Copy Editor Felicia

First up is 21-year-old Philly native Jazmine Sullivan.

Ever since her single debut, "Need You Bad," burned up the airwaves early this summer, many have been waiting breathlessly for Sullivan’s CD, “Fearless.” The 12-track CD features hip-hop heavyweight Missy Elliott. (She also is featured and co-produced that first single.)

Be sure t give a listen to Leigh Jones' new album, "Music in my Soul."

If you haven't heard of Sullivan, think of the sultry sounds of Lauryn Hill and Mary J. Blige, but a younger version, without some of the real-life emotional baggage.

Some songs to check out include “Lions, Tigers and Bears,” “After the Hurricane,” “Fear,” and “In Love with Another Man.” Clive Davis and the folks at J-Records are confident about this new rising singer.

You can check out the latest single and bio info on their website. She's also opening for Maxwell's return concerts. (Remember him? It’s been about 7 years since we've heard from that Neo-soul phenom.) Those concerts start next month in major cities, like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlanta.

Next up is a blue-eyed Soul/R&B/Jazz singer named Leigh Jones. The word is that this L.A. native impressed Motown Records Founder Berry Gordy so much, he came out of retirement to help out with the song, "Cold in L.A."

According to her bio on Peak Records, Gordy says, "Throughout my career I have been blessed to discover many great musical talents. I feel Leigh Jones is destined to be on of the next big stars. She's awesome!"

"Music in my Soul" debuted this month with 13 tracks. What's interesting about Jones is that she doesn't seem to fall into the studio pre-fab, female pop singers, who sometimes don't have the musical chops to back it up. Her CD is worth taking a listen to.

If you give her a chance, you may be hooked in enough to listen to the entire CD, like I was. It definitely has a mellow, jazzy feel to it. Some standout tracks: “Music,” “Free Fall” “All This Love,” “Have it Your Way,” “Sick of Fools” and “I’m Leavin’ You.”

Remember, tune into "Morning Express with Robin Meade" every Tuesday for the latest CD releases.

Posted by: Copy Editor Felicia
Filed under: Extras • New Music Tuesday

With the markets unstable at best, banks going under and surprises around seemingly every corner, you are probably wondering if your own savings is safe.

Jennifer Westhoven is looking out for you. She also has a link for you to check out. To see how far your money is insured, check myfdic.gov.

Still have a question? Email Jennifer.

Posted by: Business Correspondent Jennifer Westhoven
Filed under: Your Money

Today, news came of the biggest bank collapse in US history, when J.P. Morgan Chase bought out the bank Washington Mutual.

Jennifer Westhoven breaks down the WaMu failure.

According to CNN Money, J.P. Morgan Chase acquired all of the banking assets of Washington Mutual late Thursday evening for $1.9 billion, after the troubled bank was seized by federal regulators.

Federal regulators have stressed that the transition for customers between banking under WaMu and J.P. Morgan Chase will be "seamless," but some customers are understandably still concerned.

Here, Jennifer Westhoven explains why the takeover occurred, who it will affect and how, and for whom, really, the transition could be seamless.

Still have questions? Go to CNN.com/Robin and check out our Looking Out for You feature. Or, email Jennifer.

Posted by: Washington Mutual
Filed under: Your Money

The results are in! And the prize for America's best food city goes to ....

Yum.

Well, you're just going to have to watch the video!

Headline News and Travel + Leisure teamed up to find out which American cities are the most beloved, and why. Each week we'll bring you a video breaking down what particular cities have to offer.

Check out all the videos on our showpage. And, be sure to vote for which American city you love, as the contest heads into its final weeks.

Posted by: America's Favorite Cities
Filed under: Extras

TV/Web Producer Kate

This week's podcast is not to be missed!

First of all you'll learn all about how you can meet Robin in person. For real, she really wants to meet you!

Robin's Angels. This looks like trouble.

Then, you'll head to Atlanta's famed East Lake Golf Course, where Rafer gets some fashion tips from golfer Anthony Kim. Kim was kind enough to take the time to point out Rafer's "homeless" style and "pancake" shoes. Wow, that bad huh?

Rafer handles the fashion critique well, and even manages to revamp his look between dodging golf balls lobbed at him by Vijay Singh, who Bob Van Dillen manages to shake down for 5 bucks.

Meanwhile, Richard Lui swings a golf club for the very first time in his life. (Overheard: "How do I hold this thing?") Does the ever-cool Richard look a little nervous there?? Nah!

Watch the podcast here, sign up for weekly updates and check us out on iTunes. Let us know what you think about this week's podcast! Leave your comments below.

Posted by: CNN VIP tour, podcast, Robin' angels, TV/Web producer Kate Taylor
Filed under: Robin Meade Expressed

Senior Writer Jeff

We’re doing a story today about a Connecticut school district that pulled “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” from its reading list ... but is now reversing course.

Did you read Huck Finn as a student?

English teachers are attending seminars so that they can lead their students in complex discussions about race, slavery, stereotypes and satire. They’ll start teaching the book again next month.

If you’ve never read “Huck Finn”, there are 2 things you should know:
1) Mark Twain uses the N-word over and over again. I don’t think I could even count the number of times the word appears in the book. It should make anyone reading it uncomfortable.
2) It’s a great novel! (Honestly, it’s my all-time favorite.)

