it was. Things got worse.

A little-known, conservative, former mayor of Tehran who wasn't on the radar of any of the pundits surged to victory and won the election.Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's belligerent and provocative statements about the U.S. and Israel since his election have dashed the hopes of those who were eager for a new chapter in U.S.-Iran relations. 

(In this picture, I'm reporting from in front of the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days)

 I was among the many correspondents in Iran who were stunned at Ahmadinejad's victory. I was also upset that I'd missed out on the opportunity to interview him. Days before the election, I'd been offered an interview but it conflicted with another interview we were doing. The conventional wisdom was Ahmadinejad didn't have a shot of winning. In fact, when we were offered the interview I said: "We can interview who?" And so, in one of the greatest tactical blunders of my career, I turned it down. Days later, this long shot "nobody" was a big somebody. 

I'm watching President Obama from our news set as he speaks right now from the National Archives Museum. He is talking about why he has ordered the end to so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques" like water-boarding and why he has ordered the closing of the Guantanamo Bay prison camp. Are these long overdue decisions that will ultimately make us safer or politically-motivated decisions that will make us less safe?

President Obama says in his speech that the decisions to allow torture and to open a prison camp that permits America to keep terror suspects behind bars indefinitely without trial were "hasty decisions" "motivated by a sincere desire to protect the American people." But he says they were not consistent with our values as Americans.

On the "enhanced interrogation" techniques, he says: "...they undermine the rule of law. They alienate us in the world. They serve as a recruitment tool for terrorists, and increase the will of our enemies to fight us, while decreasing the will of others to work with America. They risk the lives of our troops by making it less likely that others will surrender to them in battle, and more likely that Americans will be mistreated if they are captured."

What are your thoughts? We'll read some of your comments on our news at 1PM.

I've been looking forward to tonight's Dodgers game against the San Francisco Giants because I'm taking my sons and my dad. Three generations of Buckley Boys hanging out at the ballpark is a special occasion in our family. It was to be the one game this season all of us were going to be together at Chavez Ravine to see the Dodgers play. Part of our excitement was looking forward to seeing Manny Ramirez on the field. Now, of course, we won't. I'm disappointed about that and I'm disappointed for the thousands of fans who once again have been let down by a professional athlete.

President Obama spoke this morning at Georgetown University on the economy. "There is no doubt that times are still tough, the president said. "But from where we stand, for the very first time, we are beginning to see glimmers of hope. And beyond that, way off in the distance, we can see a vision of an America's future that is far different than our troubled economic past."

That's President Obama's take on the economy. What's yours?

As I prepared to drive in to work this morning in the pre-dawn darkness, I saw a middle-aged couple in a pickup truck sorting through the recycling bin of a neighbor. I tend to be Old Man Buckley in moments like these--worried they might be trying to find credit card bills in an attempt at identity-theft. I thought about asking what they were up to. But as I looked closer, it was clear to me these folks were just going through the trash to try to make a few extra bucks. My concern turned to sadness. It has to be a pride-swallowing moment when one reaches into someone else's trash with hopes of finding a can or a bottle to turn in to a recycling center. I wonder if that couple sees a glimmer of hope?

The government comes out with new figures each week that provide snapshots of the economy. Some suggest we're moving in the right direction (home sales and home-building), others are discouraging (retail sales, auto sales). But at the end of the day, each of us has our own human story of how we're living in this economy. Some of us are blessed and doing just fine. Others are struggling. Maybe some of you are even experiencing a boom.

I witnessed one snapshot of one story this morning. What are you seeing and experiencing?

