Terry Gross

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader and conservative Paul Weyrich tell how "legalized bribery" has corrupted our government. The unlikely pair has written an introduction in Philip Stern's new book, "Still The Best Congress Money Can Buy." They say that consumer and safety-oriented legislation gets trampled in Congress because Representatives and Senators work more on behalf of their campaign donors than their constituents.

Conservative cartoonist Wayne Stayskal's recents strips have focused on the Democrats, particularly Clinton. His syndicated cartoon appears weekly in the Tampa Tribune.

Part two of our Al Franken interview. He talks about his roles with Saturday Night Live, and his work with the Comedy Channel paroyding the presidential campaign.

Lyn Nofzinger was an official in the Nixon administration and was Reagan's press secretary and later his aide in the White House, where he was known as a "hatchet-man". He has a new political memoir, called "Nofziger." He Fresh Air to talk about Reagan's recent decision to campaign for President Bush.

Updike's new book is 'Memories of the Ford Administration,' which introduces a new hero, Alf Clayton. He's a history professor who is invited to write his memoirs of working for Gerald Ford. But the memoirs turn out to be more a chronicle of the Clayton's sex life during the sexually liberal '70s.

A Bush apointee, Frohnmayer ran the National Endowment for the Arts from 1989 until last May, when he was asked to resign. Frohnmayer was routinely attacked by the religious right for giving grants to what it deemed "obscene" art. He also angered many who thought he didn't question enough the administration's pandering to the right. Since his resignation, he's become a strong advocate for the First Amendment.

Maupin served in Vietnam and worked for Jesse Helms in his pre-Senate days. When he moved to San Fransisco, he came out of the closet. He was a journalist for several years before writing his "Tales of the City" series, which blended gay and straight storylines. His latest novel, "Maybe the Moon," expounds on Hollywood's hypocrisy, as seen through the eyes of a little person actress. His partner Terry Anderson joins him for the interview.

Rivers has a new autobiography, "What Did I Do?" He's known by art historians as "a great figurative painter," "the father of Pop Art," and is recognized as the first American artist to use vulgar objects in an artistic context. Rivers was part of a loosely knit association of poets and painters in New York in the 50's. His book looks back at his work as a jazz saxophonist, his drug use, and his unashamed interest in sexuality.

Journalist Robert Krulwich is hosting a new "Frontline" documentary on PBS, "The Best Campaign Money Can Buy," about the funds that go into the presidential campaign. In particular, the documentary looks at contributors that give "soft money," -- money given to a party rather than to a candidate. This kind of giving bypasses the law which limits individual donations to presidential candidates to $1,000.