But, the question remains: Are high school kids ready to handle talking about the language in the book? And would you trust the teachers to put it into context?

Leave your comments below. We’d love to know what you think.

Posted by: Senior Writer Jeff
Filed under: Extras

On Wednesday, Sen. John McCain announced that he would suspend his presidential campaign to go to Washington and participate in negotiations on the financial bailout plan. He called for a postponement of Friday's presidential debate.

Sen. Barack Obama, however, said the debate in Oxford, Mississippi, should go forward.

"It's my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person will be the next president," Obama explained.

So, what do you think?

Leave your comment below.

Filed under: Uncategorized

Business Correspondent Jennifer Westhoven

Some think credit card regulations have been a long time coming.

While most of the attention has been riveted on the $700 billion loan, there was a victory in the house for Main Street! Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights - a bill to ban some of the tricks and traps included in many credit card contracts - passed the house by a wide margin!

The bill also offers protections for credit card holders, including a rule that says credit card companies have to mail your statement out 25 days before your payment is due, so you're not left scrambling to come up with money to cover either your bills or late fees.

To see how your Representative voted, visit this Web site.

Posted by: Business Correspondent Jennifer Westhoven, credit card
Filed under: Your Money

Writer Aimee

Did you know … one writer on our “Morning Express” staff won a 3-point contest against a basketball player who started in the NCAA Final Four?

Come see Robin in person!

And, this may surprise you (or maybe not!): Bob Van Dillen says he got into meteorology so he could predict when the waves would be good for surfing!

That’s just a glimpse of some of the cool stuff you could find out on our new Inside Morning Express Tour. Hopefully, you’re waking up everyday to “Morning Express with Robin Meade.” But, this is your chance to see it happen live … and meet the people behind the magic!

On the tour, you’ll stop by our control room to see exactly what it takes to produce our fast-paced and energetic show. And you’ll get a chance to watch a portion of the live broadcast in person, as well as the once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet Robin Meade! And that’s not all! Here’s a glimpse of some of the other goodies that are part of the tour:

• A continental breakfast reception inside our iconic 50-foot Globe event space.
• A Morning Express/Inside CNN Travel Mug.
• A souvenir picture to commemorate your visit to CNN’s Global Headquarters.

I know … you’re already asking … how do I sign up?? It’s easy! The tours run every Thursday at 8:30 a.m. starting October 2nd … that’s just over a week from now! The price is $49 per person. To purchase your tickets, call 1.877.4CNNTOUR or click here. Space is limited, so purchase your tickets today!

Posted by: Writer Aimee
Filed under: Behind the Scenes • Extras

Writer Keith

There are two things in the world that I really enjoy. Baseball and free stuff. So, you can imagine what was going through my mind when I got free tickets to an Atlanta Braves game this weekend that included all of the food and beer I chose to put in my system. My wife and I had the fine opportunity to channel our inner Joey Chestnut/Norm Peterson all while watching baseball. If heaven exists, it would be like this. Here’s what went down.

"Let's hit the buffet later."

We got to the ballpark about an hour before first pitch. I wasn’t quite sure how this all-you-can-eat thing worked (do they bring you the food? do you have to go to a concession stand?) and I needed a lay of the land. The Braves were taking on the New York Mets and, as usual at Turner Field, there were several people donning blue and orange caps. I even saw an authentic Gary Carter jersey from 1986!

We entered our section called the “Golden Moon Casino Level.” This area used to be called the Lexus Level. I’ll always remember it as the place I saw a guy turn his jeans into “jorts” by using a pocket knife in the middle of the game. We flashed our tickets, they gave us special bracelets, and I looked at my wife and said: “I’m about to put on a display.”

The food in our section was set up like a buffet. You go through a line, take what you want, then head back to your seat. I opted to start with chicken wings and a pulled pork sandwich. I also grabbed a beer from the vendor who marked it down on my bracelet. I am guessing that if you stumble up to the beer line and you have 15 marks on the bracelet, they may cut you off.

Now the balancing act began. Carrying a full plate of food in one hand and a full cup of beer in the other. I accidentally spilled some beer on some of the people who were nice enough to get up and let me through. I apologized, but they said it had been happening all day because the beers were being filled too much. They looked like they had been sitting in the front row of a Gallagher 2 show. I learned from this my next time in line. I ate my hot dog while I was waiting in line for a beer. This way I could keep my balance and not end up coating somebody with cole slaw.

There are some characters in the all-you-can-eat section as well. There was a couple behind us that enjoyed yelling about how drunk they were. That’s always fun. There was also the guy who bought a customized Deion Sanders Braves jersey. That’s not something you see every day. Especially because the shirt read “Sanders 21” on the back. One slight problem. 21 is one of the numbers retired by the Braves (Warren Spahn) and Deion wore 24 when he was with the team. The lesson as always: If you are going to spend serious money to get a customized jersey, do a little research.

All in all, I had a great time. Between the pulled pork, hot dogs, popcorn, chicken wings, peanuts, draft beer, and more draft beer, I think I put about $80 worth of concessions down. The face value of the tickets was $70, so I would have come out ahead. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go do about 15 hours on the elliptical machine.

Posted by: Writer Keith
Filed under: Extras