Government & Politics

Analyst Chip Berlet of the Political Research Associates, a research center which collects and disseminates information on right-wing political groups and trends. Terry will talk with him about some of the currently popular conspiracy theories such as the motive for the JFK assassination, and the view of some African Americans that AIDS and drugs are attempts to destroy the race.

Political journalist Hodding Carter. This week, the Public television series "Frontline" is airing Carter's report, "Who Is David Duke?" about the Klansman turned presidential candidate.

Commentator David Gurevitz checks out some rumors about the KGB in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet empire. He's the author of "From Lenin to Lennon."

Documentary film maker Frederick Wiseman. Wiseman's made more than 20 documentaries, but his most famous is his first. It was a 1967 film called "Titicut Follies," about the conditions inside a Massachusetts hospital for the criminally insane. A state court banned the film, and it took 24 years for Wiseman to get the ban overturned. The film will be RE-premiered next week at New York's Film Forum. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane).

Journalist Hedrick Smith. Smith has spent years covering the Soviet Union, as a reporter for the New York Times, as an author, and as a TV documentary producer and correspondent. He's just returned from the former Soviet Union, and his latest report, "After Gorbachev's U.S.S.R." airs this week on the public television documentary series, "Frontline." (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Author Norma Field. Field teaches Japanese literature at the University Chicago and was born to a Japanese mother and an American father. Her new book, "In the Realm Of A Dying Emperor," tells the true stories of three Japanese who went against the ultra-conformist Japanese society, and the condemnation they suffered. (It's published by Pantheon). (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Christopher Hitchens, the Washington editor for "Harper's Magazine" and columnist for "The Nation," talks to Marty about how pre-election polling becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Roger Simon, a syndicated columnist for the Baltimore Sun. He'll analyze yesterday's New Hampshire primary, and speculate about the results will affect the rest of the campaign. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Reporter Pete Earley. Earley spent two years observing life at the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas. He was given complete access to the prisoners, guards, staff, and the warden. He tells about life in Leavenworth in his new book, "The Hot House." (published by Bantam) (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Economist Robert Heilbroner (rhymes with "runner"). He'll discuss the current recession, and our long-standing obsession with the deficit. He'll also give some suggestions about how to end the recession, and he'll tell us why sometimes a deficit isn't a bad thing.

Religion historian Martin Marty Marty, who teaches at the University of Chicago, is one of the foremost authorities on religion and society. He's the author of a four volume work on religion in the 20th century. His new work is a multi-volume look at fundamentalism. The first volume has just been published , and that's what he'll be talking about.

Terry interviews Patricia Ireland, the new president of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Ireland talks about NOW's agenda, as well as her own.

Charles Dutton, star of the T-V comedy series "Roc." Dutton came to acting in a very roundabout way: while serving a manslaughter sentence in the Maryland State Penitentiary, he organized the performance of a play, and realized he loved acting. ("Roc" airs Sunday nights on Fox.)

Terry talks to Fred Newman, the founder of the Party, and Lenora Fulani's ("fah-lahn-nee") campaign manager.

In the first half hour, Terry Gross talks with journalist Chip Berlet ('ber-LAY") of Political Research Associates. He'll discuss the racist and authoritarian aspects of Lenora Fulani's ("fah-lahn-nee") New Alliance Party.

Jessica Tuchman Mathews, Vice President of the World Resources Institute, which she helped to found, discusses global environmental issues. Many environmental issues, like the greenhouse effect and air and water pollution, cross national borders and their solutions depend on international cooperation. Mathews is also a columnist for The Washington Post and was on the staff of the National Security Council during the Carter Administration.

Writer George Packer. Packer's new novel, "The Half Man," is the story of a Western journalist caught in the turmoil of a fictitious Pacific Asian country. In real life, Packer spent two years with the Peace Corps in Togo, and that experience helped shape this book. (It's published by Random House).

Pennsylvania's abortion law places restrictions on a woman's ability to get an abortion. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to the law. Their ruling is expected to be an referendum by the court on the Roe versus Wade decision. On this edition of Fresh Air, we hear from both sides. Terry Gross talks with...
1) Kathryn Kolbert, the attorney who will be arguing against the Pennsylvania law before the high court, and

The Environmental Protection Agency recently released a report that examined the link between race and pollution. That report said that while things like toxic waste dumps are disproportionately located in poor areas, they're NOT disproportionately located in black areas. We look at both sides of the question...
1) First, Terry talks with sociologist Robert Bullard, author of the book, "Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class, and Environmental Quality." He disagrees with the EPA report.

Writer Tatyana Tolstaya ("taht-tee-an-yah tol-STOY-yah"). She's gaining a reputation as one of the (former) Soviet Union's most critically acclaimed new writers. She's also a distant relative of Leo Tolstoy. Her new collection of stories is called "Sleepwalker In A Fog" (published by Knopf).