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A Journalist Remembers his Parents' Left-Wing Legacy

Carl Bernstein, who broke the Watergate story with his colleague Bob Woodward, has a new memoir about his parents, called Loyalties. Bernstein's mother and father were communist activists during the McCarthy era, and were monitored by the FBI.

27:46
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Other segments from the episode on March 27, 1989

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, March 27, 1989: Interview with Carl Bernstein; Review of Artie Shaw's album "The Complete Gramercy Five Sessions"; Interview with Amy Tan; Review of the television show …
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06:43

A Big Band Leader in a Smaller Ensemble

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a new reissue of recordings by Artie Shaw's quintet, the Grammercy Five, which went through a lineup changes over the years. He says it reveals the seriousness of Shaw's search for greatness.

Review
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09:52

Novelist Amy Tan on Mothers and Daughters

Tan's first novel is called The Joy Luck Club, which is about a group of Chinese mothers who try to understand their American-born daughters. She joins Fresh Air to discuss her relationship with her own mother, and her mother's home country.

Interview
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03:27

A Canadian Cartoon Comes Stateside

HBO will soon air the animated show Babar, about an elephant and his family. TV critic David Bianculli says the program joins the ranks of other recent, excellent children's programming like Shining Time Station and the Peter Pan musical. More importantly, his kids love it too.

Review

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03:45

A Son's Steadfast "Loyalties" to His Parents

Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein has a new memoir about his parents, two left-wing organizers who faced persecution because of their politics. Book critic John Leonard says it demystifies the McCarthy era and the day-to-day lives of activists.

Review
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43:50

'We've Got To Learn From Our History,' 'Demagogue' Author Warns

Larry Tye has written a new biography of Senator Joseph McCarthy who led an Anti-communist crusade in the 1950s. More than 70 years later, Tye draws a parallel between McCarthy's tactics and President Trump's divisive rhetoric. He notes that McCarthy's chief legal counsel, Roy Cohn, served as Trump's lawyer and mentor in the 1970s. But beyond that, he says, both McCarthy and Trump are "bullies" who exploit fears and "point fingers when they're attacked."

Interview

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Daughter of Warhol star looks back on a bohemian childhood in the Chelsea Hotel

Alexandra Auder's mother, Viva, was one of Andy Warhol's muses. Growing up in Warhol's orbit meant Auder's childhood was an unusual one. For several years, Viva, Auder and Auder's younger half-sister, Gaby Hoffmann, lived in the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. It was was famous for having been home to Leonard Cohen, Dylan Thomas, Virgil Thomson, and Bob Dylan, among others.

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This fake 'Jury Duty' really put James Marsden's improv chops on trial

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