wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Tacos, rice and beans, enchiladas, burritos – they've all become an everyday part of American eating habits. Ruth Reichl, editor of Gourmet magazine, is here with novelist Francisco Goldman to talk about Latin American culinary influence. James Mann looks into President Bush's campaign promise to surround himself with people who know more about foreign policy than he does. The resulting group, called the "Vulcans" - Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Armitage, and Condoleezza Rice – has had an enormous impact on the Bush presidency. Then writers Ian Rankin and George Pelecanos compare notes on the craft of writing mystery novels. And opera star Shirley Verrett details her dramatic life story and successful career.