Government & Politics

Part 1 of Fresh Air's interview with G. Gordon Liddy. Liddy became a writer after he was released from jail for his role in the Watergate scandal. Now that all statutes of limitations have passed, he speaks frankly about the affair, as well as his views on protest and law-breaking. Fresh Air callers join the conversation.

Media consultant Elliott Curson helped shape the public persona of President Ronald Reagan through television advertising. He discusses his opinions of other political campaigns.

Tuli Kupferberg was in the radical rock band the Fugs. He and Lannes Kenfield perform in the Revolting Theater group. They discuss the role their political convictions play in their creative pursuits.

Actress Linda Lovelace discusses her terrifying history of sexual abuse, assault and exploitation--often at the hands of her ex-husband Chuck Traynor--which led to her to star in pornographic films like the iconic Deep Throat. Her new memoir is called Ordeal.

Scott Tucker of the Lavender Left, director of the Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force Rita Addessa, and Women Against Violence Against Women Member Peggy O'Donnell address the controversy behind William Friedkin's film Cruising, which stars Al Pacino as an undercover cop infiltrating the gay S&M scene in New York. The guests take a close look at the film's exaggerated and dehumanizing portrayal of gay people and discuss their planned protests. Fresh Air listeners call in with their questions and comments.

John D. Case was a prison warden based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He worked to improve the prison system through better training and pay for prison employees and an emphasis on inmate rehabilitation. He also advocates for the repealing of laws which he feels lead to unnecessary prison sentences.

In light of the Iran Hostage Crisis, the Department of Justice is considering requiring all Iranian students in the U.S. to report to the I.N.S. The American Civil Liberties Union has filed suit in response. A.C.L.U. executive director Ira Glasser explains how checks on government help protect constitutional rights.

Author Jerzy Kozinski's new novel, Passion Play, is about polo and middle age. He talks about adopting the English language, sexuality in his fiction, and the state of the publishing industry.

Nigerian drummer Olatunji discusses African immigration to the United States, American attitudes toward Africa, and his unexpected popularity in the West.

Writer William Hinton wrote the acclaimed book Fanshen, about life in a Chinese village. He talks about life in China after the Cultural Revolution.

Richard Ben Cramer, foreign affairs journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner, has spent extensive time traveling to and reporting on the Middle East. He has reported on Israel, Egypt, and Lebanon, and his stories often focus on individuals. He joins the show to discuss his work and the situation in the Middle East.

Ralph Flood speaks with two groups of protestors gathered at City Hall in Philadelphia. They oppose Jimmy Carter's 1979 budget proposal and the First Bank of Pennsylvania's support of Food Fair in spite of a strike, respectively.

Terry Gross speaks with four occupiers of an armory in New Hampshire protesting the construction of the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant.

John Dean, former White House Counsel for Richard Nixon, discusses his new book "Blind Ambition" and the Watergate scandal.

Ralph Flood introduces a talk given by I. F. Stone at La Salle University on the intelligence network in the United States.

Ralph Flood introduces a talk given by I. F. Stone at La Salle University on the intelligence network in the United States.

Novelist Anthony Cave Brown discusses his latest novel and the role of the intelligence community in World War II.

Sandra Boston and Raymond Torres are members of the Christian and economic justice group Campaign for Global Justice. They join the show to discuss their work.

John Aiello, head of the Italian American Bicentennial, talks Italian Americans and their role in U. S. society.

John McAuliff and Sophie Quinn-Judge reflect on their time in Vietnam and discuss the current situation in the region.