Fresh Air Weekend: CNN's Jake Tapper; Poet Gregory Pardlo

Fresh Air

Published April 28, 2018 at 8:00 AM CDT

Jake Tapper is CNN's chief Washington correspondent and the host of <em>The Lead</em> and <em>State of the Union. </em>His novel,<em> The Hellfire Club,</em> is set in 1954 Washington, D.C. — Jake Tapper is CNN's chief Washington correspondent and the host of *The Lead* and *State of the Union.* His novel, *The Hellfire Club,* is set in 1954 Washington, D.C.

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

CNN's Jake Tapper On McCarthyism, Trump And The 'Jar Jar Binks Principle': Tapper's new novel, The Hellfire Club, takes place in 1954 during Sen. Joseph McCarthy's Communist "witch hunt" — a time he describes as "very resonant" with the current political climate.

Louis Armstrong Lays Bare The Studio Process In 'Pops Is Tops': A new four-disc compilation presents recordings Armstrong made for Verve in 1957. Critic Kevin Whitehead says the album includes a wealth of alternate takes, warm-ups and rehearsal sequences.

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet Reflects On 'Ambition And Manhood In America': Gregory Pardlo's new memoir, Air Traffic, chronicles his complicated relationship with his father, a labor organizer who lost his job following the air traffic controllers' 1981 strike.

You can listen to the original interviews here:

CNN's Jake Tapper On McCarthyism, Trump And The 'Jar Jar Binks Principle'

Louis Armstrong Lays Bare The Studio Process In 'Pops Is Tops'

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet Reflects On 'Ambition And Manhood In America'