Terry Gross

The late actor John Spencer was best known for his character Leo McGarry, the president's chief of staff, on The West Wing. Spencer's and McGarry's lives ran parallel: Both were recovering alcoholics and both had driven personalities. McGarry suffered a heart attack on the show, and Spencer died of a heart attack. Spencer was previously a regular on "L.A. Law" and began his career on "The Patty Duke Show." This interview originally aired on April 5, 2000.

Journalist Michelle Goldberg, a senior writer for the online magazine Salon, and covers the Christian Right. In her new book, Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism, she writes that Christian nationalists believe the Bible is literally true — and they want to see the nation governed by that truth.

Forced out of New Orleans after Katrina hit last year, historian Douglas Brinkley, a professor at Tulane University, soon returned. He helped with rescue efforts and immediately began the task of collecting oral histories of the catastrophe.

The result is his new book, The Great Deluge, which offers a multi-perspective account of the storm and its aftermath. Brinkley is the author of three other historical narratives, including Tour of Duty.