Terry Gross

Two editors from Jane's Information Group talk about the war on terrorism and the potential attack on Iraq. Charles Heyman is the editor of Jane's World Armies and the author of The Armed Forces of the United Kingdom. Alex Standish is the editor of Jane's Intelligence Digest. Standish also produces television and radio documentaries for the BBC.

Muslim journalist M.J. Akbar is founder and editor-in-chief of The Asian Age, an English language newspaper published in India. He's also the author of five books, including his latest, The Shade of Swords: Jihad and the Conflict Between Islam & Christianity.

He's covered politics, economics and international affairs for The New York Times for over 30 years. He now writes editorials for the paper. In his new book, The Great Tax Wars: Lincoln to Wilson The Fierce Battles over Money and Power That Transformed the Nation (Simon & Schuster) he looks at the battles over "wealth, power and fairness" that led to the establishment of the income tax.

Writer Sarah Vowell is a contributing editor for public radio's This American Life. She's also the author of the book Take the Cannoli, and the new book of her pieces, The Partly Cloudy Patriot

Actress Edie Falco plays Carmela Soprano, wife of Tony Soprano on the HBO drama The Sopranos. The role turned her from a relative unknown to a TV star. She's had roles on Law & Order and Homicide: Life on the Street. She starred in the independent films Judy Berlin, Trust and Laws of Gravity. This interview first aired October 5, 2001.

Musician and actor Steve Van Zandt. He is the guitarist for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. He's also recorded solo and has produced a number of records for other bands. He plays hitman Silvio Dante in the hit HBO series The Sopranos. His syndicated radio show, Hard Rock Cafe Presents Little Steven's Underground Garage plays Sunday nights on a number of classic rock stations across the United States. This interview first aired June 27, 2002.

He died September 2 at age 72 of complications from heart surgery. Two years ago, he published his first book. It's a collection of short stories about boxing called Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner. For 20 years, Toole was a cut man, stopping the bleeding so fighters could go on to the next round. Toole wrote for over for 40 years, but it was the publication of his first story last year in a small literary magazine that caught the attention of a book agent.

Cinematographer Gordon Willis created the look of many of the most influential films of the 1970s: Klute, The Godfather I and II, The Parallax View, Annie Hall and Manhattan. He's shot eight Woody Allen films, as well as Pennies from Heaven and Presumed Innocent. Willis is currently participating in the annual Master Class series at the American Museum of the Moving Image in New York .

Performance poet Sekou Sundiata. He is one of New York's notable spoken word artists, blending lyrics of urban dwelling with music. Born in Harlem, he is a professor of English Literature at The New School for Social Research. He's released several CDs of his work, including The Blue Oneness of Dreams and Urban Music. He's published a new journal (in pamphlet form), Heart: Human Equity Through Art.

Robert Jay Lifton is Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology at the Graduate School University Center and director of The Center on Violence and Human Survival at John Jay College of Criminal Justice at The City University of New York. He's written books on many topics, including the Japanese cult which released poison gas in the Tokyo subways, Nazi doctors, Hiroshima survivors and Vietnam vets.