Rushing was a press officer stationed at Centcom (United States Central command) presenting the American military point of view on the war to the world press. He was featured in the documentary Control Room which was filmed inside the Arab network Al Jazeera. Rushing decided to leave the military after the Pentagon ordered him to stop commenting on the documentary.
Koppel talks about politics, the media and covering the 2004 presidential election. Koppel is the author of the book Nightline: History in the Making and the Making of Television.
Dan Seligson is an editor at the Election Reform Information Project (electionline.org), a nonpartisan organization. He'll discuss their recent report, "Election Preview 2004: What's Changed, What Hasn't and Why."
David Margolick, contributing editor at Vanity Fair, co-authored the investigative article in the October issue of the magazine, "The Path to Florida: What Really Happened in the 2000 Election. And What's Going On Right Now." For the article, Margolick talked to some of the Supreme Court law clerks working at the time of the decision in the 2000 presidential election.
The 'Philadelphia Inquirer' is running a 21-day endorsement of Sen. John Kerry, outlining 21 reasons why voters should elect him president. Editorial page editor Chris Satullo and commentary page editor John Timpane talk about the endorsement. On the paper's op-ed page, they've invited guest commentators to write about the reasons why voters should elect Bush instead.
Chicago is considered to be a Democratic city, yet The Chicago Tribune is endorsing President Bush. The paper received thousands of letters and e-mails in response. From the Tribune we speak with editorial page editor Bruce Dold, and letters editor Dodie Hofstetter.
Novelist Russell banks is the author of many works of fiction, Continental Drift, Rule of the Bone, Cloudsplitter, and Affliction and The Sweet Hereafter, both of which have been made into films. He speaks with Terry Gross about his latest novel, Darling.
Musician Lenny Kaye is perhaps best known as Patti Smith's guitarist. But he's also a music writer, whose work has appeared in Rolling Stone, The Village Voice and Creem. His new book, You Call it Madness: The Sensuous Song of the Croon, chronicles the male singers of the 1930s known for their suave, sophisticated and romantic interpretations of song: Bing Crosby, Rudy Vallee and Russ Columbo.
Former President Jimmy Carter has 18 books to his credit — including memoirs and non-fiction — reflecting on his work as a mediator, his life in the White House, his childhood and his spiritual life. His first book of fiction, The Hornet's Nest, is now out in paperback.
Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell reflects on her life and her 30 years in music. She has two new anthologies: Dreamland collects well-known recordings; The Beginning of Survival showcases lesser-known works.
As president and CEO of The Presidential Prayer Team (PPT), John Lind urges voters to pray each day for President Bush and the nation, to hold prayer parties and to become members of his non-profit, non-denominational organization. The PPT was founded in response to the Sept. 11 attacks.
Balsiger's film George W. Bush: Faith in the White House has been released as an "alternative" to Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 911. Interviewees share their experiences on how President Bush demonstrates his faith. Introduced at the Republican National Convention, the film is now on DVD.
Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger, by Nigel Slater, and Lilla's Feat: A Story of Food, Love and War in the Orient, by Frances Osbourne.
The new documentary Tarnation chronicles writer and director Jonathan Caouette's turbulent childhood with a mentally ill mother. He made the film on his home computer for just a few hundred dollars. Critic David Edelstein has a review.