I'm back on the job this morning after a few days of vacation. (To those of you who started to wonder in your posts, no, I'm not going anywhere!) I was in North Carolina for an annual golf trip with some buddies. My flight from LAX took me through Newark International Airport where I was scheduled to connect to a flight to Norfolk, Virginia. From there, I would drive to the Outer Banks to meet up with my pals. Newark was bogged down in fog and rain and aircraft were stacked up as we approached. We circled for about an hour and finally landed late. I rushed through the terminal to make my connection, only to learn the flight was delayed for two hours. I'm as human as anyone and was fully prepared to be aggravated by it all, but I know I'm blessed in these trying times to even be able to take a vacation. So as I settled in with a beer at an airport bar, March Madness basketball on the TV, I decided not to sweat it and to just take it all in as part of my vacation experience. I'm not usually a sit-at-the-bar kind of guy, but on this particular night, I'm glad I was. I had great company--a cheerful British bartender, a bunch of fellow stranded passengers, and a U.S. Army soldier on leave from Ft. Irwin-- a young man who had recently returned from Iraq. The soldier was enroute to Florida for some well-deserved R and R. It was great to see how folks treated him--with respect and gratitude. This fellow wasn't permitted to buy a drink for himself, and it certainly wasn't the kind of ugly scene sometimes encountered by our troops returning from another unpopular war in a place called Vietnam. As we nursed our beers, we talked about the basketball game, about Barstow, about the life awaiting the soldier when he leaves the Army this summer. But as we sat there laughing and talking, I couldn't help but wonder about his experiences in Iraq. I wondered if it was O.K. to ask him about it. I decided not to ask. He's on leave. He deserves a break from talking about the war. I have no right to go there, I said to myself. But as if he was reading my mind, he suddenly brought it up. "Check this out," he said. The soldier turned to show me the back of his head where a square of hair was missing, a scar in its place. "I got hit by an IED," he said quite cheerfully. The young man went on to tell me he was in a vehicle that hit a roadside bomb. They were then ambushed by insurgents who hit them with small arms fire. The American soldiers fought them off and it was only then that this soldier fell over and passed out. Shrapnel had torn through his helmet and lodged in his skull. Fortunately, it stopped there and surgeons were able to remove it. "Everyone else pull through O.K.?" I asked. I knew it was the wrong thing to say as soon as the words left my mouth. "One of the guys died," he said matter-of-factly. He said it as if he didn't want to burden me with the news. I felt horrible knowing I'd ask him to relive it. I apologized for his loss. We carried on talking about his plans for the future, about the good times he was looking forward to in the days ahead in Florida. When I learned my flight delay was now a flight cancellation, I decided to check in to an aiport hotel until morning. I shook the soldier's hand and thanked him for his service. As I sat in my hotel room later, I thought about that soldier. I wondered if his war experiences would affect him in a negative way in the years ahead. I hope he'll have the support of his friends and family and the Army to get through it if they do. Meeting the soldier also reminded me of the great life I enjoy and sometimes take for granted. It made me feel, believe it or not, grateful that my flight was cancelled. I was grateful I had a chance to share some beers with some fellow passengers, a cheerful British bartender and a soldier with a full life ahead of him.

On behalf of my fellow shareholders (the American taxpayer), I wanted to extend a hearty congratulations for a job well-done. Not for your performance as an executive at AIG, of course. As you know, your actions in the financial products division of the company drove the company into the ditch and caused American International Group to seek out more than $170 billion in bailout money from the federal reserve and Treasury. 

This morning, President Obama signed an executive order reversing Bush Administration policy on embryonic stem cell research. The decision means we can expect a  huge increase in federal funding for research into the use of embryonic stem cells. These are cells that come from days-old fertilized eggs that fertility clinics would otherwise discard.

Advocates for stem cell research say today's decision means hope for millions of people who pray for cures to their diseases and conditions. According to the National Institutes of Health: "...stem cells offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat a myriad of diseases, conditions, and disabilities including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis."

"I cannot guarantee that we will find the treatments and cures we seek. No president can promise that," President Obama said. "But I can promise that we will seek them actively, responsibly, and with the urgency required to make up for lost ground."

But opponents say President Bush had it just right--authorizing funding to only the 21 stem cell lines that had been produced before the Bush policy went into effect in August of 2001. Opponents say destroying embryos to obtain stem cells is destroying human life.

As House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) put it, President Obama "rolled back important protections for innocent life, further dividing our nation at a time when we need greater unity to tackle the challenges before us."

What's your view on President Obama's decision on embryonic stem cell research?

President Obama delivered a rousing address before a joint session of Congress last night--one that will likely be quoted for years to come. To a nation reeling from a broken economy, he said: "We are not quitters."