Fresh Air

Inside The "Cover-Up" Of President Biden's Decline

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

CNN host Jake Tapper's book, Original Sin, co-authored by Alex Thompson, describes a president who struggled to function: "One person told us that the...

Cole Escola's 'Stupid' Dream Came True With 'Oh, Mary!'

19 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Escola gives former first lady Mary Todd Lincoln a wild second act in the Tony-nominated play Oh, Mary! "This play is about a woman with a dream that ...

Best Of: Ramy Youssef / Danny McBride

17 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ramy Youssef's new animated comedy series, #1 Happy Family USA, is about an Egyptian American Muslim family living in New Jersey, after 9/11, trying t...

Zombies Frontman Colin Blunstone

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There's a new documentary about the '60s British band The Zombies. It's called 'Hung Up on a Dream' and it's streaming on Amazon Prime. We're listenin...

Navigating The 'Wellness' Epidemic

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist Amy Larocca says our society's obsession with optimization and self-care has reached a fever pitch. She unpacks what it really means to tak...

His Cancer Meds Were Nearly $1K A Pill. How Did That Happen?

14 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

ProPublica reporter David Armstrong began investigating the pharmaceutical industry when he learned a single pill of his cancer treatment costs about ...

Ramy Youssef Animates A Muslim Family's Post-9/11 Life

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Actor Ramy Youssef was in 5th grade and living in New Jersey when the Twin Towers fell. His new Amazon Prime animated show, #1 Happy Family USA, draws...

'Righteous Gemstones' Creator Danny McBride's Love Letter To The South

12 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Georgia native has seen how Hollywood traffics in stereotypes about the American South. He talks with Tonya Mosley about making creative work that...

Best Of: Michelle Williams / Sarah Snook

10 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Michelle Williams talks about starring in Dying For Sex — a dark but funny TV series based on a true story about a woman with stage four cancer who,...

R. Crumb, King Of Underground Comics

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

R. Crumb created Zap Comix and such characters as Mr. Natural and Fritz the Cat. His comics were a staple of the 1960s counterculture, and came out of...

Having A Child In The Digital Age

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When NYT critic-at-large Amanda Hess learned her unborn child had an abnormality, she turned to the internet — but didn't find reassurance. "My rela...

President Trump's Conflicts Of Interest

07 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

New York Times reporter Eric Lipton says the Trump family businesses, including their crypto company, are capitalizing on the President's position, an...

Michelle Williams Insists On Finding Pleasure & Humor Alongside Pain

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Michelle Williams' FX/Hulu series Dying For Sex follows a woman with terminal cancer who decides to pursue her own sexual pleasure. She says the show ...

Sarah Snook Almost Didn't Audition For 'Succession'

05 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Snook, who played Shiv Roy on Succession, was just nominated for a Tony for playing all the characters in The Picture of Dorian Gray on Broadway. "I d...

Best Of: Inside The Pronatalist Movement / Making Sense Of Trauma

03 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We're diving into the resurgence of the pronatalism movement, the belief that having more babies will save a failing civilization. With new Trump-back...

A Story Of Shipwreck, Mutiny And Murder

02 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

David Grann's book, The Wager, is about an 18th century British warship that wrecked on an island after passing through the treacherous waters of Cape...

Terry Gross Remembers Her Late Husband, Francis Davis

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fresh Air host Terry Gross lost her husband, acclaimed writer Francis Davis, on April 14. They were together for 47 years. Today, she shares some of F...

Baby Bonuses, Trad Wives & The Pronatalist Movement

30 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A once-fringe movement claims having more babies is the only way to save civilization. NPR reporter Lisa Hagen and sociologist Karen Guzzo explain who...

How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist David Graham says the aim of the creators of the conservative action plan Project 2025 aim is to push the federal government "as far to the...

How Trauma Shapes Us

28 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Daria Burke spent several years digging into the science of how our brains and bodies carry the imprint of early experiences. She wanted to understand...

