Search results for

2: 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. . ."

So far this year, health officials report more than 1,300 human cases and 19 deaths from West Nile virus. Those numbers are certain to climb in the next few weeks. Yet as NPR's Jon Hamilton reports, experts insist that the risk of dying or becoming seriously ill from the mosquito-borne disease is remarkably small.

mas Bonuses - Daniel talks with Michael Lewis an editor at the New Republic Magazine. Mr. Lewis is a former Wall Street stockbroker and they'll talk about the drastically reduced Christmas bonuses handed out by Wall Street this year. They'll also talk about the climate that pervades the annual bonus season.

She is neither a misunderstood genius nor a child celebrity. She has not witnessed the extraordinary. Yet Amy Krouse Rosenthal wants you to know about her life. Her new memoir is an encyclopedia of herself, in alphabetical order. Mallory Kasdan profiles the writer.

This campaign season we will be airing candidate stump speeches as they travel around the country seeking support. This is an excerpt of an address Bob Dole made last week, on Labor Day, at a rally in St. Louis. In the speech, Dole pledges to cut taxes and balance the budget at the same time. He says his economic plan is pretty simple---it's time to give a break to everyone who pays taxes in America. He says there are three good reasons to cut taxes: too many families have both spouses working just to pay taxes, tax cuts will lift the economy and finally, the American people have waited too long for a tax cut---so he promises a 15% tax cut, a $500 per child tax credit, to cut capital gains by 50%, and to repeal the current tax on social security benefits.

Jacki speaks with NPR's Tom Goldman about prospects that the major league baseball season will begin on time tomorrow evening. Yesterday, a federal judge issued an injunction against the owners, prompting the players to offer to end their nearly eight-month old strike. Team owners will meet tomorrow to decide whether to go along with the players, or to lock them out.

T-V critic DAVID BIANCULLI previews the new "Prime Suspect" which airs Sunday night on PBS, and "Homicide" which begins a new season tomorrow night on NBC.

Defensive lineman for the Atlanta Falcons, TIM GREEN. GREEN's written a novel, "Ruffians" (Turner), about a football star who's NFL experience is dominated by money and steroids. During football season, GREEN writes a weekly column for the "Syracuse Herald-Journal". Off season, GREEN attends law school. His sports commentaries can be heard occasionally on NPR

NPR's Tom Goldman reports that after lumbering along for over six months, the labor dispute between National Basketball Association players and owners suddenly has a sense of urgency.

Steven Johnson, author of Everything Bad Is Good for You, aruges that rather than turning our brains to mush, entertainment options like video games are so complex that our brains rise to the challenge.