Terry Gross

Investigative reporter Michael Berens writes for the Chicago Tribune. His recent series of articles is about the epidemic of life-threatening infections that occur in America's hospitals. He reports that infection rates are soaring and they are exacerbated by hospital cutbacks and carelessness by doctors and nurses. Deaths caused by hospital germs are now the fourth-leading cause of mortality among Americans, and can largely be prevented. Plus the problem is often kept secret by hospitals and it persists because of a lack of government oversight.

Pianist and singer Michael Feinstein. His repertoire is American popular song and he is a collector of vintage recordings and musical memorabilia. In the fall he plans to release a collection of radio duets by Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney, on his new record label Feinery. Feinstein released a new CD with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Michael Feinstein and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (Concord).

New York Times investigative reporter Kurt Eichenwald. He covered the Enron scandal for the paper as well as related scandals. He's written about white-collar crime and corporate corruption for The Times for more than a decade. Eichenwald is a two-time winner of the prestigious George Polk award for excellence in journalism. He's also the author of The Informant, about the Archer Daniels Midland Corporation.