Best Of: 'The Pitt' Star Noah Wyle / 'Sinners' Director Ryan Coogler

26 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ryan Coogler's movies include both Black Panther films and Creed. His latest fillm, Sinners, is a vampire thriller about twi...

Merle Haggard On Hopping Trains And Doing Time

25 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Before he became a musician, Merle Haggard lived the kind of life that's often mythologized in song: Hopping freights and doing prison time. When he b...

Are Kids With ADHD Being Treated Effectively?

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

ADHD has been considered a medical disorder, treatable with drugs like Ritalin, but New York Times Magazine writer Paul Tough says recent studies ques...

Ryan Coogler Paid A Steep Price For The Films He Made

23 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The director of Black Panther and Creed talks about his new genre-bending vampire movie that takes place in the Jim Crow South. It's called Sinners an...

America's Path To 'Competitive Authoritarianism'

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Harvard professor of government Steven Levitsky studies how healthy democracies can slip into authoritarianism. He says the Trump administration has a...

Noah Wyle Is At Home In 'The Pitt'

21 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After 11 seasons on ER, Noah Wyle thought he was finished with medical dramas: "I spent 15 years avoiding — actively avoiding — walking down what ...

Best Of: Richard Kind / Melinda French Gates

19 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You've seen Richard Kind on countless TV shows and films during his 40-year career — Only Murders in the Building, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Spin City, ...

A Love Story At The Center Of The Civil Rights Movement

18 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

MSNBC host Joy-Ann Reid tells the story of Medgar Evers and his wife Myrlie. Medgar was the NAACP field secretary in Mississippi, a state that lynched...

Starvation In American Jail Cells

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

New Yorker staff writer Sarah Stillman says she's discovered dozens of cases where people in county jails across the U.S. have died of starvation, deh...

The Real-Life Russian Spies Who Inspired 'The Americans'

16 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In The Illegals: Russia's Most Audacious Spies and Their Century-Long Mission to Infiltrate the West, journalist Shaun Walker shares how agents were t...

Melinda French Gates On Giving Away Her 'Absurd' Wealth

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In a new memoir, billionaire Melinda French Gates writes about the end of her marriage to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and her ongoing philanthrop...

Richard Kind Is Glad He's Not That Famous

14 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kind is the announcer and host sidekick on the Netflix show Everybody's Live with John Mulaney. "I don't know what the hell I'm doing. You must unders...

Best Of: Jason Isbell / David Tennant

12 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Jason Isbell sings about his split from musician Amanda Shires on his latest album, Foxes in the Snow. "What I was at...

'Hacks' Returns! With Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs

11 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Emmy and Peabody Award-winning comedy series returns for a fourth season this week. It's about two women — a successful comic/TV personality in ...

The Dark Secrets Of Johnson & Johnson

10 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Johnson & Johnson recently lost a bid to settle lawsuits that claimed its talc powder products, including baby powder, caused cancer. Author Gardiner ...

Trump's Tariffs & The Radical Remaking Of The Global Economy

09 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump's sweeping tariff policy has upended the global economy. Zanny Minton Beddoes, the editor-in-chief of The Economist, likens it to The ...

The 'Fog Of Delusion' In Biden's Inner Circle

08 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Author Chris Whipple says Biden's family and closest advisors operated in denial regarding his ability to serve another term: "There's no doubt that t...

At 3 Years Old, David Tennant Knew He Wanted To Be Doctor Who

07 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When David Tennant was three, he told his parents he wanted to grow up to play Doctor Who on TV. As a teen, he held onto that dream: "I was quite weed...

Best Of: Amanda Knox / 'Adolescence' Co-Creator & Actor Stephen Graham

05 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Amanda Knox was convicted — and ultimately exonerated — for the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher while studying abroad in Italy. Now in a n...

Celebrating 20 Years Of 'The Office'

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's been 20 years since the debut of NBC's hit mockumentary sitcom The Office. To celebrate the anniversary, we're listening back to Terry Gross' arc...

