American Politics

Terry talks with Nancy Wackstein, Executive Director of the Lenox Hill Neighborhood Association, a settlement house in New York City. Wackstein recently gave up her job as Director of New York's Office on Homelessness. Before that she was an advocate for the homeless at the Citizens' Committee for Children. Wackstein used to believe that the solution to homelessness was more housing; she now believes that housing alone will not solve the problem

TV critic David Bianculli takes a look at the proliferation of coverage of the Democratic National Convention and the election more broadly.

Terry will talk to three people about the recent events revolving around RU-486, the abortion-inducing drug. The drug is in use in France and Britian but is illegal in the U.S. Two weeks ago, a pregnant woman, Leona Benten, tried to bring the drug into the country, but it was seized by authorities. The case is about to go before the Supreme Court. Today's guests include FDA spokesperson Gary Fendler, Simon Heller of the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, and Leona Benten's physician, Dr. Louise Tyrer.

Journalist Nicholas Lemann is a national correspondent for The Atlantic magazine. He's talks about how politicians need to stop pandering to the middle class at the expense of the working class and minorities.

John Powers, who's been a film critic for Fresh Air, is covering the Democratic National Convention this week for the L.A. Weekly. He tells Terry about what he's seen on the floor so far.

Feminist, journalist and essayist Barbara Ehrenreich talks with Terry about the Clinton/Gore ticket. She's disappointed by the conservative currents in the Democratic party.

Jacob Weisberg, deputy editor at The New Republic, talks about the Democratic Leadership Council. Both Bill Clinton and his running-mate Senator Al Gore are members of this group, which was founded seven years ago in an effort to bring the party closer to center. The DLC opposes what it sees "as an interest-group beholden party leadership," writes Weisberg.

Phelps is the Supreme Court reporter who broke the Anita Hill story (along with NPR's Nina Totenberg) in New York Newsday. He's co-written an account of the Clarence Thomas hearings, called "Capitol Games," which looks at how the press failed to see the whole story of now-Justice Thomas, including just how conservative he really is.

Belzer talks with Terry about the candidates for president. He's performed off-Broadway, on radio, in movies, and on television.

Journalist Richard Ben Cramer won a Pulitzer Prize for The Philadelphia Inquirer in 1979. His new book, "What it Takes: the way to the White House," explores the lives of the candidates who ran for president in 1988, and tries to discover what made them think they could lead the United States.