Government & Politics

Political satirist Al Franken. He was one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live. He's won four Emmys for his writing on the show. His most popular character is Stuart Smalley, the new age cable TV host. He left the show last season. His new book "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations" (Delacorte Press) is his look at American politics and the Republican revolution. The Kirkus Reviews writes, "he attacks with a wonderful lack of civility. . .and he does it with two murderous weapons: satire and facts. . ."

Computer security expert Tsutomu Shimomura and reporter John Markoff. Markoff writes about computers and technology for the New York Times. The two have collaborated on a new book, "Takedown: The Pursuit and Capture of Kevin Mitnick, America's Most Wanted Computer Outlaw-By the Man Who Did It." (Hyperion). Mitnick was the most wanted computer hacker in the world, having stolen thousands of data files, and 20,000 credit card numbers. For two years he had eluded the FBI. Mitnick broke into Shimomura's home computer, and Shimomura joined the search.

Actor/director/writer Sean Penn. The "reluctant actor" is starring in the new film "Dead Man Walking" directed by Tim Robbins, co-starring Susan Sarandon. (It's based on the book, of the same title, by Sister Helen Prejean). Penn has moved away from acting in favor of writing/directing: the 1991 film "The Indian Runner" which he wrote based on a Bruce Springsteen song, and last year's "The Crossing Guard" starring Angelica Huston and Jack Nicholson.

First Lady Hilary Rodham Clinton. Mrs. Clinton, a longtime children's advocate, talks about her new book, "It Takes a Village; And Other Lessons Children Teach us." [Simon & Shuster]. And she addresses the Whitewater and White House travel office issues, and the challenges of being the First Lady.

On April 10, 1995 Kenneth S. Stern, the American Jewish Committee's advisor on hate groups warned authorities that some kind of "incident" is likely to occur on April 19, 1995. The second anniversary of the Waco fire. He was proved right. A bomb destroyed the Federal building in Oklahoma City. The bombing raised the suspicion that the bombing suspect, Timothy McVeigh might have ties to a militia. Stern's has written, "A Force Upon The Plain: The American Militia Movement and the Politics of Hate" which has been published by Simon and Schuster.

Laura Kaplan is the author of the new book, "The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service," (Pantheon Books). In 1969 this underground abortion service began operation in Chicago, four years before Roe v. Wade. The members of "Jane" were lay-persons who learned how to perform abortions themselves. Laura Kaplan was a member of Jane. She was also a founding member of a Chicago-based women's health-care center. (THIS INTERVIEW CONTINUES INTO THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW).

Surgeon for the International Committee of the Red Cross Chris Giannou. For almost 15 years he has been a surgeon in war torn parts of the world in Burundi, Somalia, and in a Palestinian Refugee Camp. As such he has seen the devastation on human beings from land mines Giannou is currently leading the Red Cross's campaign for a ban on anti-personnel land mines worldwide, which kill or injure hundreds of civilians each week. (Giannou has been on the show a number of times.

Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, Thomas E. McNamara. He will explain why the U.S. has chosen not to go along with the ban on anti-personnel land mines, and what measures they are taking to control their use.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews Oliver Stone's "Nixon."

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his daughter Amy Carter. The two have collaborated on a new children's book, The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer (Times Books). The story is one that Cater made up, and told his children when they were young. Amy Carter illustrated the book.

Correspondent for The New York Times, Chris Hedges. He's been reporting from Bosnia and Croatia. He talks about the expected signing of the Bosnian Peace Agreement, and the arrival of NATO troops. First, Terry speaks with former President Carter about the negotiations.

Tammy Schnitzer lives in Billings, Montana. She grew up there, as a Lutheran and married Brian Schnitzer, a Jew, and then converted to Judaism. They are the subject of a new PBS documentary "Not In Our Town," (December 17th, 10:30 p.m. EST) about how the community in 1993 rallied behind Schnitzer and her family when they were targets of hate crimes. The local newspaper printed full page menorahs and they were displayed in nearly 10,000 homes and businesses.

Investigative journalist for the New York Times, Steve Engelberg. He's the co-author of the article "Birth of a Vision" (Sunday, Dec 3, NYT) about Newt Gingrich and GOPAC, the political committee that supports Republican party candidates and office holders. The organization was headed by Gingrich until last spring. Documents that have just become public disclose that as early as five years ago Gingrich and his "political intimates" planned a takeover of Congress. But they failed to gain support from President Bush.

Former head of the FBI's Serial Crime Unit, John Douglas. For 20 years he investigated serial murders for the FBI, and developed techniques to get criminals to talk, and to lure them into capture. He also pioneered criminal profiling. Many of his techniques have been adopted by police departments and prosecutors nationwide. Douglas interviewed such notorious killers as Charles Manson and Richard Speck. He has a new memoir, Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit (Lisa Drew book, written with Mark Olshaker).

New York Times Reporter Roger Cohen updates us on today's announced peace agreement between the warring factions in the former Yugoslavia. Cohen has extensively covered the war from Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia. President Clinton announced today that the three sides have agreed to preserve Bosnia within its current borders -- but divide it into two republics under one national government.

Associate Counsel for Human Rights Watch, Richard Dicker. He'll discuss the situation in Nigeria. Last week poet, playwright and minority rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa was sentenced to death and killed, along with eight other men. Saro-Wiwa lead the "Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People," a movement to help the impoverished Ogoni. They had been fighting for rights to petroleum reserves and compensation for environmental damage by Shell Oil Company, a lead oil operator in the country. The deaths have been condemned by many world leaders.

Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Co., Brian Anderson. In 1993, Shell pulled out of Ogoniland, the oil rich part of Nigeria, after it's pipelines were sabotaged. But they still operate in other parts of Nigeria. Human Rights Watch is calling on them, and other oil companies to close down their operations in Nigeria. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Former three-term Governor for New York State Mario Cuomo and one of the Democratic party's most respected spokesperson. Since losing office in the 1994 republican-landslide election, Cuomo has started his own nationally syndicated radio show. His new book, Reason to Believe (Simon & Schuster) is his critique of the Republican's Contract with America.

From the Library of Congress, Recording Sound Specialist, Samuel BrylawskiI and Acquisition Specialist Cooper Graham. The two have just compiled a collection of presidential speeches dating back 85 years. The collection is Historic Presidential Speeches (1908-1993) (on Rhino/World Beat label) and begins with William Howard Taft's recorded during the presidential campaign of 1908.

Writer Yossi Klein Halevi is a senior writer for "The Jerusalem Report." He's the author of Memoirs of A Jewish Extremist: An American Story, (Little, Brown) which tells the story of his involvement with Jewish right-wing movements in the United States, and with the extremist rabbi Meir Kahane. Halevi eventually broke away from the movement.