Jason Isbell On Love, Heartbreak & Songwriting

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Isbell sings about his split from musician Amanda Shires on his latest album, Foxes in the Snow. "What I was attempting to do is document a very speci...

ICE Campus Arrests & The 'Struggle For The Soul' Of America

02 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As ICE agents arrest international students at campuses across the U.S., immigration law professor Daniel Kanstroom discusses the human cost. He says ...

Writer, Critic & Curator Hilton Als Looks For The Silences

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As a longtime staff writer at The New Yorker, Hilton Als's essays and profiles of figures like Toni Morrison, Joan Didion, and Richard Pryor have rede...

'Adolescence' Co-Creator/Actor Asks Not Whodunnit, But Why

31 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Netflix miniseries follows a 13-year-old accused of murdering a girl from his school. Co-creator and star Stephen Graham says he read about simila...

Best Of: A Writer Grapples With A Life-Changing Accident / The Post WWII 'Red Scare'

29 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hanif Kureishi began his new memoir just days after a fall left him paralyzed. He describes being completely dependent on others — and the sense of ...

After A Friend's Suicide, A Writer Inherits His Grieving Dog

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sigrid Nunez's 2018 novel The Friend won the National Book Award. It's now a film, starring Naomi Watts and Bill Murray, about a woman who inherits a ...

The Former Jihadist Trying To Remake Syria

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Atlantic writer Robert Worth talks about Syria's transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa. He was the founder of the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, but is ...

Amanda Knox Is 'Free,' But Is That Enough?

26 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Amanda Knox spent nearly four years in an Italian prison for a murder she didn't commit. After her exoneration, she reached out to the man who prosecu...

Inside The 'Mad House' Of Congressional Disfunction

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The MAGA-controlled 118th House passed only 27 bills that became law — the lowest number since the Great Depression. Journalists Annie Karni and Luk...

A Legal Scholar On 10 Laws 'Ruining America'

24 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Legal scholar Elie Mystal talks about his new book, Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America. From the Hyde Amendment's impact on reproducti...

Best Of: Seth Rogen / Can The Dems Win Back The Bros?

22 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Seth Rogen created a new AppleTV+ series, The Studio, which is a satirical look at how executives in Hollywood make decisions on what movies get made....

50 Years Of 'Rocky Horror'

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is 50 years old, and still going strong in midnight theaters. We're listening back to Terry's 2005 interview with Tim Cu...

The Political Battle For The Bros

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Popular podcasts in the "manosphere" helped sway young men to go MAGA in the 2024 election. New Yorker writer Andrew Marantz explains how Democrats ca...

The Promise & Peril Of AI

19 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gary Rivlin says regulation can help control how AI is used: "AI could be an amazing thing around health, medicine, ...

Seth Rogen Lands The 'Tragic' Job Of Studio Head

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In his new Apple TV+ series The Studio, Seth Rogen plays an anxious Hollywood executive desperate to not get fired. Studio heads are charged with deci...

The Red Scare & America's Conspiratorial Politics

17 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Writer Clay Risen describes a political movement which destroyed the careers of thousands of teachers, civil servants and artists whose beliefs or ass...

Best Of: Comic Bill Burr / Actor Simu Liu

15 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Bill Burr knows exactly where his sense of humor comes from. He learned at an early age that if he could make people laugh, then they'd be less likely...

Texan-Palestinian Comic Mo Amer

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Amer's Netflix comedy series about his life, Mo, is now in its second season. His family is Palestinian, and fled the first Gulf War, so Amer grew up ...

Remembering The South African Playwright Who Defied Apartheid

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Athol Fugard's plays, like Blood Knot and Master Harold and the Boys, were about the emotional and psychological consequences of Apartheid. He also fo...

Comic Bill Burr [Extended Version]

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Burr talks with Terry Gross about processing his abusive childhood, a therapeutic mushroom trip, and why he's angry at liberals. "You can get canceled...

The Gutting Of The Department Of Education

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Department of Education is reportedly eliminating 50% of its workforce. Washington Post writer Laura Meckler talks about the fallout, from the enf...

