Government & Politics

TV critic David Bianculli reviews some of the network specials marking the 40th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. They include the PBS documentary JFK: Breaking the News, about how local media covered the assassination, and Court TV’s Forensic Files: The JFK Assassination: Investigation Reopened, (both on tonight). ABC also presents a special on the subject, Peter Jennings Reporting: The Kennedy Assassination — Beyond Conspiracy.

The two collaborated (along with journalist Liz Sly) on a three-part series in The Chicago Tribune about illegal Muslim immigrants living in the United States who were required to register with the government after the Sept. 11th attacks. Now many of them are facing deportation or have already been deported.

Sennott covered the war in Iraq, but not as an imbedded reporter. He talks about his recent return to Iraq and also discusses the relationship between President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair, who are about to meet in London. Sennott is the London bureau chief for The Boston Globe. Sennott is also the author of the book The Body and The Blood: The Holy Land's Christians At the Turn of a New Millennium.

From May of this year until September, he was in Iraq helping with the reconstruction of the Iraqi police, forming a special enforcement and investigations team, developing informants and arresting individuals on the coalition forces wanted list (those whose faces showed up on the most-wanted deck of cards). Shubbar was born and raised in Baghdad, and fled the country in 1981.

The Oscar-nominated actor, who died Oct. 11, often played police officers and private eyes. "These guys are straight shooters," he said in 2003. "I take the mantle of that and pretend it's me."

He became a star for his role as Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. He's been nominated for numerous Academy Awards, and he stars with Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins in the suspenseful drama Mystic River.

Shehadeh is the author of the new memoir When the Birds Stopped Singing: Life in Ramallah Under Siege. His previous book is the memoir, Strangers in the House: Coming of Age in Occupied Palestine. Shehadeh is a founder of Al-Haq, a pioneering, nonpartisan human rights organization.

TV critic David Bianculli previews the season premiere of 24 on Fox.

Horovitz is editor of The Jerusalem Report and author of the forthcoming book Still Life with Bombers: Israel in the Age of Terror.

Law & Order is the longest running drama on network television. After more than 300 shows, and 13 years, the "ripped from the headlines" half cop/half law show is still going strong. It's also inspired two other series: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. There's a new photography book of the show's fictional crime scenes and a new DVD of the show's first season.

She stars in the new film Wonderland. Set in 1980s Hollywood, it's about a mysterious mass murder that took place on Wonderland Avenue. Porn star John Holmes was involved somehow, but the crime was never solved. Kudrow plays Holmes' wife in the film. Kudrow is best known for her role on the popular NBC sitcom Friends, now in its 10th season. She also appeared in the films Romy and Michele's High School Reunion and Analyze This.

A talk with foreign correspondent Elizabeth Rubin. Rubin writes for The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic and The Atlantic Monthly. She has reported from Afghanistan, the Middle East and Iraq.

Milhollin is director the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control, a non-profit research group in Washington, D.C. that has been tracking the spread of weapons of mass destruction since 1986. He will talk about who has nuclear weapons, who is developing them, who has intelligence about them and who poses the biggest threat. Milhollin is also professor Emeritus of the University of Wisconsin Law School. His op-ed pieces about nuclear weapons have appeared in many publications, including The New York Times.

Film critic David Edelstein reviews the new Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill: Vol. 1.

Film critic David Edelstein reviews Mystic River, the new film directed by Clint Eastwood, based on the book by Dennis Lehane.

Her new book (with co-author Lou Dubose) is Bushwhacked: Life in George W. Bush's America. Her stories have appeared in Esquire, The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Magazine and The Nation. Her other books include Shrub, about presidential candidate Bush, and Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?

In addition to heading the National Endowment for the Arts, Gioia (pronounced JOY-ah) is the author of several collections of poetry, including Interrogations at Noon. He has also translated the poetry of Italian Nobel Prize winner Eugenio Montale. Before he quit to become a poet, Gioia was a vice president at General Foods.

Norquist is president of Americans for Tax Reform. He's credited with helping President Bush formulate his administration's tax plan.

Journalist Joshua Hammer is Jerusalem bureau chief for Newsweek. His new book is called A Season in Bethlehem: Unholy War in a Sacred Place. Hammer stayed in Bethlehem for two years and writes about the Israelis and Palestinians living there. The book includes Hammer's account of the 2002 siege of the Church of the Nativity. The standoff between the Palestinians and Israeli military forces lasted over a month.

She is the widow of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, who was kidnapped then killed by militant Islamists in 2002. Before Daniel was abducted, the Pearls were both foreign correspondents, reporting from Pakistan. She has a new memoir.