Coverage of Day 3 continues at Charlotte with guests from Radio Row at the convention center. Featuring:

• Ben Smith, editor in chief of BuzzFeed and political columnist for Politico
• Dan Malloy, governor of Connecticut
• Baratunde Thurston, WNYC special correspondent

President Bill Clinton took the audience, the viewing public and the Republicans to school.

Cory Booker and Deval Patrick moved the crowd in exceptional ways, ways that worried me. Would there be enough inspiring-black-man sauce left for President Obama Thursday night?

WNYC Special Correspondent Baratunde Thurston, author of How to Be Black, gives us an update of the events in Charlotte.

The Democratic National Convention in Charlotte is like a music festival just with more American flags and slightly less beer.

Most notably, Republican men love khakis.

Last night I attended the BuzzFeed party at the Florida Aquarium. Yes, there were mermaids, but more importantly, there were penguins!

Baratunde Thurston, WNYC special correspondent, author of How to Be Black, and former director of digital at The Onion, reports on how the Republican National Convention is going so far and what we can expect for the closing night.

Spotted at the Huffington Post Oasis Lounge just outside the security perimeter. In this aromatically-tuned area, members of the media can indulge in Kale-Ginger Smoothies, healthy meals prepared in a bag and the latest in pun-based body products. Thanks, Arianna!

Our coverage continues of the RNC live from Radio Row. Featuring:

• Tara Wall, senior Romney communications advisor
• Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor and 2004 RNC keynote speaker
• Baratunde Thurston, comedian and author

I even shook Rep. Peter King's (D-NY) hand. The entire time we were in physical contact, I made sure to face Mecca.

Baratunde Thurston, WNYC special correspondent, author of How to Be Black, and former director of digital at The Onion, talks about the first day of the Republican National Convention and what to expect this week in Tampa.

Grover Norquist and I will be performing with several members of the Republican Party Tuesday night at the Tampa Improv this week, so I sat down to interview him.

Conventions, like sporting events and tax breaks are supposed to generate business.

Baratunde Thurston, the former director of digital at The Onion, talks about humor, politics, and his book How to Be Black, part memoir and part guidebook. He tells stories of his politically inspired Nigerian name, his hippie mother, his drug-abusing father who was murdered, and his wisdom and expertise in how to be black. Baratunde Thurston is participating in "Tell Your Friends!" with Janeane Garofalo and others at the Cornelia Street Café on August 19 at 8:30.

February is Black History Month, and comedian Baratunde Thurston wants you to know that it's the perfect time to buy his new book, "How to Be Black." "The odds are high that you acquired this book during the nationally sanctioned season for purchasing black cultural objects, also known as Black History Month," he writes. "If you're like most people, you buy one piece of black culture per year during this month, and I'm banking on this book jumping out at you from the bookshelf or screen." Baratunde Thurston joins Celeste Headlee to discuss his new book: part-memoir, part-satire, part-political commentary.

Co-founder of Jack & Jill Politics, and director of digital at The Onion, Baratunde Thurston, talks about the complexities of contemporary racial politics in his new book, How To Be Black.  

According to the U.S. Census figures from 2010, one in four African-Americans live in poverty. Less than one in five has a college degree. The question of how to help the community be upwardly mobile has been debated for decades, and it was on the mind of commentator Gene Marks when he wrote a recent commentary for Forbes called "If I Were a Poor Black Kid." "If I was a poor black kid I would get technical. I would learn software," Marks wrote. "I would learn how to write code. I would seek out courses in my high school that teaches these skills or figure out where to learn more online. I would study on my own. I would make sure my writing and communication skills stay polished." Gene Marks is neither black, nor poor, and some people wondered why he would be giving advice to those who are.