The Campaign To Silence Journalists & Undermine Free Speech

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 2019, Justice Clarence Thomas raised the prospect of overturning one of the most consequential free speech decisions ever made. New York Times Co. ...

Comic Bill Burr On Musk, Magic Mushrooms & Healing From His Childhood

10 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Bill Burr knows exactly where his sense of humor comes from. He learned at an early age that if he could make people laugh, then they'd be less likely...

Best Of: Jazz Clarinetist Doreen Ketchens / 'White Lotus' Actor Natasha Rothwell

08 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We're joined by a New Orleans institution — clarinetist and vocalist Doreen Ketchens. She's got several nicknames — "Lady Louie," "Queen Clarinet...

Remembering New York Dolls Frontman David Johansen

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The 1970s band The New York Dolls made only two studio albums, but the group was hugely influential, setting the stage for punk rock. We listen back t...

Actor Simu Liu On Diving In The Dark

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 2012, three deep-sea divers were on a routine dive in the North Sea when one of the divers became trapped underwater. The harrowing story of that r...

How Did DEI Become Part Of A Political Agenda — And A Slur?

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Georgetown professor Ella Washington and Harvard professor Frank Dobbin discuss the beneficiaries and misperceptions of diversity, equity and inclusio...

Mardi Gras With New Orleans Jazz Clarinetist Doreen Ketchens

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Known as "Lady Louie," Doreen Ketchens has been a fixture of the French Quarter for nearly four decades. We talk about her classical training and her ...

How A Writer's Life Changed In A Second

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hanif Kureishi began his new memoir just days after a fall left him paralyzed. He describes being completely dependent on others — and the sense of ...

Best Of: Growing Up Murdoch / DOGE's Cuts To The Federal Workforce

01 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Atlantic staff writer McKay Coppins describes the rivalry among the children of 93 year-old media titan Rupert Murdoch over who will control his busin...

Jeremy Strong / Sebastian Stan / Adrien Brody

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Academy Awards are this Sunday. We hear from the two stars of the film The Apprentice, Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong. It's about how a young Do...

Natasha Rothwell Checks Back Into 'The White Lotus'

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the new season of The White Lotus, Natasha Rothwell reprises her role of spa manager Belinda, a woman "on the precipice of change" as she straddles...

The Ripple Effect Of Musk's Government Purge

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

DOGE has eliminated thousands of federal jobs and canceled more than 1,000 contracts. Harvard professor Elizabeth Linos warns, "We're seeing harms tha...

The Murdoch Family's Real-Life 'Succession' Rivalry

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rupert Murdoch and his oldest kids are battling over who controls his media empire when the 93-year-old media titan dies. The Atlantic staff writer Mc...

The Battle For The Soul Of The Catholic Church

24 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In Jesus Wept, investigative journalist Philip Shenon examines the last seven popes, and how efforts to reform the Church with the Second Vatican Coun...

Best Of: Louis Armstrong's Early Years / Our Anti-Social Century

22 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We talk with author Ricky Riccardi about how Louis Armstrong became the first Black pop star and provided the foundation of improvisation for other mu...

Andrew Scott Doesn't See Ripley As A Monster

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the series Ripley, Andrew Scott plays a con artist with no conscience. The actor says it was important to humanize his character. "For me, I think ...

A Family Forged By Haiti's Coup

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rich Benjamin's grandfather, Daniel Fignolé, was a popular Haitian labor leader who became Haiti's president in 1957. After just 19 days in office, h...

How Regime Change Happens In America

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

During President Trump's first term, journalist Anne Applebaum reported on how he was moving toward authoritarianism. Now she's describing Trump's act...

What Measles Outbreaks Tell Us About Public Health In America

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

"Measles thrives on being underestimated," Dr. Adam Ratner says. The highly infectious disease was thought to be a "solved problem," until a 2018 outb...

Are Trump's Executive Orders Legal?

