This interview was originally broadcast on May 22, 2012. David Alan Grier plays Sporting Life in the opera Porgy and Bess, which closes on Broadway next month. Porgy and Bess won two Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical.

Mitt Romney has a tough to-do list.

He has to walk an ideological tightrope. As he accepts the GOP presidential nomination tonight, Romney will try to fire up partisans in the convention hall and watching at home, without turning off moderates and independent voters.

He also has to convey certain intangible qualities. The former Massachusetts governor will want to appear presidential while also attempting to lift his low "likability" ratings.

Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh recently ordered the executions of all 47 prisoners on death row. Nine have been killed so far. The news comes decades after the last execution was ordered in that country. Host Michel Martin discusses the political situation in Gambia with Pa Nderry Mbai. He's a Gambian journalist living in exile in North Carolina.

As the Republican convention continues, the major political parties are defining their positions — and many are focused on faith. Host Michel Martin speaks with a diverse panel of religious leaders to weigh how they balance faith and politics.

Most of the focus at the Republican National Convention has been on politicians at the top of the ticket. But Mesa, Arizona Mayor Scott Smith is leading a delegation of mayors to Tampa for the RNC. He talks with host Michel Martin about some of the issues local leaders are hoping the national politicians don't forget.

A 100-year-old driver accidentally backed up his car onto a sidewalk full of children in south Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Times reports nine children and two adults ranging in age from 14 months to 48 years old were injured seriously but were in stable condition.

Women who had multiple abortions before giving birth to a first child were more likely to have that child very prematurely or to deliver a child with a low birth weight, according to one of the first large-scale studies to look at the issue.

So far this year 21 tutors — under the aegis of Literacy Volunteers of Harrison County — have helped 80 students in and around Clarksburg and Harrison County.

"Many of the adults we tutor have lost their jobs, and now find themselves ill-equipped to find employment in today's job market," says Director Kim Payne. "Most of them are working toward a GED, but many of them have high school diplomas. However, the workplace has changed over the years, and now most jobs require not only higher reading and math levels, but computer skills as well."