17 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Constitutional scholar, historian, and New York Times staff writer Charlie Savage joins us this President's Day to talk about the scope of executive p...

Best Of: Sebastian Stan / Questlove On The Genius Of Sly Stone

15 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Musician and documentary filmmaker Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson is back to talk about his new Hulu documentary about Sly Stone. It's called SLY LIVES! (...

'SNL' Turns 50: Aykroyd, Franken, Zweibel & Lovitz

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For Saturday Night Live's 50th anniversary, we're featuring interviews with some of the early cast members/writers. Dan Aykroyd talks about the moment...

'Nickel Boys' Director RaMell Ross Makes The Camera 'An Organ'

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

RaMell Ross's Oscar-nominated film, Nickel Boys, centers on two young Black men attempting to survive a brutal Florida reformatory school in the 1960s...

How Did Elon Musk Become So Powerful In The Trump Administration?

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

New York Times journalist Eric Lipton explains how Musk's companies are benefiting as he cuts federal jobs and agencies, and reporter Teddy Schleifer ...

For Sebastian Stan, 'The Apprentice' Playing In Theaters Was The Win

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sebastian Stan is up for an Oscar for his portrayal of President Trump early in his career, when Roy Cohn was his lawyer and mentor. Stan says Cohn sc...

Questlove On Sly Stone & The Burden Of Black Genius

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Questlove is back to talk about his new documentary about Sly Stone and his band the Family Stone. They created a new sound with their mix of pop, so...

Best Of: Ariana Grande / Inside A Dominatrix's Dungeon

08 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We talk about the cultural phenomenon of Wicked with star Ariana Grande. She's nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Grande talks about ...

Remembering British Singer Marianne Faithfull

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Discovered at a Rolling Stones party at the age of 17, Marianne Faithfull broke out in the early '60s with the Jagger/Richards song "As Tears Go By." ...

A Dominatrix/Writer Takes Readers Into A Dungeon

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After publishing her first novel when she was 21, Brittany Newell started working as a dominatrix. The job gave her time to write — and plenty of ma...

Trump's Plan For Gaza / The U.S. Military's Recruiting Crisis

05 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last night, President Trump proposed a plan to displace all the Palestinians from Gaza, and get Jordan and Egypt to take them in, while the U.S. takes...

Ariana Grande Loves Being In A 'Beautiful Coven'

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As a kid, Ariana Grande loved singing karaoke with her family. "I looked up to Whitney and Mariah and Celine endlessly," she says. "I think that's a l...

Parenting A Child With Terminal Cancer

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Wildman's daughter Orli died from cancer when she was 14. "She would sometimes ask me, 'What do you think I did to deserve this?' And of course,...

Best Of: 50 Years Of SNL Musical Guests / Black History Through Blues

01 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson is the co-director of a new documentary about the music of Saturday Night Live over the last 50 years. It's called Ladies &...

For 'Severance' Star Adam Scott, Work & Life Can't Be Separated

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Apple TV+ drama series Severance is back for its second season. It's a dystopian take on work-life balance — where characters have their persona...

How Louis Armstrong Became The First Black Pop Star

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Author Ricky Riccardi says Louis Armstrong's innovations as a trumpeter and vocalist helped set the entire soundtrack of the 20th century. His new boo...

This Anti-Social American Life

29 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Research shows we're spending more time alone than ever before. Atlantic writer Derek Thompson says all this "me time" has a profound impact on our re...

What The Color Blue Tells About Black History

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Award-winning author and scholar Imani Perry traces the history and symbolism of the color blue, from the indigo of the slave trade, to Coretta Scott ...

Questlove Digs Into 50 years Of 'SNL' Musical Hits (And Misses)

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Questlove's documentary, Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music, airs tonight on NBC. It highlights some of the show's most iconic musical perfor...

Best Of: Jesse Eisenberg / Pamela Anderson

25 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jesse Eisenberg talks about writing, directing and starring in the film A Real Pain. Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin play cousins who go to Poland on a Je...